Football Books

This book takes you back through the good, bad and ugly days of Dallas Cowboy football. But its not really so much about football, its about the "after football" life of some of our favorite players of the past. Its hard to remember the names of most of the current players, but many of us long-time fans love to remember the good old days.
The author has provided a very informative and intriguing look at dozens of Dallas Cowboy players, some of them in the Ring of Honor, some of them more obscure. But each player has an interesting story to tell and the book is a very easy and enjoyable read. Not your typical sports book! I recommend it for both men and women readers.

We bought this for my brother for Christmas, but I have to admit several of the biographies were read before it was wrapped. My brother is a die hard cowboy fan. He loved reading the short biographies of where some of the OLD DAYS and NEW players are now. The only thing I wish is that there had been a short biography for TOM LANDRY because to me he is the HEART of the Cowboys.

This has to be the best biological collection of any sports team ever! My father, my brother, my friend, my mother and I - we all thoroughly enjoyed this book. My family often corresponds by way of sharing book reviews and this one quickly made it through the family. My father loved reliving all of his favorite players, my brother read it and loves debating with my father, my friend is just so happy that he can now understand the comparisons given during the telecasts of games today, but my mother and I had the most fun trying to quiz each other. Honestly, a great read for the sports enthusiasts and those crazy few in my family who want to discuss sports in anthropological terms.

This book was an awesome read. Many interesting short stories about lots of MY childhood heroes. The book took me back in time and also let me catch up on what has happened to so many of the players I grew up with. The successes and failures, the happy stories and the sad. Stories from Hollywood Henderson, Mike Clark, Harvey Martin, Ralph Neely, Roger Staubach, and many more. It is a MUST read for any fan of the Dallas Cowboys!!

This is a great book about BYU football. One of the best things is that it was published after the 1996 season, so it includes highlights from one of the greatest seasons in school history. In 1996, BYU became the first school ever to win 14 games in a season. This book is a must for any BYU football fan.

This is a great book filled with history and photos. It is well presented and makes a nice display book. It praises the program for the great things it has done, but also comments on mistakes that have been made. It does tend to focus a little too much on the "Cotton Bowl" season. The only other drawbacks are too many black and white photos, too many "crowd celebration" shots and not enough "behind the scenes" type shots including the locker rooms, team meetings, weight room etc. Overall though, this is a great book and worth the price.

This book is a must for the true blue Cougar football fanatic! Filled with photos, stats, and stories, the history of BYU football is chronicled from its beginnings to the present. And at a great price!

This book was renamed to "Wild Blue Yonder" before printing, and the correct authors are Dick Harmon and Steve Cameron. It's a beautiful coffee-table-style book, filled with photos, stories, statistics, history - all the stuff a dedicated fan will love. Well worth the price

Believe it or not, I actually wrote a book report on The Winning Edge when I was in the 4th grade some twenty years ago. At the time I worshipped the Dolphins and Shula who, during my youth, was still the head coach in Miami. I have very fond memories of this book. Written soon after the Dolphins' famous 17-0 season, Shula describes his childhood (how the spelling of his surname changed because a teacher kept mispronouncing it), his football playing years during which he was part of one of the biggest trades of the day (first hearing about it while reading the newspaper), his coaching days in Baltimore where he was criticized by owner Rosenbloom for not being able to win "the big one," his rapidly growing family, and his early, yet already legendary, career with the Miami Dolphins. One humorous story I remember is when he and his eldest son David (who would be one of the ongoing string of unsuccessful head coaches in Cincinnati) had to hitchhike home after a big playoff win because their car wouldn't start. The book includes a middle section of glossy black and white photos. From the Longest Game, to the undefeated season, to the Super Bowl victory, this book definitely represents the best time it was to be a Dolphin fan.

This book by Don Shula was written back in 1973, and is easily missed by today's generation who now more than ever need to read truly great coaching books. It is not in any stores and is only really available online. I have never seen this in any library(a shame), and have never seen any modern day printings of it(even more of a shame). This is one coaching manuscript that really NEEDS to be read by wannabe-coaches or football fans in general. Thank GOD I found it here!!!!! I would give it SIX stars if it was possible. It is very well written and put together by a man who understood the game of football and, more importantly, people, so very well. Shula talks about his life and some of his strategies on football and leadership that will leave any reader very satisfied......If you are looking to devour some outstanding grid-iron reading in 2005, then this is a can't miss book!!!!

DON SHULA GIVES US A GOOD LOOK AT HIS LIFE, PLAYING CAREER, COACHING CAREER, AND THE FANTASTIC 1972 DOLPHIN SEASON. HE IS VERY HONEST, INTELLIGENT, DETAILED AND VERY DEDICATED. I ENJOYED READING ABOUT HIS PLAYING DAYS ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS A CLEVELAND BROWN FOR A FEW YEARS. HE DEFINATELY IS ONE OF THE GREATEST COACHES OF ALL TIME AND A LEGEND. A MUST READ FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS. WELL WORTH IT.

In 1972, the Miami Dolphins became the first (and so far only) undefeated professional team in history. The man who led the Dolphins to this pinnacle? Don Shula, who was coach of the year numerous times in his seven year stint as Baltimore Colts' coach. This book is a personal look, as only an autobiography can be, of a coach who only desire was to be the best. Along the way there were hurdles--his mother's adamance against Shula playing football; heartaches--retirement as a player at age 27, the loss to the Jets in Super Bowl III and to the Cowboys in Super Bowl VI, the souring of his relationship with then-Colt owner Carroll Rosenbloom; and the highlights--making Paul Brown's Cleveland Brown squad as a rookie after Cleveland's World Championship season and the 1972 season. This book is a must read to learn about the coach who was the first to lead a team to the Super Bowl three straight seasons, the first to take two franchises to the Super Bowl, the only coach to appear in the Super Bowl in three different decades, has the most Super Bowl appearances of any coach, is the all-time winningest coach in professional football history, and the only coach who can say he coached a team during an undefeated season.

this book has more football drills for line play than any book I have ever bought and I have them all.

I have both read the book and seen Coach Snyder on the practice field, and what he tells you about in print, he uses with his own players. In a position where technique can make the player, this book is a must.

this book has more football drills for line play than any book I have ever bought and I have them all.

"106 Yards" gets 5 stars from me. As one who began following Al Carmichael's exploits as a post-war star with the El Toro Marines, at Santa Ana College, as a USC Trojan and in the NFL, I thoroughly enjoyed this editorial and pictorial trip, which brought back so many great and nostalgic memories. It's a "must read" for every USC fan or alum, as well as anyone who appreciates one of football's truly "class acts."

I found this book to be not only an account of an extraordinary career, but a tale of human perseverance and triumph. I thoroughly enjoyed it, cover to cover.

106 Yards is a comprehensive photographic masterpiece and the stories told by Al 'Hoagy' Carmichael capture a time in football that enthusiasts of the game will love to read.

2004 NFL Record & Fact Book

I have never felt a need to purchase a statistic book. When I received one for my birthday I was obligated to open it. Well, to my surprise I was fascinated with the records that the NFL has kept. I am an avid NFL fan. (Green Bay Packers) When I scanned some of the records, the who's who of football greats started popping up. Walter Payton, Jim Brown and Vince Lombardi to name a few. I knew I had great book for my collection.

The book is broken down quite well into easy access information. The 2004 events are listed first. Schedule, Post season and nationally televised games, Scheduling formula, NFL active statistical leaders, coaches records, What to look for in 2004, 2004 Draft list, Tie breaking procedures and then each individual team is broken down in detail.

Each team is deciphered by:
* Club officials-owner on down to front office personal with
historical background of each person
* Coaches-Head coach and assistant coaches' history.
* Stadium-Capacity, playing surface and training camp location.
* Individual stats in 2003.
* Rosters

The next notable chapter is the 2003 year in review: Trades, week by week results, players of the week and month, team and individual stats, best performance and attendances.

The next chapter is for the betting public looking for any edge to lay the line. Inside the Numbers includes records of teams on the road from 1970 to 2003, bye weeks-team record after and monthly record win percentage per team from 1994 to 2003. These are just the numbers no predictions here.

Other chapters include: Pro Football Hall of Fame, Chronology of Professional Football, All time team vs. team results, Super Bowl summaries, Monday night records, Thursday-Sunday night, First round selection history and Records-all time and team/individual. Here you will find names like Rock Island Independents, Columbus Pan Handles, Tonawanda Kardex and Cleveland Indians. (Yes, Cleveland was an NFL team for those MLB baseball fans.) Of notable quiz show highlights: Jim Thorpe was the first NFL Commissioner for one year. (1920)

And last and most subject to interpretation are the Rules of the game. The roster of officials (Includes day job), Official Signals with illustrations and the Digest of Rules.
Notable highlights are the jurisdiction, positions and duties of each official. Definitions of official's words like impetus, muff and chucking.

Since we are on the subject of NFL rules, the most controversial rule pass interference is dissected like no other. Underlined words are for stressing to the public what to look for while watching games I think. The pass interference rule has five additional notes. These notes break down certain incidents that could occur on each play and what to look for. After reading the pass interference rules a couple times through I am still confused! What is true of most written rules applies here "what is written and how it is interpreted by each individual is always different."

This book should be in all NFL fan's collection. It is a NFL official publication, so you can rely on the facts. All that is left is to sit back and enjoy the best game on the planet.

And don't forget the referee is the final authority for rule interpretations.

I found the National Football League's annual Record and Fact Book to be a lot more than just the league's media guide. Sure, the book is the official source for NFL statistics and minutia; however, I also find the book is actually a good read.

Of particular interest is the History section, which gives you a short, year-by-year summary of pro football from Pudge Heffelfinger, the first pro football player, all the way to last year's Super Bowl-winning firld goal by Adam Vinitieri of the New England Patriots.

You won't find a detailed, mind-nimbing socio-economic analysis of the effects if the NFL on the nation's GDP; nor will you find a lot of negativity abouy the league's problems - after all, this is an NFL publication. However, the league takes great pains to give you a reader-friendly set of the rules (thank God for that alone, it's won me a few wagers) and the records, including separate pages detailing the careers of some of the greatest players who played the game.

There's also a very good outline of the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and also historical data on the league's competitors over the years (did you know that there have been upwards of a half-dozen versions of the American Football League?).

Overall, there are some sections that you might look through only once in a year; but there are also sections where you can lose yourself in the game simply by taking what's there on the pafe and using your imagination to make the numbers leap off the page. Yeah, maybe I wax a little poetic about the stats in the book, but any true football fanatic knoes that the numbers all tell a story; it's up to the reader to make that story come to life. This book is comprehensive enough to be considered complete, yet spacious enough to allow you to tell yourself the story of the NFL in your own words.

Published yearly this book is a great resource for every NFL fan. I can't tell you how many times a season I pull this book out while watching an NFL game. It contains information on all 32 teams, almost EVERY single game, regular season, post season, Super Bowl, and career NFL record you could think of. Also included is an overview of the rules and regulations of the league. It is a very handy guide for all NFL fans.

One small piece of advice: If you have last year's book, you may not feel the need to buy another, there isn't much new material added from year to year (though at such a cheap price it may be worth it). I would definitely recommend the book though if you don't know any previous versions, or if your version is more than 2 or 3 years old.

The 25 Greatest Moments In Camp Randall History is a tribute to the University of Wisconsin football program, offering an inside look at the players, coaches and teams. Painstakingly researched by columnist Mike Lucas, who has twice been named Sportswriter of the Year in Wisconsin, The 25 Greatest Moments In Camp Randall History describes each memorable instance in detail, and ranks them in order of their importance and impact on the UW program. Black-and-white and color photographs bring memories of gameplay and competition alive. The 25 Greatest Moments In Camp Randall History is surely the next best thing to attending the #4 rated college football venue (according to ESPN's 2004 ranking) and witnessing a moment in person.

Mike Lucas has definitely captured the essence of Camp Randall's history. Having been a Badger fan for the better part of three decades, I certainly think he did a terrific job of highlighting the great moments. Some may quibble over the order of the rankings. I personally think that the win over Michigan in '93 was the greatest moment, but in all, the book is fantastic.

A must have for any Badger or Big Ten football fan. Golden Gopher fans not included, if there are such people.

Just received my copy and sat down and read it all on a Sunday afternoon. The author, Mike Lucas, has covered the Badgers forever and always seems to have some interesting insight into the Badgers program. In this book he has personally covered 20 of the 25 moments. He also talked with the players and coaches from each of the great moments which adds flavor to each of the segments. The book is an oversided hardcover, coffee-table type book that has game photos (many of which are color)from the actual games being featured.

I can't really argue with the list (although I may have included the '93 Michigan win as one of the greatest moments on its own--in the book it ties in with the chapter on the '93 Ohio State tie) as every game that is listed is certainly a great moment.

If you are a University of Wisconsin football fan, you will greatly enjoy this book.

I loved this. Every fan of college football should have this book. In fact, every football fan will enjoy reading the profiles of these winners. They range from names that everyone knows, like Alex Karras to ones you never heard of but the latter are as interesting as the former. Give this book to all your football fan friends for Christmas and be their hero.

Now that's what I'm talking about! A book about college football's OUTLAND TROPHY. I just found the perfect Christmas gift for my friends. 60 YEARS OF THE OUTLAND TROPHY by Gene Duffey. I could not put the book down on a flight from New York to LA. The OUTLAND TROPHY is very informative and well written.

A terrific read featuring stories for all the Outland Trophy winners - some forgotten players, recent winners, and unforgettable stars including Merlin Olsen and Alex Karras - almost all interviwed specifically for this presentation. NCAA football fans, particularly those that cheer for the underappreciated interior linemen, will love this book. Well crafted, thoroughly researched, and clearly presented.

the story of Alex Smith is a great story about a kid who always played second fiddle, but when he got the chance to sign, he took full advantage.

Smith went to Helix high school and in 2 years lost 2 game as the starting QB leading his team to 2 straight state titles.

Smith wasn't the story however, his teamate was.
Running Back Reggie Bush, who later signed to play at USC.

Smith had only 2 offers, 1-Michigan State 2-Utah

Smith declined Michigan State because his uncle was the head coach, and fearing a political backlash, Smith chose Utah.

at Utah, Smith was at the very bottom of the depth chart and even thought about transfering out, but destiny was on Alex's side.

on the last play of the game against Texas A&M, Utah's starting QB got hurt, and Smith took over. his first start was against California and Smith lead the Utes to a win over the ranked Cal.

in 2 years, Smith lead Utah to a 21-1 record and from the unknowns to a powerhouse football team.
in his junior season, Smith had just about everything you could ask for short of the National Title.

Utah finished 12-0, ranked #5 in the Nation, and was the first Non-BCS team to make it a BCS game.

Alex Smith ended his junior year leading Utah to a 35-7 win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl and took home MVP of the game, finishing 29 of 37 for 328 yards and 4 tds.

Smith was a Heishman Trophy finalist and was named by The Sporting News as the college football Player of the Year.

i really hope there is a revised story, because it pretty much ends where Alex makes his decision to go pro, which was a no brainer.

Smith ended up becoming the #1 overall draft pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
he threw his first TD pass in his 150th pass attempt, finishing the season with 1 td and 11 ints.

Alex wore #11 and was in the #1 pick in the NFL Draft. pretty crazy numbers hu?

the Alex Smith story is really fascinating. he's not a showboat, or a gloater. he's a very humble guy who knows where he came from.

great story.

Wow! This is a compelling story, for young and old. Heather is an amazing storyteller, and does a masterful job of sharing the story of Alex Smith as he follows his dream of playing football in the NFL. It is full of fun and anecdotal excerpts from his childhood, and a detailed review of his march to an undefeated 2004 season, leading the University of Utah football team. I couldn't put it down, and read the whole book in one sitting (two weeks before his going first pick in the NFL draft). Now, I can't wait for the sequel covering his 49er years!

The story of Alex Smith and his meteoric rise to the number one NFL draft choice is a superbly inspiring story, written by a very talented young author. It is laced with humerous anecdotes and interesting insights into Smith's homelife and his first 20 years.

Not just a light humor book. It's actually very insightful. Very well-organized, with tips throughout on things like fantasy picks and best of all, dealing with significant others. (Including a hysterical section on how to massage while watching the game.) For such a small book, it's packed with useful info...recipes, sports references, resources. Unbelievable. I highly recommend getting it while the football season is still in its nascient stages. Has already made my season that much more enjoyable.

Great book! Very funny and full of good tips. We made the "towel-roll" chicken wings-- my buds were impressed. If you like watching football on TV then you should read this book.

The more I read, the more I laughed. However, as I continued to read, I suddenly realized how valuable this information is to me and every other football junkie out there!!!

A must-have for any football fan. Incredibly clever and extremely entertaining. Well done!