Football Books

You can get ready for World Cup 2010 in South Africa by reading this book, and if for some reason, it is played somewhere else, it is still worthwhile reading. It should be reprinted.

I saw a list on the 50 best books on soccer to read from the magazine Four Four Two; and this one certainly belongs on that list. It wasn't there, but it was better than some I read that were on the list and that list is subjective anyway; as you read on what interests you; if you are interested in Africa; you'll gobble this book right up!

Peter Auf Der Heyde, the author really loves his subject; grew up in South Africa; both with Apartheid and with out it. He played goalkeeper for black teams in South Africa and is a journalist with a unique perspective. I'd read about anything by him; he is an encyclopedia on African soccer (which by the way, he calls someone else that in the book).

We read about his journeys to World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifiers as well, as viewing games at the World Cup and at the Cup of African Nations. Besides that, we read his coverage of the South African bid to hold the World Cup in 2006; which obviously failed, so the next time, was there time.

He travels the continent to see these games and of course, in one chapter, he was off to France to see the World Cup.

We learn about Muti (seems to be what black magic would be in South Africa) and Voodoo being used in soccer games in Africa, the amiable and pleasant nature of the players from there, about problems that had happened in stadiums that caused disasters, even the common subject in soccer about corruption in it's adminstration and associations among many topics and many countries.

Early in the book, we find out about the Football (read Soccer) Associations in South Africa, Auf Der Heyde's homebase country and a bit of the way it was during Apartheid and afterwards. This goes into quite a bit of detail; but it doesn't last long and is important. After that, this is an exceptional book, to read at night about faraway places and exotic locales. If Auf Der Heyde ever rights a sequel; I think, the only thing, Auf Der Heyde did not cover is the question there is about some African's birthdates in soccer. I'm sure he could tell us a lot about this. He is so knowledgeable in this field; I think, I could chat with him on African football (soccer) for hours.

There are a number of pages of photos which are in color. Quite a few of the pictures are noteworthy, including one of the author with Nelson Mandela.

If one enjoys this book, the movie on South Africa; Catch a fire I would recommend as well.

A joy to read both for the African and the football observations. Totally off the beaten path, and better for it.

Hello all my wonderful fans and readers!

I hope that you enjoy reading the story of Lizzie and Payton and find it to be as much fun to read as it was for me to write. They are two of my favorite characters, and I'm really looking forward to writing more about them in future books as I bring love interests into the lives of their friends.

Below you will find an excerpt from The Heart Will Lead You Home. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! You can also visit my site (www.freewebs.com/krisleedy) for more information and to read up on all the new things happening in the world of Kristin.

Excerpt from The Heart Will Lead You Home:

"Hello, Lizzie." He spoke to her in a voice that was deeper than
she remembered and she felt her heart stop when she heard it. Even
though she commanded it not to, it came to a momentary halt before it
pounded back to life again. She told herself she didn't care or notice all
the ways he'd changed.

"Hello." She pushed the words from her dry, sandy throat and
heard it crackle out into the warm, summer air.

"Dance with me." Like an intimate but unwanted caress his words
wrapped around her and held. It was too much for her to take and she
couldn't handle standing there in the same space as him for another second
longer.

"Excuse me, boys, but I believe I have to get going." She pushed
her way out of the group and refused to look back when she heard him
calling her name. Suddenly anger a million times stronger than she had
remembered feeling in the past slammed into her, almost buckling her
knees out from under her with its force. She forced herself forward and
out into the night air.

There was a partially muffled curse that floated to her, and she
judged that she had only seconds before Payton came after her. He caught
up with her just outside of the barn and grabbed hold of her arm. "Wait!
Liz, would you just wait a damn minute."

"No!" She flung his arm away and made it a few steps farther, but
she was no match for his speed, and this time he caught her with both of
his hands and held her captive in the strength of them.

He whirled her around to face him, and she could tell by the sparks
that flew from his eyes that he meant business. "I suggest you get your
butt back in that barn and dance with me. I have some things I want to say
to you."

Her face lit with fury. "You know, this may come as some
surprise to you, Payton Cartwright, but I don't want to dance, and I sure as hell have nothing to say to you."

"Well," he said at long last, "then that just leaves one other thing
on my list that I've been thinking about doing tonight." And with that he
pulled her hard against his body, knocking her hat off in the process, and
ran his strong, sun darkened hands roughly through her hair then down to
hold her body in place. He forced his lips down onto her stubborn ones,
and kissed her with a passion that had been banked for many long years.

I finished The Heart Will Lead You Home in less than a week and found it very enjoyable. The milieu--small town Edenville, Alabama became so familiar to me that I felt as though I had visited it. I got to know Payton and Lizzie so well, I think I would recognize them in a crowded room. The Heart Will Lead You Home was endearing and touching and romantic.
Well done, Kristin Leedy!

Bought for my husband - he loved it. Texas football up to lat years Rose Bowl game - with excellent pictures.

I bought this book for my dad for his birthday. He absolutely loved it. He graduated from Texas and has followed Texas football since the 60's and there were still some things in here that he didn't know. This is a great gift idea for those Texas Longhorn fans

I recommend this book to all football coaches. The advice given in this book is wise and very helpful for coaching any age group of football players. The values and instruction taught by Coach Adkins throughout his coaching career are very admirable and very true. His coaching success shows that he was on the right track with coaching techniques and abilities in instructing and leading his players over the years. This is a great instructional book for coaching football. I was very impressed with all the different play drawing and directions.

I bought this on recommendation of a friend. I know little about sports but they told me what great "life lessons" it contained and they were right. I did skip over the "plays" but the writing is very heart felt and positive. I loved it and think it should be a must read for anyone who is in a position to influence our youth, not just the coaches.

you don't have to be a sports fan to love this book. The quotes are inspiring. If you're looking for a motivational book, this is it.

As a true Alabamian, and a die-hard Crimson Tide fan, this was a must have. That being said, if you are anyone who has to teach, show, guide, anyone else in anything. this book will be useful. If you want to get more from yourself than you currently think possible, these quotes will help.

I haven't actually read this book, but I'm leaving a review in response to a review. As a Marshall fan, I find the irony in the fact that WE "can't read" but an obvious WVU fan gave this book 5 STARS, then basically said illiterate Marshall fans love it. Classic! :) I will now purchase the book simply because of the 5 out of 5 review it just received.

Marshall grads can't read. And considering that only they would find this book enjoyable, it seems as if a lot of time was waisted.

I found Randall's book to be a captivating, thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. From his early years in Santa Barbara to his career at UNLV, Randall paints a picture of a tough but exciting upbringing. He uses colorful stories combined with retrospective wisdom to illustrate how events in his formative years shaped him as an individual. He also details his misunderstood and often criticized career with the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as his views on fellow team members and other influential figures in his life. Without a doubt, one of the most important aspects of the book is Randall's relationship with God. He talks about the many dimensions of his Faith, and there influence on him both as a player and as a person. It is genuinely refreshing for someone so well-known to acknowledge the value of his beliefs as an instrument in his success. This book is an excellent read not only for football fans, but for anyone who enjoys stories of faith and overcoming the odds.

I highly recommend this book for anyone to get an understanding of one of the most maligned great athletes of all time. While much has happened in Randall Cunningham's career since the book was published in 1993; this book is still a very good read. Randall is by far the most talented quarterback to ever play in the NFL. He's done things in his career that were never done before. For example, he is the only NFL quarterback to LEAD his team in rushing in four consecutive seasons. He is the first NFL qb to rush for 4,000 yards in a career and needs only 78 to be the first to rush for 5,000, though missing half of his career due to injuries, benchings and politics. His touchdown/interception ratio 1.544 is fifth all-time behind only Steve Young 2.168, Joe Montana 1.964, Brett Favre 1.668 and Dan Marino 1.666. He is one of the greatest playmakers in NFL history, regardless of position. He has brought excitement and enjoyment to an increasingly regimented and boring game.

Contrary to "expert" and fan opinion, Randall Cunningham is also a winner. His career winning percentage as an NFL starting quarterback is .612 [Young .657, Favre .649, Marino .612, Elway .632, Kelly .632, Esiason .452, Aikman .569, Moon .505], comparable to great quarterbacks of his and any era. What's even more noteworthy is that during Randall's 11-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles, seven NFC East division teams won Super Bowl championships [NY Giants2, Washington Redskins 2 and Dallas Cowboys three. Had Randall's Eagles been in a far less competitive division in the AFC, who knows how many more wins and Super Bowl appearances Cunningham and his Eagles would have earned. Yet, he's always been maligned and vilified in the media.

Since leaving the Eagles, Cunningham has drifted to the Vikings, Cowboys and Ravens. Yet he has continued to maintain a high level of performance, even though he's had to put up with sitting behind inferior quarterbacks. This book is great for fans of Randall Cunningham. It will even give his detractors another viewpoint of this remarkably gifted athlete.

Even though I'm not from the Urbana area, I found this book to be very enjoyable. I liked the idea of 150 different stories that were told. Many of them were very interesting. I would definitely recommend this book and hope that the author, Tom Kacich, will write future books. I thought his insight into the stories was very informative.

I consider myself to be an avid reader and I like the books I read to be interesting and easy to read. I found that Hot Type by Tom Kacich is the best of both worlds for me - the stories come from Champaign and Urbana in Illinois but they could easily be from any town in this country. The stories in the book are compelling and the format of the book allows the reader to read a few stories at a time or the entire book at once. Mr. Kacich has done a fine job researching the stories and the photos are interesting, too. Hot Type is not just a book for people from Illinois but a must for all avid readers!

Jay Barker goes against the flow of traditional thinking in giving God the praise and glory for all of his accomplishments on and off the field. A superb book for any teen or sports fan.

This is one of the best books I have ever encountered. It is not only a wonderful testimony of Jay's faith, but it also has the added bonus of Crimson Tide football. This book is perfect for anyone whether or not they are football fans. He deals with his faith and challenges faced throughout life and how he persisted. I highly recommend this for anyone of any age.

Chock full of fascinating stories about soccer (football) goalies an and the "art" of goalkeeping. Really should be part of any comprehensive personal soccer (football) reference library. Book is now out of print in any form and is becoming quite a sought after item.

Hilarious, fascinating, a whole theory of goalkeeping that I had never thought of ... goalkeepers are really philosophers at heart. A hugely enjoyable read.