Football Books

Written by Ron Kramer with newspaper writer Dan Ewald, and comfortably narrated in third person, That's Just Kramer! From Michigan Legend to Lombardi's "12th Man" is the biography of talented athlete Ron Kramer, from his days dominating football, basketball, and track in the University of Michigan, to his time to playing as one of the Green Bay Packers, to choosing his family over his professional career by switching teams and returning home to Detroit, and more. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this down-to-earth chronicle of Kramer's life, career, and passions. An enthralling biography especially recommended for football fans.

I remember reading the following quote in Sport magazine during the late 1950's:

"In 1957 two Michigan exports splashed across the American scene both accompanied by terrific fanfare. One was an automobile called the Edsel. The other was a tank named Ronald John Kramer."

Dan Ewald , who has written books about such Michigan notables as George Kell, Sparky Anderson, and Bo Schembechler has provided us with an excellent account on the life of Ron Kramer who starred for the Michigan Wolverines, Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions. Kramer credits his family for instilling in him the discipline necessary for his success at Michigan, the college he chose to attend so his parents could see him play. For their inept play in 1956 the Green Bay Packers received a bonus pick in the 1957 draft as the rules then allowed. That choice went for Notre Dame's Paul Hornung. With the first choice in the regular round the Packers chose Michigan's Ron Kramer. A broken leg in his rookie season threatened his career, but the arrival of Coach Vince Lombardi in 1959 revitalized his career as it did for several others on the team. Lombardi saw Kramer as an ideal tight end, his "12th man on the field", because Kramer could both catch passes and block for others. This was a position held by Packer veteran Gary Knafelc who lacked the size and quickness of Kramer. This was a team going nowhere under previous coaches Lisle Blackbourn and Ray "Scooter" McLean yet possessed a number of future Hall of Famers. The differences between them and Lombardi was that Lombardi stressed discipline and preparation. Following the 1964 season Kramer requested a trade to the Detroit Lions so he could be closer to home where he felt he was needed due to family matters. It was either that or retire. Had he remained in Green Bay he would have ended up on five championship teams instead of two and most likely cemented his place in football's Hall of Fame. However, family came before football as Lombardi himself stressed, and the trade was made. The situation on the Lions under coach Harry Gilmer compared with the Packers was significant. The book also deals with his family life after football and Kramer's emphasis on the importance on friendship in one's life. I did find one error in the book. The author twice refers to Fordham's Seven "Rocks" of Granite when it should be Seven Blocks of Granite. There have been numerous books written on former Green Bay Packer players and I'm glad to see one on Green Bay's other star player named Kramer, Ron Kramer. Football fan or not, you should enjoy it.

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK BY JACK TATUM, FORMER OAKLAND RAIDER. THE BOOK IS BOTH INTERESTING AND ENTERTAINING. IT IS ALMOST 100% ABOUT FOOTBALL. A SMALL BUT DETAILED ACCOUNT OF HIS CHILDHOOD IS DISCUSSED EARLY ON BUT THE REST IS HIS CAREER IN HIGH SCHOOL, OHIO STATE AND OAKLAND. HIS OPINIONS AND INSIGHTS CONCERNING THE BEST AT DIFFERNT POSITIONS, AND COACHES IS A MAJOR HIGHLIGHT. I ALSO FOUND HOW HE FELT AFTER THE INCIDENT WITH DARRYL STINGLEY TO BE ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT TO THIS VERY GOOD READ. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS. A HIT BOOK BY THE RAIDER HIT MAN.

This is truly a player for all ages, and why football "back then" is soooo much better than football today. He did it all. Play the run, play the pass, hit . .you name it. Jack Tatum let his actions on the field speak for itself. And he didnt get caught up in "marketing himself" on the field after a good play either (ala "Deion"). Knowing how brutal the old Raiders clubs were in the 60's & 70's, and to a man, having all of them agree that Jack Tatum was the toughest of all of them (Ken Stabler in "Snake" and John Madden's books for just a couple of examples), this tells you just how good of a football player this guy was. The fact that he loved and respected Woody Hayes at Ohio State for just being always "honest and upfront with him," when all other college recruiters were trying to buy him out of high school, showed me just what kind of character this guy was made of. A good read.

This book has a collection of great Auburn Football stories told by true Auburn fans. It is a must read! After reading this book you will truly realize how lucky you are and how great it is to be an Auburn Tiger!

War Eagle! 28-18 Four in a Row!

Vinny V.

This book is a great collection of short stories that are emotional, funny and heart warming. It is all about going to games and the Auburn family as a whole. It reminds me of the Chicken Soup series of books excpet this is all about Auburn and how great it is to be an Auburn Tiger! Most stories are fairly short but that doesn't mean it's easy to put down. It's a great book to read and keep and I've even given several as gifts.

I am grateful to Lou for writing this book. Chapter 23 is about my parents! So, this is a biased review. It is a great and true view of early 50s Football. The fact is that no Football player of today could or would play like the guys back in the 50s. None of them have the heart or talent. You may disagree, but you would be wrong. Please buy and read the book!

This is a true life account of a mid-tier college football team that defeated the odds and proved to the nay-sayers that "The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts." When the chips were down, they had only each other to rely on. Given the negative coverage of some of today's athletes in our society relating to drugs, crime, and the unwillingness to play hurt for the good of the team, this book portrays everything that is great about athletics. The accomplishments of this team will never be seen again and it is a testament to the character of 20 young men. Long live the Tiny Twenty!

Takes all the well written boston herald articles about Tom Brady and complies them. Great if you missed a few articles and want to catch up. Also nice the way it has great color pictures incorporated as well. Highly recommend to any Patriots fan!

This book was great. It show all the highlights of the season and told you a lot more about mr.Tom. They show how much he has come over the years and how truely talented he is. He definatly deserved M.V.P. Although the pats didnt make the playoffs this year, we'll get em next year!! GO PATS!

ISBN 0789453282 - Quite possibly THE perfect gift for the little boy in your life - and get one for your son, too! Some men will be happy to know that their son can "read" such a "manly" book as this, which might be all the push your son needs to get reading. Football fans, of either gender, will appreciate the chance to introduce the young'un to their favorite sport.

With touchable portions on each page, the reader can feel a leathery football, a silky jersey, a squishy knee pad, scratchy turf, and the all important shiny trophy! The book teaches them more than just some rudimentary football words, too. Children will learn simple adjectives, just by touching and feeling!

Photos of real NFL stars, including Peyton Manning and Drew Bledsoe, are a nice touch - real football fans want to see real football players. The writing is simple and beginning readers will be able to pick it up easily. Those who still need (or want!) to be read to will find this one an especially pleasant read with Dad (nothing personal, Mom).

- AnnaLovesBooks

If you like football you'll love this book! My 10 month old picked it up and kept saying ball, ball pointing at the cover. He said "Ooh!", "Oh!", "Wow!" as he touched each of the items and heard what they were. He loves the touch and feel books and will pick those over his others again and again. Maybe your child will too!

The 2004 college football season has come to an end with Pete Carroll's University of Southern California Trojans having completed the most perfect season in collegiate football history. There have been many "perfect" teams; that is, teams that went undefeated and untied en route to a consensus National Championship. USC itself has enjoyed their fair share of these kinds of wire-to-wire perfect seasons. But the stars have never been aligned for any team quite like the 2004 Trojans. First of all, they are the sixth team to be ranked number one in the nation from the pre-season polls through the bowl games. USC is the only team to do it twice. The 1972 Trojans, considered by many to be the greatest team of all time, accomplished the feat. But SC was also ranked number one from the end of the 2003 regular season through the bowls, and carried that right through 2004 without interruption.

The 2004 Trojans also boast the Heisman Trophy winner, two-time junior All-American quarterback Matt Leinart. His teammate, All-American sophomore running back Reggie Bush, was a New York finalist for the award. USC won a repeat National Championship, a feat rarely done. They are in the middle of a 22-game winning streak. They beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, a game that was previewed as the greatest game in college football history. The 1944-45 Army Cadets featured a similar winning streak and two Heisman winners, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. There are other teams that compare, but nobody has done it quite the way Carroll's team is doing it.

A few came close. The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers featured an undefeated regular season that included winners of the Heisman and Outland Trophies. They lost to Miami in the Orange Bowl. The 2003 Oklahoma Sooners looked to be on a similar path, but their Heisman winner, Jason White, faltered in the Big 12 championship game as well as the Orange Bowl.

In light of USC's recent dominance, it is worth considering their place in history. Not just the current Trojans, but USC's football program going back to the beginning of the 20th Century. It is time to take the mantel of "greatest program in the history of college football" away from the struggling Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and lay it squarely with the deserving new champions from USC. Furthermore, USC continues to lay claim to the greatest historical athletic program in college history, as well.

The two-time defending National Champions are a dynasty. If Leinart returns for his senior year in 2005, they will be better than they were this season. Leinart will be a senior, the Heisman favorite (as he was all of this year), and a three-time All-American. He will walk away from his career with more honors than any player ever; three National Championships (?), two Heismans (?), the Johnny Unitas Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Award, et al. He will probably be the number one pick in the NFL draft.

The 2003-04 Trojans are very possibly the greatest two-year dynasty ever. If they win a third title in 2005, that will be a first. They lose a couple of linebackers, but aside from Leinart, Bush will be a junior, running backs LenDale White and Herschel Dennis return, the whole offensive line returns, the tight ends and receivers are back, and the defense will be, for the most part, experienced. The 2005 Trojans have the potential to be the greatest single-season team ever assembled, better even than the 1972 Trojans. Soph-to-be Jeff Byers was the nation's best lineman coming out of high school and could win the Outland Trophy before graduating. Soph-to-be linebacker Keith Rivers was the top prep at his position and may garner a Butkus trophy some day. If Leinart leaves for the NFL, USC will re-tool at quarterback with one of two blue chip recruits.

In 2005, John David Booty will be a red-shirt sophomore. He was the top prep quarterback in America at Louisiana's Evangel Christian High School. His competition? Mark Sanchez, the top prep quarterback in the U.S. at Mission Viejo High (the nation's number two team) in Orange County, California in 2004. USC has had the number one recruiting class in the country for three years in a row. Last year's was considered the greatest of all time. The 2005 class, which will be finalized in February, promises to be just as good. The pipeline is endless. In light of the fact that they will enter next season ranked number one, favored to win their third National Championship in a row, they are worthy of continued hype. Consider that if Troy runs the table in '05, their winning streak will probably be 35. With either Booty or Sanchez living up to the challenge, maybe with senior running back Bush winning the Heisman and starring with a cast headlined by juniors Rivers and Byers, the 2006 Trojans could challenge Oklahoma's 57-game winning streak of the 1950s. Now we are looking at four National Championships in a row, but wait, there is more. Booty could quarterback the team in 2006 and 2007. Sanchez would be a red-shirt junior and senior in 2008-09. Considering that the last two SC quarterbacks (Carson Palmer in 2002 and Leinart in '04) won the Heisman, USC could conceivably come away with four more of the trophies before the end of this decade. The scenario could be:

2005: Senior quarterback Matt Leinart, USC.
2006: Senior running back Reggie Bush, USC.
2007: Senior USC quarterback John David Booty, USC (Oklahoma running back Adrian Petersen will be a pro by then).
2009: Senior quarterback Mark Sanchez, USC.

Steven Travers is the author of the Best Selling "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman". A graduate of the University of Southern California, he is currently working on a new book, "The Turning of the Tide", with former Trojan football stars Sam "Bam" Cunningham and John Papadakis. "The Turning of the Tide" documents how the 1970 USC-Alabama game ended segregation in the American South. In addition to the book, a film and documentary are in development. Steven can be reached at USCSTEVE1@aol.com.

This is terrific stuff. Southern California is a college with the first or second greatest college football tradition of all times, and this book describes how, after a long layoff, Pete Carroll has returned the Trojans to these previous heights.

Chuck Motley achieves a very difficult and remarkable milestone in his book The Turnaround. He manages to convey the dedication, commitment, joy and disappointment experienced by a group of young men who believed in themselves beyond the expectations of others. He also conveys in an entertaining and spellbinding manner the lessons these young men learned -- and the lessons their coaches learned in kind -- along the journey that constituted their magical and memorable season, a season that comes along far too seldom and is remembered for a lifetime. Through Coach Motley's words, I came to know the players and coaches at Chaparral High School and was able to share in their highs and lows. As a result, I think I will take some of these lessons and apply them to my own children and to the children that I am privileged to coach in the various youth sports that so many of us as parents are thrust into. They are the lessons of a lifetime. Kudos to Coach Motley for the attributes he has shared with the boys he has coached and for imparting those attributes with his readers.

The Turnaround - From 0-10 to 10-0 by Chuck Mottley, with Sandra Ghost; Foreword by Bruce Snyder, Head Coach, ASU. Jubilee Publishing. 1999. 223 pp. photographs, diagrams.

You often hear that high-school sports prepare young persons for life's challenges, setbacks, and successes. In The Turnaround, Chuck Mottley shows you how this is so. In 1994, the football team the Chaparral Firebirds of Scottsdale, Arizona, had a 0-10 record. Two years later under Ron Estabrook's coaching leadership, the determination and example of several leading players, and the commitment and support of the entire team, the Firebirds achieved a 10-0 record which gave the team a chance at the state championship.

Mottley goes through the team's winning season game-by-game relating the emotional mood of the players and coaches along with highlights of each game, noting plays, strategy, and tactics. The reader gets an inside look at the game of football as well as experiences the team's feelings and circumstances in the course of the season. The Turnaround is an engaging, encouraging story for readers of all ages that gets to the essence of sport. In this day of heavy marketing of professional and college teams featuring their often pampered superstars, Mottley's tale offers a refreshing look--a reminder--at the important place sports can have in the lives of individuals.

Henry Berry, Book Reviewer

Editor/Publisher, The Small Press Book Review

Bought this for my dad, what a great book. It contains an amazing history
of UGA football and has fun tidbits tucked inside like a scrapbook.
I'd recommend this for any UGA fan that "has everything". This is one item they are sure to love.

What do you keep in a vault? Treasures? Well, this vault contains treasures for the Bulldog fan! I bought three of these and the recipients were very happy with the gift! Loren Smith is a well-known Georgia 'landmark' and has been Larry Munson's sideline sidekick for years. I can still hear Larry Munson saying, "How about it, Loren?" He has compiled a wonderful collection to bring the history of Georgia football alive for all who read it. Thanks, Loren!

Product arrived on time and was exactly as described. My ND fan absolutely loved it!!!

I purchased this collection for my Father In-Law, a devout ND fan, for Christmas. It was highly recommended by the Notre Dame Alumni site and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who might be interested!