Football Books

This is a key question for those of us in the US. He made such an impression during the 1990 World Cup but then faded away at least in the minds of the majority of us on the other end of the pond. Ian Hamilton's superb, but regrettably short, account provides us with a partial solution to the mystery. We discover that his career was afflicted both by a need to self-destruct and some very bad luck. We come away from the book with a negative impression of Gazza, but that, alas, is probably how it should be. It's not the fault of Mr. Hamilton as no one would dare question his "fanhood." He is devoted to his subject and was as in love with Gascoigne's skill seemingly as much as he was with his favorite club, Tottenham. I wish the author would have written an addendum in 2006, but he still is able to cover the fall by wrapping up his narrative with the 1998 World Cup...a tournament final team in which Gazza, due to a lack of fitness and dreadful behavior, was cut. Did this bright young thing bring about his own demise? Generally yes, but for those of us who didn't live through live coverage of the era, Gazza Agonistes is a stunning ride. One that you'll want to finish shortly after you open it.

A brutelly honest biography from one of the World's greatest players! He tells of the highs and the lows of what has been a turbulant life! It brings out the sensitive side of the man, the player, the one Paul Gascoigne! He brings over his side to it all very well. The vulnerable side of the show-man is strong, a fantastic insight to the life of a true legend!

Bill Walsh was the brilliant, insecure coach who won immortality with the the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980's. Mr. Harris follows his career from the Bengals of Paul Brown to Stanford (and other stops in-between) to the 49ers. He perfected an air attack that became known as the West Coast Offense and drafted the players to carry it out (Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, Jerry Rice, etc). The book is heavy on football and light on his personal life which is a pity -- he was eccentric enough that his personal life merits a deeper look. Having died a year ago of leukemia, Walsh won three Super Bowls (1982, 1985, 1989) in his tenure as coach before retiring on his own terms. Mr. Harris interviewed the coach extensively before his death and got the details right.

This is a really good book if you want a deep look into Georgia Football history. Stegeman did his homework. I highly recommend this book and "A Tailgater's Guide To SEC Football" for any serious Georgia or SEC enthusiasts.

I was lucky to be in Denver when Mr. Litton was signing his book. Very gracious man and his book is a must for any Denver Bronco fan, and especially Elway fans. Mr. Litton is a sports cartoonist for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver and has covered the Elway years from the beginning through his recent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This book even has a few never-before published cartoons. I would recommend the book highly.

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.

The Publisher Has Gone Out of Businesss

Too bad...

This was going to be a good one, an updated and expanded version of the old "Saturdays To Remember" concept of long ago..

Once we got past the reader being someone else's voice, my college son and I listened with interest during a cross-country car ride. The book entertained us and gave us food for thought and talk. I watch football with a different understanding now. I was fascinated by this inside look at the game and Rice's take on leadership.

GO LONG! is a football story starring Tiki and Ronde Barber as young, up-and-coming players. This fast-paced, inspirational sports tale is sure to be popular with the middle grade crowd. Tiki and Ronde draw on their early years in the sport to encourage young people to use their talents and play the game with a sense of fair play and teamwork.

The story begins as Tiki and Ronde start their 8th-grade year. They are anxious to take the field as starters this year, but the coach upsets the entire team when he announces that he is moving up to coach the high school team. Sure that all of their previous success has been due to his excellent coaching abilities, the players nervously await the naming of their new coach. It is a surprise to all when the history teacher, Mr. Wheeler, is given the job. He is a terrific teacher, but that doesn't guarantee anything about his coaching skills.

Tiki and Ronde try to roll with the punches when the first few games end in defeat; however, Cody, the team's quarterback, is not being a team player. Cody argues with Coach Wheeler and questions his every move, causing team morale to sink to an all-time low. It is not until Tiki and a few loyal players take the time to get to know Coach Wheeler and his plans for the team that things start to look more positive for a winning season.

GO LONG! presents a message of cooperation and team spirit, and that along with a strong plot line and likeable characters make it a book that won't gather much dust on the shelf.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Very nicely illustrated by Miguel De Angel, "Go, Pack, Go!" by Aimee Aryal is the story of a game day in Wisconsin as the Green Bay Packers football team plays at Lambeau Field. Packer fans cheer on their team during a hard fought game that gets even more challenging as a blizzard hits during halftime. "Go, Pack, Go!" is a charming and engaging picturebook story that is highly recommended for young Packer fans. There is even information on how they can join 'Junior Power Pack', the official Green Bay Packers kids club. Simply stated, no Wisconsin school or community library should be without a copy of "Go, Pack, Go!"