Synopses & Reviews
Paul Hornung was football's "Golden Boy" -- handsome, talented, and fabulously successful. He had a great career at Notre Dame, where he won the Heisman Trophy (the only player ever to win it on a team with a losing record). He was the #1 draft pick in the NFL and went to the Green Bay Packers, a terrible team soon transformed by a new head coach, Vince Lombardi. Hornung's Packer teams would become a dynasty, and ten of his teammates (as well as Lombardi) would eventually join him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hornung led the NFL in scoring from 1959 to 1961, setting a single-season scoring record in 1960 that still stands. He was Player of the Year in 1960 and 1961. andlt;BRandgt; Hornung always loved the good life. He had girlfriends all across the country, and he was a regular at Toots Shor's and at clubs in Chicago and Los Angeles. A frustrated Lombardi once asked him whether he wanted to be a player or a playboy, and his teammates joked about his Hollywood ambitions. On game days Hornung was always ready to play, but the night after a game -- and sometimes even the night before -- was a different story. andlt;BRandgt; For Hornung, the good life came at a price: his gambling cost him a year's suspension from the NFL in 1963. He accepted his punishment, refusing to implicate anyone else, but in this autobiography he reveals just how widespread gambling was in the NFL. andlt;BRandgt; However, on the playing field Hornung and his Packer teammates made football history. Bart Starr, Max McGee, Jim Taylor, Ray Nitschke, Jerry Kramer, Jim Ringo, Ron Kramer, Forrest Gregg, Fuzzy Thurston, Willie Davis, Herb Adderley, Willie Wood -- they're all here, and Hornung has great stories to tell about them and about some of their biggest games together. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;Iandgt;Golden Boyandlt;/Iandgt; is a must-read for football fans, a colorful, candid slice of pigskin history from one of the game's immortal legends.
Synopsis
Paul Hornung's nickname, "Golden Boy," fit him perfectly. Not only was he blond-haired and handsome, his life was like a movie. At Notre Dame he had a fabulous career, becoming the only player ever to win the Heisman trophy on a losing team. The #1 NFL draft pick, he went to the lowly Green Bay Packers, suffering through two losing seasons before a new head coach, Vince Lombardi, turned the team around. Hornung thrived under Lombardi, leading the NFL in scoring from 1959-1961. He was player of the year in 1960 and 1961 and set scoring records that still stand. Hornung's career nearly ended when he was suspended for the 1963 season for gambling on games. Hornung acknowledged gambling, but in this autobiography he discusses how widespread it was in the NFL and why only he was suspended for it. Hornung offers fascinating descriptions of some of his colorful Packer teammates, including Bart Starr, Max McGee, Jerry Kramer, and Ray Nitschke, as well as Lombardi, to whom he was devoted. He vividly describes some of the Packer's great rivalries and showdowns with the Bears and the Giants, among others. Golden Boy is a must-read for football fans everywhere, a colorful, candid slice of football history from one of the game's immortal legends.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Paul Hornungandlt;/Bandgt; is a member of the high school, college, and pro football halls of fame. After his playing days ended, he began new careers as a broadcaster, an actor, and a pitchman in television commercials. He currently broadcasts Monday Night Football on the Westwood One radio network. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.
Table of Contents
andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Forewordandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Prefaceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;1. My Life on Scholarshipandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2. They Called Me "Cuddles"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3. Stiff-Arming the Bearandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4. The Golden Boy Is Bornandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;5. "Mom, I Won the Heisman!"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;6. The Siberia of Sportsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;7. The Golden Boy Goes Hollywoodandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;8. Meet the Guysandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;9. The Leader of the Packandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;10. Football as It Was Meant to Beandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;11. The Breakthrough Yearandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;12. How JFK Saved the Dayandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;13. Golden Boy Inc.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;14. Money Won Is Twice as Sweet as Money Earnedandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;15. If You Want to Dance, You've Got to Pay the Fiddlerandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;16. Calling Dr. Lombardiandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;17. When the Saints Come Marching Inandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;18. Chicago, My Kind of Townandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;19. It Was His Way or the Highwayandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;20. Good-bye, Vince; Hello, Howardandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;21. Halls of Shame and Fameandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;22. Where Have You Gone, Lindsey Nelson?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;23. My Unbuckle Specialsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;24. Once a Notre Dame Man, Always a Notre Dame Manandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;25. To Err Is Humanandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;26. The End Zoneandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Appendix andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Index