Synopses & Reviews
Dan Jenkins calls him the greatest quarterback who ever lived, college or pro. Slingin' Sammy Baugh, who played for TCU and the Washington Redskins, single-handedly revolutionized the game of football. While the pros still wore leather helmets and played the game more like rugby, Baugh's ability to throw the ball with rifle-like accuracy made the forward pass a strategic weapon, not a desperation heave. Like Babe Ruth, who changed the very perception of how baseball is played, Slingin' Sam transformed the notion of offense in football and how much yardage can be gained through the air. As the first modern quarterback, Baugh led the Redskins to five title games and two NFL championships, while leading the league in passing six times--a record that endures to this day--and in punting four times. In 1943, the triple-threat Baugh also scored a triple crown when he led the league in passing, punting, and interceptions.
Slingin' Sam is the first major biography of this legendary quarterback, one of the first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe Holley traces the whole arc of Baugh's life (1914-2008), from his small-town Texas roots to his college ball success as an All-American at TCU, his brief flirtation with professional baseball, and his stellar career with the Washington Redskins (1937-1952), as well as his later career coaching the New York Titans and Houston Oilers and ranching in West Texas. Through Holley's vivid descriptions of close-fought games, Baugh comes alive both as the consummate all-around athlete who could play every minute of every game, on both offense and defense, and as an all-around good guy.
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andquot;Fans who remember these players will thoroughly enjoy reliving the good times with the heroes of their youth, and younger fans will get a valuable sense of how today's game came to be.andquot;andmdash;Wes Lukowsky, Booklist
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and#8220;Original and far more interesting than fiction, these stories need no garnishment. Jackson Michael humbly asks, listens, and writes. His stated goal of delivering NFL history directly from the mouths of the men who made it is achieved with all the flair of a simple dive play that busts open for a forty-yard touchdown.and#8221;and#8212;Doug English, NFL All-Pro Defensive Tackle
Review
"Though the title of the book is simple—
Rozelle: A Biography—it is a monument, giving us an unforgettable, less-than-simple look at a life that brought us the birth of the Super Bowl and the rapid expansion of entertainment that revolutionized the culture of sports in America. . . . An outstanding read and not to be missed."
—Peter Finney,
Times-PicayuneReview
"Jerry Izenberg was an astute observer of the NFL’s extraordinary growth during the Pete Rozelle era. His coverage was down to earth, his sources were in the know, and he often challenged conventional wisdom. Now, with the benefit of research and reflection, Izenberg’s assessment of Rozelle and key League personalities is as hard-hitting as one might expect. . . . [Izenberg’s views are] briskly rendered, sometimes humorous, and never ambiguous."—Paul Tagliabue, former NFL Commissioner
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“I covered Pete Rozelle during the last six years of his reign, and sat for two extended interviews with him. But I was a piker in Rozelle-ology until I saw Jerry Izenbergs book. Read Rozelle: A Biography, and youll know not only why the NFL got gargantuan, but why Rozelle is the single biggest reason why it got so big.”—Peter King, senior writer for Sports Illustrated
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"Izenberg is from the old school, answering questions, questioning answers. It's good to read about Rozelle and the NFL's growing pains. It's even better because Izenberg did the reporting and the writing."—Stan Hochman, philly.com
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"All professional football fans will enjoy this well-reported biography of a seminal figure in NFL history."—John Maxymuk, Library Journal
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"[An] excellent biography."—Los Angeles Daily News
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"The book allows us to appreciate Rozelle's savvy. He always seemed to have something for everyone—you never went home hungry if you hung out with Pete."—Gerald Eskenazi, Wall Street Journal
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andquot;I recommend this book for any football library. Its significance is in the preservation of the early game of football through the players who actually played the game in their own words.andquot;andmdash;Bob Swick, Gridiron Greats
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“Steve Smith, a self-described ‘serial contrarian,’ has updated Forever Red in such a way that it should be looked at as volume 2 in a set, with additional insight into what it means to be a Cornhusker football fan. Except that this isn’t just about football. No back-of-the-cover blurb will do the book justice. It’s one of a kind.”—Mike Babcock, editor of Hail Varsity
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“Forever Red is a perfect blend of humor and insightful commentary.”—Lincoln Journal Star
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“Steve Smith captures the true spirit of the state of Nebraska and what makes it tick. You will quickly recognize yourself, family members, and friends in Smith’s hilarious observations and stories about Nebraska football history as seen through the eyes of its fans. This is a must-read not only for Cornhuskers but for true sports fans everywhere.”—Charlie McBride, former Nebraska defensive coordinator
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“[Forever Red] is a marvelous microcosm of where Big Red fever can take you.”—Adrian Fiala, the late host of Big Red Wrap Up and former color voice of the Huskers on the Pinnacle Sports Network
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"Izenberg's Rozelle:A Biography is an outstanding read and not to be missed."—Peter Finney, Times-Picayune
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"Rozelle: A Biography offers an in-depth illustration of the Rozelle’s appearance in popular culture and is useful for an understanding of his popularity—and why we now consider the commissioner such an important role in North American sport."—Andrew D. Linden, Sport in American History
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“Read Rozelle: A Biography, and you’ll know not only why the NFL got gargantuan, but why Rozelle is the single biggest reason why it got so big.”—Peter King, senior writer for Sports Illustrated
Synopsis
The Game before the Money recounts the National Football Leagueand#8217;s story and the evolution of Americaand#8217;s most popular sport in the vivid words of men who built the NFL. This unprecedented look at football history from the playersand#8217; perspective combines the stories of icons such as Frank Gifford and Bart Starr with those of journeymen who shared the huddle with Johnny Unitas and rallied to halftime speeches from legendary coaches Vince Lombardi and George Halas. Featuring players from the 1930s through the 1970s, these personal accounts trace professional football in its journey from post-barnstorming days through the first two decades of the Super Bowl.
and#160;
The Game before the Money offers backstories to classic games and the men who made history in them before multi-million dollar contracts. Insights into life in the NFL come from those most capable of providing it, NFL legends themselves. Forty former players open windows onto their own lives, their triumphs and tragedies, and the hardship and the glory that make them the people they are both on and off the field.
Synopsis
Rozelle chronicles the life and times of the architect of the modern National Football League, Pete Rozelle, who transformed football into arguably the most successful sports league in the world. While he was never considered a serious candidate for the job of NFL commissioner early on, the position ultimately catapulted Rozelle into the role through which he transformed the NFL and became a trailblazer for all sports in the second half of the twentieth century. When he became commissioner in 1960, the league had twelve teams playing to half-empty stadiums and was mired in an outdated business model. Rozelle introduced revenue and television profit sharing to guarantee the success of small-market teams and brought every NFL game to national television.
Rozelles monumental achievements include the introduction of the Super Bowl in the 60s followed by the NFLs most rapid expansion and the establishment of Monday Night Football. The 80s saw Rozelle presiding over drug scandals, labor struggles, and the leagues legal battles with team owners such as Oaklands Al Davis, who famously won a lawsuit to move his Raiders to Los Angeles.
Jerry Izenberg chronicles the iconic life of Rozelle, who revolutionized the culture of sports in America and is responsible for turning the NFL into the preeminent sports league in the world.
Synopsis
On any given workday, any little thing might send Steve Smith’s thoughts spinning back to Saturday—last Saturday, Saturday two weeks ago, Saturday two years ago, back into the thrilling minutiae of game day—until reality reminds him: this is not how well-adjusted adults act. Steve Smith is not a well-adjusted adult. He’s a Nebraska football fan, and this is his rollicking account of what it’s like to be one of those legendary enthusiasts whose passion for the Cornhuskers is at once irresistible and hilarious.
A journey into an obsessed Nebraska fan’s soul, Forever Red immerses readers in the mad, mad world of Husker football fandom—where wearing the scarlet-and-cream Huskers gear has its own peculiar rules; where displaced followers act as the program’s ambassadors, finding Husker subculture beyond the pale; and where the team’s performance can barely keep pace with its followers’ expectations but sometimes exceeds their wildest dreams.
Revised, updated, and expanded from the 2005 edition, Smith’s story of thirty-plus years following the team takes readers back to memorable game moments from 1980 up through the roller-coaster ride of recent years. Blending wit and insight, Smith offers a window on the world to the uninitiated and the fellow fanatic alike where fantasy and football meet, where dreams of glory and gritty gridiron realities forever join.
About the Author
Jerry Izenberg is a sports columnist emeritus for the
Newark Star-Ledger and is the author of several books, including
Through My Eyes: A Sports Writers 58-Year Journey. He won the Red Smith Award from the Associated Press Sports Editors and was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 2000. David Stern is former commissioner of the National Basketball Association.