In this book, players open up about the difficulties they face once they leave the NFL. Personal interviews reveal how many have struggled with finances, addiction, depression, violence, and finding a second career. While success stories are also shared, the unfortunate truth is that there are far more players left hurt and broken after ......
The Untold Journey of Football Pioneer Kenny Washington
The inspirational story of African American trailblazer Kenny Washington, the first player to reintegrate the NFL and the first Black football coach in America, considered by many to be the greatest football player of his time.
Quarterback John Unitas was all that America wanted in a man in the late 1950s into the 1960s. He was hardworking, humble, respectful, and true to his word. As a football player, Unitas became known for his trademark crew cut and black high-top cleats . . . which he would later wear when cutting grass because "they were comfortable and still fit." ......
In post-World War II America, when professional football owners scheduled exhibition games in the South and later placed franchises, they simply overlooked Jim Crow conditions endured by African American players. To Live and Play in Dixie is an oral history from the players themselves on how they battled discrimination while playing and living in ......
The Cold Truth About Football's Most Unforgettable Game
Here's the whole story of The Ice Bowl--the game played between the Packers and Cowboys in sub-zero temperatures in 1967--based on dozens of interviews with people who were there, on the field and off, told by author Ed Gruver with passion, suspense, wit, and accuracy.
An entertaining look back at the most memorable year in Boston sports history. The year 1986 was a special one for Boston sports fans. Surprising everyone, the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox played in the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and World Series, the first time and still the only time that's ever happened to the city. But what really made it so ......
A fascinating history of the Super Bowl and its massive impact on the sports world and beyond.
The Super Bowl has changed what was just another wintry Sunday into America’s unofficial holiday. It’s the biggest entertainment event of the year. It’s the most important advertising event of the year. It is the biggest ......
Combining career stats, common sense, and a host of intangibles, veteran sportswriter Roger Gordon imagines an embarrassment of riches and sets the all-time All-Star Cleveland Browns lineup for the ages.
The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best records in NFL history, with 20 division championships, seven conference championships, and five Super Bowl championships. On a team with outstanding talent each year, who among its past and present players could be ranked among the 50 greatest? Who would occupy the coveted #1 spot? Jerry Rice? Ronnie ......
The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best records in NFL history, with 20 division championships, seven conference titles, and five Super Bowl championships. On a team with outstanding talent each year, who among its past and present players could be ranked as the 50 greatest? Who would occupy the coveted #1 spot? Jerry Rice? Ronnie Lott? Joe ......
The 50 Greatest Players in Pittsburgh Steelers History examines the careers of the 50 men who made the greatest impact on one of the NFLs most iconic and successful franchises.
Who were the greatest Minnesota Viking to have the played the game of football? There are certainly many excellent players to choose from, from Fran Tarkenton to Randy Moss on offense to defensive stalwarts like Alan Page and John Randle. Even the offensive linemen who quietly get the job done deserve ranking among the top 50-think Gary Zimmerman ......
Veteran sports writer Robert W. Cohen examines the careers of the 50 men who made the greatest impact on the Cleveland Browns, one of the National Football League's oldest and most iconic and franchises.
The 50 Greatest Players in Cincinnati Bengals History examines the careers of the 50 men who made the greatest impact on one of the National Football League's most dynamic franchises. Using as measuring sticks the degree to which they impacted the fortunes of the team, the extent to which they added to the Bengals legacy, and the levels of ......
An examination of the careers of the 50 Buffalo Bills players who have made the greatest impact on one of the National Football League's most iconic franchises. Quotes from opposing players and former teammates are provided along the way, as are summaries of each player's greatest season, most memorable performances, and most notable achievements.
The first book to fully explore the extraordinary covert actions NFL teams are willing to take in order to win.
Spies disguised as priests. Secret surveillance of targets’ movements. Radio frequency jamming. Tapped telephones. These might sound like acts of espionage right out of the Cold War or a spy movie—but in fact came straight ......
A fascinating look at the rise of the SEC from a regional league to today's dominant college football conference. The story of the Southeastern Conference has humble origins. Born in a Knoxville hotel in 1932 after splitting away from another league, the SEC was built by southern gridiron pioneers who believed football could bring prominence and ......
African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League
In American football, seven out of ten players are black, but few are fully aware of the struggle to achieve equal rights. This text examines how sports laid a foundation for social change by integrating black and white athletes in the National Football League.
Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl, hosted Saturday Night Live, and threw 399 touchdown passes during 14 amazing years as an NFL quarterback. Then he got fired. Indianapolis no longer valued Manning, a four-time winner of the league's Most Valuable Player award. Get this: The Colts cut the most-liked athlete in America. "And I'm glad they did," ......
NFL Scrapbook is packed with rare photographs, images and on-the-page facsimile memorabilia and provides an incredible insight into the history of the NFL and its legendary players and coaches. Spanning the decades and covering all the NFL's most iconic eras, we uncover the fascinating stories and incredible accomplishments of the greatest ......
In NFL Legends we have collected stories on dozens of the league’s most celebrated players. With expert commentary and lavish photography, you’ll explore and rediscover the attributes that made these players, coaches and teams iconic, as well as the moments that propelled them to greatness.
How Tom Matte's Memorable 1965 Season Highlighted a Remarkable NFL Caree
An intimate look at the career of Baltimore Colts' running back Tom Matte and his infamous stint as an emergency quarterback. In 1965, Colts' running back Tom Matte became the first emergency quarterback in NFL history when both the legendary Johnny Unitas and his backup were hurt in consecutive weeks late in the season. Wearing a wristband to ......
Lady Ref is the eye-opening and inspiring memoir of Shannon Eastin, the first female official for the NFL who continues to encourage and motivate others through her mentoring and training of young officials.
A human face on the realities of professional football, from the challenges players face after leaving the NFL to the factors that can enable them to continue to find success 2016 Best Book Award, North American Society for the Sociology of Sport Is There Life After Football?draws upon the experiences of hundreds of former players as they ......
In January 2014, President Barack Obama made headlines when he confided to New Yorker reporter Davis Remnick that, if he had a son, he would discourage him from playing in the NFL. This book draws upon the experiences of hundreds of former players as they describe their lives after their football days are over.
From a rural town in Florida to the NFL Hall of Fame, this title tells the story of Deacon's rise to the top of the heap in the National Football League. It refers to the lightning move popularised by Jones in the early days of the game, when a player could rattle the cage (or at least the helmet) of a blocker by belting him alongside the head.
Professional football's backstory was lost, until now. In the beginning, in 1892, pro football was born. Then it effectively died in infamy in 1906. It was resurrected nearly a decade later and soon became the American Professional Football Association in 1920 (renamed the National Football League in 1922). Few are even familiar with the basics of ......
Professional football's backstory was lost, until now. In the beginning, in 1892, pro football was born. Then it effectively died in infamy in 1906. It was resurrected nearly a decade later and soon became the American Professional Football Association in 1920 (renamed the National Football League in 1922). Few are even familiar with the basics of ......
Minnesota's March to a College Football Title and into World War II
This book tells the story of the University of Minnesota's remarkable 1941 football season as they chased a second consecutive national championship even as a divided country veered closer to total war, and chronicles the young players' contributions to the war effort in the months and years that followed.
Minnesota's March to a College Football Title and into World War II
This book tells the story of the University of Minnesota's remarkable 1941 football season as they chased a second consecutive national championship even as a divided country veered closer to total war, and chronicles the young players' contributions to the war effort in the months and years that followed.
The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States
Rediscovering soccer's long history in the U.S. Across North America, native peoples and colonists alike played a variety of kicking games long before soccer's emergence in the late 1800s. Brian D. Bunk examines the development and social impact of these sports through the rise of professional soccer after World War I. As he shows, the various ......
The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States
Rediscovering soccer's long history in the U.S. Across North America, native peoples and colonists alike played a variety of kicking games long before soccer's emergence in the late 1800s. Brian D. Bunk examines the development and social impact of these sports through the rise of professional soccer after World War I. As he shows, the various ......
No matter the amount of losses, dysfunction, or controversy, the Cleveland Browns remain one of the most popular franchises in professional football. First and Ten covers the "new" history of the Browns after their return to the NFL in 1999, focusing on the positives without shying away from the negatives, for a fresh look at this storied team.
In 1926, Harvard athletic director Bill Bingham chose former Crimson All-American Arnold Horween as coach of the university's moribund football team. The pair instilled a fresh culture, one based on merit rather than social status, and in the virtues of honor and courage over mere winning. Yet their success challenged entrenched ideas about who ......
In 1926, Harvard athletic director Bill Bingham chose former Crimson All-American Arnold Horween as coach of the university's moribund football team. The pair instilled a fresh culture, one based on merit rather than social status, and in the virtues of honor and courage over mere winning. Yet their success challenged entrenched ideas about who ......
