5 comments about Dan Marino: The Making of a Legend.

1. This book is the greatest book i ever read. Growing up in Pittsburg and eating those peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches turned a boy into a man and not just an ordinary man, Dan Marino THE GREATEST quarterback EVER and this book will prove to you that he is the best person on and off the field. Its a shame how video games are taking over kids life so we will probably never see anyone that comes close to Marino in every aspect of life. He donates his time to help children in need and on the field he throws the ball super-human like. I live in New York and i'm a Jet fan but theres no way i can deny him being the best ever and if you deny it its really because your jealous. This book shows the ups and downs dan had in his life and carrer. Dan is a loyal and caring man to his wife and kids. Theres never been a man with a greater will to win, and when you see him play and the fire in his eyes you will agree. After reading this book it will turn any man into a Dan fan. I recomend this book to football fans and Dan Marino fans all over the globe.
   
   
   ~1 luv~



2. Dan Marino was one of the great all-time quarterbacks. His quick decision making, and quick release revolutionized the game. But we never could have seen this athlete perform, had there not been NFL funding. Yes, without contributions from government subsidies, we never would have been able to see Elway play. I mean Marino. Do you guys realize that George Bush is thinking about cutting NFL funding. He has already voted to reduce quick release-throwing-funding. Without this funding Marino can't make the comeback he keeps talking about.
   Doesn't anybody else care about Marino other than ME? F***



3. An extremely well-presented biog of the NFL's greatest quarterback. Different people gives their insights on the former Dolphin enabling us to see different sides of Dan the Man. I was intrigued to learn that he has written several commentaries on the work of Guy de Maupassant, has mastered the lute and mandolin and is an accomplished pastry chef.



4. I must admit that I am the biggest Dan Marino fan of all time, so I read this book with a little bias. However, Beckett Publications always produce good books.

   This book is extremely well written, and there are tons of super pictures, many of which, I had never seen. Instead of having one storyline from start to finish, this book uses several authors, many of whom are well-recognizable to the sportsworld, to depict Marino's story throughout time.

   Nobody in the game of football was a better pure passer, and nobody ever graced the game with more passion and competitiveness. This book sheds light on Dan Marino's overwhelming deisire to compete and win. In reading this book, you'll easily win too.




5. i thought this book was amazing. it tells the story like no one else can. it brings you through the hard times and also the happiest moments in dans career. i would definatly suggest this book to any miami fan.

4 comments about Dennis Green: No Room for Crybabies.

1. The Sheriff, i.e. Denny Green sure know how to write a book and inspire a football team. This is one of the greatest motivational books ever written. Denny teaches us many things here like suing your employer if they don't give you a percentage ownership in your company. He also teaches valuable lessons for living life. The most important is how to never to make a mistake just like Denny. Go Denny, be large and in charge. Hey Hey Hey



2. No Room for Crybabies gives great insight to the coach of the Minnesota Vikings. This book shows that vision, combined with motivation, a person can achieve any goal they set. I'm truly impressed with Dennis Green.



3. It took me a couple of years to find this book and was so glad when I found it that I bought 2 copies!!! Dennis lets the reader know not only his own pesonal history, but gives the reader an inside as to what happens behind the scene. A great book.



4. The people that weren't lucky enough to locate a copy of this book were the truely lucky ones. It was slow moving and repetitive. When I finished reading the book I was just glad to be done and felt like I had wasted a few hours. There wasn't any real insight into what it was like to grow up Dennis Green or what it was like to be a college coach or professional coach. Anyone who is thinking of reading this book to learn about what is like to be a player or coach in college or the NFL will be disappointed. Read Tim Green's book instead, it was much better! Todd Matt

2 comments about Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered.

1. THIS IS A NICE BOOK ABOUT FORMER PACKER QUARTER BACK BART STARR. THE AUTHOR DOES A NICE JOB GIVING US A LOOK AT THE PERSON AND PLAYER. HE ALSO TELLS OF THE SEASONS THAT STARR COACHED THE PACKERS WHICH I KNOW VERY LITTLE OF. I ALSO ENJOYED THE DETAILED ACCOUNT OF EACH SEASON AND ALL THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES. THE NEGATIVE I HAVE IS THAT IT SPENT TOO MUCH TIME ON VINCE LOMBARDI. IT ALMOST COULD HAVE BEEN 2 BIOGRAPHIES IN ONE WITH ALL THE PAGES DEDICATED TO LOMBARDI. BUT ALL IN ALL IN ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS.



2. Those interested in reading about former Green Bay Packers' quarterback Bart Starr for the first time will find this to be an interesting biography. However, if you have read previous books on the Packers such as Jerry Kramer's "Instant Replay" and David Maraniss's definitive biography on Vince Lombardi entitled "When Pride Still Mattered", you will not find anything new here. Author David Claerbaut relies heavily on Maraniss's book on Lombardi in addition to having a similar title "When Leadership Mattered." Claerbaut does delve into Starr's nine years as the coach of the Packers in addition to Starr's son, Brett, who suffered from drug addiction. As far as Starr's years as a player for the Packers is concerned what this book has to offer can be found in several other books on the team. However, if you have not read a previous book on Bart Starr or the Packers of the 1960's then you will enjoy this book.

2 comments about Nitschke: The Ray Nitschke Story.

1. Ray Nitschke is a symbol of a football era that has passed. He played the game for enjoyment not for money. Unlike current players, he was grateful to the fans and never passes up an autograph seeker. Truly, there will never be another Ray Nitschke.

   Edward Gruver began putting this biography together before Nitschke's death. Much of the information was gained in interviews with Nitschke. Because many of the stories are in his own words, it lends authenticity to the story. Gruver interviewed teammates and opponents to get their perspective of Nitschke. The result is the best rounded biography of the man who is arguably the best middle linebacker in NFL history.

   Aside from the stories of his playing days, the book also looks at Ray Nitschke the man. He lived through a rough childhood to become an unlikely recipient of a scholarship to Illinois. Although he dreamed of playing for the Bears, he made Green Bay his home only a few seasons after he was drafted. After getting married, Nitschke changed from a rough bar room brawler to a family man. His nasty on-field persona was left on the field. Nitschke was involved in numuerous charities. However, his family came first.

   Nitschke is an easy read, that is historically accurate and well written. My one objection to the book is my feeling that some of the stories could have been expanded up further. Nevertheless, this is an excellent read for Packer fans.




2. Nitschke is the first biography of accomplished professional football player Ray Nitschke (1936-1998), who won the Green Bay Packers five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls. Constructed from thorough research and dozens of interviews by biographer Edward Gruver, Nischke is the impressive portrait of a courageous man who lost both his parents at age 13, played a legendary championship "Ice Bowl" game in sub-zero weather, was inducted into the Pro Football hall of fame in 1978, and earned lasting memorials and tributes after his unfortunate death from a heart attack. Nitschke provides the reader with an inspiring account of the life of a dedicated game player and is "must" reading for Packer fans in general, and those who remember Ray Nitschke's performances on the field in particular.

5 comments about TD : Dreams in Motion.

1. After reading this book I felt like I wanted to become a professional football player. Just reading about Terrell Davis's life, I didn't want to stop; it was so interesting. It seemed like this book just couldn't be long enough.
   This is an autobiography that Terrell Davis, a superstar running back, told in the first person. This book starts out by Terrell explaining how he was feeling during the Super Bowl XXXII. During this game he got a migraine that took him out of the game for the second half. This is a game he would never forget.
   Terrell Davis is the youngest of six; all children are boys, Terry, Terrell, Bobby, James, Reggie, and Joe. Terrell was born in San Diego in 1972. His father, Joe Earl Davis, was a very violent man, one night he came home drunk about 2 A.M., and he pulled each of his brothers out of bed, lined them up against the wall, pulled out his .38 Special with black electric tape around the grip, and just started shooting right above their heads. On April 17, 1987, his father died of Lupus, an immune-deficiency disease in which the body doesn't recognize itself and starts to attack itself.
   Terrell played baseball but wasn't much good at it. But football was different for him. He started out playing Pop Warner as the Velencia Park Saints, in Velencia, he played high school ball at Lincoln High School, and went to the University of Georgia and played College ball their. He wasn't the best football player in college, but his senior year he stepped it up to get into the NFL, especially his last two games in college. He was chosen along with fifteen other running backs to go to an annual NFL's scouting combine, it's another chance to make an impression on a team. For the physical he was stripped down naked, walked out on a stage, while the Teams' trainers took a closer look.
   Terrell Davis was drafted to the Denver Broncos, a team he thought would never take him, during the sixth round of the draft. While on the Broncos he was a sixth-string running back and only went in a little bit during the pre-season his rookie year, but when he was in he did good enough to start at running back during the regular season. After his rookie year was over, he rushed for 1,117 yards, caught passes for 367 yard, for a total of 1,484 yards. During his next two seasons, the Broncos won the Super Bowl, for two years straight.
   Terrell Davis still plays for the Broncos, and still continues to break records. He is one of my favorite players and I had the opportunity to meet him in 1999. I really admire his determination to the sport.
   If you have ever read one of those books where they stay on the same subject forever, then don't read this book; he talks about the same thing forever. But this book is great for football fans, and even better for Broncos fans. I really liked this book since I could relate to Denver, since I used to live there, and it was really fun to understand where and what he was talking about.



2. In today's football world, Terrell Davis is known as a superstar, but not in the literature world. He was trying to accomplish this literature superstar role when he co-wrote his own memoir with Adam Schefter. An all pro athlete and a sports writer, a very thoughtless combination in the literature circuit. Throughout this novel, we hear some about the struggle of growing up in a bad neighborhood for Terrell Davis, but not nearly enough. This is mostly a story about football and migraines.
   
   Terrell Davis had a troubled past and had to overcome it all to be a Super Bowl M.V.P. He wrote this book to let people all over the country know that they can overcome their troubled lives and turn a negative view of life into a positive one.
   
   This book had its ups and downs, but for the most part it was down. It seemed, for the first half of the book, that every chapter went back to migraines and the repetition was incredibly boring. In the second half it was football and also came across as mostly uninteresting. I don't think that Terrell Davis was ready to write a book. He does not have the concept of grabbing the readers attention. Also, only having played two years in
   the NFL, he wrote this book way to early in his career and could have made it much more interesting if he had let more of his career in it.
   
   One thing that was good about this memoir was hearing his passion for football. If there was any sort of true writing in this book, it was when he was going deep into how he feels for the game. This is probably the one thing that keeps this book from being bought and then placed in the garbage.

   So as a memoir, I believe this would be a poor choice for a well written piece of literature. Overall, this book ultimately shouldn't have been published for anything other than having Terrell Davis' signature put on it. But for sports fans, a Terrell Davis memoir with his signature on it would be a definite must have.




3. Terell looks good and I bought the book for the pictures. I hope his future books have lots more pictures!



4. TD Dreams IN Motion is a great book. It is TD's memories in his pop wanner day's, College and NFL days. The book starts off when he plays for a pop wanner football. TD had a hard Knock life growing up. His dad was always in trouble with the law and his mom had other thing that she had to do. When his parrents split apart from each oher he was seperated from his mom except for on week ends. His dad tought his brothers and TD to be tough.Evently he played college ball but when his first collage cut the football progarm he went to gergia and played O.K. After his senior year he was drafted to the Denver Broncos and the 196 pick. He worked hard and went from 6th string to 1st string. John Elway and TD took their team to the supperbowl twice and won both of them.



5. Buy this book, read it, make your children read it and their children read it. At last a top flight sporting superstar who can truly be called a role model. Terrell's life story makes a great read and shows how hard work, determination and humility can lead a person to accompalish their goals.

   The football stuff makes interesting reading, covering Terrell's first season, the loss to Jacksonville and ultimately SuperBowl glory.

   It is the 'off-field' stories which really reveal Terrell in his true light- A Man, A hero and a Role model.

No comments about Tradition: Bo Schembechler's Michigan Memories - Includes 1-hour DVD (University of Michigan Football).

4 comments about Andy Russell: A Steeler Odyssey.

1. Being a Steeler Fan, I have read both Terry Bradshaw's and Rocky Bleir's books, and while I found them interesting, I didn't get quite the feel for the individual as well as the game from their books as I did from Andy Russell's. I am not just a fan of the sport of football, but a fan of the players. As a fan of the individuals, I like to know as much about them as possible. Everything from their childhood and family life, through high school and college, because all of that has an effect on their football career and what they bring to the game. Andy's stories about his life after football give us a perspective on the good effects that the commraderie and competitiveness of football can have on the rest of your life. I particularly enjoyed the chapter which tells of his visits to combat areas in Vietnam. The American soldiers in the various hospitals had the same reaction to American football players. I totally understand that reaction - meeting A Pittsburgh Steeler so far away from home helped the soldier forget the harshness of war for just a few moments and go back to all that is good in the world - good old American Football!



2. Being a Steeler Fan, I have read both Terry Bradshaw's and Rocky Bleir's books, and while I found them interesting, I didn't get quite the feel for the individual as well as the game from their books as I did from Andy Russell's. I am not just a fan of the sport of football, but a fan of the players. As a fan of the individuals, I like to know as much about them as possible. Everything from their childhood and family life, through high school and college, because all of that has an effect on their football career and what they bring to the game. Andy's stories about his life after football give us a perspective on the good effects that the commraderie and competitiveness of football can have on the rest of your life. I particularly enjoyed the chapter which tells of his visits to combat areas in Vietnam. The American soldiers in the various hospitals had the same reaction to American football players. I totally understand that reaction - meeting A Pittsburgh Steeler so far away from home helped the soldier forget the harshness of war for just a few moments and go back to all that is good in the world - good old American Football!



3. Being a Steeler Fan, I have read both Terry Bradshaw's and Rocky Bleir's books, and while I found them interesting, I didn't get quite the feel for the individual as well as the game from their books as I did from Andy Russell's. I am not just a fan of the sport of football, but a fan of the players. As a fan of the individuals, I like to know as much about them as possible. Everything from their childhood and family life, through high school and college, because all of that has an effect on their football career and what they bring to the game. Andy's stories about his life after football give us a perspective on the good effects that the commraderie and competitiveness of football can have on the rest of your life. I particularly enjoyed the chapter which tells of his visits to combat areas in Vietnam. The American soldiers in the various hospitals had the same reaction to American football players. I totally understand that reaction - meeting A Pittsburgh Steeler so far away from home helped the soldier forget the harshness of war for just a few moments and go back to all that is good in the world - good old American Football!



4. This is the story of a former NFL All Pro linebacker going on a journey of self discovery after retiring from the game. Along the way he reminisces about his famous teammates: Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Jack Ham, Rocky Bleier and others. He and his Steeler pal, Ray Mansfield, take Lynn Swann and Mel Blount around the world, giving speeches from Hong Kong to London, and sports clinics for young people from Singapore to Jeddah while still finding time to develop his international investment business. Two stories tell of dodging bullets on a USO tour of Vietnam and Thailand with ex-congressman Jack Kemp, Bobby Bell, John David Crow and Bill Brown. Along the way the adventurer team of Russell/ Mansfield test themselves on a wilderness canoe race in Canada, on mountain tops in Nepal and barely make it out of the Grand Canyon. The writer, a sensitive sort, who struggles to find himself after leaving the game gives the reader a first hand look of what it was like to be on the field with the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. This book is an easy read--one that will keep the reader rivited to every story.

5 comments about Dream Season: A Professor Joins America's Oldest Semi-Pro Football Team.

1. Bob Cowser takes a real life hard nosed look at what it means to sacrifice. I relived my youth with his visions and ideals on the gridiron and I felt his conflict with having a family and going through the monotony of work and life getting in the way. People tend to get caught up in a whirlwind and forget who they are. This book looks at that inner turmoil of change and wonder. "The Professor" finds a way to blend the worlds of blue collar society and academia which is hard just to think about. This is done with quotes before chapters and personal synopsis of living with commitments and desire.
   Overall, a great read that is hard to put down.
   
   ~Angelo Markantonakis



2. I picked up this book with much intrigue, as I myself am a football junkie. This well-written, first-person account of joining a semi-pro football team is not only inspiring, but entertaining as well. Cowser (the "Professoer", as his teammates refer to him) describes his lifelong dream of playing football after his high school and college years, and how the idea to play in the nation's most storied semi-pro team was met with much resistance. As a husband, father, professor, and now semi-pro football player, Cowser learns to balance all the duties accompanied by each role, and at times, barely by the skin of his teeth. A great book not only for people who are interested in football, but for those who long to re-live a childhood dream. Well worth a read!



3. The one thing that Jonathan A. Gottschall, who reviewed Dream Season, and I agree on is that Cowser did point out the many different aspects of sociology of those that play the game of football. Even though Cowser was a professor, it did not stop him from wanting to fulfill his dream. Cowser brings to life the brutality and violence of the game. In the chapter "Building the Beast," Bob Cowser even went as far as to describe his own fears on the field and what others thought of him. The one idea that helps me understand a guy and his sport is truly pointed out in Bob Cowser's book. Men will do about anything to complete a dream or continue a dream. The men that Cowser talks about can be viewed as those that he looked up to and hoped to gain their respect in the game.
   His relationship with his wife is not talked about much. He talks briefly how she did have a way to fit into the community because she runs a well establish business. Whenever he talked about his wife, he shows a respect for her and her opinion. In the chapter "In Another Country," where he writes, "I knew many guys on the team had this issue with wives and girlfriends. Many had worked out elaborate systems whereby they'd earn this game-day time off. `me time' I had over heard Jamee Call term it...... Sadly Candace and I hadn't come to any such arrangement - she actually preferred I not take on any home improvement projects. `Better to cut a check than cut off a finger'." Cowser writes about how much he spent in getting his gear for the practice and that his wife only made a statement of how the extras that he got were excessive and unnecessary. I believe at this point that his wife may have regretted agreeing for him to pursue his dream. She may have hoped that he would have ended in a few weeks or a few months. She viewed him as the clean cut man she married and one who didn't like to get dirty.
   I can't see how Jonathan A. Gottschall states, "Cowser writes fearlessly, displaying his envy-his sheer pathetic envy-of football paying men. But we don't blame Cowser for his envy because we feel it too." Cowser is a man who pursued a higher education than those who did not have the chance or opportunity. I would say that a few of the men on the team would have showed envy towards him. I felt this was shown by the pet name they game him, "profess" or "professor." The one thing that was not mentioned and I believed should have been talked about is the obsession that Cowser had for the game. We see this in his spending and getting everything he needs and more. He talks about the past and his relationship with the game.
   The story that emanates from this book can be enjoyed by those who are truly into the sport of football. The obsession Bob Cowser has for the game can be depicted in my own life. Obsession can be overrated. But if one does not have an obsession, how can one obtain a dream?



4. For anyone who played the game and had it end way too early, or for anyone who ever had a crazy idea but was hesitant to act upon it, this is your book.
   
   Great writing, great stories, and great action. Cowser has a gift for storytelling and this book goes beyond the game played by men trying to re-capture their glories. It's about people doing what makes them happy and doing it to their best potential. Isn't that what life is all about anyway?



5. There is a lot to recommend in this book, which chronicles the stint of a creative writing professor (with soft "poet hands"), playing the manliest of positions (defensive and offensive line), in the manliest of games, for the nation's oldest semi-professional football team. Cowser writes with welcome simplicity and gripping forward momentum. I sat down with the book at 5:30 PM and hardly lifted my nose until, at 9:30 PM, I had read it straight through. It is not only the kind of book you CAN read in four hours, it is the kind that you WILL read in four hours-it keeps you turning pages.
   
   The book is one part sociology of football in a small, economically downtrodden northern town. It is a sociology of working class men-prison guards, fry cooks, soldiers, and used car salesman-who take on the real physical risks of smashing into other big, fast men. They do this for a host of different reasons-for fun, for the test, for local fame (I found myself almost idolizing the local folk hero running back Al Countryman--what a name!)-but none of them do it for the money, because there is none.
   
   The book is also one part self-exploration. Few men who have ever been seriously invested in playing sports will fail to hear echoes of their own fears, regrets and deeply secret wishes about what might have been. Cowser writes fearlessly, displaying his envy-his sheer pathetic envy-of football playing men. But we don't blame Cowser for his envy because we feel it too. And there's a difference between Cowser and us-he had the courage (and the bench pressing ability) to do something about it.
   
   Finally, for all of Cowser's riveting descriptions of the controlled savagery of football violence, Dream Season is above everything else a love poem-a poem to small town life, to the men he played with, to the wife who put up with him, and most of all to the game of football itself.

1 comments about Quotable Spurrier: The Nerve, Verve, and Victorious Words of and about Steve Spurrier, America's Most Scrutinized Football Coach (Potent Quotables).

1. If you love Steve Spurrier, you'll love this collection of hundreds of his quotes. If you hate Spurrier, you'll still love the book as it gives you ammo to yell back at. If you're not in either of these categories of people, then you might want to check and see if you're still alive. This is Spurrier in a nutshell, and it's a beautiful book.

4 comments about Hayden Fry: A High Porch Picnic.

1. As a long-time fan of the Iowa Hawkeye football time, I watched them get repeatedly shelled during the late sixties and the seventies. Teams used to defeat them by thirty or more points and rarely have to throw a pass. In 1979, the savior arrived in the form of coach Hayden Fry, but at first it did not seem that that was the case. His statements like, "Scratch where it itches", at times sounded so homey that many people wondered if he was just another over-hyped coach who would add to the string of failures.
   However, that all changed in the first half of the first game the Hawkeyes played under Fry. They stormed ahead of Indiana 26-3 in the first half, although they ultimately lost 30-26. From that point, everyone was a believer and his teams went on to give us some of the most exciting moments in our lives. This is Hayden's recollection of his life, although most of the ink is used to describe his years at Iowa, and there is very little of a personal nature that does not directly involve football. Reading it brought back so many fond memories of listening and watching, that I found myself reliving some of those times. If you are a Hawk fan, then this is a book that you must read.



2. Easy reading book on the very successful career of legendary (ranks as 10th all-time winningest coach in NCAA history) college football coach Hayden Fry, known nationally as the long-time and much loved coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes ("Americas Team"). The book chronicle's his [unprecedented] success in "turning-a-round" hapless football programs at SMU, North Texas and Iowa. Highlights include his 17 bowl games (including 3 trips to the Rose Bowl), spending a lot of time with the Iowa Hawkeyes where he coached for twenty years, including 3 Big Ten Championships, but also recalls his days at SMU where he was the man responsible for integrating football in Texas (SouthWest Conference)- arguably his greatest achievement in his football career. His days as a high school and college standout player are also explored - a true "aficionado" for the game of football! Hawkeye fans and football fans alike will enjoy this "yarn" from one of the most colorful characters in college football in a generation!



3. Hayden Fry is a revered figure in the state of Iowa, and rightly so. He arrived in Iowa City in 1979 and quickly resusitated one of the worst football programs in the country. Under Fry's direction, the Hawkeyes went to the Rose Bowl three times in a nine-year span. Fry also integrated the Southwest Conference at Southern Methodist, and in this well-written autobiography, he brings his long, career successful career to life and recalls many colorful anecdotes. This is an entertaining and illuminating book from one of the most significant coaches of his generation.



4. THROUGH HIS STORIES AND MEMOIRS HAYDEN FRY SHOWS EVERYBODY ONCE AGAIN THAT HE IS A "CLASS ACT".HE MAKES ME PROUD TO BE A HAWKEYE!! THANK YOU HAYDEN!