Review of "Men in White"

Upon reading the synopsis of this book when I learned that there was going to be another book on the Penn State scandal more than a decade ago, I wanted to pick it up as it looked to be a different perspective.  It certainly was that and more.  Here is my review of "Men in White" 

Title/Author: “Men in White: The Gutsy, Against-All-Odds Return of Penn State Football” by Chris Raymond

 

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: November 5, 2011 is a day that will forever be etched in the minds of any person connected with the Penn State football program.  That was the day that a former coach, Jerry Sandusky, was charged with 40 counts of child molestation.  This led to the firing of legendary coach Joe Paterno (who died shortly thereafter) and later to sanctions against the program including a $60 million fine, four years of probation from postseason play, reduced scholarships and most shocking, every player on the football team at that time could transfer to any other school without waiting a year as all other transferred players had to do.

Which leads to why this book about the 5 seasons after that announcement is so good.  The first salvo fired to show that those who care about the Nittany Lions were not going to let this affect them was by two players on the team:  Michael Mauti and Michael Zordich. After deciding to stay at Penn State, despite many recruiters attempting to lure them to other schools, they made an announcement on national TV stating that “This program was not built by one man. And this program sure as hell is not going to be torn down by one man.” 

From there, author Chris Raymond gleans information from hundreds of interviews from people who had some kind of connection to the program.  People who spoke of the progress range from two head coaches who were important to keeping the team together and then bringing it back to success (Bill O’Brien and James Franklin) to the students who were the mascot through those years.  That is a big reason why I enjoyed this book so much.  This was not only a story of a football team and its coaches and players – this was about the entire program and what it meant to students, alumni and the state.

That doesn’t mean there wasn’t football in the book.  Many of the chapters and stories from players and coaches were about the games in those seasons between 2012 and 2016.  From ensuring the team played respectable football in the first two seasons (bowl eligible both years, even if there were some difficult losses) to winning the Big Ten championship in 2016, there is enough football described to make those who love the X’s and O’s of the game.  This is done through quotes by players and coaches involved. While a different way to write about games, it really works in this case because the reader can feel the emotions of the people involved.

There are also chapters on related topics such as Coach Paterno and one dedicated entirely to the students who camp out to get tickets. The dedication of the latter did not diminish during this dark period, which ended sooner than expected.  George Mitchell, the senator who also oversaw the investigation into the use of steroids in baseball, updated the NCAA on the subsequent actions by the school after the sanctions were handed down and gave glowing reports on the progress. As a result, all sanctions were lifted by 2014 and that gave the program even more of a boost, capped off by the 2016 conference championship.

This review really doesn’t do justice for this book – everything about it was top notch.  The writing, the honest reality of the subjects interviewed, and the storyline were all excellent.  For a glimpse into just how raw the honesty was, the interview with Silas Redd, a player who did leave Penn State when there were no restrictions, his talk about his decision and reasons for leaving are as honest and emotional as any of those by the players who stayed.  Just another small story in a collection that when put together is a great piece about one of the blue bloods of college football.

I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley.  The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Link: Men in White: The Gutsy, Against-All-Odds Return of Penn State Football: Raymond, Chris: 9781250280480: Amazon.com: Books