Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Review of "The NFL in the 1970's"

As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I enjoyed reading this book for the great memories (okay, mostly great as long as we ignore their four Super Bowl losses that decade) about not only my team but for the entire sport during this decade.  Here is my review of "The NFL in the 1970's"


Title/Author:
“The NFL in the 1970’s: Pro Football’s Most Important Decade” by Joe Zagorski

Tags:
Football (American), history, professional

Publish date:
June 24, 2016

Length:
444 pages

Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:
The 1970’s brought numerous changes to the business side of the NFL as well as the product on the field.  This book by Joe Zagorski is a very good recap of that decade for not only explaining all of these changes, but for a thorough description of the important games, players and teams of that decade.

Practically anything a reader wants to know about the league between 1970 and 1979 is covered in the book.  Each chapter covers one year, ending with the Super Bowl played the following January (the Super Bowl was still played in January at that time).  The bulk of the material covers important games from each week including the divisional playoffs, the conference championships and the Super Bowl.  Of course, the better teams from that time are covered more in depth, but even weaker teams get mentioned as well. If there is any memorable game from that decade, it is included here. Whether it was when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally won their first game in 1978 after losing 26 straight games, the “Hail Mary” game between Dallas and Minnesota in the 1975 playoffs (a bitter memory for this reviewer) or the longest game in NFL history between Kansas City and Miami in 1971, this book is sure to have something about that game in the appropriate year.

Each chapter begins with the changes made in rules, player transactions, and any other important news that took place.  Topics like the strike by the players’ union during the 1974 training camp and the end of the game between the defending Super Bowl champions and a team of college all-stars are explored in depth as well.  Player profiles from this period are also included within the season summaries. They are not as prevalent as the factual information, but they are still very good.  One of the better profiles was about Conrad Dobler, the St. Louis Cardinals’ guard who was considered by his peers to be the dirtiest player in the league.  It was also nice to read about Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, an outspoken Dallas Cowboy, and his put-down of Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

Because the recaps of the games and the seasons are very detailed, this is a book not to be picked up for light, pleasure reading.  It should be digested carefully and can also be used as a reference book.  If one wants to see how a particular team did in a particular season, the reader needs only to go to that particular chapter and glance through the text to find something about nearly every team.  Teams that were the powerhouses of the decade, such as Pittsburgh, Dallas, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Rams and Oakland are all examined in depth in the seasons in which they were successful.  This does lead to some repetition between chapters, but some of the information is worth repeating.

Readers who watched the NFL during this time will want to get this book for reliving some great (or maybe not-so-great) memories of their favorite players and teams.  For those who are not familiar with that era, it will be a great book for researching and learning about this important decade in the NFL. The 1970’s brought many changes that still shape the game and how it is played today.

I wish to thank Mr. Zagorski for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
                       
Book Format Read:
Paperback                                                                                                                                        

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