Review of "Rising Tide"

Randy Roberts and Ed Krzemienski’s Rising Tide traces how Joe Namath and Paul “Bear” Bryant helped transform Alabama football into a national force during the 1960s. Their intertwined stories unfold against a backdrop of resistance to integration and the shifting cultural landscape of the Deep South. It’s a compelling blend of biography, football history, and social context.

Title/Author:

“Rising Tide: Bear Bryant, Joe Namath & Dixie’s Last Quarter” by Randy Roberts & Ed Krzemienski

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Two legendary figures—Joe Namath and Paul “Bear” Bryant—stand at the center of Rising Tide, Randy Roberts and Ed Krzemienski’s absorbing look at how Alabama became a college football powerhouse in the 1960s. Their parallel stories, set against the state’s fierce resistance to integration, give the book both its narrative drive and historical weight.

The authors write with depth and clarity about both men, offering rich background on Namath and Bryant before their paths converge in 1961, when Namath arrived on campus. Although freshmen were ineligible for varsity play, Namath immediately impressed on the freshman team and soon became the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback. His tenure—marked by standout performances, a suspension late in the 1963 season, and ultimately an All‑American year capped by a national title in 1964—is covered with nuance. Roberts and Krzemienski also give welcome attention to Namath’s high school career and the intense recruiting battle that brought him to Tuscaloosa.

Bryant’s portrayal is equally strong. While the book offers little on his Texas A&M years or the famed Junction Boys, it delivers vivid stories from his Alabama tenure—most memorably his habit of watching practice from a tower and his rare invitation for Namath to join him there. The authors capture Bryant’s near‑mythic status in Alabama, where his authority and popularity seemed unshakeable as long as the team kept winning.

The book’s most compelling section, in my view, is the detailed account of the lawsuit Bryant and Georgia coach Wally Butts filed against The Saturday Evening Post. After the magazine accused Butts of giving Bryant confidential game information before their 1962 matchup, both men fought back, ultimately winning their cases and damages. The courtroom drama is expertly rendered, and the episode underscores just how deeply Bryant was revered throughout the state.

While the chapters on Alabama’s resistance to integration and the broader Dixie landscape are informative, they lack the depth and freshness of the football‑centered material. Readers new to this history will find value, but those familiar with the era may not encounter much that feels new.

For college football fans, Crimson Tide loyalists, or anyone interested in two of the sport’s defining figures, Rising Tide is an engaging and worthwhile read.

 

Link:  Rising Tide: Bear Bryant, Joe Namath, and Dixie's Last Quarter: Roberts, Randy, Krzemienski, Ed: 9781455526321: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “Iron in the Blood”

With the calendar turning to August, that means college football season will soon be upon us. To get ready for this season, I picked up a book that is about a game played at the end of the season, the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn. Excellent book on one of the sport’s fiercest rivalries. 

Title/Author: “Iron in the Blood: How the Alabama vs Auburn Rivalry Shaped the Soul of the South” by Jay Busbee

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: College football has many legendary rivalries, some of which are quite fierce and quite old - Michigan-Ohio State, California-Stanford, Minnesota-Wisconsin and Oklahoma-Texas to name a few. One of the best is an intrastate rivalry in the Southeast Conference, Alabama vs Auburn. This book by Jay Busbee takes a deep dive into the history of these two schools in the Yellowhammer State.  

Both schools get equal amounts of coverage in the book, something that is refreshing when one considers the storied history of Alabama Crimson Tide football and their overall success which is much greater than Auburn. Coaches for both the Tide and the Auburn Tigers are portrayed here. Especially the legendary names at both schools - Shug Jordan for Auburn, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Nick Sabin for Alabama are the most notable names among the coaches. Players such as Bo Jackson (Auburn) and Joe Namath (Alabama) also have much text dedicated in the book. Busbee does a great job of telling how the contributions of these men, plus others, have helped shape this rivalry into one of the best in college football. 

His accounts of some of the more memorable games in this series, such as the 2013 “Kick Six” game, the 1972 “Punt, Bama, Punt” game and the 2023 Gravedigger game. Each one of those chapters allowed the reader to relive those extraordinary games with enough details and storylines to give a complete picture of the intensity of the rivalry. 

But what makes this book so good are the stories away from the football field and how anyone living in Alabama will be chanting either “Roll Tide” or “War Eagles” depending on their loyalty. One of the best stories in the book was already known by many football fans even if they don’t have a rooting interest in this rivalry. An Alabama fan named Harvey Updyke poisoned two oak trees at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn. Those trees were covered in toilet paper when Auburn would win the Iron Bowl and Updyke wanted that to end after the Tigers won in 2010. He eventually pled guilty to the crime. While there have been other publications and stories about this, Busbee’s detailed and complete account of this is great reading and just one example of how he brings the deep seated passion of these rivals to life. 

Even if a reader doesn’t take sides in Iron Bowl matchups, they will be informed and entertained by reading this book. Any college football fan of any team will want to add this one to their bookshelf.

I wish to thank Ben Bella Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley, The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Blood-Alabama-Auburn-Rivalry-ebook/dp/B0DL7D7ZP6/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0 

Review of "We Want 'Bama!" - first review of 2022

Happy New Year!  It is only fitting that the first review of 2022 is on a team that was a major performer on the last day of the old year, the Alabama Crimson Tide.  This book on their 2020 championship is much more important for reading that just the football success.  Here is my review.

Title/Author: "We Want 'Bama!  Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide's Decade of Dominance" by Joe Goodman

Rating: 3 ½ of 5 stars (good)

Review: Just like everything else, the year 2020 saw major disruptions in college football.  However, one thing that didn't change was the dominance of the Alabama Crimson Tide and another national championship for them and coach Nick Saban.  This book by Joe Goodman on that squad is quite different than any other book written about a particular team or season – which I guess would be quite fitting for anything about 2020.

This book does have some review of the games and highlights of that season for the Crimson Tide, but that is not how this book is structured – indeed, it seems to jump all over the place, but underlying that is one central theme that was that, to the author and after reading this book to this reviewer as well, the Alabama football team's march and other means of communication about racial injustice made a much louder impression than anything they accomplished on the football field.  Goodman made this point in several different ways – through highlighting the activism of players like Chris Owen Najee Harris and Alex Leatherwood, who wrote a powerful song/poem that was recorded by him and many teammates.  It was quite moving to just read it and see how a college football team would come together during this summer of unrest in 2020.

While most of the book has a serious message, whether football or racial equality, Johnson throws in plenty of humor and sarcasm as well as uncomfortable truth in this book.  This is especially true when he talks about how important Alabama football is to the students, the university and the bank accounts of the university.  He will often end sections about these topics with the phrase "Roll Tide!", the cheer for the football team yelled by fans.  I thought that was a nice touch to illustrate his message.

While this book did seem to jump around on topics and at times, I had to re-read passages to figure out whether Goodman was being serious or sarcastic, it is one that really should be read by those who are unfamiliar with the history of racial injustice in Alabama as well as those who are either Alabama fans or wish to understand just how important the Crimson Tide football team is to the state.  It is also a great look into the detail of Nick Saban and his recruiting success that is the ultimate reason for Alabama's continuing success.

I wish to thank Grand Central Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Links: We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban's "Ultimate Team": Goodman, Joseph: 9781538716298: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "4th and Goal Every Day"

Now that the calendar has turned to August, it is time that many people are looking toward the beginning of football season.  Whether one prefers to watch the games on Saturday or Sunday, football is certainly the most popular game in the United States.  The most successful college football program of the last few years, the Alabama Crimson Tide, is the subject of this book. 

Title/Author:

“4^th and Goal Every Day: Alabama’s Relentless Pursuit of Perfection” by Phil Savage

Tags:

Football (American), college, coaching, Alabama

Publish date:

August 29, 2017

Length:

336 pages

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good) 

Review:

With the recent long run of success by the Alabama Crimson Tide football program, this book looked like the perfect source of information on why the Tide has been the most successful it had been since the days of Paul “Bear” Bryant.  The author, Phil Savage, certainly has the pedigree to write about this.  His long career in football as a coach, scout and general manager, as well as his current position as a radio analyst for the Crimson Tide certainly places him in a position to intimately know the workings of the football team.

The reader will learn about Coach Nick Saban (for whom the author worked as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns) and his involvement of every aspect of the football program.  From recruiting to practice to film sessions to game day, the reader will be given a guided tour inside the program, learning about it from coaches, players (both current and former) and Savage himself as he has been connected to Alabama football since he was a very young fan.

My reservation about the book is that Savage’s style of taking the reader on this tour comes across to me as arrogant and elitist.  Throughout the book, Savage reminds the reader of Alabama’s recent string of championship and near-championship seasons and whatever part of the program is being discussed, well, it is just the best way to approach the task.  For a comparison, living in an area where there are a lot of New York Yankee fans, this sounds much like them – we are successful and we will constantly remind you.  There is no argument that Alabama has been the best college football program for the last decade.  I was just hoping to learn why it was, not to have this fact be constantly repeated through the book. 

Despite my misgivings about this writing style, I do give the book a passing grade for the insight, the knowledge and the details that Savage shares with the readers.  This book is one that every Crimson Tide fan will want to read – but Auburn Tiger fans may want to think twice before buying. 

I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/4th-Goal-Every-Day-Relentless-ebook/dp/B01N80I05M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501890881&sr=8-1&keywords=4th+and+goal+every+day+alabama%27s+relentless+pursuit+of+perfection

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/4th-and-goal-every-day-phil-savage/1126158191?ean=9781250130808

Review of "Touchdown Tony"

When I received a message inquiring if I was interested in reviewing this book, it also stated that this book will be tied in with the movie Woodlawn due to be out on October 16.  If the movie is anything like the book, it should be a good one.  Here is my review of "Touchdown Tony."

Title/Author:

“Touchdown Tony: Running With a Purpose” by Tony Nathan

Tags:

Football (American), college, memoir, autobiography, race, Alabama

Publish date:

September 15, 2015

Length:

256 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Football fans may know of Tony Nathan because of his college career with the University of Alabama or during his professional career with the Miami Dolphins. Maybe he is recognized because he was on Crimson Tide’s national championship team in 1978 or for his key roles in helping the Dolphins win two conference championships in the 1980’s.  He has also been a coach for the Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens.

However, after reading “Touchdown Tony”, one will realize that none of those accomplishments are Nathan’s proudest moments. His story of what he experienced during his childhood and his high school years will make a reader realize how grounded Nathan’s values are to make him the man he is today. He writes about those times, and his times at the University of Alabama, with a great deal of pride. Not necessarily about what he accomplished on the football field, but about the values instilled into him by his family, his coaches and his environment.

His years at Woodlawn High School make for the best reading in the book. This was during the time when integration of schools was just beginning in Birmingham, Alabama and there was much tension in the air. Nathan writes about those times with a breath of fresh air. He doesn’t hold any grudges, airs any dirty laundry or complains about what he endured.  Instead he recalls his time at Woodlawn with fondness.  He talks about the excellent relationship he had with Jeff Rutledge, a white quarterback who was a star at a rival school that beat Woodlawn in a championship game. It seemed only fitting that the two of them would later be teammates at Alabama. 

While the book does address the issue of race in the 1970’s, the story that touched Nathan the most was not something in his school or on the field, but observing the interactions of ordinary citizens, both black and white, in the immediate aftermath of the championship game Woodlawn lost. Nathan wrote about observing people interacting with each other in a manner that transcended race. Whether it was congratulating fans of the winning team or consoling fans of the losing team, he felt it was something special to just observe. That was a very unique perspective to look at how people of different races would interact – something I would not expect to find in an autobiography of an athlete.

Nathan also writes of his faith, his family and his love for his wife Johnnie in a manner that the reader will see how grounded he is in his values. Because he developed these values in his younger years, the book concentrates on that portion of his life. While Nathan does write about his years with the Dolphins and as a coach, the bulk of the book is about his years growing up and going to school in Alabama. It is a refreshing account of those times and a book that would be enjoyed by anybody.

I wish to thank Howard Books for providing an advance review copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pace of the book:

This was a very quick read as Nathan’s telling of his experience growing up and playing for the high school and college teams was very conversational. It felt like you could be sitting on the porch listening to him reminisce about those times.

Do I recommend? 

This book will be appealing to a broad range of readers.  One doesn’t have to be a football fan to be inspired by Nathan’s enthusiasm for both his life and his faith.  However, the football sections, especially those about his days on the Crimson Tide, will be thoroughly enjoyed by those who follow the game. 

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links: (pre-order links at time of posting)

http://www.amazon.com/Touchdown-Tony-Running-Purpose-Nathan-ebook/dp/B00VNXKF3K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441841544&sr=1-1&keywords=touchdown+tony

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/touchdown-tony-tony-nathan/1122403178?ean=9781501118517