Review of "Battles at Annapolis"

A fascinating blend of military history and college football, Battles at Annapolis revisits the two Army–Navy games played on Naval Academy grounds. The focus on the 1893 and 1942 matchups highlights how tradition, leadership, and wartime realities shaped this legendary rivalry.

Title/Author:

“Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry” by David Gendell

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review: 

David Gendell’s Battles at Annapolis explores two rare moments when the storied Army–Navy football rivalry shifted from neutral sites to the grounds of the Naval Academy itself. Blending military history with college football, Gendell focuses on the 1893 and 1942 matchups—games shaped as much by national circumstance as by the players on the field.

The 1893 contest is anchored by the compelling rise of Worth Bagley, who became captain of the Navy squad that edged Army 6–4 in a tight, defense‑heavy battle. Gendell’s attention to Bagley’s development and leadership gives this section its strongest emotional pull. The 1942 game, played in Annapolis due to wartime travel restrictions, offers a different tone. While Navy again prevailed, 14–0, the richer material comes from Gendell’s writing on World War II and its impact on the Cadets and Midshipmen—young men preparing for a game while also preparing for war.

The book doesn’t dive deeply into either military history or football strategy, but its blend of the two makes for an engaging look at a rivalry shaped by tradition, circumstance, and service. Recommended for readers who enjoy both military narratives and the history of college football.

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

Link: Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army–Navy Rivalry: Gendell, David, Lynch USN (Ret.), Rear Admiral Thomas C.: 9781493088386: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "Football"

Every so often, a book shows up on the new‑release shelf that feels like it was placed there specifically for me. That was the case with Chuck Klosterman’s Football. I’d read his music writing before and always appreciated the way he blends cultural insight with humor, so seeing his name attached to America’s most popular sport was an easy invitation. What I found was a book that approaches football from angles I didn’t expect — and that’s exactly why it works.

Title/Author:

“Football” by Chuck Klosterman

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: 

Not knowing Chuck Klosterman had written a book on football, I was genuinely surprised to find Football sitting in the new‑release section of my local library. Having enjoyed his books on music — especially his ability to blend cultural insight with humor — I picked this one up immediately. I wasn’t disappointed. Klosterman writes about the most popular sport in the United States with the same mix of knowledge, wit, and offbeat perspective that makes his rock‑music criticism so memorable.

The topics he covers are wide‑ranging, touching on the NFL, college football, and even a full chapter on the Canadian Football League. That CFL chapter, “The Cottage Life,” is a perfect example of how Klosterman approaches the sport. He walks readers through the quirks that differentiate the Canadian game from the American one — the 110‑yard field, the one‑point “rouge,” twelve men on the field, and the three‑down rule instead of four.

It’s that last rule that sparks one of the book’s most entertaining digressions. Klosterman uses the three‑down system to compare football to the Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water,” to argue that four is the “perfect number” (with Walter Camp conveniently supporting his case), and even to riff on colonialism. This leads to my favorite line in the entire book: “It’s not as if Bud Grant attacked the CFL with a cavalry and the Canadian players lost their minds when they saw horses for the first time.” It’s a perfect example of what Klosterman does so well — blending humor, cultural commentary, and football’s place in modern society.

This is just one of many topics Klosterman tackles with the same mix of curiosity and sharp observation. He writes about the racial makeup of various positions — not just the number of Black quarterbacks, but also how few white running backs have led the league in rushing, with Christian McCaffrey as a notable exception. He discusses Colin Kaepernick, debates who should be considered the greatest player of all time, and explores Friday Night Lights across its book, movie, and television versions. These are only a handful of the subjects he pulls into the larger conversation about what football means and why it matters.

A reader doesn’t need to be a football fan or possess deep knowledge of the game to enjoy this book. Klosterman’s ability to make the sport feel culturally expansive — and often very funny — is what makes Football such an engaging read.

Link:  Amazon.com: Football: 9780593490648: Klosterman, Chuck: Books

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 “Certified Beauties”

Having spent a good chunk of the last three days on the road, it gave me time to listen to a audiobook. Having been on a hockey kick lately between attending an ECHL playoff game and watching a lot of the NHL playoffs, it’s only logical that I listened to a collection of hockey stories.

Title/Author: “Certified Beauties: More of Hockey’s Greatest Untold Stories” written and narrated by James Duthie

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Every sport has stories that are amusing, shocking, inspiring and heart-tugging. Hockey is no exception and James Duthie has compiled an excellent collection of them for this book. He also narrates the audio version, which was a great listen.

There is no one theme for these stories and that makes this collection even better. If there is a common thread between any of them, it would be that a few of them involve players either missing a bus from the hotel for a morning skate. There are also some that involve a player who has just been called up to the NHL and has to catch a plane or arrange ground transportation to get to the arena. Many of these stories are during the time when hockey teams flew commercial and there were no cell phones . They all were fun to listen to. 

There’s also stories about former hockey personalities battling disease, some stories only made possible by the world situation during the COVID pandemic and even a couple of comebacks. That was the final act in my favorite story in the book, the one about Terry Ryan. A former first round draft choice, Ryan suffered several setbacks both in hockey and in his personal life. To flash forward to the best part, he made a comeback to the game in a minor league game at the age of 47. Hearing Duthie read this helped me imagine Ryan telling it, which made listening to this as an audiobook a good choice. This book is one that every hockey fan will enjoy whether reading or listening. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Beauties-Hockeys-Greatest-Stories/dp/B0DV69DM76/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0 

Review of "Cape Dreams"

 My job occasionally takes me on road trips that can mean about 2 hours in the car.  While not enough to finish books, that is sufficient time to listen to audio books while traveling instead of fiddling for radio stations to pick up.  This is one book that I listened to on this type of travel. 

Title/Author:

“Cape Dreams: A Season with the Brewster Whitecaps” by Mark Epstein, narrated by Austin Barach and Max Gifford

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

The Cape Cod summer baseball league is a showcase of some of the best college baseball players where 10 teams play a 40-game schedule.  One of the major changes the players get from their college games is that only wooden bats are allowed in these games.  Major league scouts are plentiful during this season looking for new prospects.  This book by Mark Epstien followed one of the teams, the Brewster Whitecaps, during their 2024 season.

The book was what one would expect when recapping a sports team’s season.  It was complete with profiles of people important to the team, a recap of the action on the diamond and stories about the players and others off the field.  One of the more interesting personalities was that of Jane Sullivan, whose life revolved around the Whitecaps year-round, not just during the two months of the season.  While her story was one to make the listener or reader feel good, it, along with many others, seemed a little over the top with its sweetness.

The description of the games also felt a little too generous, especially considering that the Whitecaps didn’t make the playoffs.  Still, that aspect of the book was good and the reader/listener will feel like they are part of the action.  The narration overall is also fine, although there were points where a clicking sound could be heard.  It isn’t clear whether this was missed in the final editing or an issue with the recording, but it was a distraction. Fortunately, that wasn’t an issue throughout the entire book.

For readers/listeners who want to learn more about the Cape Cod League and what it feels like to follow a team, this is a good book to pick up.  Overall, a decent story that will take one back in time when baseball felt like a much simpler game.

Link: Amazon.com: Cape Dreams: A Season with the Brewster Whitecaps (Audible Audio Edition): Mark Epstein, Austin Barach, Max Gifford, markpathfinderbooks: Books

Review of "A Soaring Season"

 As I work on the never-ending task of catching up on my TBR pile, I pulled out this one that the author sent to me nearly a year ago.  Under the category of "better late than never", I read it as it was a quick and good read on one of the "Cinderella" college basketball teams fans get to see every now and then.  

Title/Author:

“A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 St. Joseph’s Hawks” by Aaron Bracy

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

College basketball has had its share of teams, mainly from smaller schools, go on unbelievable runs during a season to get far into the championship tournament otherwise known as March Madness.  This book by Aaron Bracy tells the story of one of these teams, the 2003-04 St. Joseph’s Hawks.  For those not familiar with the fate of the team, skip this sentence – the Hawks made it to the Elite Eight, losing a heartbreaking game to Oklahoma State 64-62, denying them a trip to the Final Four.

Located in Philadelphia, the Hawks made their run on two future first-round draft choices of NBA teams.  Jameer Nelson and Delonte West were the stars of this team and were the clear leaders.  Nelson was also named as the national Player of the Year in college basketball that season.  However, as basketball is a team game, it also took contributions from many players and coaches.  This is the strength of this book as Bracy did a very good job of not only providing information on every player and coach (and even the mascot) but also ensuring that contributions by them were included in every game summary.

The book follows a very familiar format for books describing one season for a team, no matter the sport or the level (college, pro, amateur, etc.).  The book starts with a cliffhanger scene from the Oklahoma State game, then goes on to give the back story of how they built the team, mainly concentrating on West, Nelson and the head coach Phil Martelli. Then the book goes into the season with a game-by-game account that is typical for this genre, but as mentioned, will go beyond just the stars and provide highlights and quotes from other players as well.  Once the games are completed, there is a wrap up of the season and a “where are they now” section for each of the key contributors.

While this book wasn’t much different than other books that capture a special season, I did enjoy reliving the story of this team that caught the attention of many basketball fans, including myself.  I remember the Oklahoma State game quite well and Nelson lying on the floor after just missing the shot that would have tied the game, then sitting up with his knees up and staring out in disbelief that it was all over.  That was captured in one of the many very good passages on the players by the author.

I wish to thank Mr. Bracy for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks: Bracy, Aaron, Lunardi, Joe: 9781955041430: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “Heartland”

The strong start to 2026 for my reading continues with this excellent book on Larry Bird’s time at Indiana State and stories about his teammates there as well. 

Title/Author:

“Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream and the Miracle of Larry Bird” by Keith O’Brien

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: 

Before Larry Bird became a legendary NBA player with the Boston Celtics, he was an All-American player for the Indiana State Sycamores, a basketball program very few knew about before Bird’s arrival. The story of Bird’s path to the Terre Haute campus and the Sycamores’ magical 1978-79 season is told in this excellent book by Keith O’Brien.

Much like his other books, most notably his biography of Pete Rose, O’Brien conducts hundreds of interviews with people involved in Bird’s life. They can be family, teammates, other acquaintances or even someone who had a brief encounter or event with Bird. An example of this is that O’Brien interviewed the two Indiana State cheerleaders who appeared with Bird on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1977. At that time, getting on that cover was very prestigious. Getting the perspective of that event from these two women is just one example of the depth of the book.

O’Brien has also shown in other books that storytelling is one of the strengths of his writing and this book has plenty of stories. Whether these are from coaches such as Bob King and Bill Hodges the two coaches for Indiana State during Bird’s time there (King had to give up coaching due to health issues and Hodges, who was on King’s staff, took over those duties), from teammates such as Carl Nicks and Bob Helton, or even people from Bird’s hometown of French Lick, Indiana, these paint a fascinating picture of Bird during this time frame.

The book not only covers the Indiana State basketball team, but also a deeper look at Bird’s life before he reluctantly agreed to go with King to visit the campus. It is known that he originally intended to attend Indiana and play for legendary coach Bob Knight there, but he grew depressed and lonely there and did not play a game for the Hoosiers. This, along with other parts of his personal life such as a short marriage that resulted in a daughter being born, his father’s suicide and his time working for the town as a garbage collector are also chronicled here. No matter what Bird was doing at that point, O’Brien describes it well and completely.

The book is an easy read and is broken up into many smaller chapters, making it easy to digest and finish in a short amount of time. Any basketball fan will enjoy this book on one of the true legends of the game. 

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Heartland-Forgotten-Place-Impossible-Miracle/dp/166821170X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “American Kings”

 As I work on trying to catch up on my reading (both sports and non-sports related) it means I’m also trying to catch up on reviews. Here’s my first one as I work on that year-end push, a review of a book on quarterbacks.

Title/Author: “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback” by Seth Wickersham

Rating:  3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:  In today’s professional football, the quarterback is the lifeblood of his team. While the evolution of the position resulted in him being important decades ago, that importance has been magnified recently. This book by Seth Wickersham explores the timeline of this process through stories about quarterbacks through different eras.

It should be noted that not all of the stories revolve around quarterbacks in the NFL. There are those who hope to become great at the position such as Colin Hurley and Arch Manning. There’s a fairly new NFL quarterback included in Caleb Williams. If one goes way back, there are quarterback stories before the position was considered “glorious.” The first quarterback portrayed who may fit that profile is Bob Waterford - but even there, while he was a Hall of Fame quarterback, his wife as just as famous - Jane Russell, the glamorous actress of that time. 

The stories of all the quarterbacks portrayed, even stars like John Elway and Steve Young, take sad turns which was a title disconcerting while reading the book. I also found it hard to follow as the stories bounced from one quarterback to another. Having a chapter on each one in chronological order would have been my preference. The same goes when Wickersham inserts his own stories when he played the position. They were interesting and did provide substance to the theme - just would have been better as its own chapter.

Football fans who want to hear stories about players in the vital role will enjoy the stories. But treat the book as such - a collection of stories. I expected something different and it did not turn out that way.

I wish to thank Hyperion Avenue for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1368099181/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1368099181&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20 

Review of “On Her Game"

It’s been awhile since I last posted a review here, but that’s because I have read books on other subjects the past week and a half - shocking, I know. So, to get back on track, I listened to an audiobook written and narrated by Christine Brennan, a sportswriter I have followed and admired for a long time. More of her good work is on display here in this book on Caitlin Clark. 

Title/Author: “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports” written and narrated by Christine Brennan

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent) 

Review: Basketball had never seen such interest and conversation (both good and bad) in one player like the attention given to Caitlin Clark from the 2023 NCAA Women’s Final to the end of the 2024 WNBA season. This book by accomplished sportswriter Christine Brennan is an excellent account of Clark’s accomplishments on the court and all of the attention her play and presence received off the court.

Brennan also narrates the audio version of the book, which really enhances some of the content. This is most evident when she twice mentions controversial topics about Clark in which she (Brennan) wrote about in her column. One was the decision by USA Basketball to leave Clark off the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, a decision that shocked many. Another involved Brennan interviewing DiJonai Carrington, then of the Connecticut Sun (now a member of the Minnesota Lynx) about an unintentional poke in the eye on Clark. Why that’s notable is that Carrington, her Sun teammates and later the players union called for the banishment of Brennan due to the insensitivity of her questioning.

These two issues are just a very small sample of what Brennan writes about on the “bad” publicity around the attention given to Clark. But there is so much more good about the young star from Iowa that Clark fans - which Brennan frequently reminds are many - should love to read about. Whether it’s her play on the court, her poise when answering questions at press conferences, or the attention she receives from opposing players on the court or elsewhere, the book does a great job of making the reader understand Clark better. It also begs the question, which Brennan does ask at least indirectly, of why Clark is not better supported by the league. She was quickly embraced by her teammates - the stories of Clark’s interactions with Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston are great. 

This is just a small sample of the type of information on Caitlin Clark that any women’s basketball fan will want to absorb. Whether they are long time fans of the women’s game like I am or they are brand new to the sport and became a fan due to Clark, this book is for them. 

Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Her-Game-Caitlin-Revolution-Womens/dp/1668090198/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EKogTfL8Y9ZHfljcb_rQ0-31jynunpS9O1eIcFQMAuZJf_CnLStv4hUtTHPXS2AUcIBWPes9i0WfGLve_AJySYsUIk6BxQMD8orWrpCBwuc9RAhIEd_dXcbroGfFw3lETvJj-Y0R2g7IJ_F8svlRgxksR5WYPxfjO0viaGD8qxWPvTlRJwW_VqHnNQTVgtxTXN55twMvx5gRJeA-tmyikqnS4yIeXVkCwKOYz0AWF4U.0cowJANWEE-KigTD9OQ01kS2zneOZ7iqyShBQyZ9ctY&qid=1761605830&sr=8-1 

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 "The Players' Coach"

Having read this book as part of a Goodreads challenge, I found this to be okay.  There was a lot of name dropping by the author as well as some great stories, and some may really enjoy them.  Here is my review of "The Players' Coach."

Title/Author:

“The Players’ Coach: Fifty Years Making NFL’s Best Better – From Bradshaw, Manning, Brady and Beyond” by Tom Moore with Rick Stroud

Rating: 

3 ½  of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Tom Moore is a person who would be considered a football “lifer.” He proclaims himself to be one in this memoir co-written with Rick Stroud.  Even though he never was named as a head coach of any team, college or NFL, one cannot say that he has not had a successful and interesting career.

Moore shares many stories about himself as well as some of the great players that he has coached.  After getting his first college coaching job at Iowa after graduation, he went on to be an assistant at several colleges, including a rival of Iowa, the University of Minnesota (a place where he considered becoming a head coach before they hired Lou Holtz in 1984).  From there, he transitioned to the NFL in 1977, becoming an assistant to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll.  After a successful stint in Pittsburgh that included two Super Bowl victories and a promotion to offensive coordinator, he held similar roles for several other NFL teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints (he talks very little about his time there in this book), Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He won two more Super Bowls – one with the Colts, one with the Buccaneers, and coached in another with the Cardinals.

With a resume like this, it naturally follows that Moore has coached some of the greatest players in this era of football and three of them are in the subtitle.  He has good stories about each one of them, and even better stories about some who were very good but not at the legendary level of these three.  There is a great story on Vikings wide receiver Jake Reed on the assistance Moore gave him when it was discovered a vision problem was hindering his ability to catch passes.  Moore also has kind things to say about his quarterback in Detroit, Scott Mitchell.  When Moore talks about some of these players, those are the best sections to read.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn’t hold my interest as much as these stories as the talk about his moves, the X’s and O’s and other parts of his career just didn’t seem to have the same level of enthusiasm and intangibles. I use that word for this description – just like when an athlete has something extra that can’t be described so it is said that person has “intangibles”.  In this case, those chapters and sections LACK those “intangibles” to make them must-read areas.

That aside, any reader with an interest in a football coach with a lengthy and successful career despite never holding a head coaching position will want to read this book.  If nothing else, read it for some good stories on some of the legendary players in recent NFL history.

I wish to thank Diversion Books for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: The Players' Coach: From Bradshaw to Manning, Brady, and Beyond: Moore, Tom, Stroud, Rick: 9781635769852: Amazon.com: Books