The author of Baseball's Greatest Insults referees the biting sarcasm and hilarious wisecracks from today's heroes and yesterday's legends of both college and pro football. Players, coaches, sportswriters, and even fans all have their say in this wickedly funny look at the game and its leading personalities. Black-and-white photographs.
A grand slam of a book. The sequel to the bestselling Baseball’s Greatest Insults, with hilarious put-downs and outrageous wisecracks about America’s national pastime. There are no lyrical passages here, no fond reminiscences about childhood games, no tributes to "inspiring" players. Too much real stuff has happened since Kevin Nelson collected Baseball's Greatest Insults in 1984. This hilarious all-star review reveals how the players, managers, umpires, owners, and the sports media really feel about one another.
Choo Seng Quee is arguably Singapore's greatest football coach. He brought Singapore football to great heights, especially during the 1970s. This larger-than-life footballing icon had already made a name for himself as a no-nonsense defender during the 1930s helping Singapore win the Malaya Cup on two occasions.World War II disrupted his promising playing career, and after the war, he switched to coaching. In a coaching career spanning almost 30 years, he had several spells as coach of the Singapore national team (in addition to also coaching the Malaysian and Indonesian teams). Though his coaching methods were 'old school', based on hard work and discipline, success followed him wherever he went.His brash manner, unfortunately, did not endear well with the powers who ran the Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA), a predecessor of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). This led him being thrown into football wilderness on several occasions. But that did not stop him from progressing in his coaching career. The football administrators from Malaysia and Indonesia took advantage of these moments of 'unemployment' by offering him financially attractive contracts to coach their respective teams, leading to years of success while Choo Seng Quee was at the helm.This is the incredible story of this legend known to many as simply 'Uncle Choo' who instilled a sense of patriotism in his players. To him, wearing the Singapore jersey was a badge of honour.
College football is one of the most popular sports in the United States. Fans follow their favorite team with unfailing loyalty, and nowhere do the colors come out more fervently than when rivals face off. These games bring out the passion, the rituals, and even the rage of football fans across the country. Whether based on history and tradition, or proximity and local pride, college rivalry games have an intensity unmatched by any other sporting event. The Greatest College Football Rivalries of All Time: The Civil War, the Iron Bowl, and Other Memorable Matchups showcases the best of these competitions. Martin Gitlin details game highlights, the history behind the rivalries, and how the fans, players, and coaches have impacted the matchups. The fourteen top rivalries are covered, including the always-intense battles between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines, the great in-state rivalry between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the historic contests between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen. In addition to capturing the action of the games, this book also covers the personal stories that heighten the passion and intensity of the rivalries—including pranks pulled over the years by opposing fans. With stats and series highlights detailed in each entry, and featuring historical and contemporary photographs throughout its pages, The Greatest College Football Rivalries of All Time is a must-read for every fan of college football.
For ten years the Cleveland Browns compiled a better record and won more championships than any team in pro football history. In their first game they set an all-time attendance record and consistently drew the largest crowds of the post-World War II era. They dominated an upstart league and then silenced their detractors by doing the same to the NFL. The Browns were led by Paul Brown, a football visionary who changed pro football. Most important among his innovations was the leading role the franchise played in the integration of pro sports. While much of their competition continued with the racial exclusion of the past, the Browns featured some of the greatest black players of all-time, men who were an integral part of the Cleveland dynasty. The Best Show in Football: The 1946-1955 Cleveland Browns, Pro Football's Greatest Dynasty tells the story of those players and that dynasty. Included in that story is the construction of the Browns as well as accounts of the team's many victories. Dozens of interviews bring to life the exploits of Otto Graham, Bill Willis, Marion Motley, Lou Groza, Mac Speedie, Len Ford, Dante Lavelli, Frank Gatski, and so many others. In rich detail, The Best Show in Football demonstrates why Cleveland's dynasty was the greatest ever, greater even than several teams that are usually accorded that honor. The conclusions may be surprising but the evidence is all here. And along the way author Andy Piascik provides a wonderful trip back to football's golden age.
Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2017. Longlisted for the Coutts Football Writers Association Award 2018. Before Pep Guardiola and before José Mourinho, there was Béla Guttmann: the first superstar football coach, and the man who paved the way for the celebrated coaches of the modern age. More extraordinarily still, Guttmann was a Holocaust survivor. Having narrowly dodged death by hiding for months in an attic near Budapest as thousands of fellow Jews in the neighbourhood were dragged off to be murdered, Guttmann later escaped from a slave labour camp. He was one of the lucky ones. His father, sister and wider family perished at the hands of the Nazis. But by 1961, as coach of Benfica, he had lifted one of football's greatest prizes: the European Cup a feat he repeated the following year. Rising from the death pits of Europe to become its champion in just over sixteen years, Guttmann performed the single greatest comeback in football history. This remarkable story spans two visions of twentieth-century Europe: a continent ruptured by barbarism and genocide, yet lit up by exhilarating encounters in magnificent cities, where great players would strive to win football s holy grail. With dark forces rising once again, the story of Béla Guttmann s life asks the question: which vision of Europe will triumph in our times?
Seeking to explore the blurred boundary between religion and pop culture, God in the Details offers a provocative look at the breadth, diversity, and persistence of religious themes in contemporary American consciousness. Representing a diverse range of disciplines, the contributors criticaly assess the ways in which American popular culture reappropriates traditional religious symbols to serve the purposes of particular communities.
In a series that explores the logic-defying comebacks and tough losses, the dramatic interceptions, fumbles, game-winning field goals, and touchdowns that shape a fan’s greatest memories of their beloved team, this book does not disappoint as the ultimate collector’s item for Bears fans. It chronicles the most famous moments in Chicago football history, including Gale Sayers's six-touchdown day against the 49ers, Walter Payton's 275-yard performance in 1977, Devin Hester's Super Bowl XLI kickoff return, and the dominating team performance of Super Bowl XX. The descriptions of each play are accompanied with game information and quotes from participants, players, and observers with firsthand accounts.
Showcasing one of professional football's best players, this book spotlights the life and career of gridiron great Tom Brady. More than just a biography, it relates Brady's story while also establishing his prominent place in NFL history. By examining his skills and statistics in a variety of categories and comparing him to other great quarterbacks-including Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach, and more-the guide makes a strong case for Brady as football's best signal caller. Along the way, his best moments as a Patriot are revisited, from championship seasons and his favorite receivers to his relationship with legendary coach Bill Belichick. With detailed sidebars on Brady's celebrity status, fashion sense, much-talked-about hair, and supermodel wife, this is a must-have for faithful New England fans and pro football buffs alike.