When Bart Starr snuck across the goal line in the withering cold of Lambeau Field to beat the Dallas Cowboys in 1967. The Ice Bowl became the greatest game in Green Bay Packers history. Unless, of course, it was the NFC championship win over the Carolina Panthers in 1997 that sent the Packers back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 30 years. Maybe it was that mind-bending 48-47 Monday night win over the Washington Redskins in 1983, or perhaps it was the Western Conference title win over the Baltimore Colts in 1965 on an overtime field goal that Colts players to this day say was no good. It could also have been any one of Green Bay's three Super Bowl wins or the victory over the San Francisco 49ers in 1995 that cemented the Packers as a force in the NFL once again. Maybe it was any one of a number of games against their ancient rivals, the Chicago Bears, or maybe it was as recently as the 2003 NFC playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks or Brett Favre's remarkable performance after his father died. Maybe it wasn't even a Packers victory that earned its way into history. Perhaps that's the beauty of a franchise with such a long and lyrical history as the Packers--so many big games and so many opportunities to pick the ones that really matter. So many years have produced so many games and so many memories. In Chuck Carlson's Game of My Life, former and current players and coaches talk about the best, the most important, the most entertaining, or just the strangest games this franchise has ever played. Some will be obvious choices, but others may tax the memory of even the most stalwart Packers fans. For a franchise steeped in history, tradition, and legend, this book is bound to touchon a game that sits fondly in the hearts of Packers fans everywhere.
In this newly revised edition of Chuck Carlson’s Game of My Life Green Bay Packers, the greatest men to don that green and yellow uniform talk about the best, the most important, and the most entertaining game they ever played. Was it during the immortal “Ice Bowl” of 1967, when Bart Starr snuck across the goal line in the withering cold of Lambeau Field to beat the Dallas Cowboys? Or was it the NFC championship win over the Carolina Panthers in 1997 that sent the Packers back to the Super Bowl for the first time in thirty years? Maybe it was that mind-bending 48–47 Monday night win over the Washington Redskins in 1983, or perhaps it was one of Green Bay’s four Super Bowl championship victories. For a franchise with such a long and lyrical history as the Packers, there were thousands of opportunities to play a game that really mattered. Now over twenty of the greatest Packers men open up about that singular moment when it all came together. With contributions from such Packers legends as Brett Favre, Jim Taylor, Chester Marcol, and more, Game of My Life Green Bay Packers is a must-have for any Wisconsin fan.
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.
In The 50 Greatest Players in Chicago Bears History, sports historian Robert W. Cohen ranks the top 50 players ever to perform for one of the NFL's most historic franchises. This work includes quotes from the subjects themselves and former teammates, photos, recaps of memorable performances and greatest individual seasons, as well as a statistical summary of each player's career with the Bears. The Bears' best are profiled here in what is bound to be a much discussed book among the team's broad fan base. An added bonus are the "honorable mentions," the next 25 players who have contributed to the Bears' astounding run as one of America's great sports teams.
Game of My Life: Dallas Cowboys takes you inside the most memorable game of 24 players and of head coach Jimmy Johnson that earned each of them a place in the history and lore of "America?s Team." Each chapter provides colorful detail on the player?s favorite game and its significance to the history of one of the world?s most recognized franchises.Learn how these men joined the Cowboys fraternity. Recount with them the mood of the team and of each player leading up to his memorable moment and his thoughts on the game?told in his own words?as well as how his career fared and what he is doing today. Listen to Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett describe how he almost missed the game in which he turned in the most prolific performance of his career, and learn how Emmitt Smith, the NFL?s all-time leading rusher, learned to play with pain and how that helped him lead Dallas to a division-clinching win over the New York Giants despite a dislocated shoulder. Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach talks about his frustration with coach Tom Landry shuffling him in and out of the lineup, and Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White remembers the transition out of college linebacker. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman relives his most emotional moment on the football field, and receiver Drew Pearson talks about the infamous Hail Mary. Receiver Tony Hill relives a thrilling 31-30 comeback win over the rival Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. Safety James Washington talks about his heroic performance in Super Bowl XXVIII, and little-known running back Paul Palmer discusses his role in coach Jimmy Johnson?s first NFL victory. Other story standouts include those of cornerback Deion Sanders, Ring of Honor linebacker Chuck Howley, Super Bowl XXX MVP Larry Brown, Ring of Honor running back Don Perkins, Hall of Fame defensive tackle Bob Lilly, and special teams star Bill Bates among others.
What do Al Campana, Frank Dempsey, Stan Wallace, Don Mullins, Gale Sayers, and Steve Trimble all have in common? They all wore number 40 for the Chicago Bears, even though more than four decades passed between the last time Campana last pulled on his jersey and the number was retired for Sayers in 1994 (along with 51 for Dick Butkus). Since the Chicago Bears first adopted uniform numbers in 1932, the team has handed out only 99 numbers to more than 1,000 players. That’s a lot of overlap. It also makes for a lot of good stories. Bears by the Numbers tells those stories for every Bear since ’32, from Red Grange to Pernell McPhee. This book lists the players alphabetically and by number; these biographies help trace the history of one of football’s oldest and most beloved teams in a new way. For Bears fans, anyone who ever wore the uniform is like family. Bears by the Numbers reintroduces readers to some of their long-lost ancestors, even those they think they already know.
The 466 men who have held the increasingly demanding and prestigious position of Head Coach in the National Football League and the two leagues that merged into it (the All America Football Conference of the 1940s and the American Football League of the 1960s) form an exclusive club. This book essentially answers three questions about every professional head coach since 1920: Who was he? What were his coaching approach and style, in terms of both leadership and gridiron tactics? How successful was he? Every entry begins with standard background information, followed by each coach's yearly regular season and postseason coaching record, and then his statistical tendencies toward scoring, defense and play calling. The entry then addresses the three questions noted above.
Before John Elway, the Denver Broncos' "Franchise" was a tightly wound, 5-foot-10 bowlegged superstar named Floyd Little. Despite his lack of size, Floyd zigzagged his way to a legendary career-first at Syracuse wearing the famed No. 44 jersey shared by Jim Brown and Ernie Davis, then with the Broncos, piling up Hall of Fame-worthy numbers to finish his career as the NFL's seventh all-time rusher. Through it all, Floyd showed naysayers the only true measure of a man is the size of his pounding heart. His incredible impact during the late '60s and early-to-mid-'70s saved the franchise from relocation and helped the Broncos become the marquee organization it is today.Buckle your chinstrap, double-tie your shoes, and down a "half-glass of fresh blood" as Floyd Little takes you on a wild ride through his racially charged All-America days in the '60s to his Pro Bowl career with the struggling, resilient Broncos. You'll experience the wrath of Coach Lou Saban's "pink-slip" ways, the humor behind Coach John Ralston's "Dale Carnegie" pregame speeches, and the on- and off-the-field shenanigans of Floyd and his teammates, including Lyle Alzado, Billy Thompson, Tom Jackson, and Cookie Gilchrist. Plus, Floyd enlightens us with tales of famous foes like Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Willie Lanier, Hank Stram, John Madden, and those hated Raiders.Broncos fans will revel in these humorous, behind-the-scenes stories that take the reader back to a time when the NFL was about football and friendships, not million-dollar contracts and end-zone dances.