September is here and school is back in session, but that also means it’s football season! As those gridiron gladiators take to the field, here are some selections to fit any gameplan.
Before ESPN rolled out “30 for 30,” before sports tell-all books were standard operating procedure and well before NFL players earned more than the GDP of some small countries, there was Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer. A 10-year veteran of Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers who would earn a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kramer gave fans an inside look at professional football and sports books were never the same. He teamed with legendary journalist Dick Schaap to set the standard for books about professional sports. The great author David Halberstam said, “A classic when it was published and a classic still today.” More about the book | More about Jerry Kramer
Hard to believe, but the National Football League wasn’t always a juggernaut that dominated the media and the minds of America for most of the year. Back in the early part of the 20th century, there were moments the NFL seemed destined to failure as it was dwarfed by college football, boxing, baseball, and other national sports. But a little luck and sacrifice combined with good old American ingenuity laid the groundwork for the multi-billion dollar behemoth we all know today. While the early years of the league weren’t nearly as lucrative, they certainly were interesting and author John Eisenberg delivers a great mix of facts and interesting stories while chronicling the birth of the NFL. A review from Booklist says: “Fans who only know the league as it exists today will be shocked and fascinated by its early years.”
If you saw the movie The Blind Side, you may think you know the story of NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher, but you don’t know all of it. In a nutshell, he was homeless black teenager in Tennessee who was adopted by a wealthy white family and went on to become a first-round NFL draft pick. But there’s more to the story, of course. Here are three ways to look beyond the screen. First, there’s the book that was the basis for the movie – The Blind Side by Michael Lewis. Oher has, at times, said the book and movie damaged his career, so like any smart person, he presented his own side of the story with I Beat The Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond. Most folks would agree that it was Sandra Bullock who owned the screen as Leigh Anne Touhy. Not surprisingly, Touhy and her husband Sean have also released a book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, to tell their side of the story. More about the movie | More about Michael Oher
Beyond the gridiron
Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football
Watching NFL football, it’s easy to get mesmerized by the sheer physical ability of the players. They are so big, so strong, so fast, so freakishly athletic, that the line between reality and a video game can almost become blurred. That’s what makes John Urschel so special. How special? Well, in addition to earning a football scholarship to Penn State and eventually being selected in the fifth round of the 2014 draft (and subsequently playing three years for the Baltimore Ravens), he’s also a doctoral candidate in mathematics at the Massachusets Insitute of Technology. Yes, that MIT. In his book, Urschel explains how he balanced these seemingly incongruous passions. Publishers Weekly wrote: “Urschel’s brilliant memoir explores the challenges of making difficult choices and the rewards of following one’s passions in life.” More about his book | More about his math
A Bowling Green State University Connection Bowling Green Falcons Trivia Crossword Word Search Activity Puzzle Book: Greatest Football Players Edition How can you talk about football without talking about the Bowling Green State University Falcons? This fun book takes the history of Falcon football and turns it into hours of fun with word searches, trivia, crossword puzzles and other activities. Sure, the BGSU stadium is named after Doyt Perry, but who is Doyt Perry? And which legendary actor played football for the Falcons? There are lots of interesting stories behind college bowl games, but probably none as heartwarming as BG’s appearance in the 1961 Mercy Bowl. If you are a diehard fan of the Orange & Brown – or know someone who is – this book is a must-have. More about the book | More about the 1961 Mercy Bowl | The legendary Doyt L. Perry
