Looking for some good books to read this winter or to give to a football player. Here is a list of some books I have read or plan on reading. My book will be coming out soon so be sure to keep your eyes open for it!
Bleachers
by: John Grisham (Doubleday; 1st edition, September 2003)
High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever
to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since
those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake,
the man who molded the Spartans into an unbeatable football dynasty. Now, as
Coach Rake's "boys" sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field
lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories,
and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake - or hate him.
Dead Ball Foul
by: Kayla McGrady (Nova Science Publishers, September 2000)
Like many small American towns, Judsonville, Virginia is obsessed with football.
This year everyone looks especially forward to the annual Homecoming game when
the local high school team plays its' arch rival Jackson. The anticipated event
is tarnished when someone kills a referee.
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Necessary Roughness
by: Marie G. Lee (HarperTrophy; Reprint edition, February 1998)
An Asian American teenager finds himself an outsider when he moves from Los
Angeles to an all-white Minnesota town and immerses himself in grueling high
school football.
Roughnecks
by: Thomas Cochran (Harcourt, 1999)
Summary: Once in a while you get a second chance. For Travis Cody this is one of
those times. His team, the Oil Camp Roughnecks, is facing the Pineview Pelicans
for the state championship. Travis will have forty-eight minutes head-to-head
with rival Jericho Grooms. Forty-eight minutes to redeem himself for letting
Grooms break him on the play that cost the Roughnecks an undefeated season.
Forty-eight minutes to prove he isn't a quitter.
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Three Clams and an Oyster
by: Randy Powell (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, March 2002)
During their humorous search to find a fourth player for their flag football
team, three high school juniors are forced to examine their long friendship,
their individual flaws, and their inability to try new experiences.
All Madden: Hey, I'm Talking Pro Football
by: John Madden, Dave Anderson (Harper Mass Market Paperbacks, September 1997)
What does it mean to be "All-Madden"? It's a whole range of things.
For defensive linesmen and linebackers, it's about Jack Youngblood playing with
a busted leg, Lawrence Taylor wreaking havoc on the offense and Reggie White
making the other guy wish he put a little more in the collection plate at
church. It's about a guy who's got a dirty uniform, mud on his face and grass in
the ear hole of his helmet.
Do You Love Football?: Winning with Heart, Passion,
and Not Much Sleep
by: Jon Gruden, Vic Carucci (HarperCollins; 1st edition, September 2003)
Sleep? Well, Jon Gruden doesn't sleep much. Driven by a never-ending quest to
learn and achieve, the NFL's hottest coach -- and youngest ever to win the Super
Bowl -- gives readers field-level access to the heart, passion, and principles
that have carried him on the wild ride to the top of his profession.
Football for Dummies
by: Howie Long, John Czarnecki (For Dummies; 2nd edition, June 2003)
Written by Hall of Fame defensive end and Fox NFL Sunday commentator Howie Long,
this friendly guide shows football fans how to get the most out of the sport,
whether they're watching the action on TV, cheering at the stadium, coaching a
local youth league, or playing a pick-up game in the park. Now revised for the
first time in five years, the book delivers the scoop on new NFL teams and
divisions, new developments in college football, and today's hottest players and
coaches.
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Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
by: H. G. Bissinger (DaCapo Press, September 2003)
The classic, best-selling story of life in the football-driven town of Odessa,
Texas, with a new afterward that looks at the players and the town ten years
later. The timeless account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa--the winningest
high-school football team in Texas history.
Hey, Wait a Minute! I Wrote a Book!
by: John Madden, Dave Anderson (Random House, January 1985)
They are memoirs like you've never read before. As broadcaster and pitchman,
John Madden has been inside the locker rooms, broadcasts booths, and in front of
the camera doing what he does best--being himself. He's seen an awful lot and he
wrote a book to prove it. Hey, wait a minute, you'll love it!
I Am Third: The Inspiration for Brian's Song
by: Gale Sayers, Al Silverman (Penguin USA (Paper); Reissue edition, November
2001)
I Am Third is the memoir of Gale Sayers, one of the best running backs in
the history of the NCAA and pro football. It is also the story of his friendship
with Brian Piccolo. Known also as a community leader and great friend to all,
Sayers's credo is, "The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am
third."
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It's Only a Game
by: Terry Bradshaw, David Fisher (Pocket Books, August 2002)
Bradshaw, former quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and now a television
commentator, is funny, honest and apparently without airs. In this book, written
with Fisher (The Umpire Strikes Back; Gracie), he freely discusses his
childhood, religion, playing days and his post-football life. Bradshaw doesn't
carry much baggage; he recognizes that he's had an enviable life. Perhaps his
biggest challenge has been ADD; he always found school and reading difficult.
Keep It Simple
by: Terry Bradshaw (Atria Books, October 2002)
In Keep It Simple, the follow-up to his bestselling It's Only a Game,
Terry Bradshaw describes how he transformed himself from an NFL quarterback into
an award-winning broadcaster. Like its predecessor, this memoir excels in
candor, and it's clear that, for Bradshaw, not even four Super Bowl rings can
sooth the pain of three failed marriages.
Manning : A Father, His Sons and a Football Legacy
by: Peyton Manning, Archie Manning (HarperEntertainment, September 2000)
In Manning, Archie and Peyton Manning, with writer John Underwood,
provide a compelling look at football from the perspectives of two generations
of players. One, an experienced and battle-scarred father, and the other, a son
who has exploded on to the national scene as one of the best young quarterbacks
in the history of the NFL.
Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton
by: Walter Payton, Don Yaeger (Random House Trade Paperbacks, September 2001)
His legacy is towering. Walter Payton-the man they called Sweetness, for the way
he ran-remains the most prolific running back in the history of the National
Football League, the star of the Chicago Bears' only Super Bowl Championship,
eleven times voted the most popular sports figure in Chicago's history. Off the
field, he was a devoted father whose charitable foundation benefited tens of
thousands of children each year, and who-faced with terminal liver
disease-refused to use his celebrity to gain a preferential position for organ
donation. Walter Payton was not just a football hero; he was America's hero.
NFL Experience: Twelve Months with America's
Favorite Game
by: Phil Barber (DK Publishing, August 2001)
Packed with full-color photographs, the NFL Experience takes readers
through a full year of behind-the-scenes action leading up the biggest event of
the football season -- the Super Bowl. From the locker room to the practice
field, from media day to game day, this unique book conveys all the emotion and
excitement of the NFL.
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Priest Holmes: From Sidelines to Center Stage
by: Bill Althaus (Sports Publishing, September 2003)
Perhaps the most unassuming and unlikely hero in Kansas City sports history,
Priest Holmes has already etched his name in the Chiefs' record books. He led
the Chiefs in rushing for the second year in a row in 2002 and was named the
NFL's Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.
Official Playing Rules of the National Football
League 2002-2003 (Official Rules of the NFL)
by: Larry Upson (Editor), National Football League (Triumph Books, September
2002)
One Great Game : Two Teams, Two Dreams, in the First
Ever National Championship High School Football Game
by: Don Wallace Atria Books (September 2003)
In the rich tradition of Friday Night Lights comes this heart-stopping account
of the first ever national championship high school football game. They said
such a game was impossible. For 131 years, a No. 1 and a No. 2 high school team
had never met -- though not for lack of trying. Then came October 6, 2001: two
great teams, Concord De La Salle and Long Beach Poly, playing for all the
marbles.
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Recruiting Confidential: A Father, a Son and a Big
Time College Football
by: David Claerbaut (Taylor Pub, October 2003)
This intriguing volume is an inside perspective on the big time college football
recruiting process. The author's stepson is being heavily recruited by many
Division I programs. In this book, this duo shares many of their recruitment
experiences.
Think Like a Champion
by: Mike Shanahan (HarperCollins (paper); 1st edition, January 2000)
Coach Shanahan knows about achieving bid goals. In three years, he has
transformed to Denver Broncos from a "mediocre", "aging"
franchise into the most feared powerhouse in the league, with back-to-back Super
Bowl victories in 1998 and 1999 to prove it. Shanahan opens his playbook to show
the X's and O's of winning, a detailed game plan to help you storm the field of
life with foolproof strategies, confidence, and the indomitable will to win.