Friday, November 7, 2008

College Football

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100 Years of Texas Longhorn Football / by Gene Schoore; w/ foreword by Darrell Royal
Burnt Orange Nation can’t go wrong with this comprehensive and very-well illustrated book commemorating a century of Longhorn football. All aspects of the program are touched on as notable players, coaches and games fill this book with all a gung-ho gridiron fan could want concerning UT football. Legendary coach Darrell Royal talks about the Big 8 years while Schoore does a good job well-representing the team that’s become a stamp of the Lone Star State.


The Last Coach: the Life of Paul “Bear” Bryant /
by Allen Barra
Deified by fans of Alabama football, Bryant was the legendary Crimson Tide coach of the 60’s/70’s glory years during which the program routinely clamped down on SEC competition and was never out of the national title picture. See why Bama crazies continue to pay homage, erect shrines, and devote rooms in their houses to the coach who’s been dead over two decades but still lives on.
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A Fire to Win: The Life and Times of Woody
Hayes / by John Lombardo
‘Three yards/Cloud of Dust’ coach Woody Hayes may not be too pleased with the way the game has assumed a more airborne mode of moving the ball. Offensive schemes haven't just deviated from tradition; old ideologies are routinely tossed out the window as teams undergo full-on transformations practically overnight. Fans nostalgic about the olden days of limited forward passing and simpler playbooks will like this unique insight into the former Ohio State Buckeyes legend.


Runnin' with the big dogs : the true, unvarnished story of the Texas-Oklahoma football wars / by Mike Shropshire
Shropshire recounts the origins of the Red River Rivalry/Shootout with exceptional intuition; stating the case for why this particular “border war” inhabits the American spotlight on a yearly basis. Both teams, both states, both fan-bases and all those caught in the cross-hairs are accounted for as this is a great read for anyone wanting more of the Big XII’s most intense rivalry.
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Rammer, Jammer, Yellow Hammer: a Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania / by Warren St. Johns
Ever wonder why fans willingly shed their clothes, write numbers/letters on torsos, and don face paint in the coldest weather imaginable? For all those bewildered over the reasons behind such antics and anyone just looking for a good read, here is a book to satisfy curiosity. Author St. Johns divulges some of the awkward reasons why college football’s die-hard fans routinely exhibit the most extreme and often peculiar rituals when rooting on their favorite schools and teams.
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Still Kicking: My Dramatic Journey as the First Woman to Play Division One College Football / by Katie Hnida
A true American success story, female place-kicker Katie Hnida recalls her time as a Division 1A college football player first with the Colorado Buffaloes and later at the University of New Mexico. Acquainting the reader with hardships endured with first garnering serious attention for her abilities and then persevering amid discrimination and abuse, Hnida delivers a breakthrough testimony about becoming the first ever female to compete at the highest amateur level of the male-dominant sport.

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