Ask the Old Football Coach

Ask the Old Football Coach
Author: Jesse Farrar
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2017-10-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 149303006X

Throwing the flag on long-lost football “wisdom” from legends like Rockne, Heisman, and Camp Quick-hitting spreads and single-page entries offer points of entry everywhere in the book Humorous alternative to the advanced statistics and fantasy football analytics With nearly 200 vintage and whacky football photographs Your old Uncle Frank likes to say that football ain’t what it used to be; how today’s players, coaches, and analysts know NOTHING compared to legends of the past. Oh, yeah? Well, here’s a book of ancient nuggets of football wisdom hilariously taken apart to show that all the golden advice and knowledge from years past is, well, from a lot of years past. And it hasn’t aged too well. Ask the Old Football Coach takes the old football coach at his word . . . and then offers a few words in response! Illustrated with vintage football photography.

Called to Coach

Called to Coach
Author: Bobby Bowden
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2010-08-24
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1439195986

In this New York Times bestseller, legendary coach Bobby Bowden gives readers an inside look at the path that led him to become one of college football’s most successful coaches. Coach Bobby Bowden was an icon of college football who ran his legendary, top-ranking program with a trademark southern charm. Here, Bowden gives fans and readers the behind-the-scenes story of his 55-year career and the path that helped him become one of college football's most successful coaches and patriarch of the sport's most famous coaching family. In this book, Bowden shares never-before-published details of the moments and events that have defined his life, including: * The tragic death of his grandson and son-in-law in a 2004 automobile accident. * The details of his retirement as FSU's coach at the end of the 2009 season.

Swing Your Sword

Swing Your Sword
Author: Mike Leach
Publisher: Diversion Books
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2011-07-07
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0983337187

Newly-minted Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach tells his captivating story––from rural Wyoming to law school to the upper echelons of the SEC. SWING YOUR SWORD is the first ever book by one of the most fascinating and successful coaches in sports today. A maverick who took an unlikely path to coaching through law school, Mike Leach talks about his unorthodox approach to coaching and the choices that have brought him success throughout his career. A lover of the game who started creating formations and drawing his own plays as a kid, Leach took his Texas Tech Red Raiders to numerous bowl games, achieving the #2 slot in national rankings and being voted 2008 Coach of the Year before being unceremoniously fired at the end of the 2009 season. The scandalous nature of his dismissal created a media frenzy and began a personal battle between Leach and his accusers that remains unresolved.

Saban

Saban
Author: Monte Burke
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2015-08-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1476789959

An instant New York Times bestseller—the “insidery, detailed, and absorbing” (Sports Illustrated) biography of Nick Saban, the polarizing University of Alabama football coach who not only transformed the college game, but might also be the best ever at winning. As the head coach of the University of Alabama’s football team, Nick Saban is perhaps the most influential—and polarizing—man in the sport. His program-building vision has delivered packed stadiums, rabid fans, legions of detractors, countless NFL draft picks, and a total of four national championships, including three in the last five years. He is the only coach in the college football’s modern era (since 1936) to win national championships at two different schools. Monte Burke’s Saban—the first major biography of the man who has come to epitomize the game—presents this towering figure with a never-before-seen human depth. Though a great deal is known about Nick Saban the coach, not much is known about Nick Saban the man. Little is written about his early climb through the coaching ranks as an assistant in college and in the NFL, or his head-coaching stints at Michigan State and Louisiana State and his struggles as a pro coach with the Miami Dolphins. Through unprecedented interviews with more than 250 friends, coworkers, rivals, former players, and others, Burke reveals the defining moments of the coach’s life, including the beginning of his recruiting career at age ten; his dramatic departures from three different high-profile football teams; and the building of championship programs at Louisiana State and Alabama. In Saban, “Burke has written a winning, definitive portrait of a fascinating character…. A no-holds-barred glimpse into the quest for perfection” (Publishers Weekly).

Call Me Coach

Call Me Coach
Author: Paul F. Dietzel
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2008-09-15
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0807144509

When LSU head football coach Paul Dietzel saw Billy Cannon field an Ole Miss punt on LSU's own eleven yard line on a stifling Halloween night in 1959, his shouts of "No, no, no!" turned to "Go, go, go!" as Cannon eluded tackler after tackler, sending fans in Tiger Stadium into a frenzy and earning himself that year's Heisman Trophy. Dietzel is probably best known for leading LSU to its first national championship the year before Cannon's legendary run, but his career in athletics also carried him to numerous posts across the country and put him in the company of some of the best coaching minds of all time. In Call Me Coach, Dietzel affectionately recalls his rich and varied life in college football. In 1948, Dietzel decided to forgo medical school at Columbia University to become the plebe football coach at West Point. As an assistant over the next few years, he worked with Bear Bryant at the University of Kentucky, Colonel Red Blaik and Vince Lombardi at West Point, and Sid Gillman at the University of Cincinnati. Taking the job of head coach at LSU in 1955, he reversed the Tigers' losing skid and -- using the wing-T formation and a revolutionary three-team substitution system incorporating the White Team, the Go Team, and the renowned Chinese Bandits -- crafted 1958's unbeaten championship season. The thirty-three-year-old Dietzel was voted National Coach of the Year by the widest margin ever. Back at West Point from 1961 to 1965, Dietzel rallied the Cadets to finally "beat Navy" and, as South Carolina's football coach and athletics director from 1966 to 1974, he took the Gamecocks to their first bowl game in twenty-five years and mandated the recruitment of black athletes in all sports programs. After twenty years as a head coach, with 109 wins and 95 losses at three schools and a postseason record of 11 victories and 3 defeats, Dietzel retired from coaching in 1974, later serving as athletics director at Indiana and LSU. Through Dietzel's eyes, readers glimpse college football during a simpler time but also see that many facets of the game -- including recruitment challenges, job insecurity, press relations, and fickle fans -- remain constant. Highlights among the book's many unforgettable anecdotes are a 1962 interview with Howard Cosell, discussion about West Point's football team with General Douglas MacArthur, and a rare disagreement with Bear Bryant during a staff meeting. Dietzel's recollections of his early and later years help complete the story of the man. In a warm raconteur's voice, he describes his impoverished childhood in Ohio, his own participation in high school and college sports, and his stint flying B-29 missions over Japan during World War II. His postretirement endeavors have included providing color commentary for TV, selling fudge, teaching skiing, and watercolor painting. Always at the top of Dietzel's priorities have been friends, family, and faith. Gratitude rings as a constant refrain in Call Me Coach, and sports enthusiasts everywhere will be grateful that Dietzel has shared these recollections of his remarkable life.

Head Ball Coach

Head Ball Coach
Author: Steve Spurrier
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2017-09-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0399574670

Now in paperback with a new afterword, the New York Times bestseller by college football's most colorful, endearing, and successful pioneer, Steve Spurrier, in which he shares his story of a life in football--from growing up in Tennessee to winning the Heisman Trophy to playing and coaching in the pros to leading the Florida Gators to six SEC Championships and a National Championship to elevating the South Carolina program to new heights--and coaching like nobody else. He's been called brash, cocky, arrogant, pompous, egotistical, and hilarious, but mostly he's known as the Head Ball Coach, a self-ordained term introduced to the lexicon of football by none other than the man himself, Steve Spurrier. He is the only coach who can claim to be the winningest coach at two different SEC schools and the only person who has won both the Heisman Trophy as a player and a National Championship as a coach. Or who has won a Heisman and coached a Heisman winner. From the beginning, Spurrier didn't want to sound like other coaches, dress like other coaches, and, especially, coach like other coaches. As a controversial football pioneer, he ushered in a different style of leadership and play. Spurrier's press conferences were glorious--he refused to lapse into coachspeak and was always entertaining, although he took his football very seriously. He was known for his fierce competitiveness, roaming up and down the sidelines, often throwing his signature visor to the ground in disgust. In his memoir, Spurrier talks for the first time about the circumstances under which he unexpectedly became a coach and why he resigned at South Carolina. He explains his unique style, the difference between winners and losers, his relationship with the media, why he follows the wisdom of ancient philosophers and warriors, his affinity for everything taught by John Wooden, and the reasons behind his relaxed regimen for living well. Spurrier, as always, speaks candidly, bringing together his thoughts about his words, actions, and achievements, while telling countless wonderful anecdotes.

Win Forever

Win Forever
Author: Pete Carroll
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2011-08-02
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1101548398

"I know that I'll be evaluated in Seattle with wins and losses, as that is the nature of my profession for the last thirty-five years. But our record will not be what motivates me. Years ago I was asked, 'Pete, which is better: winning or competing?' My response was instantaneous: 'Competing. . . because it lasts longer.'" Pete Carroll is one of the most successful coaches in football today. As the head coach at USC, he brought the Trojans back to national prominence, amassing a 97-19 record over nine seasons. Now he shares the championship-winning philosophy that led USC to seven straight Pac-10 titles. This same mind-set and culture will shape his program as he returns to the NFL to coach the Seattle Seahawks. Carroll developed his unique coaching style by trial and error over his career. He learned that you get better results by teaching instead of screaming, and by helping players grow as people, not just on the field. He learned that an upbeat, energetic atmosphere in the locker room can coexist with an unstoppable competitive drive. He learned why you should stop worrying about your opponents, why you should always act as if the whole world is watching, and many other contrarian insights. Carroll shows us how the Win Forever philosophy really works, both in NCAA Division I competition and in the NFL. He reveals how his recruiting strategies, training routines, and game-day rituals preserve a team's culture year after year, during championship seasons and disappointing seasons alike. Win Forever is about more than winning football games; it's about maximizing your potential in every aspect of your life. Carroll has taught business leaders facing tough challenges. He has helped troubled kids on the streets of Los Angeles through his foundation A Better LA. His words are true in any situation: "If you want to win forever, always compete."

A Coach in Progress

A Coach in Progress
Author: Red Dawson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2015-11-10
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1613218494

A Coach in Progress depicts the catastrophe of the Southern Airways flight that crashed en route to Huntington, West Virginia, in 1970, killing all seventy-five passengers on board: players, coaches, and boosters of the Marshall University football team, as well as the flight crew. From this tragedy, the foundation of the Marshall football program was laid, and it has thrived ever since, culminating with the Thundering Herd being the winningest team in the NCAA Division I program in the 1990s, portrayed in the hit movie We Are Marshall, and currently under the direction of head coach Doc Holliday. This book is written from the viewpoint of Red Dawson, a former Marshall assistant football coach, who was one of the few team members not on the plane. Still suffering from survivor’s guilt decades after the crash, Red has recovered enough to finally discuss the disaster in full. What’s more, Red helped build a team with mostly freshmen and walk-ons in 1971, and thus was recognized as bridging “the gap from tragedy to rebirth” of the Marshall football program. Red also reveals what he previously would not discuss: the seemingly insurmountable obstacles he faced prior to the plane crash and the difficulties that followed the tragedy, like the heated tension that persisted between school administrators and a harassed and confused Red as they all attempted to rebuild the devastated program. This book is the story of Red Dawson’s involvement with Marshall football during the last near half century spent living with the memories of the worst sports-related air tragedy in history. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Finding the Winning Edge

Finding the Winning Edge
Author: Bill Walsh
Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1997-10
Genre: Football coaches
ISBN: 9781571671721

NFL coaching legend Bill Walsh offers his unique blueprint and conceptual insights for coaches at all levels of play. Among the topics covered in this comprehensive 560-page, hardcover book are: Understanding the role of head coach; Strategies and tactics for dealing with a highly competitive adversary; Designing a winning game plan; Organising the staff; The importance of being able to focus and concentrate; Evaluating players; Game-day responsibilities; And much, much more.

No Excuses

No Excuses
Author: Bob Stoops
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2019-09-10
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0316455938

From the legendary Oklahoma coach, a candid and inspiring memoir. When Bob Stoops took over as football coach in 1999, the Oklahoma Sooners were in disarray with back-to-back losing seasons. But in just two years' time, Stoops achieved the seemingly impossible: winning a national championship and returning the struggling Sooners to their powerhouse status, churning out NFL talent, Heisman Trophy winners and conference championships, bowl wins and national title runs on a regular basis. During his 18 seasons at OU, his record was a remarkable 190-48. At only age 56, at the peak of his career, he stunned the college football world by walking away. For the first time, Bob opens up about his career alongside the evolution of the game itself. From his unlikely emergence as a star player at the University of Iowa, to his coaching apprenticeships under giants like Hayden Fry, Bill Snyder, and Steve Spurrier, Stoops recounts how the game he fell in love with as a boy has evolved into a billion-dollar business often compromised by recruiting wars, aggressive agents, overzealous boosters and alumni, and the emergence of the CEO head coach rather than mentor and teacher. Bob holds nothing back while explaining why it was time to step away from the game-and players-he still loves. Told with a rare combination of sincerity, vulnerability, and pure heart, No Excuses is both an engaging and eye-opening football memoir and an unprecedented portrait of a coach of one of the greatest legacy programs in the history of the college game.