American Football History

When superstar athlete Jim Thorpe and football legend Pop Warner met in 1904 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, they forged one of the winningest teams in American football history. Called "the team that invented football", they took on the best opponents of their day, defeating much more privileged schools such as Harvard and Army in a series of breathtakingly close calls, genius plays, and bone-crushing hard work.

In Rocket Men, John Eisenberg offers the definitive history of Black quarterbacks in the NFL—men who shaped not only the history of football but the cause of civil rights in America. From early pioneers like Fritz Pollard to groundbreaking modern standouts like Marlin Briscoe and James “Shack” Harris, Black quarterbacks had to be twice as good as their white counterparts to get playing time—and even then, many never got that chance. That didn’t begin to change in earnest until the 1990s and the 2000s, when racist notions about what Black quarterbacks supposedly couldn’t do began to fade.

A book that explores the enduring legends of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders, Badasses is the definitive biography of arguably the last team to play old-fashioned tough-guy football. Peter Richmond, co-author of the New York Times best seller The Glory Game, offers a fascinating look at the 1970s Oakland Raiders, led by colorful greats from another era.

Jeanne Marie Laskas first met the young forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu in 2009, while reporting a story for GQ that would go on to inspire the movie Concussion. Omalu told her about a day in September 2002, when, in a dingy morgue in downtown Pittsburgh, he picked up a scalpel and made a discovery that would rattle America in ways he’d never intended. Omalu was new to America, chasing the dream, a deeply spiritual man escaping the wounds of civil war in Nigeria.

An inside look at the Seattle Seahawks—newly updated! From the hilarious to the surreal, from inside the huddle to inside the broadcast booth, twenty-eight-year Seattle Seahawks veteran Steve Raible takes fans to places they never knew existed. In this newly revised edition of Tales from the Seattle Seahawks Sideline, fans are offered an inside look at life in the locker room and on the sidelines of one of the NFL’s most beloved franchises.

Relive the greatest moments in Colts football—newly updated! With roots that go back to 1913, the Indianapolis Colts are one of the most storied franchises in the NFL. But the real legacy of achievement began in 1984 when the Colts arrived in Indianapolis after a midnight escape from Baltimore.

Even in their worst of seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles maintained their tradition of toughness, thanks to great players - from legends like Chuck Bednarik and Steve Van Buren to modern-day heroes. In Tales from the Philadelphia Eagles Sideline, veteran football writer Gordon Forbes profiles the individuals who have thrilled Philadelphia fans since the team’s inception in 1933 through Andy Reid’s last championship contenders during his 14 years as head coach.

What started with a bunch of gangly teens playing ball on a plowed wheat field has become one of the most exciting powerhouses in college football history. Fans of this raucous and indomitable team get to relive all the great moments with this revised edition of Tales from the Virginia Tech Sideline. Virginia Tech alum and former editor of the Hokie Huddler Chris Colston shares the school’s greatest football stories and anecdotes. From the days of Miles Stadium to Beamerball, fans will recapture all the excitement of the most well known games.

Step onto the gridiron with the greatest legends from Miami Dolphins football - newly updated! This unique and humorous look at life with the Dolphins brings fans onto the field and into the locker room through the eyes of Garo Yepremian, one of Miami’s most recognizable figures. From kicking in his first professional football game to being named “Kicker of the Decade”, Yepremian relives the Dolphins epic 1972 season and so much more.

No one knows Mountaineers football better than Don Nehlen, head coach of the Mountaineers from 1980 until 2001. Now fans of this dynamic collegiate powerhouse will relive the greatest moments in West Virginia football through the eyes of its most successful coach. When Coach Nehlen arrived in Morgantown in December 1979, he had a large task in front of him - turn a losing team into a force to be reckoned with. In this book, he shares how he made it happen. Nehlen explains his theories about coaching, the staff that supported him, and the strategies that he employed to create a stronger team.

A collection of the best stories about Oregon Ducks football - updated through the 2011 Championship game. Tales from the Oregon Ducks Sideline takes the listener on a fun-filled trip through Oregon’s gridiron history. Author Brian Libby brings Duck fans out to the 50 yard line and into the locker room as he tells colorful tales about the Oregon football program, from its start in 1894 to today, culminating in the hard-fought BCS Championship game against Auburn in January 2011.

This newly revised edition of Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers Sideline weaves together a series of anecdotes, personal recollections, and research to bring listeners a taste of the stories that make Badgers football so interesting. There are the Heisman Trophies hard-earned by running backs Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, the tumult of a 23-game winless streak broken with a victory over archrival Iowa in 1969, the bizarre tale of "Kangaroo Kicker" Pat O’Dea, and so much more. Without a doubt, Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers Sideline is a must-have for any Wisconsin fan!

For 33 years, Bobby Bowden was the heart and soul of Florida State football. Now Seminoles fans of every generation will get to relive the glory and passion of Florida’s winningest coach in this edition of Tales from the Florida Seminoles Sideline. In this gripping narrative, Bobby Bowden and Steve Ellis bring readers right up to the sideline to experience pivotal moments in Florida’s football history.

Since the creation of the Minnesota Vikings in 1960, this football team has been more than just another franchise. To the fans who love them, and the haters who can’t help but admire them, the Minnesota Vikings are an unstoppable force in the NFL. In this heartwarming and inspirational book, Jim Bruton takes a look beyond the game and examines what the Minnesota Vikings have meant to fans and communities across the country.

Ohio coaching legend Paul Brown said he wanted to create "the New York Yankees of pro football" when he assembled the Cleveland Browns from scratch in 1946. Despite his ambition, not even the future Hall of Fame coach could have foreseen ten league championship appearances and seven titles in the team's first ten years.

Catching up with the greatest Aggies players - newly updated! Since the beginning of A & M football, in 1894, the Aggies have produced some of the greatest athletes to ever come out of Texas. Legendary players have plowed their way to greatness while carving their names into the heart of Texas fans under the Aggies banner. But what happened to these juggernauts after the final score was tallied and the game was over? The answer can only be found in this newly updated edition of Texas A & M Where Have You Gone?

A riveting ride down the Vikings sideline - newly updated!Take a journey from the infant stages of football in Minnesota up through the Vikings four Super Bowl appearances in Bill Williamson and Eric Thompson’s Tales from the Minnesota Vikings Sideline. For more than 50 years the Vikings have been established as one of the premier teams in all of sports. Perhaps the most successful team to never win a Super Bowl, the Vikings have nevertheless harbored a rich tradition of winning football. Now fans of this Midwest powerhouse will relive all the history, all the passion, and all the tantalizingly close glory of Vikings football.

The numbers appear to be incongruous. The University of Michigan has won more football games than any other Division I-A school, yet the program has only produced three Heisman Trophy winners and precious few winners of other individual awards. The numbers are understandable, however. The focus of Michigan football has always been on the team rather than the individual. "The Team, The Team, The Team" has for decades been one of the program’s best known mantras.

Through all the pain, all the glory, and all the moments of absurdity, fans of the Atlanta Falcons have always had one thing in common - passion. Now those stalwart supporters will get to relive all the history of their favorite franchise in this newly updated edition of Tales from the Atlanta Falcons Sideline. Since their inauspicious beginnings in 1966, the Atlanta Falcons have risen to become one of the powerhouse teams of the NFC South. In this riveting collection of misbegotten woes and tireless efforts, Matt Winkeljohn captures an epic journey of athletic redemption.

In the 1970s, Joe DeLamielleure led a Buffalo Bills offensive line affectionately called the Electric Company, because they turned the power up. A starter from the first game of his rookie season in 1973, DeLamielleure led the way to the first 2,000-yard season in NFL history.