America's Game
The NFL at 100
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A celebration of 100 years of the NFL from Hall of Fame receiver and bestselling author Jerry Rice!
“This book is an amazing compilation of the game’s history as seen through the eyes of my friend Jerry Rice, aka The GOAT. You are going to love this book almost as much as you loved watching Jerry play!” —Barry Sanders, NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2004
The authors of the New York Times bestseller 50 Years, 50 Moments celebrate the first 100 years of the National Football League, interweaving history, personal stories, memories, and observations of some of its greatest players, coaches, and advocates to chronicle football’s amazing evolution from a fledgling regional fly-by-night operation into a multi-billion global brand and one of America’s leading franchises.
Over the past century, professional football has transformed from a game played in leather helmets on cow pastures to one of the most high-tech, popular sports on the planet. In this entertaining and concise history, Jerry Rice and Randy O. Williams celebrate the NFL’s centennial, bringing together colorful memories, insights, and personal experiences and observations from the heroes, losers, innovators, and defining legends who have played the game at its highest level. America's Game is filled with inside stories of the league’s fiercest rivalries, closest competitions, and most memorable characters, from the early days of Red “The Galloping Ghost” Grange and “Slingin’” Sammy Baugh to Jim Brown and “Broadway” Joe Namath to Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice, and Tom Brady.
Cowboy fans will never forget how Roger Staubach’s Hail Mary lifted his team to a last-second playoff victory over the Vikings. Patriot followers will always point to The Tuck Rule Game as a franchise landmark where Adam Vinatieri’s two clutch kicks in deep snow propelled his team to victory over the Raiders. Generations of Steelers fans will celebrate James Harrison’s electrifying 100–yard interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII. All are among the most memorable moments in NFL history. Divided by increments of twenty-five years, each section of America's Game includes the authors’ selections for their “All Star” players and teams.
America's Game is a unique tribute to this enduring cultural phenomenon, and will become the authoritative tribute to all that is great about the sport Americans—and the world—loves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pro football superstar Rice and sportswriter Williams (coauthors, 50 Years, 50 Moments: The Most Unforgettable Plays in Super Bowl History)fumble with this poorly organized overview of NFL history. The objective is a worthy one to provide an accessible look at a century of the NFL and introduce present-day fans to the origins of professional football and the significant players, coaches, and owners from its past. The authors divide their timeline into four quarters and insert sections on random topics throughout regardless of era: a history of quarterbacks, for instance, features Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the second quarter (1945 1969). Topical issues such as violence by players (an attack by Charlie Waters on fans who'd thrown a beer bottle at his teammate is treated as a joke) and concussions are superficially covered. The authors claim Otto Graham to be the greatest quarterback in history, yet omit him from their choices for the roster of best of his time. Don Shula manages to be named best coach for both the third and fourth quarters of the NFL's history, despite his retirement from coaching the Miami Dolphins in 1995, just when that last quarter began, and during the trophy-laden career of the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick. This is a missed opportunity likely to disappoint both serious and casual fans.
