As fall rolls around and we get into the start of America’s favorite sport – cross country! Ok, that’s my favorite fall sport. Let’s start again – Fall means football season. I’ve read a few books on the sport and I can recommend a few (unfortunately we don’t have many of these):
- The Real All-Americans by Sally Jenkins (2007): In the early 20th century, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School had one of the finest football teams in the nation. They would regularly compete with the big names of the time.
- A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy by John Feinstein (1997): One of the longest rivalries in all of sports is Army-Navy football. The annual clash is billed as “America’s Game.” Feinstein followed both schools throughout the 1995 season, culminating in the annual clash (Go Navy, Beat Army!).
- Last Team Standing by Matthew Alego (2007): Pennsylvania is pretty split between Eagles and Steelers fans. For one season during World War II, the two franchises played as one team, known unofficially as the Steagles.
- Breaker Boys by David Fleming (2007): In the early days of the NFL, things weren’t as defined as they are today. There was no championship game and the title was decided by regular season record. The Pottsville Maroons (yes – Pottsville) had the 1925 championship pulled away from them.
I have not read the following titles, but they look interesting and we do have them!
- Believe It by Nick Foles (2018)
- Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger (1990)
- Carlisle Versus Army by Lars Anderson (2007)
- Next Man Up by John Feinstein (2005)
- Quarterback by John Feinstein (2018)
- Lair of the Lion : A History of Beaver Stadium by Leon Stout (2017)
- Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL by Jeff Pearlman (2018)
We also have plenty of Penn State, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pittsburgh Steelers titles!
(And if you happen to be looking for a great book on cross country – it’s tough to ignore Chris Lear’s Running with the Buffaloes)
Keith L Greenawalt