Foreword by Pat Summerall
When you've been an NFL broadcaster for as long as I have, you're sure you've heard just about every football story there ever was. After reading Matthew Shepatin's "Then Madden Said To Summerall...", I'm happy to report I was wrong. Matter of fact, I can't tell you how many times I was wholly taken a back by some strange and fascinating historical nugget I knew nothing about.
Did you know, for example, that former Detroit Lions coach Rick Foranzo once took his assistant coach shopping for a new wardrobe to replace the awful outfits the young man wore everyday to work? (The assistant's name was Bill Belichick.) Did you know that during San Francisco 49ers training camps, Joe Montana would steal his teammates' bikes and hide them up in trees? How about that Mean Joe Greene downed nearly 30 bottles of soda while shooting his famous Coke commercial? Or that 1930s Giants halfback "Shipwreck" Kelly, who hunted in Africa with Ernest Hemingway, bought an NFL franchise at the age of 23?
Kudos to author Matthew Shepatin for unearthing such a treasure trove of funny and fascinating anecdotes, but the beauty of this book is that he grounds these extraordinary tales in the dirt-and-mud reality of the game. Also, what makes it such a unique collection of NFL stories is that often it's told through the words of the players and coaches who were actually there, fighting the classic gridiron wars, many of which will live on in the imagination of fans long after all of us players fade away.
He so vividly replays all the crushing hits you may feel compelled to wear a helmet while reading the book. We see the glory won, but also the agony of a dream die as a season ends. For every story of an unlikely hero like Kurt Warner, there's the story of a tragic disappointment like Ryan Leaf. You get an intimate look at champions like Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Jerry Rice, who were unfazed by the magnitude of the moment, who raised their game to dizzying heights when it mattered most.
You also get a great feel for the wild-and-wooly atmosphere in the locker rooms, the practice fields, and sidelines of the NFL. It's hard to think of a sport with more outrageous characters then football, and you'll be glad to see how many explode forth in the following pages.
"Montana to Rice. Touchdown." For all of the NFL's complex schemes and play calls, I've always been amazed how sometimes the most riveting football story can be told in just a few words. "The Catch" speaks of a heart-pounding tale of heroism. "The Fumble" is a Greek tragedy. "The Immaculate Reception," a divine epic. Well, sometimes it takes a little longer to provide a fitting celebration of the greatest football stories. In this case, 224 pages.
-Pat Summerall
Did you know, for example, that former Detroit Lions coach Rick Foranzo once took his assistant coach shopping for a new wardrobe to replace the awful outfits the young man wore everyday to work? (The assistant's name was Bill Belichick.) Did you know that during San Francisco 49ers training camps, Joe Montana would steal his teammates' bikes and hide them up in trees? How about that Mean Joe Greene downed nearly 30 bottles of soda while shooting his famous Coke commercial? Or that 1930s Giants halfback "Shipwreck" Kelly, who hunted in Africa with Ernest Hemingway, bought an NFL franchise at the age of 23?
Kudos to author Matthew Shepatin for unearthing such a treasure trove of funny and fascinating anecdotes, but the beauty of this book is that he grounds these extraordinary tales in the dirt-and-mud reality of the game. Also, what makes it such a unique collection of NFL stories is that often it's told through the words of the players and coaches who were actually there, fighting the classic gridiron wars, many of which will live on in the imagination of fans long after all of us players fade away.
He so vividly replays all the crushing hits you may feel compelled to wear a helmet while reading the book. We see the glory won, but also the agony of a dream die as a season ends. For every story of an unlikely hero like Kurt Warner, there's the story of a tragic disappointment like Ryan Leaf. You get an intimate look at champions like Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Jerry Rice, who were unfazed by the magnitude of the moment, who raised their game to dizzying heights when it mattered most.
You also get a great feel for the wild-and-wooly atmosphere in the locker rooms, the practice fields, and sidelines of the NFL. It's hard to think of a sport with more outrageous characters then football, and you'll be glad to see how many explode forth in the following pages.
"Montana to Rice. Touchdown." For all of the NFL's complex schemes and play calls, I've always been amazed how sometimes the most riveting football story can be told in just a few words. "The Catch" speaks of a heart-pounding tale of heroism. "The Fumble" is a Greek tragedy. "The Immaculate Reception," a divine epic. Well, sometimes it takes a little longer to provide a fitting celebration of the greatest football stories. In this case, 224 pages.
-Pat Summerall
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