The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL

by Jackson Michael

Overview

The Game before the Money recounts the National Football League’s story and the evolution of America’s most popular sport in the vivid words of men who built the NFL. This unprecedented look at football history from the players’ perspective combines the stories of icons such as Frank Gifford and Bart Starr with those of journeymen who shared the huddle with Johnny Unitas and rallied to halftime speeches from legendary coaches Vince Lombardi and George Halas. Featuring players from the 1930s through the 1970s, these personal accounts trace professional football in its journey from post-barnstorming days through the first two decades of the Super Bowl.

 

The Game before the Money offers backstories to classic games and the men who made history in them before multi-million dollar contracts. Insights into life in the NFL come from those most capable of providing it, NFL legends themselves. Forty former players open windows onto their own lives, their triumphs and tragedies, and the hardship and the glory that make them the people they are both on and off the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803255739
Publisher:	Nebraska
Publication date:	09/01/2014
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Jackson Michael is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the Maxwell Football Club. He is a freelance writer and journalist. Twitter @JacksonMichael

 

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Preface: Opening Kickoff xi

Part 1 First Quarter: Players Whose Careers Began before 1950

1 Chuck Cherundolo 5

2 Joseph "Buddy" Lex and Clarence "Ace" Parker 10

3 Al "Ox" Wistert 19

4 Nolan Luhn 24

5 Charley Trippi 32

6 Johnny Lujack 37

7 George Taliaferro 43

Part 2 Second Quarter: Players Whose Careers Began in the 1950s

8 Yale Lary 59

9 Frank Gifford 62

10 Johnny Lattner 64

11 Cotton Davidson 71

12 Bob Skoronski 80

13 Bart Starr 86

14 Paul Hornung 92

15 Sonny Jurgensen 96

16 Jim Taylor 104

17 Don Maynard 107

Part 3 Third Quarter: Players Whose Careers Began in the 1960s

18 Carroll Dale 123

19 Austin "Goose" Gonsoulin 135

20 Dick Frey 146

21 Irv Cross 153

22 Garland Boyette 160

23 Mick Tingelhoff 173

24 Lee Roy Jordan 176

25 Tony Lorick 180

26 Carl Eller 191

27 Dan Reeves 195

28 Walt Garrison 203

29 Ken Houston 219

30 Elvin Bethea 227

31 Bob Griese 243

32 Rocky Bleier 248

Part 4 Fourth Quarter: Players Whose Careers Began in the 1970s

33 Jack Youngblood 275

34 Otis Sistrunk 280

35 Conrad Dobler 284

36 Joe DeLamielleure 295

37 Billy "White Shoes" Johnson 300

38 Doug English 303

39 Louie Kelcher 317

40 Chris Bahr 326

Afterword: Overtime 333

Acknowledgments 337

Appendix: Monetary Figures in 2013 U.S. Dollars 341

Author's Note Concerning Sources 345

Further Reading: Extra Points 347

Index 349

Editorial Reviews

“Original and far more interesting than fiction, these stories need no garnishment. Jackson Michael humbly asks, listens, and writes. His stated goal of delivering NFL history directly from the mouths of the men who made it is achieved with all the flair of a simple dive play that busts open for a forty-yard touchdown.”—Doug English, NFL All-Pro Defensive Tackle

Doug English

"I recommend this book for any football library. Its significance is in the preservation of the early game of football through the players who actually played the game in their own words."—Bob Swick, Gridiron Greats

Gridiron Greats - Bob Swick

"Fans who remember these players will thoroughly enjoy reliving the good times with the heroes of their youth, and younger fans will get a valuable sense of how today's game came to be."—Wes Lukowsky, Booklist

Booklist - Wes Lukowsky

"The Game before the Money is both an interesting read for football fans and a valuable source for sports historians." —Zachary J. Garceau, Journal of Sport History

Journal of Sport History - Zachary J. Garceau