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The remarkable biography of a small-town athlete who became one of
the greatest players in NFL history. Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski
was a superstar for the NFL in the 1930s and one of the pioneer
players of the league. He led the Chicago Bears to success on the
gridiron as a larger-than-life personality, helping raise the
popularity of the NFL during the Great Depression. In Bronko: The
Legendary Story of the NFL's Greatest Two-Way Fullback, NFL Films
historian Chris Willis tells the remarkable story of how Bronko
became an NFL legend. Throughout his nine-year NFL career, Bronko's
name became synonymous with power football. While the new league
fought to gain respect and recognition, Bronko immediately captured
the attention of sports fans in Chicago and across the country. The
bruising fullback could do everything: run, block, tackle, and even
throw the occasional pass. With the complete cooperation of the
Nagurski family and unlimited access to personal letters, family
scrapbooks, and photos, Bronko is the definitive biography of a
true sports pioneer and NFL great.
In 2019 the NFL celebrated its 100th season. During that historic
year the league selected an All-Time Team of 100 former star
players. Among them were seven from before football's free
substitution rule (1920-1945), two-way players who were skilled at
both offense and defense. They were: Sammy Baugh (Quarterback),
Dutch Clark (Running Back), Dan Fortmann (Guard), Mel Hein
(Center), Cal Hubbard (Tackle), Don Hutson (Wide Receiver) and Bill
Hewitt (Defensive End). There were more than just seven great
players from those years, when men in leather helmets played
multiple positions on dirt fields for modest salaries. This book
ranks the NFL's top two-way players, with detailed biographies and
analysis by their contemporaries.
In 1963, 17 charter members were inducted into the newly
established Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joining the likes of Red
Grange, Bronko Nagurski, George Halas, and Sammy Baugh was Detroit
Lions quarterback Dutch Clark. A bona fide superstar for the NFL in
the 1930s, Clark led the Lions to success on the gridiron and
helped establish the NFL in one of America s most passionate sports
cities. Throughout his seven-year NFL career (1931 1932, 1934
1938), Clark was selected first team NFL All-Pro six times, led the
league in scoring three times, was team captain of the Detroit
Lions, and helped the Lions win the 1935 NFL Championship in their
second season in Detroit. The triple-threat star could do
everything he could run, he could pass, and he could kick. In Dutch
Clark: The Life of an NFL Legend and the Birth of the Detroit
Lions, Chris Willis tells the remarkable story of an athlete from a
small town in Colorado who would become one of the NFL s greatest
players. To recount the story of this sports pioneer, Willis had
complete cooperation from the Clark family and unlimited access to
personal letters, the Dutch Clark Scrapbooks, and family photos.
Appendixes include Clark s football statistics and a list of his
honors and awards. Supplemented with archival interviews,
never-before-seen photos, newspaper quotes, and anecdotes, Dutch
Clark tells the rags-to-riches story of one of the NFL s first
stars."
In 1901 workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad
in Columbus, Ohio formed a professional football team called the
Columbus Panhandles. The railroad workers, mainly European
immigrants, learned the game of football not on college gridirons,
but on the sandlots of railroad yards during their lunch breaks.
With the leadership of an innovative team manager and its tough
physical play, the Panhandles went on to play for more than twenty
years as one of the most successful teams in the rag-tag days of
professional football. Incorporating original interviews and actual
newspaper accounts, Chris Willis recreates the largely forgotten
story of this unique squad of men. In The Columbus Panhandles: A
Complete History of Pro Football's Toughest Team, 1900-1922, Willis
shows how team manager, future NFL commissioner Joseph Carr, used
the perks of free railroad travel for employees and the gate
attraction of the famous Nesser brothers to build pro football's
most successful traveling team. Season by season, Willis provides a
fascinating account of the team's spectacular triumphs and crushing
losses. Full of wonderful newspaper quotes, entertaining anecdotes,
and many original photos, The Columbus Panhandles also profiles a
number of principle figures in the team's history, most notably
manager Joe Carr and the six Nesser brothers who comprised the
heart of the squad for many years. Written to honor the legacy of
the Columbus Panhandles, this book will be of interest to
historians, sportswriters and general football fans eager to learn
about the early days of professional football.
The San Francisco 49ers entered the 1984 season determined to erase
the memory of their three point loss to the Washington Redskins in
the NFC Championship Game the year before. Nineteen games later,
they had not only won the Super Bowl, they had redefined NFL
history by becoming the first team to win 18 games in a single
season. Led by Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh and future Hall
of Fame players Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, and Fred Dean, the 1984
San Francisco 49ers finished the season with just one defeat. A
Nearly Perfect Season: The Inside Story of the 1984 San Francisco
49ers chronicles the story of one of the greatest teams in NFL
history. Through in-depth research and extensive interviews, Chris
Willis details every aspect of this memorable season, from the
preseason training camp through Super Bowl XIX. Inside stories from
the 49ers are brought to life in colorful detail, including Joe
Montana's penchant for stealing teammates' bikes during camp, the
players' pre-game superstitions, and what went on in the 49ers'
locker room before Super Bowl XIX. In addition, Chris Willis had
complete access to Bill Walsh's game plans and meeting tapes,
revealing the intense preparation the coach and his staff went
through to give their team the greatest chance for success on the
field. Featuring original interviews with more than 30 players from
the team-including Dwaine Board, Roger Craig, Fred Dean, Keith
Fahnhorst, Riki Ellison, Guy McIntyre, and Keena Turner-and
interviews with the coaches and the general manager, this book
provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of a season to
remember.
At the beginning of the Roaring Twenties the NFL was just a
footnote within the landscape of American sports. The early pro
game was played on dirt fields by vagabond athletes who would beat
up or punch out their opponent for fifty dollars a game. But one
team was different than the rest: the Oorang Indians. Comprised
entirely of Native Americans and led by star athlete Jim Thorpe,
the Oorang Indians were an instant hit in almost every city they
visited. In Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians: How a
Dog Kennel Owner Created the NFL's Most Famous Traveling Team, NFL
historian Chris Willis tells the story of this unique and
fascinating part of professional football history. In 1922 Walter
Lingo, a dog kennel owner from tiny La Rue, Ohio, joined forces
with Jim Thorpe, the country's greatest athlete, to create the
Oorang Indians. Willis recounts how Lingo used the football team,
the star attraction of player-coach Thorpe, and the all
Native-American squad to help advertise his kennel and sell dogs,
putting the small town of La Rue on the map. With the complete
cooperation of the Lingo family and unlimited access to family
photos and archives, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang
Indians provides an up-close and behind-the-scenes view into the
making of this little-known team. It is a remarkable story that
will be enjoyed by football fans and historians alike.
Very little has been documented about the early days of pro
football and the pioneers who had a major influence in the history
of the NFL. Chris Willis, head of the Research Library at NFL
Films, seeks to address this neglect. In this collection of
original and archival interviews, former players, owners, fans,
family members and league officials provide a rare glimpse into the
origins of professional football. Full of rich anecdotes, early
stars such as Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, Dutch Clark, Glenn Presnell,
and Pete Henry are brought back to the playing field. The
interviews also reveal how small towns in Ohio such as Canton,
Akron, Columbus, and Dayton came to host franchises, as the state
became a major force in the founding and growth of the NFL. Old
Leather provides the reader with a firsthand look at a period that
has largely been ignored. It recalls what the era of professional
football was like in the age of leather helmets, no television,
dirt fields, small salaries and when playing for the love of the
game was its own reward. This book will appeal not only to
historians, sportswriters, and scholars, but also to die-hard fans
and general history buffs who can never get enough of America's
favorite sport. Contains 17 photographs of players, owners, and
teams.
Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1837–1915), Victorian England’s bestselling woman writer, blends Dickensian humor with chilling suspense in this “exuberantly campy” (Kirkus Reviews) mystery. The novel features Jabez North, a manipulative orphan who becomes a ruthless killer; Valerie de Cevennes, a stunning heiress who falls into North’s diabolical trap; and Mr. Peters, a mute detective who communicates his brilliant reasoning through sign language.
This edition includes a critical Afterword and endnotes by Victorian scholar Dr. Chris Willis.
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