Football Stories
Fiction
Bleachers by John Grisham (F GRI)
High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into an unbeatable football dynasty." "Now as Coach Rake's "boys" sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake - or hate him. For Neely Crenshaw, a man who must finally forgive his coach - and himself - before he can get on with his life, the stakes are especially high.
QB1 by Mike lupica (F LUP)
Jake Cullen lives in the shadows of his father and older brother until he becomes the starting quarterback for the high school football team and finally has his chance to shine.
Second Impact by David Klass (F KLA)
When Jerry Downing, star quarterback in a small football town, gets a second chance after his drunk driving had serious consequences, Carla Jensen, ace reporter for the school newspaper, invites him to join her in writing a blog, mainly about sports. When Jerry's best friend on the team takes a hit too hard and gets hurt, Carla wonders publicly if injury in the game comes at too high a cost in a player's life-but not everyone in Kendall wants to hear it.
Muckers by Sandra Neil Wallace (F WAL)
Felix O'Sullivan, standing in the shadow of his dead brother, an angry, distant father, and racial tension, must lead the last-ever Muckers high school football team to the state championship before a mine closing shuts down his entire town.
The Walk On by John Feinstein (F FEI)
After moving to a new town his freshman year in high school, Alex Myers is happy to win a spot on the varsity team as a quarterback but must deal with the idea of not playing for two years since the first-string quarterback is not only a local hero, he is also son of the corrupt head coach.
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (F MUR)
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker (F DEU)
An award-winning author explores the dark corners of the heart of a young football player as he struggles for success, in this novel that tackles the issues surrounding the players decision to cross the line.
Knights of the Hill Country by Time Tharp (F THA)
In his senior year, high school star linebacker Hampton Greene finally begins to think for himself and discovers that he might be interested in more than just football.
Damage by A.M. Jenkins (F JEN)
Austin Reid is a star of the high school football team and dates the prettiest girl in the school. Everything would seem to be going great for him. . . . So why is he suffering from depression?
Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte (F LIP)
What's it mean to think team? It means you don't talk team business with anybody who isn't on the team. It means whatever happens inside the team stays inside. It means you can only trust a brother Raider. Any questions? At Nearmont High School, football stars are treated like royalty, and Matt Rydek has just ascended to the throne. He's got it all: hot girls, chill friends, plenty of juice to make him strong, and a winning team poised to go all the way. If he can keep his eye on the ball now, his future will be set. But when the team turns on one of its own, should Matt play by Raiders rules, or should he go long alone?
Roughnecks by Thomas Cochran (F COC)
Once in a while you get a second chance. For Travis Cody this is one of those times. His team, the Oil Camp Roughnecks, is facing the Pineview Pelicans for the state championship. Travis will have forty-eight minutes head-to-head with rival Jericho Grooms. Forty-eight minutes to redeem himself for letting Grooms break him on the play that cost the Roughnecks an undefeated season. Forty-eight minutes to prove he isn't a quitter.
Second Stringer by Thomas Dygard (F DYG)
When Warren High's star quarterback is injured during the season opener, Kevin Taylor takes over the position. There's only one problem: Kevin has been used to watching the plays from the sidelines, not leading them from the line of scrimmage. Page-turning sports action and compelling personal drama make this another winner from popular sports novelist Thomas Dygard.
Shooting Star by Fredrick McKissack (F MCK)
Jomo Rogers, a naturally talented athlete, starts taking performance enhancing drugs in order to be an even better high school football player, but finds his life spinning out of control as his game improves.
Nonfiction
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger (796.332 BIS)
With frankness and compassion, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist H.G. Bissinger's national bestseller chronicles the dramatic 1988 season of the Permian Panthers--the winningest high school football team in Texas history. Friday Night Lights shows how the town's single-minded devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires (or shatters) the teenagers who wear the uniforms.
Backyard Brawl: Inside the Blood Feud Between Texas and Texas A&M
by W.K. Stratton (796.332 STR)
In Backyard Brawl, W. K. Stratton takes you through this rivalry and its history, covering the years when the game was postponed because the fans were just too violent, the branding of UT's beloved steer, Bevo, by a renegade Aggie, the kidnapping of A&M's beloved Reveille by boisterous UT students, the theft of UT's cannon, Old Smokey, and its unceremonious dumping into the murky waters of Austin's Town Lake, and the fistfights that broke out when celebrating UT fans rushed A&M's nearly sacred Kyle Field after Texas won the last-ever Southwest Conference title on the Aggies' home turf. Stratton also relates the more serious side of the rivalry, particularly the way both schools came together after tradition turned to tragedy in 1999, when the A&M bonfire collapse killed twelve students.
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (B OHE)
The young man at the center of this story will one day be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When we first meet him, he is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or any of the things a child might learn in school - such as, say, how to read or write. Nor has he ever touched a football. What changes? He takes up football, and school, after a rich, Evangelical, Republican family plucks him from the mean streets. Their love is the first great force that alters the world's perception of the boy, whom they adopt. The second force is the evolution of professional football itself into a game where the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist turns out to be the priceless combination of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side.
Fields of Honor by Sally Pont (796.332 PON)
The Miracle in Miami began when a small group of men returned to Ohio after World War II. Some were old enough to coach football; others were young enough to play, going to school on the GI Bill. There, in a tiny community at Miami University of Ohio, the men, the character, and the modern game of football were created. Sid Gillman coached Woody Hayes, who coached Ara Parseghian, coached John Pont, coached Bo Schembechler, coached Bill Mallory. This is the story of the big, brawling family of men who formed college football. Written by John Pont's niece, their interconnections, affections and rivalries, their innovations, and their weaknesses are all beautifully portrayed, combining football history and strategy with family stories. Watching the Super Bowl and focusing on the million-dollar ads, we yearn for the bravery and the loneliness of the original players. Come back to a time when the helmets had no face guards, when the men played without padding, and when strategy and sportsmanship ruled the gridiron.
That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory
by John Eisenberg (796.332 EIS)
Draws on research and interviews to chronicle Vince Lombardi's first season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers professional football team.
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football
by Jim Dent (796.332 DEN)
Presents the true story of coach Rusty Russell and how he molded a group of orphans from the Masonic Home in Fort Worth, Texas, into one of the toughest high school football teams in the state.
Big Games: College Football's Greatest Rivalries by Michael Bradley (796.332 BRA)
Examines ten of the most well-known rivalries in college football--including Harvard and Yale, Michigan and Ohio State, and Army and Navy--discussing their histories, providing anecdotes about notable games, and exploring the traditions of each school.
Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting
by Bruce Feldman (796.332 FEL)
An inside look into the football recruiting process of the University of Mississippi that provides details on how head coach Ed Orgeron and his staff recruit top players from high schools across the country.
Biographies:
Deacon Jones, Fran Tarkenton, Vince Lombardi, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, Terry Bradshaw, Terrell Davis, Tom Landry, Marcus Allen, Tim Green, Michael Irvin, Brett Favre, Jim Thorpe, Doug Williams, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy, Tim Tebow
Bleachers by John Grisham (F GRI)
High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into an unbeatable football dynasty." "Now as Coach Rake's "boys" sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake - or hate him. For Neely Crenshaw, a man who must finally forgive his coach - and himself - before he can get on with his life, the stakes are especially high.
QB1 by Mike lupica (F LUP)
Jake Cullen lives in the shadows of his father and older brother until he becomes the starting quarterback for the high school football team and finally has his chance to shine.
Second Impact by David Klass (F KLA)
When Jerry Downing, star quarterback in a small football town, gets a second chance after his drunk driving had serious consequences, Carla Jensen, ace reporter for the school newspaper, invites him to join her in writing a blog, mainly about sports. When Jerry's best friend on the team takes a hit too hard and gets hurt, Carla wonders publicly if injury in the game comes at too high a cost in a player's life-but not everyone in Kendall wants to hear it.
Muckers by Sandra Neil Wallace (F WAL)
Felix O'Sullivan, standing in the shadow of his dead brother, an angry, distant father, and racial tension, must lead the last-ever Muckers high school football team to the state championship before a mine closing shuts down his entire town.
The Walk On by John Feinstein (F FEI)
After moving to a new town his freshman year in high school, Alex Myers is happy to win a spot on the varsity team as a quarterback but must deal with the idea of not playing for two years since the first-string quarterback is not only a local hero, he is also son of the corrupt head coach.
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (F MUR)
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker (F DEU)
An award-winning author explores the dark corners of the heart of a young football player as he struggles for success, in this novel that tackles the issues surrounding the players decision to cross the line.
Knights of the Hill Country by Time Tharp (F THA)
In his senior year, high school star linebacker Hampton Greene finally begins to think for himself and discovers that he might be interested in more than just football.
Damage by A.M. Jenkins (F JEN)
Austin Reid is a star of the high school football team and dates the prettiest girl in the school. Everything would seem to be going great for him. . . . So why is he suffering from depression?
Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte (F LIP)
What's it mean to think team? It means you don't talk team business with anybody who isn't on the team. It means whatever happens inside the team stays inside. It means you can only trust a brother Raider. Any questions? At Nearmont High School, football stars are treated like royalty, and Matt Rydek has just ascended to the throne. He's got it all: hot girls, chill friends, plenty of juice to make him strong, and a winning team poised to go all the way. If he can keep his eye on the ball now, his future will be set. But when the team turns on one of its own, should Matt play by Raiders rules, or should he go long alone?
Roughnecks by Thomas Cochran (F COC)
Once in a while you get a second chance. For Travis Cody this is one of those times. His team, the Oil Camp Roughnecks, is facing the Pineview Pelicans for the state championship. Travis will have forty-eight minutes head-to-head with rival Jericho Grooms. Forty-eight minutes to redeem himself for letting Grooms break him on the play that cost the Roughnecks an undefeated season. Forty-eight minutes to prove he isn't a quitter.
Second Stringer by Thomas Dygard (F DYG)
When Warren High's star quarterback is injured during the season opener, Kevin Taylor takes over the position. There's only one problem: Kevin has been used to watching the plays from the sidelines, not leading them from the line of scrimmage. Page-turning sports action and compelling personal drama make this another winner from popular sports novelist Thomas Dygard.
Shooting Star by Fredrick McKissack (F MCK)
Jomo Rogers, a naturally talented athlete, starts taking performance enhancing drugs in order to be an even better high school football player, but finds his life spinning out of control as his game improves.
Nonfiction
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger (796.332 BIS)
With frankness and compassion, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist H.G. Bissinger's national bestseller chronicles the dramatic 1988 season of the Permian Panthers--the winningest high school football team in Texas history. Friday Night Lights shows how the town's single-minded devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires (or shatters) the teenagers who wear the uniforms.
Backyard Brawl: Inside the Blood Feud Between Texas and Texas A&M
by W.K. Stratton (796.332 STR)
In Backyard Brawl, W. K. Stratton takes you through this rivalry and its history, covering the years when the game was postponed because the fans were just too violent, the branding of UT's beloved steer, Bevo, by a renegade Aggie, the kidnapping of A&M's beloved Reveille by boisterous UT students, the theft of UT's cannon, Old Smokey, and its unceremonious dumping into the murky waters of Austin's Town Lake, and the fistfights that broke out when celebrating UT fans rushed A&M's nearly sacred Kyle Field after Texas won the last-ever Southwest Conference title on the Aggies' home turf. Stratton also relates the more serious side of the rivalry, particularly the way both schools came together after tradition turned to tragedy in 1999, when the A&M bonfire collapse killed twelve students.
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (B OHE)
The young man at the center of this story will one day be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When we first meet him, he is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or any of the things a child might learn in school - such as, say, how to read or write. Nor has he ever touched a football. What changes? He takes up football, and school, after a rich, Evangelical, Republican family plucks him from the mean streets. Their love is the first great force that alters the world's perception of the boy, whom they adopt. The second force is the evolution of professional football itself into a game where the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist turns out to be the priceless combination of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side.
Fields of Honor by Sally Pont (796.332 PON)
The Miracle in Miami began when a small group of men returned to Ohio after World War II. Some were old enough to coach football; others were young enough to play, going to school on the GI Bill. There, in a tiny community at Miami University of Ohio, the men, the character, and the modern game of football were created. Sid Gillman coached Woody Hayes, who coached Ara Parseghian, coached John Pont, coached Bo Schembechler, coached Bill Mallory. This is the story of the big, brawling family of men who formed college football. Written by John Pont's niece, their interconnections, affections and rivalries, their innovations, and their weaknesses are all beautifully portrayed, combining football history and strategy with family stories. Watching the Super Bowl and focusing on the million-dollar ads, we yearn for the bravery and the loneliness of the original players. Come back to a time when the helmets had no face guards, when the men played without padding, and when strategy and sportsmanship ruled the gridiron.
That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory
by John Eisenberg (796.332 EIS)
Draws on research and interviews to chronicle Vince Lombardi's first season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers professional football team.
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football
by Jim Dent (796.332 DEN)
Presents the true story of coach Rusty Russell and how he molded a group of orphans from the Masonic Home in Fort Worth, Texas, into one of the toughest high school football teams in the state.
Big Games: College Football's Greatest Rivalries by Michael Bradley (796.332 BRA)
Examines ten of the most well-known rivalries in college football--including Harvard and Yale, Michigan and Ohio State, and Army and Navy--discussing their histories, providing anecdotes about notable games, and exploring the traditions of each school.
Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting
by Bruce Feldman (796.332 FEL)
An inside look into the football recruiting process of the University of Mississippi that provides details on how head coach Ed Orgeron and his staff recruit top players from high schools across the country.
Biographies:
Deacon Jones, Fran Tarkenton, Vince Lombardi, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, Terry Bradshaw, Terrell Davis, Tom Landry, Marcus Allen, Tim Green, Michael Irvin, Brett Favre, Jim Thorpe, Doug Williams, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy, Tim Tebow