I've seen some of you recommend books about Buckeye football history. "War as They Knew it" is one of those books about Woody and Bo. What other books are good reads, and which books do you recommend most? Maybe we should start an 11W book club. ;-)
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The Die Hard Fan's Guide to Buckeye Football - by Mark Rea
Then Tress Said to Troy - by Jeff Snook
Thanks, Chad. BTW, to clarify in case it was confusing, I have not read "War as They Knew It." Is that a good book?
Woody Hayes and the 100 yard War (if you haven't read it - older book from the 70's I think - nice quick read)
Currently reading War as they Knew It. A little bit dry, but I think it's pretty informative. It has been panned on Amazon, FWIW. Apparently critical consensus is that it doesn't say anything new and just rehashes the rivalry while juxtaposing with the Vietnam War. I'm about halfway in, and I think it's entertaining as hell.
Also, while not about OSU, Three and Out is apparently a really good read on Michigan's RichRod debacle, M Man wrote a review here for it.
Agree with Chad on "Then Tress Said To Troy"
Always good for a read.
Land-Grant Holyland
Awesome book; it goes beyond college football, and into the culture of both campus' during Vietnam, and insight into how college football marketing got started...
"Don't put syrup on shit, and tell me it's pancakes"
No matter how sh*tty the tour is, it's always tough to leave.
Was given Chic (by Bob Hunter with Marc Katz) as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. Would definitely recommend it. Details the early years of OSU football, around Chic Harley's playing time. Very good - especially for those who do not know the details around why Chic's name is in the Ring of Honor in Ohio Stadium...
I may order a few of these books on half.com. Thanks, guys!
In case others are interested, please feel free to post about any new books you find in this thread.
Click the links on 11w and buy them at Amazon and help 11W out. I've only read The Winner's Manual, The Game of Life, and What it Means to be a Buckeye. I have Titus' book on pre-order through the links on this site for the Kindle.
Thanks for the tip, but I had already made the order on Half. However, I did make a donation directly to 11W. I love this site, and I look forward to atttending Eat Too, Brutus this Fall.
The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia - Jack Park
Decent read, but more of a referance book every buckeye should own. Comprehensive breakdown of the history of the program. I sat next to Jack on a Southwest flight once. Best in-flight conversation I've ever had.
Chic - Bob Hunter or The One and Only - Todd C. Wessell
Harley is buried near the entrance to the Cemetary where my grandfather is buried and I remeber stopping at his grave and seeing that the 'Shoe was the "House that Harley Built" and reading the James Thurber Quote, "And there's nothing quite so thrilling from the first year to today, like the glory of the going, when Chic Harley Got away". So I ran out and bought the Hunter book when it was published. Its an interesting read, kind of a primer on the early years of when the program transitioned from playing shools like Oberlin, and the Ohio Medical College to being a regional powerhouse. I've been wanting to read the second as it is written by a relative of Harley and Jack Park recommended it.
Woody's Boys - Alan Natali
My favorite Woody Hayes book. A good insight into the man.
War as they Knew It - Michael Rosenberg
I loved this book. All the crap it is getting on Amazon, I don't get it. I read it cover to cover in a few days. I liked the little tidbits about the era like how the marching band for tSUN formed a peace sign at the half time of the Rose bowl.
Billy Ireland - Lucy Shelton Caswell
Not specifically a sports book. Billy Ireland was a Cartoonist for the Dispatch in the 1910s and 1920s. He had a weekly page in the Sunday Dispatch called the "Passing Show". Several of these Sunday pages have Buckeye themed pages. When I was turning my basement into a Buckeye room I stopped by The Ohio State University Archives and got reprints of Buckeye programs and photos of athletes. I also stopped by the cartoon library and bought the Billy Ireland book. I framed the "Passing Show" page from the first Sunday page after the first OSU victory over tSUN. It has Harley as the sun, with a little man walking under him labeled "Columbus Sports Fan" basking in the warmth of our first victory.
As I noted in my review of Three and Out, Michael Rosenberg's book War as They Knew It is a perfectly fine book. It has been the subject of an organized neg-bomb campaign on Amazon.com because Rosenberg is the Detroit Free Press sports writer who almost singlehandedly began the newspaper's long-runnning war on Rich Rodriguez, including the original "Stretchgate" story which fomented the NCAA investigation. The Michigan blogs went after all things Rosenberg. Rosenberg deserved it. Honesty compels me to say that Rosenberg's book was perfectly fine (although I happily joined in the Amazon neg-bomb) just as honesty compels me to say that the Rosenberg/Free Press newspaper campaign against Rodriguez was malicious, unethical, and mostly false.
Rosenberg is a Michigan grad and a former Michigan Daily editor. Rosenberg's friend and New Republic / New York magazine editor, Jonathan Chait was the Daily editor a few classes ahead of Rosenberg. And Chait reviewed War as they Knew It for the New York Times Review of Books; he liked it and said it was a good book. But Chait later called what Rosenberg and the Free Press did to Rodriguez "journalistic malpractice."
fwiw: I bought two copies of The Winners Manual, and I recommend it very highly.
1968; The Year that Saved Ohio State Football is a great book as well...all about Jim Otis, Jack Tatum, Rex Kern, Jim Stillwagon, John Brockington, Mike Sensibaugh, et al...
Thanks again for all the recommendations, and feel free to keep them coming. Two used books arrived today: Then Tress Said to Troy and Woody Hayes and the 100-Yard War. Which book should I start with?
War as They Knew It is on the way.
Have to agree that the Chic Harley book is a good read. I've always heard of Chic but didn't know a ton about him.
And...I really enjoyed Don't Put My In Coach. The book really lets you find out about some of the players and Thad. It was a good read.
Because of this list, I'm currenty reading Then Tress Said to Troy. Just bought it so haven't hadn't time to start much of it yet.
I've also bought War as They Knew It but will be the second read after the above book.
Not football-related, but I've been reading Jeremy Schaap's Triumph lately and it's pretty good, though not perfect.
Jesse Owens: the greatest.
Taquitos.
I've read both War as They Knew It and Three and Out and both are very much worth your time. I tried to buy Don't Put Me in Coach on Saturday at Barnes and Noble Polaris and apparently they don't carry it, but instead picked up Urban's Way for $5.
I'll have to get a couple of the others too, I've been meaning to get Then Tress Said to Troy and The 100 Yard War but my actual book club reading interrupts my sports reading. I couldn't talk my book club into reading Three and Out, shocking I know.
I've also read 100 Thing Buckeye Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, which is ok but tends to repeat the same stories. It's mostly things you should know and most major figures in Ohio State history get a chaper, but like I said, the stories start to repeat. Easy beach read though.
We should strive to keep thy name, of fair repute and spotless fame...
(Also, I'm not a dude)
I've started with Then Tress Said to Troy, and I think that was a good place to start. It seems to cover stories throughout tOSU football history, so it makes sense as a good starting point. My next two books should provide a lot more detail about the Woody Hayes era.
AWESOME READ!!!
I Love Ohio State/I Hate Michigan (I Love/I Hate) [Hardcover]
Book Description
Publication Date: September 1, 2011 | Series: I Love/I Hate
Presented in a unique reversible-book format, this is the ultimate Ohio State University fan guide to the passionate and historic rivalry between the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Buckeyes. Full of interesting trivia, hilarious history, and inside scoops, the book relates the fantastic stories of legendary Buckeyes coaches and star players, as well as the numerous villains who have represented the maize and blue over the years. Like two books in one, this completely biased account of the rivalry proclaims the irrefutable reasons to cheer the Ohio State Buckeyes and boo the Michigan Wolverines and shows that there really is no fine line between love and hate.
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"You're pissed because we went after a committed guy? Guess what, we got nine guys who better go do it again. Do it a little harder next time." -- Urban Frank Meyer -- I LOVE THIS DUDE!! :)
I finished Then Tress Said to Troy... and am now over 100 pages into Woody Hayes and the 100 Yard War. I'm really enjoying this reading material.