Pioneer Coaches of the NFL
Shaping the Game in the Days of Leather Helmets and 60-Minute Men
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:9th Aug '19
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
In the early days of professional football, coaches were little more than on-field captains who also ran practices—if there was time for practice. The emergence of post-graduate football and the coaching profession from 1920 to 1950 was crucial to the evolution of the game, and both developed and rose in stature over this critical period in the history of football.
In Pioneer Coaches of the NFL: Shaping the Game in the Days of Leather Helmets and 60-Minute Men, John Maxymuk profiles some of the most innovative coaches from the early days of the NFL, including Guy Chamberlin, Curly Lambeau, George Halas, Potsy Clark, and Clark Shaughnessy. Along with biographical sketches and career details, the profiles examine the coaches’ strategic approaches, their impact on the history of the game, and the advancement of their roles both on and off the field. It was this group of coaches who initially devised the basic repertoire of plays and alignments, as well as passing routes, blocking schemes, shifts, and substitution patterns. These men morphed defensive alignments, introduced the four-man secondary, conceived zone and man-to-man coverage mixes, and concocted linebacker and safety blitzing.
Pioneer Coaches of the NFL details how coaches from the first three decades of the NFL established many of the procedures, conventions, and strategies that modern football coaches still use today. These innovators presented those that followed them a rich palate with which to imagine and create an even greater game.
As the NFL prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary season in the fall, Maxymuk (longtime LJ reviewer; The Quarterback Abstract, among others) offers a well-researched overview of the league’s formative decades: the 1920s through the 1940s. His profiles of 13 head coaches from that era—some well known, others fallen into obscurity—show how these men formed the foundation of professional football as we know it today. Training techniques and game strategies pioneered by these coaches are described, many still in use. Maxymuk also includes an outline of African American football coaches of the past century and a biographical sketch of Paul Brown, who ushered in the modern era of coaching. Football fans will find this a treasure trove of historical anecdotes, play diagrams, and an informative approach to the game’s early years. Through their stories, Maxymuk illustrates how these men influenced the growth of the sport and redefined the role of coaches. VERDICT An important study of coaches who helped to change professional football into the thriving game that would eventually surpass all other American sports in popularity. Recommended for sports fans, historians, scholars, and all library collections * Library Journal *
With the NFL celebrating its 100th season, football historian John Maxymuk has written an enjoyable, informative, and well-researched book on the pioneer coaches of pro football. By describing each coach through profiles, stats, and film study, Maxymuk gives us a snapshot of the men who made the NFL tick on the football field during the league’s first three decades. A must-read for all football fans! -- Chris Willis, head of the Research Library at NFL Films and author of Red Grange: The Life and Legacy of the NFL’s First Superstar
John Maxymuk is one of the foremost historians of pro football. For many authors, it is John’s work to which they refer when needing data or authentication for their own work. In Pioneer Coaches of the NFL, John examines the NFL’s formative years and evaluates the coaches whose ideas and innovations shaped the sport and helped make pro football the most exciting game on Earth. There is no doubt that this book, like all of his others, will end up on the shelves of every credible football researcher. -- Jeffrey J. Miller, author of Pop Warner: A Life on the Gridiron and Rockin’ the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League
Plowing through dusty archives and game film, John Maxymuk has stripped pro football to its foundations and rediscovered the innovators and prime movers most responsible for building the game. This fascinating book should be part of every NFL fan’s library. -- Hank Gola, NFL writer and author of City of Champions
An informative and interesting read that looks at some of the lesser known vies of coaching and their applications to those early coaching greats of NFL history. I recommend this book for your football library. * Gridiron Greats *
ISBN: 9781538112236
Dimensions: 237mm x 162mm x 28mm
Weight: 599g
312 pages