Book Description
In compiling this book, two Penn State football authors of different generations, Lou Prato and Scott Brown, found striking similarities in each of the player's stories and reminiscences. These men are all proud to have played for Penn State—proud of the education they received, and proud of the legacy they helped establish for high standards on and off the football field. Ultimately, that's What It Means to Be a Nittany Lion.
Customer Reviews:
Wat it means to be a Nittant Lion.......2007-02-06
Great book well written arrived on time in new condition
Nittany Lion Review.......2007-01-19
I bought the book for my boyfriend, he is a Penn State alum. So far he has really enjoyed the book. It was a great purchase.
CLASS PROGRAM ALL THE WAY!.......2006-12-30
There has perhaps never been a college football coach more associated with a single university than Joe Paterno is with Penn State. Of course, it only makes sense since JoePa has been coaching at the University for over 50 years including 40 years as the team's head coach. "What it Means to be a Nittany Lion" is a player's and coach's retrospective on playing and coaching at the school. It traces Penn State's rich history of national championships and All-American players, decade-by-decade, sharing fond recollections and stories by some of their greatest players ever.
As a Michigan fan, I have always had tremendous respect for Paterno and Penn State. They do things the right way with class and integrity, just like Michigan. You never hear about scandals there like you do at so many other universities where winning is placed above everything else. Each decade presents some of its most notable players such as Rosey Grier, sharing their stories in their own words. Grier, perhaps best known as a member of the Los Angeles Rams "Fearsome Foursome" actually went to Penn State to compete in Track and Field and was an All-American Shot-putter in 1954.
It was in the 190's when Penn State started to develop its reputation as Linebacker U with players like Jack Ham, Greg Buttle, and Matt Millen but they also produced great offensive talent such as RB Lydell Mitchell. While we all see the loveable, affable, old gentlemen, it's quite evident in reading these players stories that playing for Paterno was no picnic. Former receiver O.J. McDuffie even relates going home in tears once as a freshman because the coaches had been so tough on him. McDuffie persevered and became only the second Penn State receiver to earn first team All-American status in 1992.
I especially enjoyed reading all the players talking about how they were recruited and ended up at Penn State. So many of them talk about the values and integrity that Paterno had and how academics were stressed as much, if not more than athletics. One of the most uplifting stories is that of Adam Taliaferro. Taliaferro, a defensive back, broke a vertebrae in his neck making a tackle in 2000. Doctors gave him slim chance of ever walking again, yet a year later, Adam was cheered by over a 100,000 fans as he jogged onto the field.
Whether you are a Penn State fan or not, after reading this book, you will definitely know what it means to be a Nittany Lion.
Reviewed by Tim Janson
Nittany Lions Roar!.......2006-08-16
This is great book on Penn State's greatest players. Each player tells a story of what means to be a Nittany Lion. I love this book! It is for die-hard Nittany Lions fans or any college football fans! We Are...Penn State!
Book Description
Do not be fooled by the title Game of My Life: Penn State. This isn't a book that dwells solely on happy memories of great games of years past. When author Jordan Hyman, a Penn State graduate, went looking for 20 game recollections from some of Penn State's football legends, he discovered in his interviews feelings of joy, respect, and pride, but also locked-away emotions dealing with anger, racism, and regret. Thus, Wally Triplett will rave about the famous 1948 Cotton Bowl, Penn State versus Doak Walker-led Southern Methodist, but he'll also relay his experiences as a black football player in State College in the 1940s. Rosie Grier will recall upsetting Illinois in 1954, but he'll also reminisce about his roots on a Georgia farm and how he came to arrive in University Park in the first place.There are shining moments paired with wonderful anecdotes: Gregg Garrity cannot forget the catch that would help win the 1983 national title game for the Lions.
Customer Reviews:
Right back to Beaver Staduim..........2006-11-25
As a PSU Alum, a faithful reader of Jordan Hyman's columns in the Daily Collegian during my years at Penn State and a fellow writer, this brought me right back to my voice-losing afternoons and evenings at Beaver Stadium supporting my beloved Nittany Lions. Kudos to Jordan Hyman on capturing th eessence and spirit of the greatest college football program in the nation.
Great Book for Penn Staters and College Football Fans.......2006-09-16
The author here does an outstanding job capturing the essence of Nittany Lions football in a series of short stories, told through the eyes of some of State's most famous players/coaches to ever enter Happy Valley.
Kudos to Mr. Hyman, for attaining all the great stories inside the book. This is a must have for any Penn Stater and any college football fan in general, for that matter.
Book Description
“Fascinating. . . . One of the best books ever written on the rise and fall of a great college football coach.”
—Allen Barra, San Francisco Chronicle
The Lion in Autumn takes readers inside Penn StateÂ's storied football program as legendary coach Joe Paterno fights to turn his struggling team into a winner once again. In more than a half century at Penn State, Paterno has won more bowl games (21) than any other coach and more games (354) than all but one, en route to two national championships and five perfect seasons. But in the new millennium hard times arrived in Happy Valley. His Nittany Lions had losing seasons in four of five years, dropping sixteen of twenty-three games in 2003 and 2004. There were boos at Beaver Stadium and increasing calls for the aging Paterno to step down.
Award-winning sportswriter Frank Fitzpatrick followed JoePa through the 2004 season as the beloved coach struggled to save himself and his storied program. Fitzpatrick trailed Paterno from fund-raisers to the spring practices to the sidelines, detailing how the coach endured another losing season while building a team that would win the Orange Bowl and compete for the national championship in 2005. Interweaving stories from past seasons into the narrative, Fitzpatrick fleshes out the legend of Paterno. BACKCOVER: “Insightful. . . . Fascinating reading.” —Chicago Tribune
“A rather startling success. . . . Significant. . . . literary. . . . [Fitzpatrick] relies on his own tenacity and attention to detail with just the right amount of historical perspective.” —Pittsburgh Post- Gazette
“[Demystifies] the college football coach, moving behind the spectacle of Saturday afternoon to reveal flesh and soul and humanity.” —Buz Bisinger, The New York Times
“You donÂ't have to be a Penn State fan to appreciate it.” —ESPN.com
Download Description
"A legendary coach, a struggling team, and a storm of controversy: An award- winning sportswriter takes you inside a tumultuous season of Penn State football, in the bestselling tradition of A Season on the Brink. In his fifty years of coaching football at Penn State, Joe Paterno has become one of the most popular figures in American sports. Only one other coach has won more football games than Paterno; his team has won more bowl games than any other; and he does it all the way it was meant to be done, with his players succeeding in the classroom as well as on the field and in the pro ranks. Along the way, Paterno has transformed a once obscure agricultural college into a huge research university in the Big Ten, whose endowment now exceeds $1 billion, tens of millions of which ""JoePa"" has personally helped to raise. But lately the tide seems to have turned in Happy Valley. Since 2000, Paterno's Nittany Lions have lost more games than they've won, and accusations of off-the-field crimes have tarnished his program's reputation. Award-winning sports reporter Frank Fitzgerald followed Joe Paterno and his Nittany Lions through the 2004 season, from fundraisers in State College to the sidelines at Beaver Stadium. The Lion in Autumn delivers the complete story of this frustrating, tormenting, and ultimately exhilarating turning-point season and the history that led up to it. This is the chronicle of fifty phenomenal years-including the dynasties of undefeated and national championship teams that came before-and a riveting fight to reclaim a legacy."
Customer Reviews:
On the Outside Looking In.......2007-08-25
One of the great joys of Penn State football fandom is reading books about Coach Paterno and his program. As both a fan and a reader, any disappointment I had with this one was chiefly due to the limited access given to the author. After a nine-loss season in 2003 that marked the nadir of precipitous competitive slide, and an increasing number of off-field incidents, Coach Paterno was understandably guarded -- even abandoning a longstanding tradition of meeting with reporters over cocktails the night before game day. (Stiffing reporters in this fashion was probably an unwise political move that helped to contribute to the "JoePa Must Go" sentiment.)
What then is a writer to do? One approach could have been to chronicle the growing division within the Penn State community -- former players, alumni, students, and the media -- over the tough times in Happy Valley, using a few colorful and outspoken characters as a catalyst for that division.
Instead, Mr. Fitzpatrick delivers a fairly straightforward chronicle of the 2005 season's aspirations and disappointments. He does an adept job for those readers who may not be familiar with the programs history, but for those readers who are the chapters on glories past provide no new insight and interrupts the narrative of the current season.
Penn State's decline was primarily attributable to lackluster recruiting that produced players unable to compete effectively in the Big Ten, and Mr. Fitzpatrick is spot on when he writes that Paterno was mindful of this: "Other teams had more talent than Penn State. But to admit that too often in public was to demean his players.... [He] understood that the quickest solution to the Nittany Lions' troubles would be to search harder and more selectively for talent." (p. 287)
Once again, Coach Paterno's refusal to publicly contemplate life after football is highlighted, where is prospective retirement activity has changed over the years from collecting stamps to cutting grass. With the almost immediate death of Alabama's Bear Bryant after his retirement, Mr. Paterno is quite candid about his deep seated fears: "I'm alive. I don't want to die. Football keeps me alive." (p. 276) This outlook is quite tragic and perplexing, given his successes off the field as an educator, philanthropist, community leader and family patriarch.
In short, this volume does not quite rise to the level of incisiveness of Ken Denlinger's "For the Glory" or Coach Paterno's decades-old autobiography, which is in desperate need of an update. But it reads quickly and provides and admirable journalistic account of Happy Valley's darkest days in the Paterno era.
Good Book, Fair To Both Sides.......2006-11-11
I just finished the book a couple of days ago and as it settled it my mind, two impressions came over me.
One is that there is a big part of Joe Paterno who still feels deep inside that he is not as good as his rich college classmates at Brown and how he has to prove to them that he belongs.
The second is that while Saint Joepa Paterno can talk all he wants about the excesses in college athletics, he is not willing to forgo any of the excesses that reward him. You don't see him turning away any of the huge salaries or the other luxuries, do you.
Paterno comes across as a control freak, if he is trying to prepare his players and assistant coaches for the outside world, why does he restrict acccess to them so tightly.
I am a big sports fan of college and pro sports but I have major issues with people glorifying coaches the way they do. They are just athletic coaches. They are not helping solve the problems of the world, just entertainers.
Joepa also comes across as humorless, a man who takes himself way too seriously.
It is a shame that Fitzpatrick was denied access to so many sources. It would have been interesting to find out why Joepa's son is unwilling or able to get a job on his own instead of depending on Daddy.
As noted above, Joepa was influenced greatly by his days at Brown. I would have loved to learn how in the world an Italian kid from Brooklynin the 40s made it to the Ivy League.
This is not a puff piece on the man, that is a great accomplishment by the author.
Good Synopsis of Joe Paterno and College Football.......2006-05-12
I hesitated picking up this book because even though it was published only one year ago, it is arguably outdated since Penn State football finally bounced back and had a very good year. That said, I am glad I read it because the book goes beyond the marketed "A Season with Penn State" storyline and provides a very good historical synopsis of Joe Paterno and his role in the history of college football.
Since Paterno has been around so long, people tend to forget his importance in the development of college football. Once he retires, he will undoubtedly be remembered in the same breath as Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne, Daryl Royal, Bud Wilkinson and the other Legends (with a capital "L") of college football.
This book provides interesting insights into his personal history and the development of Penn State University, which Paterno literally transformed from a backwater agricultural school into a well-known and successful state school. I doubt any coach in college sports history has been more important to his school's development than Paterno has been to Penn State.
The parts about the actual season are fairly boring, since PSU was horrible the year Fitzpatrick followed them but it is worth picking up if you are a fan of college football history.
fair and balanced.......2006-02-03
ok, get past the fact that this is a book written by a sports writer, and understand there will be one or two malaprops and one or two missed typos. it's actually fairly well written. more importantly, it gives us something rather unusual: an even-handed look at joe paterno, and an even-handed retrospective of the program he has created. it's hard to find- so often we see bland - and blind- praise; other times, we see negative press from those with the opposite agenda. this book gets it right, and it's a must-read for anyone who considers himself a fan of penn state football.
An Inspiration of Passion and Leadership.......2005-12-30
This is a must read for anyone interested in understanding what leadership is all about. In a profession where winning is everything and a world where loyality and tradition are no longer valued, this book chronicles what happens to a highly successful Division 1A football coach when he is no longer winning games.
This book was written before the successful 2005 season for the Penn State football program and Joe Paterno being named AP Coach of the year on his 79th Birthday! All the more reason to read.
I think this book is an inspiration for Oldies everywhere. Many people who experience what Joe Paterno went through in the Autumn of their careers, will identify with the choices that he faced when he was no longer valued and respected after a long and successful career.
In this world of Free Agency, Joe Paterno is a throw back. This book reminds us that Values, Principles, Tradition, and Loyalty are what really matter.....even in today's world.
Book Description
Hyman and Rappoport tag-team to interview and profile 20 of the most famous families that have been part of Penn State history over the past 50 years. These stories offer fresh insights into the close-knit atmosphere that Joe Paterno and the other coaches have nurtured since 1950.
Book Description
Heartfelt stories of the great players and the great teams in Penn State football history, including the most successful coach in major college football history, Joe Paterno.
Product Description
Follow the Nittany Lion around the campus of Penn State in this fun and beautifully illustrated hardcover children's book. Read along as the Nittany Lion stops at some of Penn State's most beloved landmarks - Old Main, the Nittany Lion Inn, the Nittany Lion Shrine and the Creamery - before arriving at Beaver Stadium for a football game. There is even a special appearance by Coach Paterno! A great book for Penn State fans of any age!
Book Description
The Penn State Football Button Book celebrates the coaching legacy of Joe Paterno and the glorious history of Nittany Lions football during the Paterno era. It does so, however, in a style unlike any other football book ever written—through the use of the complete collection of "game day" booster buttons produced by Citizens Bank (and its predecessor bank sponsors) to commemorate each Penn State football game played over the past 32 years. The Penn State Football Button Book evokes exciting memories of the Paterno era using button images and unique and fun commentary rather than traditional game summaries.
Customer Reviews:
Collectible nirvana plus an entertaining read.......2004-09-10
This goes way beyond being simply a football button book. Yes, it is button collector's nirvana for certain. But it's also an informed commentary on the history, highlights, and championship teams produced by Penn State and Joe Paterno over a 32-year period. From the feisty Lions mascot on the front cover to the photographs sprinkled throughout, this book is loaded with intriguing trivia and presented in a fun, charming, and entertaining style. Both authors grew up in the shadow of Mt. Nittany. Penn State and Beaver Stadium have always been a large part of their lives. Both are PSU alumni and witnessed the Paterno years up close and personal.
The booster buttons represented in this book were produced by bank sponsors, free to everyone, and are a tradition at Penn State. PSU football buttons represent the longest continuous promotion of a college sports program in the nation. Every button for every game is featured. Not coincidentally, the button promotion began in the early years of Paterno's position as head coach for PSU. I'm from Nebraska - Cornhusker country - and know very little about football, but even I know that Paterno is an icon among college coaches.
Featured with each button are game summaries, statistics, and memorable moments. Even to a non-fan, these tidbits of trivia were enlightening. In particular, I found the origins of Paterno's master plan for succeessful athletes to be of interest. Paterno believed it possible and desirable for world class athletes to maintain academic integrity while playing football. His holistic approach has been proven sound for almost four decades. His three point philosophy is simple: teamwork, high academic standards, and personal responsibility are required to be a Nittany Lion. Season by season, cycle by cycle, he applies his formula and philosohy for the long haul. Paterno and the Lions may be bent from time to time but never broken for long. Further commentary examines the Lions' Top 100 Games, and the team's up and down cycles, which in retrospect demonstrate a certain predictability.
The authors and publisher arranged their book in large font and easy-to-read layout. The collectible buttons were delightful. No review would be complete without listing a few of my favorites, all of which were a sly play on words:
Driving Mich Crazy -- PSU vs. Michigan 1997
Crimson Cried -- PSU vs. Alabama 1989
Irish Go Blah -- PSU vs. Notre Dame 1982
Kick Wisconsin's Dairy Air -- PSU vs. Wisconsin 2003
Get Reel, Virginia -- PSU vs. Virginia 2001
For die hard Penn State fans this book is a must have, but it would be entertaining reading for both fans and foes. Devotees of college football will enjoy the inside information and fascinating trivia. Button collectors will have a field day. And even those like me, who know nothing whatsoever about football, will be entertained by what the authors offer in this book. It would make a wonderful gift for any sports fan you know. Adding to its considerable appeal is the knowledge that a portion of the price of each book sold will benefit the Penn State Blue Band, cheerleaders, and dance team.
Book Description
Century History of football at W & J, the only small college ever to play in the Rose Bowl. Pat Harmon, curator of the National Football Hall of Fame, said: "I have seen a lot of volumes about a school's hundred years, and this is the best, the most complete." Coffee-table sized, beautiful hard cover, fully illustrated, many photos over a hundred years old. Captivating stories of W & J games with national leaders such as Notre Dame, Army, Navy, Pitt, West Virginia, Penn State, and Marshall... Includes All-Americans -- an Al-American book!
Customer Reviews:
Exclusively for Football Lovers!.......2002-08-01
Lee North has done a superb job of recording the early history of football... the first team to wear numbers, the first indoor game, the first college powerhouses and their now famous coaches. Nicely illustrated and laid out. A must for all football enthusiasts!
The Story of a Small College that made the Rose Bowl.......1999-05-01
This story of a small college that made football history is a blockbuster. Little Washington and Jefferson College, averaging about 400 students, from 1890 through 1935 played the likes of Pitt, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Penn State, Syracuse, Army, Navy, and a host of others. And W & J won far more of these games than it lost.There are loads of interesting pictures, including a monster bonfire in 1909 at WVU as Mountaineeer enthusiasts implored their team to "incinerate W & J." (But W & J won, 18-5.)The small Pennsylvania college produced many All-Americans, including Wilbur F. Henry, all-time All-America tackle; Deacon Dan Towler, who went on to a great pro career with Los Angeles; Tackle Russ Stein, who starred on W & J's 1922 Rose Bowl team; and Johnny Spiegel, halfback who led the nation in scoring in 1913.W & J produced the first black quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl, Dr. Charles "Pruner" West. This book has the entire Pruner story -- Washington and Lee refused to play the Presidents if Pruner played. The W & J players elected not to play if Pruner did not. The game was called off. In "Battling..." you'll also read about two of the strangest plays in football history, the nasty words WVU adherents used for Pruner West, and W & J's return to grid prominence in the 1990s after decades in the doldrums.
Book Description
The names are oh-so-familiar to fans of college football: Joe Paterno, John Cappelletti, Jack Ham, LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny. Those names and countless others have given Penn State football an unmatched tradition and legacy of greatness. This book attempts to distill that tradition into words and pictures. Game Day: Penn State Football offers vivid images and stories capturing the rich history of the Lions, the traditions that make Penn State unique, and all the memorable games along the way.
Book Description
Soccer's popularity continues to grow by leaps and bounds with the successful national soccer league and the American women's spectacular win at the world cup. The Official Rules of Soccer is the same rulebook used by all soccer organizations worldwide, including US Soccer.
Book size is 4" x 6."
Customer Reviews:
Soccor "Rules".......2002-11-27
An outstanding book of the rules of U.S. Soccor for youth under 16. Clear and consice with lots of diagrams explaining the rules, especially helpful in explaining "off sides" penalities. Fits in your pocket for easy traveling to and from the games.
The authoritative source for the rules of soccer........2001-03-30
This is an essential book for everyone who is involved in soccer.
The book covers all of the rules of soccer and should be required reading for all Coaches, referees, players and especially PARENTS.
If you want to get a good understanding on how the rules really work then BUY THIS BOOK!
GREAT.......2000-05-21
THIS BOOK GIVE A CLEAR AND EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE BETTER SPORT OF THE WORLD: THE SOCCER
good and informative.......1997-12-01
This is the ultimate source for soccer rules since they are the ones who wrote them. But this edition does not include there own 1997 law changes which really should be there.
Books:
- Wild Mammals in Captivity: Principles and Techniques
- Wildlife Feeding And Nutrition (ANIMAL FEEDING AND NUTRITION)
- Wilson's Practical Meat Inspection
- Would I Lie to You (Gossip Girl, No. 10)
- A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians of Eastern & Central North America (Peterson Field Guide Series)
- A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians: Field Marks of All Species in Western North America, Includung Baja California (Peterson Field Guide Series)
- A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life
- A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore (Photographic Guides)
- A Whale of a Tale!: All About Porpoises, Dolphins, and Whales (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
- African Safari Photography
Books Index
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General
| Football (American)
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
Game of My Life Penn State: Memorable Stories of Nittany Lion Football
The Lion In Autumn : A Season with Joe Paterno and Penn State Football
This Is Penn State (Keystone Book)
The Penn State Football Button Book
Stadium Stories: Penn State Nittany Lions: Colorful Tales of America's Greatest Teams
