Library Journal, a trade publication for librarians, calls John Kryk's Stagg vs. Yost: The Birth of Cutthroat Football "essential reading for those interested in the early history of college football."
The book from Rowman & Littlefield went on sale this week.
In a review posted to the web on Thursday, July 23 and appearing in the August print edition of Library Journal, John Maxymuk of Rutgers University's Paul Robeson Library wrote, in part:
"Using archival materials, Kryk (Natural Enemies) chronicles the lives of two pioneering coaches: the University of Michigan's Fielding H. Yost (1871-1946) and the University of Chicago's Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862-1965). While Yost is mostly forgotten today, his fast-paced 'point-a-minute' offense was an early precursor to modern no-huddle attacks.
"The venerated Stagg, who coached into his 90s, carefully burnished his pristine reputation as a paragon by moralizing about corruption in college football while demonizing the professional game as pure evil. Kryk discovered Stagg to be a shady recruiter and found that his dubious sportsmanship was expressed by publicly questioning the eligibility of players on rival teams . . . .
"Kryk doesn't dispute Stagg's greatness as a coach and innovator but suggests a fuller perspective of him, also advocating a reassessment of Yost as an imaginative strategist in football history."
Library Journal's "verdict" on Stagg vs. Yost: "Essential reading for those interested in the early history of college football."
Click here for the full review.
No comments:
Post a Comment