Hard Knox: The Life of an NFL Coach

The man behind the NFL head coach is revealed in a candid look at his climb from a life of poverty to one of success in the sports arena--a story filled with personal remembrances, anecdotes, and unflinching opinions

Seemingly nothing in life except a happy marriage has come easily for Knox and in this autobiography, written with freelancer Plaschke, he tells of the vicissitudes that have enabled him to become strong and to be a coach who has consistently been able to take over a losing franchise and make it a winner. A drunken brute of a father (although Knox doesn't actually label him that), who regularly beat both of his sons, made the boy tough. He barely stayed in college, fighting the fear that it was not for a poor kid from the slums of Sewickley, Pa., and then put in 19 years as an assistant coach before landing the top spot with the Los Angeles Rams, moving to the Buffalo Bills and then to the Seattle Seahawks. Knox sees himself primarily as a teacher and a motivator who exudes faith in his players.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Two NFL coaches give their philosophies: Knox's book is autobiographical; Stamborski's is a collection of Ditka quotations. Like Ditka, Knox came from a Pennsylvania steel town. With Plaschke's help he traces his rise to coaching jobs at Los Angeles, Buffalo, and Seattle after stops in lesser posts. He consistently turned losing teams into winners but has yet to reach the Super Bowl. Knox emerges as demanding but compassionate in a story useful for football collections. The Ditka book, a melange mainly from the Chicago Tribune of statements by and about Ditka, covers the years from his 1982 appointment as Bears coach to the tough 1987-88 season. His technique and relations with quarterbacks, former assistant Buddy Ryan, and others with the club highlight the topically organized collection. Unlike his Ditka: An Autobiography, this will interest mainly Chicagoans. Morey Berger, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan,
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.