Iron Men

In an oral history recalling football's heyday, rugged gridiron legends--including Bucko Kilroy, Michael Jarmoluk, Otto Graham and Crazylegs Hirsch--recount their grueling and exhilarating careers

Assembled by the author of The Railroaders , this oral history of pro football in the 1940s and '50s brings together reminiscences of players, an owner, a PR director, a bandmaster, even a fan. The players involved include quarterbacks Otto Graham and Eddie Lebaron, hitters Ed Sprinkle and Bucko Kilroy and other stars like Pat Summerall, Crazylegs Hirsch, Doak Walker and Marion Motley. Most, apparently, played for love of the game, since the starting pay was about $5000 a year, and seemingly all were well prepared to step into their post-gridiron "other lives." There is virtually unanimous agreement that the best player was Jim Brown, but sharp disagreement as to whether or not the game is better today. The only participant whose recollections are not enveloped in a golden haze is Motley, one of the two who broke the color bar in pro football.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Pro football enthusiasts will devour this entertaining oral history. Leuthner interviewed 20 former players (famous and not so famous) from the 1940s and 1950s, including Otto Graham, Andy Robustelli, and Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch, as well as fans, officials, and football executives. He has written a valuable historical record of pro football's formative period, when players played more for love and not big money. Topics include colorful characters, the impact of black players, training camp, the fans, and life after football. Recommended for public libraries. Ron Chepesiuk, Winthrop Coll. Lib., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.