Mad Ducks and Bears

Mad Ducks and Bears is the engaging companion to George Plimpton's Paper Lion. In this book, Plimpton's personal favorite, he rejoins two of his football teammates from the Detroit Lions, linemen John Gordy and Alex Karras, to talk about their careers in this sometimes brutal, always fascinating game.

Mad Ducks and Bears is a more reflective, less madcap book than what we have come to expect from Plimpton - but no less truthful and searching. (5 1/2 X 8 1/4, 256 pages)

In Mad Ducks and Bears, George Plimpton's engaging companion piece to Paper Lion and one of his personal favorites, Plimpton brings his focus to two of the most remarkably entertaining and roguish linemen of his Paper Lion experience-- Alex Karras ("Mad Ducks") and John Gordy ("Bears"), both of whom went on to achieve brilliant post-football success. A more reflective, less madcap book than Plimpton's other work, Mad Ducks and Bears is no less truthful and searching.
In this fond exploration of the values and follies of football, he rejoins his two Lions teammates to talk about their careers in this sometimes brutal but always captivating game. As Paper Lion is the quintessential look at a football team behind the scenes, Mad Ducks and Bears is one of the most astute explorations into the fascinating lives, thoughts, and motivations of the players at home, in the locker room, and on the field.