Overview
An exciting history of the game, with profiles of its greatest players.
At the heart of Football's Greatest Stars are detailed profiles of the 50 greatest players of professional history. They're all here -- the original heroes, the '80s superstars and the future Hall of Famers.
Luminaries include:
- Brett Favre
- Dan Marino
- Deacon Jones
- Dick Butkus
- Forrest Gregg
- Fran Tarkenton
- Jerry Rice
- Joe Montana
- Joe Namath
- Johnny Unitas
- Lawrence Taylor
- Peyton Manning
- Roger Staubach
- Terry Bradshaw
- Tom Brady
- ... and
35 others.
Football is followed by more fans than any other sport in the United States. It's also cherished by big businesses, which pay $2.7 million for a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl.
Why is professional football so popular? How did it get that way? Who are the men who carried this storied league to the biggest stage in the United States? Allan Maki assesses the NFL's rise to greatness with three compelling essays on the men, the moments and the circumstances that have created the game that's watched today by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. In addition to the player profiles, 32 franchise profiles chart the league's rise to greatness.
Football's Greatest Stars is a superb book for fans, and a compelling history of a great game.
Synopsis
Well-illustrated profiles of the 50 greatest professional football players -- the original heroes and 80's superstars to future Hall of Famers, as well as 32 NFL franchise profiles and 3 essays that assess aspects of the NFL popularity.
John Maxymuk - Library Journal
This book attempts to profile the top 50 stars of the last 50 years of professional football, as chosen by a 25-year veteran sportswriter from Canada. The 50 selections are divided into two sections, Top 20 and Next 30, and are arranged alphabetically within those groupings. Of the Top 20, eight are quarterbacks, five are running backs, and only five are defensive players; the proportions for the Next 30 are similar. The profiles themselves are knowledgably written but take a back seat to the well-chosen illustrations-135 color photographs mixed with scores of black-and-white ones in a very striking layout. The book also features, e.g., "Legends in the Making" and "Franchises" (one-page summaries of all 32 teams). In short, a beautiful if not essential book that would be at home in any public library.
Editorials
American Profile .com
Packed with 120 color photos of Peyton Manning, O.J. Simpson, Jerry Rice, Jim Brown, Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Deion Sanders and many , many other touchdown titans, it's sure to be a hit with any gridiron fan.— Neil Pond
Winnipeg Free Press
There's a lot of information in this book.— Nick Martin
Library Journal
This book attempts to profile the top 50 stars of the last 50 years of professional football, as chosen by a 25-year veteran sportswriter from Canada. The 50 selections are divided into two sections, Top 20 and Next 30, and are arranged alphabetically within those groupings. Of the Top 20, eight are quarterbacks, five are running backs, and only five are defensive players; the proportions for the Next 30 are similar. The profiles themselves are knowledgably written but take a back seat to the well-chosen illustrations-135 color photographs mixed with scores of black-and-white ones in a very striking layout. The book also features, e.g., "Legends in the Making" and "Franchises" (one-page summaries of all 32 teams). In short, a beautiful if not essential book that would be at home in any public library.
—John Maxymuk