Special Collection
 


Football

Ah, fall... time for back-to-school shopping, cool, crisp weather, the turning of the leaves, and -- football!  Whether you're out there on the field, in the bleachers or on your family room couch, football has been a unifying aspect of American culture for generations. Try out these selections for a taste of fall football, anytime!


Football Fiction for Adults

Balls by Nanci Kincaid (1999): A hilarious romp through the world of male sports-obsession follows the meteoric rise and decline of Mac Gibbs, a dashing college football coach, and the woman who loves him.

A Trick of Nature by Suzanne Matson (2000): Greg Goodman is a very ordinary football coach in an ordinary life, until an unexpected crisis shatters his comfortable suburban routine.

Toss by Boomer Esiason and Lowell Cauffiel (1998): When golden boy, Derek Brody, signs a $6 million deal to play for the New York Stars, his concerns for the team become secondary when an ex-Stars quarterback is found dead.

Football Nonfiction for Adults

Paper Lion by George Plimpton (1966): A funny and insightful account of the sports journalist turned rookie quarterback.

Simply Devine: Memoirs of a Hall of Fame Coach by Dan Devine with Michael R.
Steele (2000): The heartwarming story of the life of the man who coached Joe Montana, Johnny Roland and Roger Wehrli.

A Legacy of Champions: The Story of the Men Who Built University of Michigan Football edited by Francis J. Fitzgerald (1996): Includes the history of Fielding Yost, Fritz Crisler and Bo Schembechler.

One Knee Equals Two Feet (And Everything Else You Need to Know About Football) by John Madden with Dave Anderson (1986): With anecdotes and observations, and a minumum of technical terms, Madden gives us an insider's view of the pains, pleasures, gossip, and people that make up America's favorite sport.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Football Like A Pro by Joe Theismann, with Brian Tarcy (1997): A colorful in-depth guide explains the basics of the sport, its rules, the creation of plays, and other aspects of football.

Football Fiction for Kids: Picture Books

The Dallas Titans Get Ready for Bed by Karla Kuskin; pictures by Marc Simont (1986): Follows a fictitious football team off the field, into the locker room, and to their homes, describing the normal routine after a game and examining the uniforms and pieces of equipment as they are removed.

Elbert, the Mind Reader by Barbara Rinkoff; pictures by Paul Galdone (1967): A new filling proves to be a radio receiver that can also tune in on people's thoughts, and a boy too small for the football team saves the big game.

Miss Nelson Has A Field Day by Harry Allard; pictures by James Marshall (1985): The notorious Miss Swamp reappears at the Horace B. Smedley School, this time to shape up the football team and make them win at least one game.

Football Fiction for Kids: Chapter Books

Benjy the Football Hero by Jean Van Leeuwen; pictures by Gail Owens (1985): Benjy discovers that brains work better than brawn when it comes to beating the other fourth grade class's football team.

The Berenstain Bears and the Female Fullback by Stan & Jan Berenstain (1993): Bothered by the fact that boys and girls are treated differently in the extracurricular activities at Bear Country School, Queenie McBear decides to get some changes made.

Betsy and the Boys by Carolyn Haywood (1945): Betsy and her fourth-grade friends discover football.

Catch That Pass! by Matt Christopher (1969): Everyone knows Jim will be the star
linebacker on the team if he can only conquer his fear of being tackled, but it takes a boy in a wheelchair to teach him that kind of courage. Matt Christopher writes lots of other books about football, too.

Football Nonfiction for Kids

Football by Ray Broekel (3rd edition, 1995): Describes the game of football as it is played by high school, college, and professional teams and lists the teams and some famous players of the National Football League.

My Football Book by Gail Gibbons (2000): Introduces the basics of the game of football, describing the players, field, and how the game is played.

Football: The Fundamentals by Bryant Lloyd (1997): Describes the fundamental
aspects of football, including the coaching, the teams, and such moves as blocking, passing, tackling, and kicking.

Also, check out this list of football biographies for kids!

Football Fiction for Young Adults

Imitate the Tiger by Jan Cheripko (1998): Chris Serbo knows and loves football and struggles to play it well, but when faced with pressure, he turns to alcohol and rebels against those that are the closest to him, including his aunt, coach, teachers and friends.

Necessary Roughness by Marie G. Lee (1998): Sixteen-year-old Korean American
Chan moves from Los Angeles to a small town in Minnesota, where he must cope not only with racism on the football team but also with the tensions in his relationship with his strict father.

Roughnecks by Thomas Cochran (1997):  Travis Cody prepares for the final game of his
high school football career, a rematch with his school's chief rival.

Running Wild by Thomas J. Dygard (1998):  When Coach Wilson and Officer Stowell encourage him to join the high school football team, Pete no longer believes that "nobody does anything for nothing." Thomas Dygard writes lots of other young adult books about football, too.

Football Videos: Nonfiction

Super Sunday: A History of the Super Bowl (1987): Film clips and documentary interviews with coaches and players who have participated in Super Bowl games.

Football Follies (1987) and Best of the Football Follies (1985): Two collections of chaos and comedy from the NFL's 100-yard stage.  Includes the best of 20 years of
fumbles and foolery from the National Football League.

Teaching Kids Football with Bo Schembechler (1986): Former University of Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler trains in both offense and defense, stressing that young players need to be taught the game in a way that shows that safety and fun are more important than winning.

Football Feature Films

Rudy (PG, 1993): The true story about a young man who realizes his lifelong dream to play football for Notre Dame University.

Angels in the Endzone (PG, 1997): A follow-up to the film, Angels in the Outfield, in which a young boy praying for a father and a struggling baseball team praying for a pennant learn to believe in themselves--with some heavenly intervention. In Angels in the Endzone, Al and his squad of angels are back to lend a hand to a struggling high school football team.

Brian's Song (G, 1971): James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in the touching story of friendship, tragedy and courage.

Remember the Titans (PG, 2000): In 1971, after leading his team to 15 winning seasons, football coach Bill Yost is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone. How these two men overcome their differences, and turn a group of hostile young men into champions, plays out in a triumphant story full of soul and spirit.

Football Books on Tape

Blue Skies, French Fries by Judy Delton (1988): The Pee Wee Scouts practice hard for their upcoming football game against Troop 15 from Oakdale. (Early elementary)

Tough to Tackle by Matt Christopher (1995): Boots Raymond is looking forward to playing quarterback for the Apollos, but the coach puts him on the line as tackle. (Middle Elementary)

The Dark Side of the Game: My Life in the NFL by Tim Green (1997): Green writes clearly and evenly about the dilemmas and deals the most professional football fans know nothing about: the dark side to America's favorite pastime. (Adult)

Football CD-ROMs

Backyard Football:  An interactive football simulation for kids!

NFL Math and NFL Reading:  When kids guide their favorite NFL team down the field by
answering math or reading questions, it all adds up to better learning skills.

eBook

TheHistory of Football by Diana Star Helmer (2000): Details the development of football throughout history, discussing improvements in the rules and equipment and the formation of related organizations.  Check out this eBook onto your computer!

Webpages

Detroit Lions: The official website of Detroit's National Football League franchise.

NFL.COM: The National Football League: News, statistics, rosters, schedules and more--all that's necessary to keep up to date about NFL professional football.

Local College Football:

Canton Lions Football Club: Join in cheering on the youth football and cheerleading squads of the Canton community.

This Special Multimedia Collection last updated on March 27, 2005.