The 1970s was a golden age for books published by the NFL. The effort and investment that, these days, goes into NFL Network, social media output, podcasts, and more, was instead directed into publishing. The Punt, Pass and Kick series gave young people a way into the game, while the Great Teams, Great Years series offered a deep dive into the history of a few franchises. This book comes towards the tail-end of that boom and covers some of the great coaches.
Jack Clary wrote a couple of those Great Teams, Great Years titles, as well as collaborating on Paul Brown’s autobiography, Ken Anderson’s The Art of Quarterbacking and producing numerous other football titles. Though he died in 2020, Clary’s football influence lives on through his nephew, Greg Roman, who at the time of writing is offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers. Roman says he would recommend this book, which covers the careers of eight NFL coaches, to any aspiring coach.
It’s an early example of a now-common genre: football coaches dispense wisdom that might apply to people in business or simply those who want to be more successful in their lives. Clary profiles Paul Brown, then with the Bengals, Chuck Knox of the Rams, Tom Landry of the Cowboys, John Madden of the Raiders, Chuck Noll of the Steelers, Bum Phillips of the Oilers, John Ralston of the Broncos and Don Shula of the Dolphins.
The author mostly lets his subjects, and their opinions, take the stage, but the writing is deft and accomplished. Little flourishes here and there let you know that Clary is a skilled writer but his ability is mostly shown in how he keeps the narrative moving without it becoming dull. Many of these ‘learn from the leaders’ books can feel preachy and mechanical, but that isn’t the case here.
Whether you’re seeking leadership tips or not, this book is well worth reading. It’s a fascinating look into the minds of some great coaches – five of whom are in the Hall of Fame, all of whom are now dead – written by a contemporary. Well worth seeking out.
THE AUTHOR
Jack Clary, who died in 2020, was the author of more than 60 books on football, baseball, basketball and more, including PB: The Paul Brown Story. He won the Pro Football Researchers’ Association’s 2015 Ralph Hay Award for lifetime achievement in pro football research and historiography.
Photo by Steve DiMatteo on Unsplash
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