Powerhouses of Ohio High School Football: The 50s and 60s


Book Description

By the middle of the twentieth century, Ohio high school football ranked among the mightiest in the nation. Dynastic programs Massillon and Canton McKinley dominated the 1950s. Not to be outdone, Barberton, Portsmouth, Cleveland Cathedral Latin and Jackson staked their claims to greatness, and championship squads from Benedictine to Marion Harding and Alliance fought their way to the top of the rankings. Ever-steady Massillon continued their winning ways in the '60s. Along the way, determined newcomers like Niles McKinley, Toledo Central Catholic, Wyoming, Sandusky, Bishop Watterson and Marion Catholic snatched their share of gridiron glory. At the decade's close, the fierce Golden Bears of Upper Arlington forged their own dynasty. Join author Tim Raab as he presents the champions, contenders, heartbreaks and heroics of this thrilling era of Ohio pigskin history.




The High School Athlete: Football


Book Description

BRING YOUR GAME—AND YOUR PLAYERS—TO THE NEXT LEVEL For the dedicated student athlete, it’s always football season. The High School Athlete: Football is the essential program for any student looking to play football in high school, as well as any coach looking to revolutionize their methods. Designed from the ground up for developing student athletes and drawing on scientifically proven training models, The High School Athlete: Football builds from fundamentals to advanced workout progressions for both freshmen and varsity players of all positions. With over 100 workouts, The High School Athlete: Football includes everything a young athlete needs to know about physical and mental fitness, nutrition, and training regimens. Geared towards young athletes and their immediate fitness goals, The High School Athlete: Football’s comprehensive workout schedule takes players through an entire year, from pre-season to off-season, helping players maintain gains while driving themselves beyond their limits to achieve never-before-seen results. The High School Athlete series provides sport-specific training and nutrition information designed to enhance the winning capacity of high school athletes. Based on successful strategies with proven results, The High School Athlete series offers coaches and student athletes a comprehensive resource for physical and mental development and conditioning.




The Manufacturing of High School Football Recruits in the United States (U.S.): An Examination of the High School Football Landscape as an Economic Sub-Sector


Book Description

The role of interscholastic athletics within the educational setting has been questioned by critics including many scholars for the seemingly incongruence between its stated mission and actual institutional practices. There have been numerous studies that have examined high school athletic programs and primarily have focused on the academic and social benefits derived therein. Yet, sports and athletics are becoming increasingly important and popular in U.S. society and globally. The commercialization of sport and athletics is not a novelty in the U.S., but the increasing attention paid to high school athletics is a fairly recent and emerging phenomenon. In 2005, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) launched a subsidiary channel ESPNU and in 2006 the channel began producing and televising nationally ranked games between top high school football programs. As of 2017, there are numerous websites devoted to covering high school football and basketball, especially the players who rise to the top of the ranks. How they play and develop and ultimately what university they choose to attend is a national event. Despite this rise in attention for high school football there has been scarce scholarly investigation into its landscape. The aim of this study is to begin providing clarity on the high school football landscape in the U.S. including characteristics of schools, communities, and trends related to producing Division I football players. Using theories rooted in economic sociology on markets and labor, a theoretical concept is constructed in order to understand high school athletes as a product created to be bought and sold within multiple markets. The concept of the athletic-market economy and its various components are forwarded as a larger framework for understanding the production, distribution, and consumption of high school football, the larger football industry, and the athletic economy.




3rd & 10


Book Description

As a high school athlete transitioning into playing college sports or an individual transitioning into a new career or phase in one's life, know that there will be ups and downs, highs and lows, and pitfalls to overcome. In 3rd & 10/ Overcoming the Pitfalls of Becoming a College Football Player, author Dr. Roosevelt "Bug" Isom, Jr. describes some of the pitfalls pertaining to the game of football, in life, and how to overcome, despite the constant challenges we face. Filled with painful truths, realistic guidance, motivating quotes, and riveting testimonies, 3rd & 10/Overcoming the Pitfalls of Becoming a College Football Player is a must read for all high school and college athletes, specifically football players, men and women, and mothers and fathers who seek guidance for their kids and for themselves on how to persevere, gain strength, grow spiritually, and overcome the pitfalls in life. "A famous Chinese proverb states," To know the road ahead, ask those coming back." In other words, if you want to know what to expect on your journey, take the time to learn from someone who has already been there. My friend, Dr. Roosevelt Isom Jr., has not only traveled the roads that you have begun to navigate, but he is also passionate about sharing the biggest lessons from that journey. Through 3rd & 10, he provides a transparent account of both his triumphs and defeats as a Division I student-athlete. Experience is truly the best teacher; however, not all learning experiences have to be your own. If you are committed to being the absolute best college student-athlete that you can be, I encourage you to read every word in this book with a receptive heart and an open mind. In doing so, you will have the opportunity to unlock your fullest potential in every aspect of your life. In my travels to various schools around the country as a motivational speaker, I constantly encounter young athletes who become their own worst enemies in their pursuit of success. Instead of being intentional about the steps they should take to see long-term success both on and off the field, they rely solely on their athletic talent, expecting all of the right cards to simply fall into place. However, the reality is that only 2% of all high school football players actually make it to the NFL, and many football standouts are prepared for neither the academics of college nor for life once their football careers come to an end. If you utilize the tools provided to you within the pages of this book, you can be confident that you will be able to successfully navigate the waters of being a college football player and overcome any pitfalls that commonly hold student-athletes back from achieving their goals. Dr. Isom is a living testimony of the ups and downs that can occur as a result of your decisions both in the classroom and on the football field. As someone who wants to see you succeed, I urge you to consciously carry each of these powerful lessons with you every day as you transition into college football." Your future self will thank you for it! Raven Magwood, International Speaker, Best Selling Author




The Official Guidebook to a College Football Scholarship


Book Description

Are you a high school athlete who dreams about playing in the Rose Bowl? Maybe you see yourself playing for the Texas Longhorns or the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. For every high school senior who wants to play football for a school like the Florida Gators, there are thousands of other athletes who will be competing to achieve the same dream. There are more than 1.2 million kids playing football on the high school level. However, only about 3,000 high school football players each year get to sign a national letter of intent to play for a Division I (FBS) University and another 2,300 at the Division I-AA (FCS) level. This constitutes less than 1% of high school students who are offered that elusive football scholarship. Because of these odds, even talented players like you need an advantage. To make yourself standout from the rest of the field, you need to know how to market yourself to a university, interact with their coaching staff and ensure that you are doing the right things off the field to get the best scholarship opportunities available. By compiling advice from college coaches, communication experts, as well as scholarship athletes, this in-depth book is a “how to” manual that puts you in the best position to earn a college football scholarship. Talent is a necessity, but it takes the right strategy to propel an athlete to the next level. By following this easy step-by-step guide, you will be well on your way to earning that coveted football scholarship.




Season of Life


Book Description

The bestselling inspirational book in which the author reunites with a childhood football hero, now a minister and coach, and witnesses a revelatory demonstration of the true meaning of manhood—Season of Life is a book that “should be required reading for every high school student in America and every parent as well” (Carl Lewis, Olympic champion). Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL football star and volunteer coach for the Gilman high school football team, teaches his players the keys to successful defense: penetrate, pursue, punish, love. Love? A former captain of the Baltimore Colts and now an ordained minister, Ehrmann is serious about the game of football but even more serious about the purpose of life. Season of Life is his inspirational story as told by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jeffrey Marx, who was a ballboy for the Colts when he first met Ehrmann. Ehrmann now devotes his life to teaching young men a whole new meaning of masculinity. He teaches the boys at Gilman the precepts of his Building Men for Others program: Being a man means emphasizing relationships and having a cause bigger than yourself. It means accepting responsibility and leading courageously. It means that empathy, integrity, and living a life of service to others are more important than points on a scoreboard. Decades after he first met Ehrmann, Jeffrey Marx renewed their friendship and watched his childhood hero putting his principles into action. While chronicling a season with the Gilman Greyhounds, Marx witnessed the most extraordinary sports program he’d ever seen, where players say “I love you” to each other and coaches profess their love for their players. Off the field Marx sat with Ehrmann and absorbed life lessons that led him to reexamine his own unresolved relationship with his father. Season of Life is a book about what it means to be a man of substance and impact. It is a moving story that will resonate with athletes, coaches, parents—anyone struggling to make the right choices in life.




The Recruit's Playbook


Book Description

The Definitive Guide to Football Recruiting “After reading this book, one will have the confidence to make the best choice and be ready to succeed knowing they have already received the most valuable information there is.” ?Kirk Morrison, former NFL player, ESPN college football broadcaster, ESPN Los Angeles radio host #1 New Release in Teen & Young Adult Football, Fitness & Exercise, School & Education, and Mindfulness & Meditation This all-in-one game plan for young football players in search of a collegiate scholarship takes a deep dive into demystifying the football recruiting process. Your play-by-play guide to scoring big.The Recruit’s Playbook is written to help guide preteens and teenage boys through their journey from high school football to college football. As an alumni NFL draft pick turned D1 college football coach, author Larry Hart utilizes his vast knowledge of the sport to help guide you through 9th to 12th grade, highlighting what to do and when to do it. It is one of the first college football books of its kind, aimed to help high school athletes navigate college football recruiting. Through clear and effective information that is easy to follow, The Recruit’s Playbook helps high school athletes each step of the way. Be the best athlete you can be. Coach Hart offers a holistic approach to being a top athlete and prospect. From setting goals effectively, prioritizing academic skills, self-advocacy, asking the right questions, building your brand, establishing an online presence, overcoming adversity, and “pro tips” —this playbook has you covered. Also find: An exclusive look into the football recruiting process Practical tips on how to balance an increasingly demanding teenage life Expert advice on how to be a standout NCAA football recruiting prospect If you enjoyed books like The Young Champion's Mind: How to Think, Train, & Thrive Like an Elite Athlete, Shoot Your Shot, or Trust the Grind, then you’ll love The Recruit’s Playbook.




Across the River


Book Description

On the west bank of the Mississippi lies the New Orleans neighborhood of Algiers. Short on hope but big on dreams, its mostly poor and marginalized residents find joy on Friday nights when the Cougars of Edna Karr High School take the field. For years, this football program has brought glory to Algiers, winning three consecutive state championships and sending dozens of young men to college on football scholarships. Although he is preparing for a fourth title, head coach Brice Brown is focused on something else: keeping his players alive. An epidemic of gun violence plagues New Orleans and its surrounding communities and has claimed many innocent lives, including Brown’s former star quarterback, Tollette “Tonka” George, shot near a local gas station. In Across the River, award-winning sports journalist Kent Babb follows the Karr football team through its 2019 season as Brown and his team—perhaps the scrappiest and most rebellious group in the program’s history—vie to again succeed on and off the field. What is sure to be a classic work of sports journalism, Across the River is a necessary investigation into the serious realities of young athletes in struggling neighborhoods: gentrification, eviction, mental health issues, the drug trade, and gun violence. It offers a rich and unflinching portrait of a coach, his players, and the West Bank, a community where it’s difficult—but not impossible—to rise above the chaos, discover purpose, and find a way out.




Thursday Night Lights


Book Description

Telling an inspiring, largely unknown story, Thursday Night Lights recounts how African American high school football programs produced championship teams and outstanding players during the Jim Crow era.




The Dynasties


Book Description

The Dynasties: Long Island High School Football is the first in a series of books about the top high school sports teams on Long Island. The first, a look at the best grid iron squads of all-time, breaks down the historical backgrounds behind the top 10 programs and the next 11 honorable mention schools. Through anecdotal stories and recaps of the biggest games in the history of every program, The Dynasties: Long Island High School Football is truly a one-of-a-kind piece of literature. No one has ever written about the history of Long Island high school football and Vaccaro categorizes the best schools by going deep into the foundation of every major team, player, year and game of each program. He considers a dynasty a program that has been consistent from day one, not just a school that won for a few years in a row. In this book youll learn why high school football is a major fabric of any community and how football on Long Island is a special brand of sport, more so than other parts of the country. Advanced Praise Vaccaros book captures some of the special moments about the top teams in Long Island high school football history. Its a must read for every high school football fan on Long Island! I couldnt put it down once I started reading it. Andy Slawson, Newsday This book puts a much-needed spotlight on a realm of sports that doesnt get the attention it deserves. Finally, there is a book that strings together the glory of the programs, players, coaches and administrators of Nassau and Suffolk football that have cultivated and enriched its history to this day." James J. Parziale, Queens Tribune