From an AP sports writer and author, a history of Pennsylvania State University's Nittany Lions, with personal stories from coaches and players.
In Tales from Penn State Football, Ken Rappoport puts you on the fifty-yard line and sometimes gets you a seat on the bench or a stall in the locker room. From the first team in the 1880s to the celebrated Joe Paterno teams of the 20th century, Penn State's most entertaining-and legendary-football stories are chronicled here. And there is plenty to tell, considering the history of the Penn State football program. Penn State football started in 1881. These early pioneers could hardly envision the future popularity of the game, where crowds of more than 100,000 would fill Beaver Stadium to see Paterno's nationally ranked powers play in the second-largest football stadium in America. In between, there have been plenty of colorful stories and characters at Penn State to fill a book. There was a coach who held up a Rose Bowl game over a violent argument and another who credited a mule for his success. Also, a player who impersonated the legendary Jim Thorpe and another nicknamed "Riverboat Richie" for his gambling instincts on the football field. For many of the stories in this book, Rappoport went right to the source. In an earlier interview at the Nittany Lion Inn, Joe Paterno talked about his famous "Grand Experiment." At about the same time, Rip Engle discussed his most treasured moments at Penn State. Football aficionados will relish every tale. The perfect gift for college football buffs and Penn State fans.
Autorentext
Barry Wilner has been a sportswriter for the Associated Press for 32 years, covering nearly every major sporting event, from the Super Bowl to the World Cup, the Olympics to the Stanley Cup finals. He is the author of 27 books on a variety of sports subjects, including Miracles, Shockers, and Long Shots: The Greatest Sports Upsets of All Time and Football Feuds: The Greatest College Football Rivalries\u00b8 written in collaboration with Ken Rappoport. Ken Rappoport is the author of more than 50 sports books for adults and young readers, including Tales from Penn State Football and Penn State Nittany Lions: Where Have You Gone? Working for the Associated Press in New York for 30 years, he wrote about every major sport. His assignments included the World Series, the NBA Finals, and as the AP's national hockey writer, the Stanley Cup Finals and the Olympics.
Klappentext
Every autumn, the town of State College in central Pennsylvania turns blue and white. Thousands of people from all over the state---indeed, from all over the nation---flock to Beaver Stadium to watch the Nittany Lions of Penn State University take on whatever foe is on the schedule. Since the 1880s, Penn State has been an elite force in collegiate football, earning 40 bowl invitations (of which they have won a record 70 percent), securing two national championships, and posting seven perfect seasons. Since 1966, the Nittany Lions have been coached by the legendary Joe Paterno, the winningest coach in Division I college football history.
Penn State Football: The Complete Illustrated History presents an in-depth and entertaining look at the teams, people, and moments that have defined Nittany Lions football for more than 120 years.It includes profiles of key players and coaches and highlights all the great seasons and games. Chronicling, decade by decade, the Nittany Lions' on-field accomplishments and off-field developments, this lavishly illustrated history is the ultimate celebration of a storied football program.