by Joe Garner
First published 2011
Joe Garner opens with professional football's most electrifying plays. The Immaculate Reception unfolds in slow motion. The Ice Bowl freezes players and fans alike. The Music City Miracle defies every expectation. Garner partners with broadcaster Bob Costas to examine one hundred defining NFL moments across nearly a century of gridiron history. They spotlight legendary dynasties like Lombardi's Packers and Walsh's 49ers. They revisit Roger Staubach's Hail Mary pass and Tony Dorsett's spectacular 99-yard touchdown run. The 1985 Chicago Bears defense terrorizes opponents as the "Monsters of the Midway." Johnny Unitas commands the field in the 1958 championship game that fans still call "The Greatest Game Ever Played." Eli Manning's Giants shock Tom Brady's Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Drew Brees lifts the Lombardi trophy for celebrating New Orleans Saints supporters. The book includes an original ten-part documentary featuring game footage from NFL archives. Garner captures the coaches, quarterbacks, comebacks, and collapses that shaped America's most popular sport.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, sports, non-fiction, 21st-century, football, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-events, sports-drama
Setting: Chicago, Ice Bowl, Midway, Music City, New Orleans, Super Bowl
Period: 1958, 1985, 2007, 2010s
320 pages · Hardcover · Houghton Mifflin Harcourt