Most Husker fans know of Jason Peter. He became an All-American in 1997 and was co-caption of the 1997 Nebraska national championship team. He was a first-round draft pick in 1998 by the Carolina Panthers, but had his career cut short by injuries in 2001. It was then that his life changed, the hero worship ended and he began his descent into a drug-filled hellhole. Out of that hellhole came his story, Hero of the Underground.

Hero of the Underground has been out for over a month, released in early July. Peter changed the names of everyone in the book so as to not implicate anyone but himself. He took a chance in doing so, given the recent scandal regarding James Frey's A Million Little Lies where it turned out Frey's memoir was mostly fiction. It could have turned out that Peter's book was seen in the same light. Fortunately for Peter this has not happened.

It''s a hard book to put down after you get started and it's not because of the Nebraska football content. Instead you're caught up in Peter's life as it becomes a continuous lather, rinse, repeat cycle. He gets high, realizes he's too screwed up to continue, goes to rehab, leaves rehab, immediately gets high and start the cycle all over again. Sooner or later it has to end.

Drugs are mentioned so often in the book that after a while, much like Peter you become numb to them. Heroin, meth, loads of pain killers, vicodin, whatever. There are enough hookers and girlfriends in the book that after a while they, too became nameless, as do the people he meets in rehab. In this regard the book is successful because after a while you don't really care about their names, so it wouldn't have made much difference had Peter used them (other than to the people he was naming, a bunch of lawyers, or public relations people).

For the majority of the book Peter comes off as an arrogant ass. He's as blunt as possible about what he's doing to himself, yet he shirks off every possible attempt by someone to help him. He seems completely aware about the trainwreck his life has become yet refuses to do anything serious about it. Such is the life of a junkie.

There's a point at which anyone in this situation hits rock bottom. For some readers Peter may have hit bottom when he recounts his paranoia about being arrested during a drug-induced bout of paranoia at the beginning of the book. For Peter, it was when he realized he'd nearly killed his mother from anxiety. For me, the exact moment was when he realized he's missed three or four days of his life without any idea of what day it is nor what he'd been doing over that time span.

The football content in the book is interesting, although not as interesting as the rest of his story. Still, I get a feeling of camaraderie in knowing that Peter detests Lou Holtz even more than I do, and his chapter about his stint at Nebraska is worth every word. 

'Hero of the Underground' presents an interesting juxtaposition to other books related to Nebraska football. Fan books, i.e., Steve Smith's excellent "Forever Red', Tom Osborne's book "Faith in the Game", or "What It Means to be A Husker" deal with the images of Nebraska football as Norman Rockwell would have painted them, picturesque romantic visions of hard-working young man doing battle on our behalf. In other words, total goodness, complete with healthy doses of religious faith. Peter's book contains everything that these books are not, the darkest side of sports and humanity against the backdrop of the hero worship that's a part of Husker football.

This isn't a book for Nebraska football fans, it's a book for everyone. Well, maybe not everyone. As a parent, I'd have a hard time giving it to my kid to read unless they were heading down the same dangerous path. While the tale of destruction might give warning, the constant dismissal of faith and 12-step programs (not everyone can afford the rehab centers that Peter uses, then non-chalantly tosses aside) may not have the affect you intend, so if you're considering using it as a warning you damned well better read it first

Don't buy this book because it's about a Nebraska Cornhusker hero. Buy it because it's a damned good book and when you start reading it you won't stop until you're done. Some may get turned off by the raw nature of the subject and the language, but given the success it's had (up to #20 on the NY Times Best Seller list), those are few.

Buy the book if you haven't yet. You won't be disappointed.

The North Platte Telegraph recently did an article about 'A Sea of Red' which included the following quote:

"I liked Nebraska football a lot while I was at the University of Nebraska," he said. "To really appreciate it, you need to leave the state."
When Johnston left Nebraska he realized he was among people who had no concept of the level enthusiasm for college football and the fervor of football fans in Nebraska, something he took for granted.
"Until I left the state, I never knew how much I loved Husker football," Johnston said. "I never knew how much it meant to me."

Since the article came out (and was subsequently linked on Huskerpedia), I've heard from a number of expatriate Nebraskans who feel the same way - if you ever want to discover how much you love Nebraska football, leave the state.

The following is from Roger Aden, who contributed to 'A Sea of Red' and also published the book 'Huskerville: A Story of Nebraska Football, Fans, and the Power of Place' last year. Roger was so bothered by his yearning for Nebraska football that he wrote an entire book about it.

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My mind’s playing tricks on me.

You see, I’ve been at our county fair in southeastern Ohio the past few days where I’ve seen many of the sights of summer: sno-cones dribbling down the chins of little kids, teenagers acting (and dressing) in ways that make me wonder where their parents are [insert old-before-my-time “harrumph/snort” here], and elderly folks fanning themselves in the few shady spots available. Yet, whenever I take a break from carting ice bottles out to cool the rabbit and checking on the box fan above the lamb (I’m no farm parent, trust me…we live on a cul-de-sac…long story), I smell fall. That’s because, in Huskerville, the first depth chart and pre-season poll have been released and fall camp has begun.
 
Even more strangely, as I notice that the season opener is at the end of this month, I feel a bit like a kid on Christmas Eve. Remember the anxious, excited feeling you used to get wondering what was wrapped in the packages you had been staring at for days, even weeks? We’ve been staring at the newly-packaged football team for even longer, knowing something good is inside while wondering just exactly how good it will be. Of course, what’s inside the football package is—for many of us—much more meaningful than anything we might have received under the tree. That’s why Bo Pelini and his staff have been barnstorming the state this summer; Bo knows Nebraska.

Like my friend Jon (aka Corn blight), I learned just how important Husker football was to me after I moved out of the state. At first, I thought it might just be me. Fortunately, I have a job that demands that I ask questions and find answers about what we humans find meaningful, so I had the perfect excuse to watch Husker football games, talk to Husker football fans, and read what fans and former players have said about our devotion. Their insights are represented in my book, Huskerville: A Story of Nebraska Football, Fans, and the Power of Place (McFarland, 2008). As the book’s title suggests, I think the whole “Husker Nation” thing is an inappropriate moniker for who we are and what we do. Although the phrase “Husker Nation” accurately captures the sentiment that who we are transcends the state’s borders, it does not reflect what we are. We are largely small town, rural folks who live and value three central qualities: working hard, being neighborly, and staying down-to-earth. In my research, these qualities emerged time and time again when fans and former players talked about what makes Nebraska—the state and the football team—unique. That’s why we have so wholeheartedly embraced the walk-on program, applauding the opponent, and the humility of Tom Osborne, respectively.

These ways of Nebraskans are not just reflective of what we value—they embody what we value. Perhaps “value” is even insufficient to describe the depth of our attachment to these ways. They are rooted in our shared cultural history, our landscape, and even our literature (Mari Sandoz, Willa Cather, etc.). We hold them so close to our heart not just because they represent our traditional ways of living, but because they remind us of our roots when those ways are not as prevalent as they used to be (i.e., the declining population of rural Nebraska, the reduction in family-owned farms, and so on).

Being a Cornhusker football fan, then, is a way to say—to ourselves, to other Nebraskans, to non-Nebraskans—“what we do works and how we do it matters.” Our testimony, whether offered to others in deed, word, or through the action on the football field, demonstrates this belief. “There is no place like Nebraska,” isn’t just some cheesy refrain but a genuine, deeply-held belief that we enact every day and then celebrate on football Saturdays. For us, it’s not just a game; it’s a way of life. Huskerville is where we live—even when I’m at a county fair in southeastern Ohio.

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It's been a few months since I've posted any book reviews and I apologize for that. I have quite a few stacked up, and it's about time I get back to it. I haven't taken the approach that I need to be the first to review a book, and I doubt I ever do because the fact is books have a much longer life than blog posts and they remain relevant for many years after the first publish date. Given that.... here's the first of many to come.

'Game Time: Inside College Football' is the second book I've reviewed by author Ted A Kluck. The other is 'Paper Tiger', Kluck's shot at participatory journalism as he attempts to play semipro football for the now defunct Battle Creek Crunch of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League.

'Game Time: Inside College Football' is a collection of 15 stories that cover quite a range of topics. The stories include interviews and first-hand accounts from the subjects. The stories are as follows:

- The Holy War: James Bell and Taylor University versus University of Saint Francis

- The Game of the Century: Charlie 'Mad Dog' Thornhill and Michigan State versus Notre Dame

- The Fortune Teller: Phil Steele

- The Turnaround: Brian Leonard, Greg Schiano, and the Rutgers Football Renaissance

- The Regenerator: Danny Wuerffel

- The Only All-Star Game That Matters: The Senior Bowl

- The Recruiter: Mark Hagen, Purdue University

- The Agent: J Harrison Henderson III

- The NFL Draft Guru: Todd McShay, ESPN

- The Walk-On: Max Pollock, LB, Michigan

- The Most Bizarre Recruitment in Recent History: Ronald Johnson and the University of Southern California

- The Big Brother: Dan Bazuin, Central Michigan, All-American

- The Free Agent: Herb Haygood, Michigan State

- The Winningest Quarterback in NCAA History: Cullen Finnerty, Grand Valley State University

- The Pro Day: Central Michigan University

There's something here for everyone. If you're a Phil Steele fan and you thought listening to him on EDSBS Live gave you a taste of how freakishly consumed he is by college football, then Kluck's story about him will confirm it and fill in more details. Danny Wuerffel's story is more about his work with inner city youth than it is about his football career. The agent and recruiter don't fit the caricatures most often painted by their stereotypes.

I like Kluck's writing. It's easy to read, conversational and frequently humorous. Unfortunately, overall the book is somewhat disjointed. The stories don't fit together particularly well to form a central theme, so at the beginning of the book you're left wondering where Kluck is headed. Some parts pull together nicely as you realize how closely intertwined the subjects are - the players, the agent, the NFL draft guru, and the pro day - and Kluck makes sure you're aware of how nutty the NFL draft process is.

Kluck has the problem in that he's not as well-known to college fans as Stewart Mandell, although you get a much closer look at the insanity of the Pro Day process than you will from Mandell's 'Bowls Polls and Tattered Souls'. It's a good, not great book. It may be because as Kluck writes in the forward "...maybe I don't have enough big names attached because big names sell books." It may be because all of the people in the book are generally decent, and Kluck's writing portrays them as real human beings instead of super heroes or villains. Even when he confronts the reader with the insanity of the NFL draft process - pointing out that 40 NFL scouts are gathered at Central Michigan's Pro Day to argue about an objective method of hand-timing the 40-yard dash - he doesn't condemn it as much as point out that's the way it is.

That's ultimately the problem with "Game Time: Inside College Football". There are no great super heroes and no horribly evil villains. It's lukewarm. Because of that, I'd recommend it if you can find it discounted. At full price, there needs to be more contrast - it's a tough world.

I would not have heard of this book if  the publisher - Set Shot Press - hadn't purchased an advertisement through Blogads on Corn Nation. The Thin Thirty tells the story of the 1962 Kentucky Wildcats football team. The subtitle states "The Untold Story of Brutality, Scandal and Redemption for Charlie Bradshaw's 1962 Kentucky Football team." (the entirety of which won't fit in the title area on our sites).  

The gist of the story: Kentucky football is set to do very well under Blanton Collier when the powers that be decide he isn't good enough and hire Paul Bear Bryant assistant coach Charlie Bradshaw. Bradshaw comes to Kentucky where there are 88 players, and so brutalizes them in his first year that there are only 30 left when the next season begins.

The players are treated to a level of brutality that would have made Bryant wince. I won't mention specifics so as to not steal from the book but a telling comment comes from one of the Kentucky players:

Brutality is only one part of the story. The scandal includes a couple of homosexual predators who persuade some of the young football players to have sex with them through the use of lavish parties, alcohol and money. One of those predators is the actor Rock Hudson. Another scandal (although certainly not as juicy) is that the football players who quit the team are conned out of their scholarships.

The story is excellent. A reign of terror, hidden lust, and forbidden desire, all the right ingredients for a miniseries. Or in this day, a full television series that doesn't know how to end. The author does a very good job of placing the story into the historical context of the times.  The racial tensions that would engulf the South and the level of poverty and living conditions experienced by several of the players add to the story without detracting from the overall theme.

There are several problems with the book. One of them isn't in the detail in terms of getting the facts straight. The book is well-researched, nearly to a fault. Approximately the first 100 pages contain the stories of the football players before Bradshaw's arrival. It nearly  kills the book, not so much due to the detail, but by the time Bradshaw arrives on campus there have been too many warnings about bad times to come, or that the players had no idea of what was about to happen to them. You keep expecting the book to jump into the meat and yet you get another story about another player.  

Unfortunately, the writing is substandard. There are a fair amount of grammatical errors and a lot of redundancy, i.e. the author saying what's just been said and then in the next sentence saying it again. The author many times fails in letting the subject carry the weight of the story or let the reader draw their own conclusions about the level of brutality and sadism that the players experienced.

Another problem - author Ragland devotes an entire chapter to the 1962 Kentucky - Xavier game. It was a huge loss by Kentucky, but Ragland is emphatic that the game was fixed. Unfortunately there isn't a single quote or legitimate source that provides any proof that  the game was fixed. Here's what Ragland concludes:

What the.....? I came to the conclusion that saying it was fixed is an easy way to explain away a horrible loss against an opponent Kentucky should have destroyed. Given the level of research done for the rest of this story, this chapter should have been removed as it damages the credibility of the rest of the book.

Despite problems with the writing the story is compelling and I finished the book because I wanted to know what happened with Bradshaw and his players. The last part of the book is an epilogue regarding the Kentucky players and what became of their lives. It's a nice touch that you don't see too often - most authors are content to let a story end without a follow up.

The Thin Thirty contains a story of brutality that deserves to be told. If you can handle the grammatical errors and the author's writing it's a very good book as you'd be hard-pressed to find a story this unique. If nothing else, the author has served the men who played for Kentucky during Bradshaw's first year very well as their story is finally told. Perhaps with that knowledge some of their demons can be put to rest.

'Bo's Lasting Lessons' isn't an autobiography, nor it is about how to be a great football coach. Instead it reveals legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler's personal philosophies on how to be a good leader.

I reviewed the audio version of the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Actor John H. Mayer's gravelly voice reminded me of Schembechler, not in so much that it's an exact impersonation, but it conveyed Schembechler's blunt persona so that you feel like you're listening to Bo himself. Mayer provides a stern and uncomprising voice to the book, something I'm sure the coach would have appreciated.

Schembechler's lessons aren't revolutionary nor complicated, but instead reinforce the age-old principles that made him successful. All those things your father to you about things like about integrity, honesty, and hard work were true, but the beauty of them coming from the coach is that he's got of gob of stories to go along with each lesson. Ideas like being a good listener, treating everyone equal, communicating your rules and then following up with enforcement can sometimes be hollow, but when they're coming from someone as experienced and successful as Schembechler they carry a lot of weight.

A few of the stories stick out - Schembechler talks about Jeff George's narcissistic, spoiled attitude without ever referring to him by name but by "the Golden Arm"; dealing with Chris Spielman during his recruiting process; a freshman showing up at a team meeting wearing a Notre Dame shirt annd Bo's reaction; and "discovering" all-time Michigan rushing leader Jamie Morris.

The lessons I found particularly interesting are his insight on how to deal with the different levels of players on a team, whether they be star athletes, middle-tier players or walk-ons. He emphasizes that you must make sure your middle and lower-tier members are contributing to the team, ideas that were obviously missing from last year's Husker team.

Some might be tempted to think that the lessons are from a different era and don't apply now. However, human nature hasn't changed since Schembechler walked the Wolverine sideline nor it is about to any time soon. His directive that you need to recruit for character first is just as relevant now as it was 30 years ago and will be in another 30 years.

The audio version contains an interview with author John Bacon who knew Schembechler personally, spending a great deal of time around him. Bacon provides some insight as to Bo's the characters and what he was like in private. Consider it a bonus.

Anyone in a leadership position can benefit from the lessons in this book. Whether you're a 'Michigan Man' or not is irrelevant. The lessons are relevant whether you're coaching youth in a paid or volunteer position or in a management position at work. If you're about to spend some money on the next "how to be a great manager" book or "Leadership for Dummies", save your money and get Bo's Lasting Lessons instead.

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I find myself wondering why there aren't more audio versions available of college football books. Given as much time as we spend in our cars, or in using an ipod, you'd think that more would be available. It's understandable why books from such publishers as Nebraska's 'Bison Books' would not be on audio as they don't sell enough copies to justify the cost (although excellent books just the same). Still, you'd think that the production cost would be lower than in the past and open the book up to a much wider audience.

If you're an editor, publisher, or involved in audio producing, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Lyons Press sent me a pre-release of Ted Kluck's Paper Tiger before the start of the 2007 season. I started it, and it remained at the bottom of my book pile for a while. It's nothing new for me, my latest iPod is buried in there some where, despite my best attempts to find it. Maybe it's my lack of organization or maybe I'm just losing my memory due to my advanced age. :)

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Ted Kluck's "Paper Tiger" is named in honor of George Plimpton's "Paper Lion". In the mid-60's, Plimpton became one of the first journalists to engage in "participatory journalism" when he wrote about spending a month with the Detroit Lions, participating in their practices and trying to make the team. Kluck is a freelance writer whose work includes ESPN.com, the books "Facing Tyson" and "Inside College Football" from Lyons Press.

'Paper Tiger' is Kluck's shot at participatory journalism as he tries one more try at playing semipro football at age 30 for the Battle Creek Crunch of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. Kluck stays with the team for the full 2006 season, but loses his job as a long snapper after the second game. He plays only sparingly and watches as the team members aren't paid, scramble for equipment, wonder where the owner is, deal with 12 hour bus rides and deal with the vagaries of playing for now-defunct team.

Cornhusker fans may ask themselves why Eric Crouch is still trying to make it in football, recently becoming the #2 draft in the new AAFL. Kluck seeks the same answer as he questions his own sanity several times (as he should). Kluck is very honest in his writing, including his reasons for wanting to try playing semipro football, how bad he feels after games, and in how he deals with his wife and family.

I empathized with Kluck's story. I never played football in college (and certainly not semi-pro or anything close to it), but there is only one reason I would ever wish to be sixteen again, and that would be to dawn the pads and try again. It sure as hell wouldn't be for all other crap involved with being sixteen. Anyway, as the closing of the book approaches, it's clear that this is Kluck's last harrah, which gives Paper Tiger a certain sadness.

Paper Tiger is a good read. The story is interesting and contains a fair amount of the craziness found in Bruce Feldman's "Meat Market".

It's not the typical college football book that I typically review, but it's certainly interesting. Great book for an airport or if you happen to be one of those guys who wonders what it's like for others who just can't give up on a dream.

The first coverage of Jonathan Crowl's "The Nebraska Way" came out in the Daily Nebraskan last October. The article quotes Doak Ostergard instead of author Jonathan Crowl about the purpose behind the book:

It was an awkward article that gave the impression the self-published book was nothing more than a disgruntled ex-employee taking a shot at his former employer. The DN article also included some titillating information about how then coach Bill Callahan viewed Tom Osborne and Husker fans.

Titillating, but is it a fair representation of the book? Or were the reporters at the DN just trying to make waves?

"The Nebraska Way" starts with a foreword by Doak Ostergard, reviewing how he came to be at Nebraska and a quick review of the accomplishments of Husker football over the past (roughly) 40 years. It then starts with Ostergard's firing by Bill Callahan after which we begin a reflection of how things had been done under Osborne.

The first half of the book takes us through the Devaney, Osborne and Solich years. The journey provides a decent review of that piece of Husker history with an impressive number of quotes and anecdotes from former Cornhusker players. At times it's a little gooey, but that's to be expected when reliving glory days

The underlying theme of the review provides a background against which Steve Pederson's reign as athletic director is compared. The result is not a pretty painting. For example, below is the case of Jan Eby, employed by the athletic department for 31 years, but who was fired by Pederson shortly after he became athletic director:

Author Crowl doesn't pull any punches in his disdain for Pederson, painting him as gutless, arrogant, and insecure. There are several instances of his poor handling of personnel affairs, such as not giving reasons for termination, ducking meetings (including not responding to Tommie Frazier before he took the coaching job at Doane), and constant micro-management.

Bill Callahan doesn't come off nearly as bad in the book as depicted by the Daily Nebraskan article quoted above. It's clear from the book that Callahan had issues with how the team was performing, but he's represented as a man who was being manipulated by Pederson more than being evil of his own accord.

"The Nebraska Way" is unique in it's coverage of the Steve Pederson/Bill Callahan era at Nebraska. Crowl's writing is good, more journalistic than storytelling. If you'd like to learn more about what was happening inside the athletic department at that time, then this is the book you need to read.

My biggest complaint about the book is that too much centers around Doak Ostergard. It would have been better had there been more references or more comments from other athletic department personnel. There are a few, but not enough. Given that Pederson was still running the athletic department at the time the book was written and released perhaps that's understandable.

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Normally, I do a book review and then perhaps a follow-up interview with the author. In the case of "The Nebraska Way", I had some problems with the book and wanted to address them immediately. Following this review will be an interview with author Jonathan Crowl.

During the 2007 mid-season I reviewed the book 'Meat Market - Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting" by ESPN the Magazine's Bruce Feldman. The book detailed a year spent with Ed Orgeron and his staff at Ole Miss as they went through the recruiting process.

'Meat Market' is an excellent book, a must-read if you have any interest in college recruiting. I decided to follow-up with Feldman and ask him a few questions about the aftermath of 'Meat Market' as the book has been on the market for a few months and we're getting into the prime time of the recruiting season:

- CN: How did it happen that you ended up using Ed Orgeron and Ole Miss? Were they your preferred choice or were there other schools under consideration before you chose Ole Miss?

BF: I was looking for two vital elements to pull this off: I wanted a coach who had had a lot of success as a recruiter, and obviously having been the recruiting coordinator at USC (and having also worked under Jimmy Johnson) Orgeron was ideal from that standpoint. I’d also felt that in order to drive this book to really become a story, it needed to have a very interesting and dynamic central figure, which Orgeron certainly is. He is this high-energy, rough around the edges guy who is a recovering alcoholic and has essentially traded in one addiction (alcohol) for another (recruiting). On top of that, he would not only be going through this emotional roller coaster ride to signing day but also doing so, not selling a powerhouse program like USC, but rather an underdog where he was competing against the likes of Florida, LSU, Georgia, Notre Dame and even USC. It was a very ripe situation for such a book.

- CN: 'Meat Market' presents a contrast of craziness between Oregon and his staff and the recruiting process. Was this how you envisioned the book before you started?

BF: I had some ideas on what I thought I might see and hear, but I never expected there to be as much drama as there was as the year unfolded. There are just so many highs and lows. I was really amazed at just how many soap operas played out there. One of his assistants, Hugh Freeze, had like four of them himself, and observing him while he’s on the phone with these kids was fascinating.

And, from a character standpoint, it felt like almost every stone I overturned had some fantastic—and perhaps heart-breaking -- back story.  By the time I was about half-way through my reporting, I’d realized that no matter how many books Meat Market sold, the experience was really worth it for me.

- CN: What was Orgeron's reaction to the book?

BF: The book actually came out the week of their season opener so he never had a chance to read it right away. I think his wife and some of his office staff did though, and I guess they told him it was fair, and he was OK with it.

I had really wondered how he was going to react given that he had been very open with me about a lot of things, and you never know how someone is going to respond when you write about them. He’d also never given me parameters about what and where I could be or what was off-limits. Sometimes I wondered if he or his assistants would read something in Meat Market and get angry that something made it into print. I’d heard there were a few things coaches weren’t thrilled about (things they’d said about other staffs or about a recruit) but no one ever said they were misquoted.

- CN: Were you surprised by Orgeron's firing this year?

BF: A little, but I knew he had a bad relationship with the AD there and that wasn’t helping when you have a win-loss record as bad as they did. I was surprised though given that he only got three years, and while I know they went 3-9 this season, he’d won 10 games in his first three years at Ole Miss, which is more than Slyvester Croom did at Mississippi State. Then in year four, Croom’s team breaks through. It took Greg Schiano a lot longer before he got Rutgers moving. I just don’t think you can expect a first-time head coach to come out and make a significant impact in his first three seasons. They’re gonna make a lot of mistakes. It’s different when a Dennis Erickson takes over a program. The staff he has at ASU is pretty much the same guys he worked with at other coaching stops. The first-timer really has to learn on the fly. If MSU had fired Croom last year, people would’ve wrote that he was a nice guy but the experiment failed. No one was predicting them to go 7-5 this year. But it worked out great.

People can point to some bad moves Orgeron made, and of course, they were bad and it cost him, but lots of coaches make bad moves. I would’ve liked to have seen what he could’ve done in Year 4 when he had Jevan Snead at QB, but that won’t happen. I do think he left the program better than when he got it in terms of the talent.

- CN: Are there any reader reactions to the book that stand out that you'd care to relate (including any recruiting stories)?

BF: I’ve done readings in a few places around the country where I’ve had a bunch of kids from a high school football team show up saying how their coach says they have to read Meat Market. I’ve had mothers come to book signings to say they can’t get their kids to read, but they’d finished my book in a week.

One of the coolest things I had was when a buddy who covers college hoops e-mailed me and goes "Tom Crean, the Marquette basketball coach, can’t stop raving about your book. Here’s his cell number. He wants you to call him." So I did, and Crean couldn’t have been nicer. He said how he learned so much from the book and bought it for all of his staff. He also said that his brother-in-law is Jim Harbaugh and he told him he’s gotta read Meat Market and he’s gonna tell all his friends they have to read it. And then, sure enough, I got some emails from college basketball coaches about the book.

- CN: Even though you focused on Ole Miss, 'Meat Market' includes quite a cross-section of young athletes and the programs they're interested in. Do you believe that 'Meat Market' is a fair representation of the recruiting process as it exists at most schools or it is easy for readers to dismiss the mania as isolated to Ole Miss and Ed Orgeron?

I do think it’s very representative of the recruiting process because the process and the parameters all college staffs worked under is the same so that’s why I think it works across the board. It’s really more of a recruiting book than anything else, about how coaches evaluate and chase players. Regardless of the program, they all go out on the road in the spring to evaluate juniors. They all conduct summer camps to get a clearer picture of how good—and how coachable—these prospects are. They all try and woo these kids and their families and coaches right up to signing day. Now, do cockfights take place on all home visits? Probably not.

- CN: Is there anything you'd change to make the college recruiting process less insane or is chaos a natural state when it comes to big-time college recruiting? In other words, should we just accept the process for what it is, or can it be fixed somehow for the benefit of everyone involved?

It’s hard to tweak the process because there is so much stuff that realistically can’t be regulated. Too many things are open to interpretation and too many people who can factor into the recruiting process in one manner or another, aren’t under the NCAA rules umbrella. The one thing I would like to see the NCAA do is not restrict players who would like to transfer in the wake of a coaching change. It’s nice to think players pick a school because of the school itself, but really the system is the key for many of them, and when you’re talking about the impact on their careers, it’s tough to force their hands.

- CN: Any next-book projects you'd like to tell us about at this time?

BF: Honestly, I’ve been so burned out from Meat Market and the subsequent marketing of the book, I’m not ready to jump into anything right away.

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Along with Stewart Mandel's 'Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls', 'Meat 'Market' was one of the best books I read this past season. Thanks to Bruce for his time and wish him the best on his future endeavors.

We reviewed the book "Diary of a Husker" by David Kolowski last March. Since that time, author David Kolowski has been hard at work, not just promoting the book, but working to make it better. Given that the Christmas season is upon us, we contacted David for an update as to what he's been up to lately, and what's happening with his book.

The bold emphasis below is mine. It is important to remember that all these guys, including anyone who played this past season, is always a Husker. Enough from me, here's an update from David:

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Since the book first came out, I've formed my own publishing company called Big Red Press and republished the book.  It's now much better than the initial version with an easier-to-read format, less total pages, color pictures, and the price is down considerably. 

I have the plans to put out an audio version of the book, read by myself, in mp3 format and available only from my website.  This will include any extra stories that pop in my head as well as addressing some of the most common questions that people ask me.  The audio version can be pre-ordered from the web site for $19.95. If it's not done and sent to people by Christmas, people can get half of their money back.

( CN: As someone who reads a lot of college football books, I'd love to see more of them in audio form. We spend a lot of time in our cars these days, so it makes for an easy way to enjoy a book. Beats that talk radio stuff, eh? )

I've heard from hundreds of Husker fans who have loved the book.  I've heard lots of comments on the openness and honest angle from which I wrote.  They can tell that it's written by a college-aged man in the thick of the action, occasionally sidetracked by desires for a better social life or just a full night of sleep.  It's also not the most positive review of Husker life, but then again it's written while in the midst of the turmoil and uncertainty of the Solich Years.

I've been able to interact with several former Huskers from all different eras because of my book.  One of the biggest revelations that I had in doing so was that these guys don't care about the problems that happened and the eventual win-loss total.  Every year of Nebraska football had it's share of problems, even the best years.  All that mattered to these guys was that I was on the team, I did my job as best I could and I got my letter. 
 
That may sound pretty simple, but it was profound for me and my fellow teammates.  We felt responsible for the decline of the program.  We were seniors when so many records fell and the guilt and frustration that followed made many of my teammates put football as far out of their minds as possible when we were done.  It was such a relief to hear that we were still accepted into the brotherhood of lettermen even though our years didn't go as we had hoped. 

I think that's an important message to take to the current team.  These last five years have been even worse, but these guys have still done all that has been asked of them and we know they tried.  They don't need a national championship ring to be accepted by the rest of us.  That letter speaks enough.

Now, because of the relief that this revelation has caused, I can see how a lot of sports memoirs are written with a glossy, everything-is-wonderful attitude.  As much as I would love to re-write my book from a glowing point of view, I feel that so much raw emotion and uncertainty would be lost.  It's impossible to go back and write from the mindset of a 19 year old with all the hopes, dreams, hormones and immaturity that accompany those years.  I guess I'll just have to let it speak for itself. 

I hope that someone else will be able to match what I have done and keep track of these next five years of Husker life.  Until then, my book remains one of the most detailed accounts of Husker football around.

This thing is a behemoth. Over 1300 pages and a lot of it is in small type. So, what is 50 Years of College Football? Authors Bob Boyles have compiled something that has to be the most inclusive review of the last 50 years of college football available. It just as easily could have been called "The College Football Dictionary" as that's what it resembles.

It provides a review of 70 teams over the years 1953 to 2006. Each review contains basic school information, and  career, season, and game statistical leaders - typical of stuff you'd find in a school's media guide. The reviews include won-loss records, coaching records, and bowl records, the scores of all games - stuff that isn't hard to find if you're a powerhouse school, but may be difficult if you're trying to find information on someone lesser known. The season's starting lineups and statistical leaders are also included - that is information that can be very hard to find, especially if you're interested in going back all the way to 1953.

The yearly reviews start with an entertaining and informative overview of each year, highlighting events on and off the field. As an example, the 1961 review relates how the Ohio State faculty voted down a Rose Bowl bid, resulting in the Columbus Dispatch printing each voting faculty member's name, address, and amount of reimbursed out-of-state travel they'd had over the past year. We're told that Woody Hayes was pivotal in quelling potential student riots. (Ah, the good old days!)  

The preseason rankings are provided, and a recap of games played between ranked teams and many rivals are reviewed, which comes to more than 7,500 game recaps total. These don't include every game ever played, but obviously a huge number of them, including a "Game of the Year" for each season. .Each year concludes with a listing of conference standings, bowl game reviews, All-America teams, Heisman Trophy voting along with other major award winners. As if that weren't enough (but wait, there's more!), you also get the first eight rounds of each season's NFL draft.

There is a freakish amount of information in 50 Years of College Football, almost too much. At a cost under $20 (see the Amazon price above), it's pretty affordable as a historical reference. It's handy for bloggers like me to go back and find something interesting to write about and it should be in the hands of any college fans that likes to "one-up" their friends. Hmmmm.... wouldn't that be just about all of us?