Season of Saturdays : A History of College Football in 14 Games

From an award-winning sports journalist and college football expert: "A beautifully written mix of memoir and reportage that tracks college ball through fourteen key games, giving depth and meaning to all" ( Sports Illustrated ), now with a new Afterword about the first ever College Football Playoff. Every Saturday in the fall, it happens: On college campuses, in bars, at gatherings of fervent alumni, millions come together to watch a sport that inspires a uniquely American brand of passion and outrage. This is college football. Since the first contest in 1869, the game has grown from a stratified offshoot of rugby to a ubiquitous part of our national identity. Right now, as college conferences fracture and grow, as amateur athlete status is called into question, as a playoff system threatens to replace big-money bowl games, we're in the midst of the most dramatic transitional period in the history of the sport. Season of Saturdays examines the evolution of college football, including the stories of iconic coaches like Woody Hayes, Joe Paterno, and Knute Rockne; and programs like the USC Trojans, the Michigan Wolverines, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Michael Weinreb considers the inherent violence of the game, its early seeds of big-business greed, and its impact on institutions of higher learning. He explains why college football endures, often despite itself. Filtered through journalism and research, as well as the author's own recollections as a fan, Weinreb celebrates some of the greatest games of all time while revealing their larger significance. "Wry, quirky, fascinating...This surely is one of the most enjoyable books of the college football season...Weinreb wrestles in captivating prose with the violence, hypocrisy, and corruption that are endemic to the sport at its most cutthroat level" ( The Plain Dealer , Cleveland). From an award-winning writer, journalist, and college football expert: an entertaining cultural history that highlights the key moments, games, personalities, and scandals of the popular and controversial American pastime. Every Saturday in the fall, countless college students, alumni, and sports fans wake up filled with a particular kind of hope and excitement, ready for their team's game. Half of them finish the day in joyous celebration, and the other half in abject depression, but all of them are ever ready to do it over again the next weekend. College football is one of the unifying cornerstones of American culture. Since the first game in 1869, football has grown from a stratified offshoot of rugby to a ubiquitous part of our national identity. Today, as college conferences fracture and grow, amateur athlete status is called into question, and a playoff system threatens to replace big-money bowl games, we're in the midst of the most dramatic transitional period in the history of the sport. Michael Weinreb's Season of Saturdays examines the evolution of college football, from the moral and ethical quandaries that informed its past to the fascinating changes that may affect its future. Since its nascent days on elite Ivy League campuses, college football has inspired both school spirit and controversy. Weinreb explores the game's inherent violence, its early seeds of big-business greed, and its impact on institutions of higher learning. Filtered through the stories of such iconic coaches as Woody Hayes and Joe Paterno and Steve Spurrier, Season of Saturdays also celebrates some of the greatest games of all time while exploring their larger significance. Part popular history, part memoir'and always uniquely American'Season of Saturdays is both a look back at how the sport became so fraught with problems, and a look ahead at how the sport might survive another century From an award-winning writer, journalist, and college football an entertaining cultural history that highlights the key moments, games, personalities, and scandals of the popular and controversial American pastime. Every Saturday in the fall, countless college students, alumni, and sports fans wake up filled with a particular kind of hope and excitement, ready for their teams game. Half of them finish the day in joyous celebration, and the other half in abject depression, but all of them are ever ready to do it over again the next weekend. College football is one of the unifying cornerstones of American culture. Since the first game in 1869, football has grown from a stratified offshoot of rugby to a ubiquitous part of our national identity. Today, as college conferences fracture and grow, amateur athlete status is called into question, and a playoff system threatens to replace big-money bowl games, were in the midst of the most dramatic transitional period in the history of the sport. Michael Weinrebs Season of Saturdays examines the evolution of college football, from the moral and ethical quandaries that informed its past to the fascinating changes that may affect its future. Since its nascent days on elite Ivy League campuses, college football has inspired both school spirit and controversy. Weinreb explores the games inherent violence, its early seeds of big-business greed, and its impact on institutions of higher learning. Filtered through the stories of such iconic coaches as Woody Hayes and Joe Paterno and Steve Spurrier, Season of Saturdays also celebrates some of the greatest games of all time while exploring their larger significance. Part popular history, part memoirand always uniquely American Season of Saturdays is both a look back at how the sport became so fraught with problems, and a look ahead at how the sport might survive another century. "Every Saturday in the fall, it happens: on college campuses, in bars, at gatherings of fervent alumni, millions come together to watch a sport that inspires a uniquely American brand of passion and outrage. It's a sport that so often hinges on the unpredictable: a hook-and-lateral, a Hail Mary, or a play so implausible that it is only known as The Play. It's a sport that, in these moments, feels a bit like life and death, if only slightly more important. This is college football: it has become one of the unifying cornerstones of American culture. Since the first contest in 1869, the game has grown from a stratified offshoot of rugby to a ubiquitous part of our national identity. Right now, as college conferences fracture and grow, as amateur-athlete status is called into question, as a playoff system threatens to replace big-money bowl games, we're in the midst of the most dramatic transitional period in the history of the sport. Season of Saturdays examines the evolution of college football, including the stories of iconic coaches like Woody Hayes, Joe Paterno, and Knute Rockne, and programs like the USC Trojans, the Michigan Wolverines, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Michael Weinreb considers the inherent violence of the game, its early seeds of big-business greed, and its impact on institutions of higher learning. He explains why college football endures, often despite itself. Filtered through journalism and research, as well as the author's own recollections as a fan, Weinreb celebrates some of the greatest games of all time while revealing their larger significance. Part popular history and part memoir, Season of Saturdays is both a look back at how the sport became so entertaining, yet fraught, and a look ahead at how it might survive another century"-- Provided by publisher Rutgers 6, Princeton 4 : November 6, 1869 : "You men will come to no Christian end" Notre Dame 35, Army 13 : November 1, 1913 : "Like a prayer" Minnesota 21, UCLA 3 (Rose Bowl, Ohio State votes to decline invitation) : January 1, 1962 : "An irascible man" Notre Dame 10, Michigan State 10 : November 11, 1966 : "Kissing your sister" Texas 15, Arkansas 14 : December 6, 1969 : "Does your conscience bother you?" Michigan 24, Ohio State 12 : November 22, 1969 : "The leaders and the best" Alabama 14, Penn State 7 (Sugar Bowl) : January 1, 1979 : "Bear's way" Miami 31, Nebraska 30 (Orange Bowl) : January 2, 1984 : "The resolution will be televised" Miami 58, Notre Dame 7 : November 30, 1985 : "In the air tonight" Texas 41, USC 38 (Rose Bowl) : January 4, 2006 : "The ballad of Reggie Bush" Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (Fiesta Bowl) : January 1, 2007 : "My blue heaven" Texas Tech 39, Texas 33 : November 1, 2008 : "Jokerman" Auburn 34, Alabama 28 (Iron Bowl) : November 30, 2013 : "Get behind me, Saban" An epilogue : Penn State 14, Miami 10 (Fiesta Bowl) : January 2, 1987 : "The grand experiment".