Thursday, June 19, 2008

100 Things update

Here's what the full book jacket will look like. Notice instead of putting a picture of the author on the back, they went with a partial of some guy named Joe Namath.

Also, my understanding is that the book will hopefully start hitting stores in about a month. I'll let you know when I get my copies, which usually happens right before they get shipped out.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Book inspiration

This actually appeared first on my work blog, but thought it might interest some of you as well ...

When the Tuscaloosa News Best College Football rankings are published every year I always get a lot of questions about where the idea for it came from.
Well, I can finally tell the whole story now.
It began after my first book was published, "Crimson Storm Surge," in 2005. I had the idea to do a supplement to the book, something that could possibly be published on a regular or annual basis. Then came the thought about maybe doing something similar with other programs.
But which ones to do?
I started looking into which football teams had a lot of books written about them (and hopefully sell) and some marketing rankings in general. That led to wondering how many different ways a team could claim to be No. 1 in some respect.
"Funny," I thought. "Someone could put all those lists together and come up with their own rankings."
And so I did. The first year we did it was a countdown through the whole summer and it seemed to get a lot of attention.
But that's not where it all ended.
Shortly after turning in that first manuscript, I was approached about doing a book on the history of the Southeastern Conference. I liked it, but first wanted to get my book about sports writing published, and before long has a two-book deal for "No Time Outs" and "Where Football is King," which were both published in 2006.
That, in turn, led to "Who's No. 1? 100-Plus Years of Controversial Champions in College Football," which hit stores last November.
So what's next? We finally ironed out all the details on the "supplement" idea, with a number of handbooks that will be out prior to the start of the 2009 season.
Talk about an idea taking root.

Monday, June 16, 2008

1973 Ohio State























So you've seen all the categories and if you've been paying attention you might have noticed that one school in particular scored high in at least eight of the 10 categories. Funny thing was, Ohio State didn't place first in any individual category, but finished No. 1 overall.

Considering how consistent the Buckeyes have been of late, it makes sense.

TOP 25

Team Points Prv.
1. Ohio State 182.5 3
2. Southern California 165 1
3. Michigan 164.5 2
(tie) Notre Dame 164.5 4
5. Oklahoma 157.25 6
6. Alabama 154 7t
7. Georgia 148.6 12
8. Tennessee 143.5 5
9. Texas 132 9
10. Penn State 128.5 10
11. Florida 124 7t
11. LSU 119 13
13. Nebraska 113 11
14. Miami 108.5 16
15. Florida State 106.5 15
16. Auburn 79.6 14
17. Texas A&M 50.6 23
18. Army 48 17
19. Minnesota 42 25
20. Navy 41 18t
21. Clemson 40.1 NR
22. Stanford 35.5 24
23. Boston College 34.5 NR
(tie) UCLA 34.5 NR
25. California 33.5 21

Dropping out
Wisconsin 18t
Georgia Tech 20
Arkansas 22

Also accumulating points: Georgia Tech 29.5, Pittsburgh 29.5, BYU 27.6, Virginia Tech 28, Wisconsin 25, Duke 22.5, Rutgers 22.5, Arkansas 22, Missouri 22, Yale 22, Air Force 21, Arizona State 21, West Virginia 20, Rice 20, Princeton 19.5, Kansas 19, Colorado 18.6, Michigan State 18.6, Chicago 17, Northwestern 17, Ole Miss 17, Washington 15.5, Penn 15, Vanderbilt 14.5, Miami (Ohio) 13.5, South Carolina 13.25, Carlisle 13, Maryland 12.1, Texas Tech 12, Wake Forest 11.5, TCU 11.1, Cornell 11, Illinois 10.5, Harvard 10.5, Kentucky 10, Oregon 10, Cincinnati 9, Syracuse 8.1, Hawaii 7, Purdue 6.5, Southern Miss 6, Iowa 5.5, Memphis 4.5, Louisville 3.5, North Carolina 3.5, Boise State 1.5, Oregon State 1, North Carolina State .25, Virginia .25.

Just as a reminder, these rankings are based on 10 categories, five all-time and five from the past year. Here's the story if interested: http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080614/NEWS/770709386/0/FRONTPAGE

I always really liked this photo. ... Pete Johnson scores a touchdown for Ohio State, which won 42-21 in second of three straight Rose Bowl meetings against Southern California. The Buckeyes (10-0-1) finished second in the final Associated Press poll. Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses archives.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

1966 Alabama

Ok, the paper has run this year's Top 25 rankings and everything that goes with them, so I 'll have that posted here later on.

Anyways, here's the final category:

Coaching legacy
1. Alabama
2. Penn State
3. Florida State
4. Notre Dame
5. Ohio State
6. Oklahoma
7. Nebraska
8. Michigan
9. Chicago
10. Tennessee
11. Southern California
12. Texas
13. Carlisle
14. Brigham Young
15. Florida
16. Georgia
17. Georgia Tech
18. Texas A&M
19. Vanderbilt
20. Cornell
21. Army
22. Ole Miss
23. Michigan State
24. Pittsburgh
25. Minnesota

If you don't know who the guy on the right is ... ah, never mind.

Friday, June 13, 2008

1988 Notre Dame

Ok, the story's done and we're very close to unveiling this year's Tuscaloosa News rankings. Just two more categories to reveal here:

College Football Hall of Fame inductees (players)
1. Notre Dame 42
2. Michigan 28
(tie) Southern California 28
4. Yale 24
5. Army 23
6. Princeton 21
(tie) Ohio State 21
8. Tennessee 20
9. Navy 19
10. Pittsburgh 18
(tie) Oklahoma 18
(tie) Pennsylvania 18
13. Minnesota 17
14. Stanford 16
(tie) Harvard 16
(tie) Alabama 16
(tie) Penn State 16
18. California 14
(tie) Texas 14
20. Nebraska 13
21. Cornell 12
22. Georgia 11
(tie) Georgia Tech 11
24. Illinois 10
(tie) Washington 10



Quarterback Tony Rice, here leading the season-opening 19-17 victory against Michigan, ran for 75 yards and passed for 213 more in the Fiesta Bowl, when Notre Dame defeated West Virginia, 34-21, to win the 1988 national championship. Courtesy of the University of Notre Dame.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

1991 Michigan

So I was up late last night double-checking all the numbers in the Tuscaloosa News rankings. Yep, we're that close to running this year's version. In fact, I'll be writing the story tonight.

All-Time AP Top 25
1. Michigan 741
2. Oklahoma 722.5
3. Notre Dame 710.5
4. Ohio State 675
5. Alabama 637
6. Nebraska 617
7. Southern California 575
8. Texas 573
9. Tennessee 548
10. Penn State 486
11. Miami 439
12. Florida State 413
13. LSU 412
14. Georgia 400
15. Auburn 396
16. Florida 370.5
17. UCLA 352
18. Arkansas 293
19. Michigan State 266
20. Texas A&M 264
21. Washington 260
22. Georgia Tech 227.5
23. Ole Miss 223.5
24. Colorado 218
25. Iowa 217



Desmond Howard won the 1991 Heisman Trophy, but only had one reception in the Rose Bowl, as Washington defeated No. 4 Michigan, 34-14, to gain a share of the national championship with Miami. Courtesy the Bentley Historical Library (photo BL001380), the University of Michigan.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

1977 Notre Dame

Today's all-time category is Associated Press national championships, which, of course, means Notre Dame. Here's the list:

1. Notre Dame 8
2. Oklahoma 7
3. Alabama 6
4. Miami 5
(tie) Southern California 5
6. Minnesota 4
(tie) Nebraska 4
(tie) Ohio State 4
9. Texas 3
10. Army 2
(tie) Florida 2
(tie) Florida State 2
(tie) LSU 2
(tie) Michigan 2
(tie) Penn State 2
(tie) Pittsburgh 2
(tie) Tennessee 2
18. Auburn 1
(tie) Brigham Young 1
(tie) Clemson 1
(tie) Colorado 1
(tie) Georgia 1
(tie) Maryland 1
(tie) Michigan State 1
(tie) Syracuse 1
(tie) Texas A&M 1
(tie) Texas Christian 1

As for the photo, the Fighting Irish, here defeating Air Force 49-0, had an early loss to Ole Miss, 30-13, but then won 10-straight games including a 38-10 victory against Texas in the Cotton Bowl, to be the consensus national champion. Courtesy of the University of Notre Dame.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

1973 Alabama

The Tuscaloosa News is getting ready to release this year's rankings, so I'll be posting one all-time category each day this week. First up, all-time bowl appearances.
1. Alabama 55 (31-21-3)
2. Tennessee 47 (25-22)
(tie) Texas 47 (24-21-2)
4. Southern California 46 (30-16)
5. Nebraska 44 (22-22)
6. Georgia 43 (24-16-3)
7. Oklahoma 41 (24-16-1)
8. Penn State 40 (26-12-2)
9. LSU 39 (20-18-1)
(tie) Ohio State 39 (18-21)
(tie) Michigan 39 (19-20)
12. Arkansas 36 (11-22-3)
(tie) Florida State 36 (16-19)
(tie) Georgia Tech 36 (22-14)
15. Florida 35 (16-19)
16. Auburn 34 (19-13-2)
17. Miami 31 (18-13)
(tie) Ole Miss 31 (19-12)
(tie) Texas Tech 31 (10-20-1)
20. Clemson 30 (16-14)
(tie) Texas A&M 30 (13-17)
22. Washington 29 (14-14-1)
23. Notre Dame 28 (13-15)
(tie) Colorado 28 (12-16)
(tie) UCLA 28 (13-14-1)

Here, halfback Wilbur Jackson helps lead Alabama to a 42-21 victory against Tennessee. The Crimson Tide earned a split, though controversial, national championship which led to the United Press coaches’ poll moving its final voting from the end of the regular season to after the bowl game. Notre Dame was the consensus choice. Courtesy the Paul W. Bryant Museum.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Coming soon to a store near you ...

Yep, here it is, the cover of the next book, which should be out in roughly a month or so.

I guess they couldn't get my name any smaller, but hey, they want to sell books.

From the website:
"Knowledge and memory are an important part of the fabric of being a fan. So are experiences. 100 Things also includes things football fans should actually see and do before they join their heroes at the Pearly Gates. This book contains numerous tips and suggestions for enjoying a team on a different, more involved, level."

Well, you get the idea. Actually, that's on the back of the jacket too, but instead of Pearly Gates it says that Red Elephant Club in the sky, or something like that.

What I like is that they got No. 12 right, and that the book only costs $14.95. What a bargin!

There are also versions (not by me) for Ohio State and Texas, and anyone interested can see them at the Triumph Books website (http://www.triumphbooks.com/) and look under the college football section.

Monday, June 2, 2008

And even more book news!

Here’s how my life seems to be going right now: After essentially spending nearly a week in a hospital to support my mom when she had hip-replacement surgery (she’s doing great, by the way), I pretty much spent the following week wanting to go back to the hospital, any hospital, after getting food poisoning my first night at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships in West Lafayette, Ind.
I’m not sure the lesson to be learned, other than don’t visit Purdue during the summer and order a meal right before closing time (however, if you do go swing by Harry’s Chocolate Shop and get someone to tell you the history of the place).
Ok, enough of that. Here’s some news on the book front:
1) From what I hear, “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” won’t start hitting stores until sometime in July, but will out well before the start of football season.
Here’s a link for it (and will eventually provide the first look at the cover): http://www.triumphbooks.com/products/100_things_crimson_tide_fans_should_know___do_before_they_die/1572435789.php?page_id=14
2) My next project, which has actually been in the works for something like three years, is finally set in stone and I’m ready to divulge. It’s a series of what we’ll call handbooks on a number of football programs.
The 2009 versions will feature Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
There will also be one pro version, the New York Giants (those of you who know me well know I didn’t pick that one).
Plans are already in the works for at least Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Nebraska, Penn State and Southern California versions in 2010, in addition to possible updates on the original eight (i.e. there could be annual editions). Should the Giants version sell well, we’ll add other NFL teams.
I’ve already put in a lot of work on the series and down to the point that I’m focusing on one handbook a month, while working on the Giants book on the side. June is Michigan, while Alabama is pretty much already done because I wrote it up as a prototype.
Feel free to lobby me for doing a version on your school, or specific information that should be included.