I wrote an article similar to this at Pegasus News which were only related to books about DFW area football.  For Collegefootballtopten.com, I am going to expand it beyond any geographic boundaries.  If you are compiling a “wish list” for the holidays, or if you are simply looking for a gift for your football-crazed fan, I am here to help.

1.  The Galloping Ghost by Gary Andrew Poole
This may be the best book I have read this year.  I have absolutely loved reading this book (I am not done yet) about a football player that most of us today do not know much about.  Poole has done a remarkable job of telling the story and the stories of Grange and the characters in his life such as his college coach Bob Zuppke and his agent C. C. Pyle.

2.  Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx
This book is about more than football.  It is about what it means to grow up and be a man and how that effects relationships.  Marx recaptured some of his youth when he went looking for members of the old Baltimore Colts team in which he was a ball boy.  Subsequently, he followed around Joe Ehrmann as he coached a high school football team and learned a few lessons for life.  It is a very inspirational book.

3.  Fourth and New Orleans by Benjamin Hochman and Chris Scelfo
What happens when one of the most devastating hurricanes in recent memory batters the town where you go to school and play football?  That is the story of the Tulane Green Wave football team in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.  Hochman along with then Tulane coach Chris Scelfo, recount the story which is heart-wrenching.

4.  Bowls, Polls, and Tattered Souls by Stewart Mandel
Want to know why we have this BCS mess?  Well Mandel answers the questions of the modern day dilemma in college football’s highest division.  He goes to great links to give you a historical perspective on the issues today which make Division I A football one of the most watched and controversal sports today.

5.  Meat Market by Bruce Feldman
Do you want to know how those top teams land those prized recruits?  Feldman takes us inside the “war room” of former coach Ed Oregeron’s Ole Miss program to see how he almost landed prize recruit Joe McKnight and several other stars.

6.  Twelve Mighty Orphans by Jim Dent
This is another inspiring story of how a high school football team made up of orphans who were undersized dominated North Texas football and regularly competed for a shot at the state title in the highest division in Texas during the 30′s and 40′s.  It reads like a story with short chapters.  Dent has captured the story so well that some have decided it should be a movie.

7.  Rose Bowl Dreams by Adam Jones
Jones tells the heartwarming story of how he went from growing up on the campus of West Texas State University to being one of the biggest Texas Longhorn fans in Austin.  Jones retells the story of Texas’ run from that of mediocrity to national champions under the guidance of one Vincent Young.  Substitute your team, and this could be your story.

8.  Tarnished Heisman by Don Yaeger
In the middle of one of the greatest runs in college football in recent history by the USC Trojans is the story of Reggie Bush.  Yaeger researched the story, and the results are published in this book complete with some transcripts and a website to boot.  Did Reggie Bush get paid to play?  Pick up the book and decide for yourself.

9.  Top Dawg by Rob Suggs
Instrumental in the return to power in college football for the Georgia Bulldogs is head coach Mark Richt.  Suggs recounts the downturn in the Georgia program following the years of Vince Dooley, and how Richt brought it back to national relevance.  Important to the story and to Rich is the inspiriation of his family and faith.  This is another good inspirational read.

10.  For Dallas Cowboy Fans
I will mention three books for Dallas Cowboy fans, two of which are recent releases.

A Cowboy’s Life by Bob Lilly
Hall of Famer Bob Lilly recounts his times as a football player for the TCU Horned Frogs and the Dallas Cowboys.  Rober Staubach writes the Foward.

Texas Stadium by Mac Engel
The 2008 season is the last for the Cowboys as Texas Stadium, and Engel captures some of its greatest memories.  Engel covers the Dallas Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and also is an adjuct professor at the Bob Schieffer School of Journalism at Texas Christian University.

Tony Romo by Mac Engel
This book earns the distinction of being the first ever book written about Romo after his rise to become the Cowboy’s new star at quarterback.  The recounts Tony’s journey from the small town in Wisconsin to the bright lights of the NFL.

In my first Short, Short List, I listed some books I wanted to read. Well, I have read one of those books. However, I have read at least a couple of college football books since then and am working on one now. Here is my new Short, Short List.

1. Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting. Bruce Feldman. Good book, and here is my review of the book. By the way, if you are interested, Brian at inthebleachers.net has a podcast in which he interviews the author, Bruce Feldman. You can check it out here.

2. Fourth and New Orleans: How Tulane Football Survived the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrinea. Benjamin Hochman with Coach Chris Scelfo. My review for this book is here.

3. We Are Marshall. Starring Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox. A co-worker of mine who is not a big football fan told me that she cried when watching this movie. It is very moving and inspiring. Gives a bit of background on how freshmen were eventually allowed to play on varsity college football teams. If you love college football and feel-good stories, this is one you want to watch.

Coming Soon

Tarnished Heisman: Did Reggie Bush Turn His Final College Season into a Six-Figure Job?
by Don Yager and Jim Henry. Visit their website here.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Tulane football team endured a long and grueling season filled with weekly trips to different stadiums, a semester living in a condemned dorm rooms, and the horror of knowing that players’ families lost much or all that they owned.

This book follows the Tulane University football team, New Orleans’ own college football team, through the 2005 season after Hurricane Katrina slammed into their home and sent the team packing for the entire fall. The book begins just a few hours before the hurricane makes shore as the football team loads chartered buses and pulls out of New Orleans. The Green Wave football team, along with some extra passengers, eventually end up in Dallas, TX, hosted by Southern Methodist University. It is there that Coach Chris Scelfo and his staff, along with the team, make the gut wrenching decision to proceed with the season.

The book delves into the lives of many of the young men on the team and their families. Once such person was Tulane linebacker Brandon Spincer. Tragically, Spincer, a young man from New Orleans, who wanted help rebuild New Orleans and work with disadvantaged kids was murdered during the fall of 2006.

The book also gave a glimpse into the plight in which so many New Orleanians suffered in the aftermath of Katrina. Even the Tulane coaching staffs were not immune to Katrina’s destruction. And, of course, the Tulane University campus was severely damaged.

The toll of living from a broken down dorm in another town, dealing with the loss of so much, and the stress of the entire situation turned an otherwise promising season into a disappointment. Indeed, it seemed as if the team was relieved that the season was over instead of preparing for a bowl game. Getting back to normalcy became the goal, but the goal was a very implausible one. The 2006 season also suffered from the events of 2005, and Tulane did not fair any better on the field. In the end, the University decided to part ways with Coach Scelfo.

Check your local bookstore, or your local Borders, for a copy of Fourth and New Orleans: How Tulane Football Survived the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by Benjamin Hochman and Coach Chris Scelfo.