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.

I like to post top ten lists. However, I can’t come up with every top ten list, and I fail to qualify as an expert to post some top ten lists. Bruce Feldman, however, is qualified. He listed his Top Ten Workout Warriors. And, TCU’s Jason Phillips is on the list. Just listen to these eye popping stats where he says that Phillips

“. . .has a squat of 710 pounds, a power clean of 410 pounds and a bench press of 450 pounds.”

Phillips, a senior, is 6 foot 1 and 234 lbs from Waller, TX, and was a QB and LB in high school. Phillips has been named the state’s best Linebacker two years in a row by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. He is a preseason All American, and on the Watch List for the Bronko Nagurski Award which is awarded to the best defensive college football player. TCU will once again have a strong defense with guys like Jason Phillips who simply makes plays and is tough.

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.

Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting has got to be one of the most interesting reads about college football. The book is written by ESPN Columnist Bruce Feldman and follows former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron as he dives head first into the world of recruiting the class that would change the direction of the program that Orgeron oversaw. It is a particularly interesting read now that Oregeron has been replaced at Ole Miss by former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt.

Feldman is the “fly on the wall” during Ole Miss coaching meetings discussing recruits, particularly in the “war room,” the place where Orgeron did his recruiting work. Feldman reports what coach Orgeron and his coaches say about potential recruits and how Orgeron’s staff identifies and pursues future college stars such as Joe McKnight whom Ole Miss made a serious attempt to sign out of New Orleans. Feldman also reports how certain circumstances during the football season caused the Rebel staff to place a greater importance on “character” players as well as academics in their recruiting strategy.

Feldman explains the use of the Ole Miss summer football camps to identify the “sleeper” recruit which is a tactic of summer football camps all over the country. Orgeron and his staff seemed to embrace the use of the internet recruiting sites using them to boost their own rank with potential recruits by either being the first to pursue a recruit or just by being on a recruit’s short list.

The most exciting part of Felman’s book are the last two chapters as National Signing Day looms closer. This at part of the book is like an intense action-packed 3 hour movie in which circumstances seem to change every 5-10 minutes. Those two chapters follow the most sought after recruits on the Ole Miss board and the reports, rumors, and communications (including text messages) which give the coaches an indication of the direction in which each recruit will or will not go. Feldman seemed to be able to interview some or all of the recruits as well as their families, coaches, mentors, or teachers, etc.

One problem I had with the book is the ability to keep up with all of the different people introduced in the book. Undoubtedly, Feldman met far more than he mentions in the book. I am not really sure how he could help the reader keep up with the ones he mentions. He did provide some helpful reminders, but I often found myself asking about someone he mentioned earlier to try to remember how he or she was mentioned and why.

It is a good read, especially during the spring part of college football when recruiting players for your favorite college football team is still fresh in your minds. Hop on down to your local Borders Bookstore and buy a copy. And, enjoy.