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by David Gendell.
Softcover (6.0×9.0 inches). 307 pages. 2025.
Subtitle: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry
Are you ready for some football?
Before the NFL held sway in our collective TV sets, college football reigned supreme — and that included the service academies. Although this concentrates on the 1893 and 1942 Army-Navy games, you get some background into the evolution of the popularity that ultimately spilled over into Army-Navy gridiron contests.
The key here was that these games represented two different eras of US society and football rules. Both were played at Annapolis instead of a “neutral” field such as Philadelphia or New York City. The players, many with mini-biographies, stand tall as you understand their backgrounds and actions on and off the field.
If I have one complaint, it’s that the rules, especially in the 1893 game, needed a bit better explanation. For example, it wasn’t until page 120 that I learned for sure that a touchdown was four points, not today’s six points, and the “extra point” kick of today was worth two points in 1893. I had guessed previously (p40), but was never sure.
That said, when the games are actually described, they can be quite exciting — the very best parts of the book. Sadly, I wished they were longer, but understandable given that a play-by-play recap back in 1893 is probably impossible to find. The bibliography seems well researched through a wide variety of newspapers and such.
One typo: “and on reeled off yardage” (p199) should have the “on” deleted.
The book contains 41 black and white photos, seven black and white illustrations, and one black and white map.
Nicely done.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
