Southern Fried Football: The History, Passion, And Glory

by Tony Barnhart, Keith Jackson (Foreword)

"Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football." -John Heisman Obsessed, fanatical, crazed - you bet! The Midwest may love college football, but Tony Barnhart, 1999 Georgia Sportswriter of the Year, reveals that in the South, love just ain't good enough. Southern Fried Football proves that when it comes to college football in the South, the operative word is passion. The 2000 season marks the 120th year of college football in the South, and the fever hasn't lost a degree of its pitch. This book celebrates Southern college football at its finest * Stories of regional rivalry-when Alabama and Auburn square off on a Saturday afternoon, families divide and marriages dissolve * The grand traditions of the South's most celebrated dynasties-the Bourbon Barrel of the Kentucky-Indiana game, the Gator Growl, the cowbells of Mississippi State, and, of course, UGA, the mascot with a face only a Georgia fan could love * Profiles of the greatest players, teams, and coaches in southern college football-from the 1898 Immortals of Kentucky to the young stars of today * And, of course, the real center of the action, the avid, flag-flying fans who bring their southern passion for life to the grandstands every Saturday afternoon, but live Southern football seven days a week. Southern Fried Football is a devoted celebration of the people, places, and moments that make college football in the South more than just a game, or a show of school spirit. South of the Mason-Dixon line, football becomes without question a passion as bold and as heated as good barbecue. TONY BARNHART is an acclaimed sportswriter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was recently voted 1999 Georgia Sportswriter of the Year. He has covered college football for ESPN for over six years and has been nominated for an Emmy for his screenplay "The Southern Game," a documentary on Southern college football produced by Georgia Public Television.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Football

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mark Bunch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for the football fan from the south. All the teams and the chartetrs, all the traditions-explained.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Southern Fried Football: The History, Passion, and Glory of the Great Southern Game by Tony Barnhart (Triumph Books 2000) (796.332) is a fine book about the grand old game. It covers the ACC, the SEC, and the other southern schools of note. It's full of anecdotes about other schools that I had never heard. My rating 7/10, finished 10/16/11.

[Chandler]

Good listing of all the pride and traditions of Southern football. However, my main complaint about this book is that it is 90% SEC and 10% ACC. Yes, I know the SEC has more tradition but the ACC deserves some respect too.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tradition continues every Fall Saturday in the SEC.