The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate Battle

by Michael Corcoran

Sets the scene for and describes the Thanksgiving 1971 college football game between the Nebraska Huskers and the Oklahoma Sooners, and includes strategies, tactics, first-hand player experiences, and statistics.

Genres: Sports

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2004

About the author

There is more than one author in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for Michael ^ Corcoran.

Michael Corcoran has written seven previous books, including Duel in the Sun, an account of the 1977 British Open, and For Which It Stands: An Anecdotal Biography of the American Flag. He's written for numerous magazines and been the editor of a few. He lives with his wife and their children in Springtown, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[baggyparagraphs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is fun to read and offers interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, but toward the end, instead of a powerful climax, the author abdicates his narrative responsibilties and lets his tape recorder handle everything. So it falls flat.

[Dave]

Good book on one of the greatest seasons of college football. The 1971 Nebraska Oklahoma game, played on Thanskgiving weekend. It was the irresitible force against the immovable object.

[Brad Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge college football fan that writes a college football blog, this book was incredible from start to finish. It was intriguing for a guy that was a kid when this game took place. I highly recommend this book to anyone that's interested in the college football game and knowing the history of the sport. Read it.

[Ryan Splenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

For as long as I've been a college football fan, I have been reminded about the "Game of the Century" between Nebraska and Oklahoma in 1971. This is actually the 7th "Game of the Century" in college football history (the first being Notre Dame vs. Ohio State in 1935). It was a truly thrilling game that ended with Johnny Rodgers and Nebraska edging Greg Pruitt and Oklahoma by a score of 35-31. Nebraska would go on to win their 2nd straight national championship. Corcoran tells the interesting story of the events that led up to the game as well as recapping the heavyweight matchup. However, I was a bit disappointed and felt that he could have fleshed out quite a bit more. There was pretty good coverage of both school's histories leading up to the clash in 1971, but it could have been deeper. Overall, it was a good recap of this particular game, but this now defunct rivalry deserves(ed) much better treatment.

[Chris Beach · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love college football you will love this book . I was a senior in high school when this game was played and I remember it vividly. It certainly is in the top five or at the very top of college football games ever played. The writer captures every detail perfectly. For you football aficionados please check out the roster of the starting players. Check out the height and weight. These players were normal guys . Weight training was not very prevalent in those days . Today’s players are muscle bound freaks and very specialized . I think the players were better overall athletes when this great game was played . Enjoy!

[Chandler]

Like a meal that is correctly proportioned, this book hit the spot. Not too long in the tooth in prologue, it has a decent game narrative which centers around interviews with the players who were there. Quick but informative read.