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Tom Landry and Bill Walsh: How Two Coaching Legends Took Championship Football From the Packer Sweep to Brady vs. Manning
The shotgun formation. The West Coast Offense. The 4-3 defense. We expect to see some or all of those things when we watch football, but without Tom Landry and Bill Walsh, it's possible we wouldn't see any of those things. This is the story of how two independent thinkers molded football in general and championship football in particular. And they didn't just change the sport's Xs and Os; they changed its style, as well.
Copyright 2014 John Lawson III
Copyright 2014 John Lawson III
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 30, 2023
5 star if you love football
Fun, easy to read book about two men and their lasting contributions to America’s most popular sport, football. Tom Landry and Bill Walsh, not only were Super Bowl winners, but in reality, for good or bad, greatly responsible for the way 21st century football, is played. The 4-3 defense, the shotgun formation, coaches calling plays, the West Coast offense, passing more than running, the rise of the QB and the receding importance of the RB, ALL attributable to these two men.
Fun, easy to read book about two men and their lasting contributions to America’s most popular sport, football. Tom Landry and Bill Walsh, not only were Super Bowl winners, but in reality, for good or bad, greatly responsible for the way 21st century football, is played. The 4-3 defense, the shotgun formation, coaches calling plays, the West Coast offense, passing more than running, the rise of the QB and the receding importance of the RB, ALL attributable to these two men.
November 14, 2019
Great Book. Highly Recommended
Anyone who is a fan of the cowboy dynasty of the 70s or 49at dynasty of the 80s will appreciate this book. Or if your just a fan of the history of the game.
Anyone who is a fan of the cowboy dynasty of the 70s or 49at dynasty of the 80s will appreciate this book. Or if your just a fan of the history of the game.
December 25, 2023
Engaging history from an extremely knowledgeable author
May 5, 2014
Rating:
4 1/2 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
Professional football is a game that has undergone many changes in the last few decades and two legendary coaches, Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys and Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers, were responsible for several of those changes. Fans of the game will know about the West Coast Offense, the 4-3 defense and the shotgun formation. Landry and Walsh were ahead of their time bringing those innovations (or in the case of the shotgun, re-introducing) into their game plans. John Lawson III takes a look at the two men by following through their successes and failures as football coaches and also gives a history of lesson by illustrating what the game was like during the 1970’s and 1980’s when Landry and then Walsh were the kings of the NFL.
This book doesn’t just focus on the two Hall of Fame coaches. There are plenty of anecdotes about players from that era who helped shape the game as it was at that time. Of course there are stories about great Dallas and San Francisco players, but other great players from that time are included as well, such as Franco Harris and other players from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lawson also does a terrific job of illustrating when there were shifts in the landscape of the league and one of Landry’s or Walsh’s innovations were given the ultimate compliment in the NFL – other teams copied them.
There are two games that Lawson used to do this which were excellent illustrations of this concept. The first one was on December 28, 1975 when Dallas beat the Minnesota Vikings with a long pass that became known as the “Hail Mary” and is now commonly used for a last second pass. On a personal note, as a lifetime Vikings fan, that game is a bad memory for me, but it was correct for Lawson to use this one on the journey Landry took to become an innovator to use his personnel to the best of their ability.
The second game is the NFC Championship game in January 1982 in which the 49ers defeated the Cowboys 28-27 with the play that will be forever known as “The Catch” when Dwight Clark leaped for a Joe Montana pass in the end zone in the last minute. Something I really liked about this chapter is that Lawson debunked a myth that this game was when the torch of greatness was passed from Landry and the Cowboys to Walsh and the 49ers. He explains this during this chapter and others as well with extensive research and well-written accounts of games, teams and seasons during this era.
I did feel that even though Lawson didn’t expressly write this, he seemed biased toward Walsh being a little better than Landry overall as a coach and an innovator. This isn’t to say that he wrote a lot of critical items about Landry (if anything, he was more critical of the Cowboys organization as a whole) and he didn’t write about Walsh in overly glowing praise, but in the end, I felt that there was a bias toward Walsh shown. Not that this is bad about the book – it just took me by surprise near the end as it was very balanced up to that point.
Overall, I felt this was an excellent book that any football fan who enjoyed that era of the NFL will want to read. The four-and-a-half star rating is moved to five for Amazon and Goodreads where half-stars are not counted.
I wish to thank Mr. Lawson for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Did I skim?
No.
Pace of the book:
Very good. The back and forth between the sagas of Landry and Walsh are well placed and keeps the reader moving through the book and therefore keeps both coaches fresh in his or her mind.
Do I recommend?
Pro football fans will love this book, especially those who followed the game in the 1970’s and 1980s.
4 1/2 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
Professional football is a game that has undergone many changes in the last few decades and two legendary coaches, Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys and Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers, were responsible for several of those changes. Fans of the game will know about the West Coast Offense, the 4-3 defense and the shotgun formation. Landry and Walsh were ahead of their time bringing those innovations (or in the case of the shotgun, re-introducing) into their game plans. John Lawson III takes a look at the two men by following through their successes and failures as football coaches and also gives a history of lesson by illustrating what the game was like during the 1970’s and 1980’s when Landry and then Walsh were the kings of the NFL.
This book doesn’t just focus on the two Hall of Fame coaches. There are plenty of anecdotes about players from that era who helped shape the game as it was at that time. Of course there are stories about great Dallas and San Francisco players, but other great players from that time are included as well, such as Franco Harris and other players from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lawson also does a terrific job of illustrating when there were shifts in the landscape of the league and one of Landry’s or Walsh’s innovations were given the ultimate compliment in the NFL – other teams copied them.
There are two games that Lawson used to do this which were excellent illustrations of this concept. The first one was on December 28, 1975 when Dallas beat the Minnesota Vikings with a long pass that became known as the “Hail Mary” and is now commonly used for a last second pass. On a personal note, as a lifetime Vikings fan, that game is a bad memory for me, but it was correct for Lawson to use this one on the journey Landry took to become an innovator to use his personnel to the best of their ability.
The second game is the NFC Championship game in January 1982 in which the 49ers defeated the Cowboys 28-27 with the play that will be forever known as “The Catch” when Dwight Clark leaped for a Joe Montana pass in the end zone in the last minute. Something I really liked about this chapter is that Lawson debunked a myth that this game was when the torch of greatness was passed from Landry and the Cowboys to Walsh and the 49ers. He explains this during this chapter and others as well with extensive research and well-written accounts of games, teams and seasons during this era.
I did feel that even though Lawson didn’t expressly write this, he seemed biased toward Walsh being a little better than Landry overall as a coach and an innovator. This isn’t to say that he wrote a lot of critical items about Landry (if anything, he was more critical of the Cowboys organization as a whole) and he didn’t write about Walsh in overly glowing praise, but in the end, I felt that there was a bias toward Walsh shown. Not that this is bad about the book – it just took me by surprise near the end as it was very balanced up to that point.
Overall, I felt this was an excellent book that any football fan who enjoyed that era of the NFL will want to read. The four-and-a-half star rating is moved to five for Amazon and Goodreads where half-stars are not counted.
I wish to thank Mr. Lawson for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Did I skim?
No.
Pace of the book:
Very good. The back and forth between the sagas of Landry and Walsh are well placed and keeps the reader moving through the book and therefore keeps both coaches fresh in his or her mind.
Do I recommend?
Pro football fans will love this book, especially those who followed the game in the 1970’s and 1980s.
May 21, 2014
It seems that the NFL is currently going through an offensive evolution with the advent of the spread from the college game. The talent of the mobile quarterbacks that were developed in that system can no longer be denied by NFL teams anymore. While the drop back passer is still revered there is still a refreshing change in the air for what some had considered the stodgy NFL.
There was a time however when the NFL's stodginess was quite a bit overwhelming until "The Catch" 33 years ago. Few realized it then but it was a pivotal moment for the NFL when strategies regarding talent evaluation, game planning, offensive philosophies,and coaching would evolve and make the NFL what it is today. "Tom Landry and Bill Walsh" by John Lawson III conveys how this evolution took place by highlighting two coaches that were at the center of it. Lawson begins the book with a flair in detailing the final drive that ended with Dwight Clark receiving "The Catch" from Joe Montana in a way that makes you feel you were there. The importance that each play had leading up to "The Catch" is clearly evident. From there the book offers insight into two careers that would meet on that fateful day and how they would diverge afterward. Lawson offers quips and information that will make it clear how Bill Walsh and the 49ers successfully remade the NFL game in the 80s and how Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys represented a past that was being left behind.
For anyone that grew up an NFL fan during the 80s this book will put things in a historical perspective that few books about the game and that time do, while fans unfamiliar with those days will gain a greater knowledge of how the NFL has come to be what it is today. Not only is "Tom Landry and Bill Walsh" a story about football, it is a story about success, perseverance, and failure and serves as a good life lesson. The book is well researched and such a rich bounty of information combined with the engaging writing style of Lawson makes "Tom Landry and Bill Walsh" a must read for every football enthusiast.
There was a time however when the NFL's stodginess was quite a bit overwhelming until "The Catch" 33 years ago. Few realized it then but it was a pivotal moment for the NFL when strategies regarding talent evaluation, game planning, offensive philosophies,and coaching would evolve and make the NFL what it is today. "Tom Landry and Bill Walsh" by John Lawson III conveys how this evolution took place by highlighting two coaches that were at the center of it. Lawson begins the book with a flair in detailing the final drive that ended with Dwight Clark receiving "The Catch" from Joe Montana in a way that makes you feel you were there. The importance that each play had leading up to "The Catch" is clearly evident. From there the book offers insight into two careers that would meet on that fateful day and how they would diverge afterward. Lawson offers quips and information that will make it clear how Bill Walsh and the 49ers successfully remade the NFL game in the 80s and how Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys represented a past that was being left behind.
For anyone that grew up an NFL fan during the 80s this book will put things in a historical perspective that few books about the game and that time do, while fans unfamiliar with those days will gain a greater knowledge of how the NFL has come to be what it is today. Not only is "Tom Landry and Bill Walsh" a story about football, it is a story about success, perseverance, and failure and serves as a good life lesson. The book is well researched and such a rich bounty of information combined with the engaging writing style of Lawson makes "Tom Landry and Bill Walsh" a must read for every football enthusiast.
July 13, 2015
Excellent analysis and history of two NFL dynasties from different eras, and how their respective coaches, Landry and Walsh, changed how the game is played.
As a lifelong 'Niner fan it was interesting to learn more about Mr. Landry and what an amazing career he had coaching the Cowboys despite the heartbreaking defeats he handed the 49ers over the years.
Highly recommend this book.
As a lifelong 'Niner fan it was interesting to learn more about Mr. Landry and what an amazing career he had coaching the Cowboys despite the heartbreaking defeats he handed the 49ers over the years.
Highly recommend this book.
August 12, 2015
Ad times illuminating but far less z ans o than I hoped for
Instead thw reader is often treated to play-by-play descriptions of what feels like entire seasons. The author certainly has a talent for that, but the book qould have benifited from more editing and less tangents.
Instead thw reader is often treated to play-by-play descriptions of what feels like entire seasons. The author certainly has a talent for that, but the book qould have benifited from more editing and less tangents.
March 31, 2016
Okay
This book has information that I have read else where. The book is good and does a good job of comparing both coaches and organizations. However, it does have repetitive information if you read a lot of football books.
This book has information that I have read else where. The book is good and does a good job of comparing both coaches and organizations. However, it does have repetitive information if you read a lot of football books.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews