The Sweet Season: A Sportswriter Rediscovers Football, Family, and a Bit of Faith at Minnesota's St. John's University

by Austin Murphy

After fifteen years as a Sports Illustrated writer, pleading for interviews with large men in possession of larger egos, Austin Murphy decides to bail out. The time has come, he concludes, to fly beneath the radar of big-league sports, to while away a season with the Johnnies. So, he moves his family to the middle of Minnesota to chronicle a season at St. John's, a Division III program that has reached unparalleled success under the unorthodox guidance of John "Gags" Gagliardi. The Sweet Season is an account of what happens when a family pulls up stakes and spends months in a strange and wonderful place. It is also, not incidentally, the story of the most incredible football program in the country, run by a smiling sage who has forgotten more about the game than most of his peers will ever know.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Austin Murphy is an American author and journalist who wrote for Sports Illustrated for 33 years before corporate downsizing made him an Amazon.com delivery truck driver. After working for Amazon, Murphy was recently hired as a writer for the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat.

Reviews

[Roger Scherping · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if I can write an objective review about a book about my alma mater, a book that makes St. John's sound like an idyllic, special place, grounded and enlightened, unique among colleges. Well, the author got that right, and it was fascinating to see how St. John's worked its magic on Murphy, slowing him down and teaching him the value of introspection and living in the moment.

I wasn't a football player, so I was fascinated by the insights into Gagliardi, who I never actually met or even saw around campus in my four years. I also enjoyed reading about the genuine comradery that the members of the team enjoyed. It must have been a blast to be part of their world.

But this really wasn't a football book. It was really about the sabbatical that Murphy took. I was about what he learned in those four months about himself and how he improved as a husband and father. The fact that the book wasn't exactly what I expected did not diminish it at all for me.

Murphy is a gifted writer, and I laughed out loud at his wry observations, witty comebacks and funny stories. I actually felt very sad when he described leaving at the end of his sabbatical; I loved Gagliardi's going away gift and sentiment. I like how Murphy learned to stop mocking the seemingly simple people he met and instead recognized how much they had to teach him about humility and priorities. One minor complaint: Most of us are parents, so it got a little tiring listening to him explain what the rest of us already know about the challenges of parenting.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I would say that even if I didn't go to school there.

[Ken Heard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when it came out some 20 years ago and was struck by how good it was. Murphy doesn't just look at the St. John's football team, but also about himself, his marriage and family and attitude toward the changing college football of that era.

I read it again this past week and yet again was moved at how well this is. A good test of an excellent book is how it affects you after reading it two decades apart.

Murphy was burned out on the athletes' sense of empowerment in the big college and pro football world. He took a sabbatical as a Sports Illustrated writer to cover St. John's football team in Collegeville, Minn., just northwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. There, the players on the Division III team were real people who enjoyed the game and were not pampered athletes. Coach John Gagliardi was a unique coach, forgoing the strenuous exercises for staring clouds, going indoors if it was rainy and having "good day" training.

The joy in Murphy's book is his awareness of the good characters of the team, but also his realization that his work as a SI writer took him from his family. Instead of being some arrogant writer, he is very humble in his coverage of the team and pokes fun at himself often.

Maybe the two decades between reading this, the life I lived during those times gave me a new perspective of his work. A lot has happened in those 20 years.... loss of wife, being laid off a newspaper job I loved, health issues, and remarrying an amazing woman... have all been changes. But the constant is how well I received Murphy's book. I had planned to donate it to the library after reading it this time, but I found myself returning it to the keeper bookshelf. Hopefully, it won't be 20 years again before I read this classic.

[Ryan Hathaway · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wonderful story of St. Johns and a legendary coach but the authors sophmoric personal asides intrude too often.

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this book about 9 years ago but I got started on it again after finding it at Goodwill. My world must have changed a great deal in the interim because it seems much richer and more vibrant than I remember. Perhaps that is a reflection of the richness of my life's journey during that time. It is still a great story about St. John's football and it helps that I actually know some of the people involved at the time. I took pictures at a few games that season because Brandon Novak, All-American linebacker for the Johnnies, is a good friend of my wife at that time. One photo in particular thrilled his mother:
Brandon walking off the field, helmet in hand, the sun setting and the St. John's scoreboard in the background. Novak is the single smartest football player I have ever seen. He could stick his forearm into a pile of linemen and bring a ballcarrier down. In short, if you want a good picture of why St. John's coach John Gagliardi has become the winningest coach in U.S. football history, this book is all you need.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a life long Football fan I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author highlights the completely different approach to coaching, the main protagonist, John "Gags" Gagliardi uses to coach Minnesota St John's University to the all time winning Football team. As a side note our old HS coach, who was very successful as a HS coach and coached at University of Nebraska during the glory years, still living did not always agree with "Gags". Hence some interesting spirited discussions resulted.

I certainly would recommend this book to any and all but especially the Football Fans

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quite a lot. My family has ties to SJU going back to the mid-1950s. I'm certainly not an avid Jonnie fan but I had the privilege of walking the track around the field and playing at the back of the endzones on a few occasions as a youngster. My own sons have done it too.

Murphy's recounting of his time at Collegeville touched on everything I know that makes SJU a truly unique and special place.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice tale of dropping out from the rat race. Austin Murphy learned about more than just football by taking a fall to cover Division III St. John's. He seemed to have strengthened his family life as well by getting off the treadmill, which sometimes a sports writer needs to do. As a sports writer myself, I could relate to a lot of it.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this while I worked as a bookseller at Borders. I found it while reshelving books, and since it is about my alma mater, I decided to read it. The prose is pretty straightforward, and the book is an easy read. The story is good, and any time I get the chance to read a good story about SJU, I will read it. I would like to see a story on SJU CC, though.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austin Murphy is a witty writer and because I know SJU well, it was fun to hear his take on the school, monks, football. I liked how he interspersed his family and their history into the book. A great and quick read! This was also one of the books on the AHA summer reading list and thus far, might be one of my favorite books this summer.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because the author took a sabbatical to St. John's University, where I spent a lot of time in college. I could imagine all the places that he was talking about. And it helped that my husband has been teaching me about football, so that I wasn't too lost. Thanks Jason!

[Mike Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resonated with me as a passionate fan of Division III football. John Gagliardi is the NCAA record holder for wins in college football at all levels. But he also represents what is noble and honorable in athletic competition.

[Scott Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I read it every year at the beginning of football season. Murphy's story of spending a season with the St John's football team, reminds me of everything I hold dear in life. Faith, Family, and Football.

[jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

football jerks will love this one.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out loud more during this book than any I've ever read. Football, family and faith is a perfect summary of the themes. Murphy is a great story teller.

[Neil Rempel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed, was looking for an insight to St. John's coaching methods. Need to look else where.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sports as a metaphor for life is always classic and wonderful.

[Mark Kasten · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book's best delights come from being as continually surprised as the author as he (re)discovers both life's simple and not-so simple pleasures in his sojourn from prime time to small town.

[Anthony W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started slowly. Author is often a doofus with his wife. However, the pace and flow picked up toward the end and it ended up being a really enjoyable read.