What a Game They Played: An Inside Look at the Golden Era of Pro Football

by Richard Whittingham, Keith McClellan (Introduction)

In their own words, the pioneers and legends of professional football tell of the early glory years of the National Football League. From the 1920s through the 1940s, pro football players were paid only hundreds of dollars per game and rarely had substitutes. The conditions and times of this era are vividly recalled by such players as Red Grange, Johnny Blood, Clarke Hinkle, Ace Parker, Shipwreck Kelly, Mel Hein, Sammy Baugh, Don Hutson, and Sid Luckman. The players also reveal personal glimpses of how they got started in football, the conditions on the field, their life away from it, and their memories of outstanding games and competing against such giants as Jim Thorpe. Full of wry and wonderful anecdotes, What A Game They Played invites sports fans to experience the fresh and inventive early years of pro football, a game played in an America quite different from what it is today.

Genres: Football, Sports, Nonfiction

235 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

Richard Whittingham (1 Jan. 1939-21 Feb. 2005), was the author of 28 books including Boy wonder of Wall Street, Skokie, and The Chicago Bears.

Whittingham also wrote as:
Dick Whittingham
David Paige
Andrew David

Reviews

[Josh Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a great book, it's A Glory of Their Times for football. It has interviews with several NFL stars from the 20s thru the 40s and they are all fantastic. Real informative and entertaining stories of what it was like during those days in football. Also has little snippets at the end of each chapter with more stories about the times.

Highly recommended, if you are interested at all about the early days of football than you need to read this book.