Confessions of a Dirty Ballplayer

by Johnny Sample, Fred J. Hamilton, Sonny Schwartz

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction, Biography

343 pages

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Terry Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Sample briefly tells of growing up in postwar segregated Virginia. Even though his parents later divorced, he gives them credit for instilling the values he had throughout his life. He goes on to cover his college years, and his experiences playing in the NFL. These are the days of Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, etc. Sample played with the Baltimore Colts when they defeated the New York Giants in "The Greatest Game Ever Played" (1958) , and played for the New York Jets when they defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in 1969. This was particularly satisfying for him since he had been informally blackballed from playing in the NFL for his reputation of "being a trouble maker and having a big mouth". This was when the AFL was a separate league, before those teams joined the NFL.

Parts I found interesting, include his observations on how black players were treated differently by owners and the league office (primarily salary) and controversies with Commissioner Rozelle over blackballing particular players and forcing Joe Namath to sell his share of a nightclub. At the end of the book he rates players of his era, and picks his own all-star team. An interesting note not in the book is that Johnny Sample went on to become a top-ranked amateur tennis player after retirement, and also a tennis line judge and umpire.

[Chris Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Try to put it into the context of the time it was written and not against all the books of its type that have come out since. In a time when it was not fashionable for athletes to intelligently speak your mind, Sample does so on a series of topics. Worth a pickup.

[David Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing was a bit too repetitive at times, and Sample spent too much time at the end going over what he thought of specific players in the league, but he provides an interesting personal view of the league when he played and his experiences in it.

[Ike · Rating 3 out of 5]

One word = tough

[Greg Parrinello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a straight forward and honest book should be rewarded. There is always a bit of fiction in the stories surrounding an outcast. Johnny tells it as he saw it and I tend to believe him over the National Football League "Establishment".

It was an easy read and interesting for football lovers and football historians.

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a REALLY good book.

[Douglas Graney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recall enjoying this as a kid. I had a soft spot for the Jets back then.