What do you think?
Rate this book
Do You Love Football?!: Winning with Heart, Passion, and Not Much Sleep
When Jon Gruden asks his Tampa Bay Bucs, "Do you love football?!" it's to remind them why they pull on their shoulder pads every Sunday morning. It's not about the money or the fame; it's about their passion for what they do.
And passion is something that has fueled Gruden's entire career. From his college playing days and his climb through the coaching ranks -- from college to assistant coaching jobs with the NFL's elite teams, to his first head coach job with the Oakland Raiders, and finally, with the Tampa Bay Bucs -- his meteoric rise is unparalleled. Underneath it all, though, he's just a humble, hardworking, no-nonsense guy who has no hobbies: "I'm not a scratch golfer. I don't know how to bowl. I can't read the stock market. Hell, I have a hard time remembering my wife's cell phone number. But I can call 'Flip Right Double X Jet 36 Counter Naked Waggle at 7 X Quarter' in my sleep."
Now, in this motivational memoir, Gruden provides insight into what makes him tick. Do You Love Football?! is an intimate look at his life as a player, coach, and head coach, as well as the principles that have made him the hottest coach in the NFL.
And passion is something that has fueled Gruden's entire career. From his college playing days and his climb through the coaching ranks -- from college to assistant coaching jobs with the NFL's elite teams, to his first head coach job with the Oakland Raiders, and finally, with the Tampa Bay Bucs -- his meteoric rise is unparalleled. Underneath it all, though, he's just a humble, hardworking, no-nonsense guy who has no hobbies: "I'm not a scratch golfer. I don't know how to bowl. I can't read the stock market. Hell, I have a hard time remembering my wife's cell phone number. But I can call 'Flip Right Double X Jet 36 Counter Naked Waggle at 7 X Quarter' in my sleep."
Now, in this motivational memoir, Gruden provides insight into what makes him tick. Do You Love Football?! is an intimate look at his life as a player, coach, and head coach, as well as the principles that have made him the hottest coach in the NFL.
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2003
32 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 11, 2015
Do You Love Football?! Winning with Heart, Passion, & Not Much Sleep by Jon Gruden was really a fascinating and insightful book. When I picked up this book I expected a boring documentary on the life of Jon Gruden, but what I got was words on pages that sucked you in, an inspiring story, and a once in a lifetime experience. Since football is my passion and my life the book made perfect sense to me but to someone who might not be as knowledgeable about the sport might not understand some terminology in the book. My experience with Do You Love Football?! was one to remember! I've been a player all my life and thought that this was the only side to football but reading this book has changed my perspective on football and life, there are two sides to everything.
While I was enjoying Do You Love Football?! a question came to me, at what point did Jon Gruden cross into adulthood?
While he was a child he was spending almost all of his time with people 20+ years older than he was. How could a kid fit into the lifestyle of an adult without still being recognized as a child? If I had to take a guess, Jon Gruden was transformed into an adult earlier than most people. This was a must or else he couldn't have been as close with players at Notre Dame and the players with the Raiders as he was.
This book was fascinating to me. It incredibly increased my ability to recognize that you have to take in account both sides of every situation. Your situation might be bad but think about someone else, theirs could be worse. If I had to recommend this book to anyone I would recommend it to anyone who definitely loves football. But most importantly anyone who loves to be intrigued by people who have had ups and downs in their life.
Read
May 5, 2022Our spring football practice has just kicked off and I wanted some inspiration so I read Jon Gruden's book. This book follows Coach Gruden from when he was young and dreamed of being a football player to his 2003 Super Bowl win as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I was definitely drawn to how Coach Gruden was a student of the game from early in his life. He would study plays and often know the offense better than his coaches. He went on to play in college but didn't get much playing time. I liked that he graduated and took coaching positions at small colleges before moving to the NFL. He had an amazing career with the Packers, Eagles, Raiders and finally the Buccaneers. The book stops with his incredible Super Bowl Champions season in 2003 in Tampa. I loved his description of his coaching style and what it took to become the very best in the league.
Coach Gruden did a good job of sharing his journey through the ups and downs of football and how it shaped his life. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys football and has any aspirations to coach at the highest level of the game.
I was definitely drawn to how Coach Gruden was a student of the game from early in his life. He would study plays and often know the offense better than his coaches. He went on to play in college but didn't get much playing time. I liked that he graduated and took coaching positions at small colleges before moving to the NFL. He had an amazing career with the Packers, Eagles, Raiders and finally the Buccaneers. The book stops with his incredible Super Bowl Champions season in 2003 in Tampa. I loved his description of his coaching style and what it took to become the very best in the league.
Coach Gruden did a good job of sharing his journey through the ups and downs of football and how it shaped his life. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys football and has any aspirations to coach at the highest level of the game.
April 5, 2018
I was really excited to read this book, knowing the history of the Gruden family and how much they are involved in football. I was really disappointed, Jon put a lot of focus in the book about things that did not matter to me, and less on the actual stories about football.
I was hoping that he would be more descriptive in the Raiders era he had, and the same for his time in Philly. He summarized entire seasons in short passages without going back to them. I was hoping for more.
The excellent part was his time in Green Bay, where he actually talked more about the Xs and Os of being on a coaching staff in the NFL. He told great stories about Sterling Sharpe and Reggie White.
To say that the Super Bowl chapter is disappointing is a vast understatement. Also the chapters about the Bucs and Raiders.
Really was expecting a lot more.
I was hoping that he would be more descriptive in the Raiders era he had, and the same for his time in Philly. He summarized entire seasons in short passages without going back to them. I was hoping for more.
The excellent part was his time in Green Bay, where he actually talked more about the Xs and Os of being on a coaching staff in the NFL. He told great stories about Sterling Sharpe and Reggie White.
To say that the Super Bowl chapter is disappointing is a vast understatement. Also the chapters about the Bucs and Raiders.
Really was expecting a lot more.
March 24, 2018
Yes Jon, I do love football!
If you are an avid fan of the game of football, reading this book is like eating a while bag of your favorite candy all at one time. When I tell someone I love football their next question is , "Who is your team?" I usually roll off some of my favorite players on many teams because they are fun to watch play. When I get a quizzical look, I explain that I like the game of football. This book gave me so much more insight into the game and what it takes to be good at it. I respect the complexity of the game and I respect Jon Gruden.
If you are an avid fan of the game of football, reading this book is like eating a while bag of your favorite candy all at one time. When I tell someone I love football their next question is , "Who is your team?" I usually roll off some of my favorite players on many teams because they are fun to watch play. When I get a quizzical look, I explain that I like the game of football. This book gave me so much more insight into the game and what it takes to be good at it. I respect the complexity of the game and I respect Jon Gruden.
January 4, 2025
As someone that is a massive football fan and that works in the sport currently this book and Jon Gruden as a person piqued my interest. Overall, I’m really happy I read the book. It was really cool to see his story and career build up until his Super Bowl win with the Bucs. Would love a part 2 picking up from then until now but who knows. To answer his question though, Yes I love football.
November 1, 2017
I go back through this book at least once a year because of how readable it is. Gruden's style of speaking comes through and he's got enough stories to keep you entertained while also showing how dedicated he was to his goal of coaching in the NFL and eventually winning a Super Bowl.
April 4, 2020
It's from 2003, so it only gets to the SB win in Tampa. Definitely slow... It's interesting stuff, if you love football, but not a page turner.
September 2, 2024
Oh Jon Gruden. Where did we go wrong with you?
December 31, 2024
“This book has me feeling nicey.”
December 21, 2021
I did not expect to like this as much as I did. I had to read it for a class at college where we had some choice. I began this just as Gruden was in controversy, however the story takes you up to his Superbowl win with Tampa.
It was interesting to learn about his time with Philly on the O-Line and his earlier stint with the Raiders. Little struggle to turn the pages while reading this as an ebook even with the stress of reading it for an assignment.
It was interesting to learn about his time with Philly on the O-Line and his earlier stint with the Raiders. Little struggle to turn the pages while reading this as an ebook even with the stress of reading it for an assignment.
September 22, 2014
As most probably know now, the majority of my reading is centered around memoirs and books on leadership and philosophy. This particular book might be the fastest I've read through a memoir. Jon Gruden has a very enthusiastic and intense personality, as shown on Monday Night Football when he announces games with Mike Tirico. The strength of this book is the conversation-like writing style that it possesses. Everything - pace of the book, word choice and style in writing - makes it feel like you could be having this casual conversation with Gruden himself. He starts at his childhood and the moment he realized football was his only passion, then takes the reader through every step along the way up through him becoming the youngest Head Coach to ever win a Super Bowl. This was a very fun and engaging read.
April 21, 2011
This is a 256 page book is a biography of Jon Gruden's life as a football coach. He tells about his hardships and his accomplishments. You can really fallow along and understand where he's coming from. Reading this book not only gives you an insite on his football belief, but also helps you learn more about how the NFl works. This book is unique because it's Gruden's beliefs. It's completely his side. This book is a really good book if your looking into a career as a coach. I'd say the only bad point that wouldn't make you want to read it would be if you don't agree with his ideas and way of coaching. Other than that if you want to know more about NFL coaching, or just coaching in general, this is a great book.
July 28, 2008
This book was written just after the Super Bowl win by the Bucs in 2003 and I was interested in learning more about Gruden. It did not disappoint into giving me more insight into him since he is a former quarterback who never played in the NFL and now it helps to understand his love of quarterbacks. I did appreciate him talking about the Bucs defense he inherited and it was pretty interesting to see how small the coaching world is in the NFL and NCAA.
November 13, 2014
This book is a must for all football fans. An insiders journey from little boy to the head coach of a Super Bowl winning team-Gruden takes us along with wonderful stories and memories from an incredible life in football. I have a new appreciation and a new respect for the man after reading this book. I enjoy his antics in the MNF booth but would much prefer to see him on the sidelines coaching an NFL team. Heres hoping he comes back to the fold one day soon.
July 6, 2013
Anyone who loves 'Chuckie' would enjoy this book. Gruden explains how is strong obsession for football was created and how it translates to his everyday life. Recommend for football junkies (he takes you through his earliest years coaching and inside the meeting and locker rooms on some memorable games & times in NFL history.)
Not quite as substantive as Tony Dungy's books, but I would still give this a shot.
Not quite as substantive as Tony Dungy's books, but I would still give this a shot.
April 11, 2011
Nice little biopic about Gruden who I love as a head coach. You get inside his head a bit and see what makes him tick. You quickly realize he is just such a student of the game that he coached the right way and was a players coach. Everything I expected from it - a little history, a little insight, a little cheese factor. Not bad at all.
April 24, 2008
This book was recommended to me after I read The Blind Side by Michael Lewis. It was interesting, informative, and a passionate recount of Gruden's success. However, Gruden is not a writer, so at times it felt like I was reading a young adult sports book.
May 27, 2008
maybe the greatest book ever written...
January 13, 2009
Very entertaining and a great look inside the mind of a coach.
July 10, 2012
AMAZING sports read from the most passionate and intense NFL head coach!
October 19, 2014
Fun quick read from one of my favourite football personalities. Wish it had been updated and more recent, but still a good look back at Gruden's football history.
May 23, 2016
Excellent and passionate
I loved this book. It was hard not to notice the passion with which Jon Gruden approaches football. It made this a fast read
I loved this book. It was hard not to notice the passion with which Jon Gruden approaches football. It made this a fast read
January 19, 2012
I do love football!!! And Jon Gruden!!!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews