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Birth of the New NFL: How The 1966 Nfl/Afl Merger Transformed Pro Football
The year 1966 marked the birth of the National Football League as we know it, when owners in the NFL and the upstart American Football League agreed to an unprecedented merger, to take place at the start of the 1970 season. They also agreed to play, beginning at the end of the '66 season, a game between each league's champion―a game that came to be called The Super Bowl. The Birth of the New NFL tells the story of that historic season, leading to the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. It also tells the off-the-field story, the one between warring owners and cities―a story often more brutal than the one on the field. Larry Felser has interviewed the leading men of the day, from Al Davis and Jack Kemp, to Wellington Mara, Art Modell, Lamar Hunt, Gene Upshaw, Dan Rooney, and many others. He presents the struggles of top teams for the chance to represent their respective leagues in the biggest game ever, while also offering a behind-closed-doors view of the wheeling and dealing it took to reach the agreement.
- GenresFootballSportsNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 25, 2012
This is one of the worst-edited books I have ever seen in my life. A shame, because the author knows his stuff.
May 31, 2017
I read a lot of football books, and this one pales in comparison to most of them.
See specifically "The NFL, Year One" (Brad Schultz). It's a similar work (focusing on 1970) and is far more compelling.
I just finished "The Blind Side" (Michael Lewis) earlier in the week. Set aside the story of Michael Oher and look just what Lewis' chapters on left tackles and pass rushers. That's big time -- far, far above what's being presented here.
Miles short of the the Jeff Pearlman books on Payton, Favre and the Cowboys of the '90s. Nowhere close to the "Their Life's Work" book on the Steelers.
Felser has been a football writer for years and years and has access to a lot of key events and people. He had Ernie Accorsi write the intro for him. But he's just not much of a writer, it appears. It appears he's more of a newspaper guy, use to filing nuts-and-bolts news stories on deadline.
A few items in there that I wasn't aware of. Nice to see those. But in hindsight, I wish I had given his book a miss.
See specifically "The NFL, Year One" (Brad Schultz). It's a similar work (focusing on 1970) and is far more compelling.
I just finished "The Blind Side" (Michael Lewis) earlier in the week. Set aside the story of Michael Oher and look just what Lewis' chapters on left tackles and pass rushers. That's big time -- far, far above what's being presented here.
Miles short of the the Jeff Pearlman books on Payton, Favre and the Cowboys of the '90s. Nowhere close to the "Their Life's Work" book on the Steelers.
Felser has been a football writer for years and years and has access to a lot of key events and people. He had Ernie Accorsi write the intro for him. But he's just not much of a writer, it appears. It appears he's more of a newspaper guy, use to filing nuts-and-bolts news stories on deadline.
A few items in there that I wasn't aware of. Nice to see those. But in hindsight, I wish I had given his book a miss.
January 13, 2022
I'll start by caveating the review by saying I didn't manage to finish the book, I gave up around page 150.
As some other reviews have detailed the book is poorly edited and very sporadic in its writing. It jumps around from point to point and expects the reader to have in depth knowledge of footballers from 1950's and 1960's.
The book also doesn't really focus on the merger and how it changed football, its more a synopsis of the AFC and NFC just before the merger and then season reviews after. There is little information on how the merger occurs, the practicalities, the actual deals and the differences that it made or any potential projections if it didn't happen.
Overall just massively disappointed with the book.
As some other reviews have detailed the book is poorly edited and very sporadic in its writing. It jumps around from point to point and expects the reader to have in depth knowledge of footballers from 1950's and 1960's.
The book also doesn't really focus on the merger and how it changed football, its more a synopsis of the AFC and NFC just before the merger and then season reviews after. There is little information on how the merger occurs, the practicalities, the actual deals and the differences that it made or any potential projections if it didn't happen.
Overall just massively disappointed with the book.
March 4, 2022
A good history of the merger
This gives a history of the founding of the Nfl into the monolith that it is today. I love the history of the game
This gives a history of the founding of the Nfl into the monolith that it is today. I love the history of the game
July 19, 2022
Despite the stodgy prose this is a comprehensive history of the merger between the American Football League and the National Football League in 1966.
The most informative aspect of this book is story behind the formation and advancement of the upstart American Football League when several wealthy (and some not so wealthy) businessmen wanted into the professional football fold. Thwarted by the NFL and desiring a team, it was Lamar Hunt, owner of the Dallas Texans (later the Kansas City Chiefs) that really brought the AFL to fruition and helped create a league that was competitive with the long established NFL.
The story behind the merger is equally as fascinating, especially the clear lack of trust AFL Commissioner Al Davis had among owners, as they essentially worked for a merger behind his back while he was taking a all out go to war approach in trying to sign the biggest stars from the other league. I also learned a great deal about how the television contacts the AFL was able to garner greatly helped the league, and the integral role Ralph Wilson played in the not only this, but the eventually merger itself. It's surprising that it took so long for Ralph Wilson (owner of the Buffalo Bills) to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For those interested in NFL history and how the AFL was founded, grew, and eventually managed to merge with the NFL, this book is worth reading. But I will warn that the writing and organization of the book lack a lot to be desired.
The most informative aspect of this book is story behind the formation and advancement of the upstart American Football League when several wealthy (and some not so wealthy) businessmen wanted into the professional football fold. Thwarted by the NFL and desiring a team, it was Lamar Hunt, owner of the Dallas Texans (later the Kansas City Chiefs) that really brought the AFL to fruition and helped create a league that was competitive with the long established NFL.
The story behind the merger is equally as fascinating, especially the clear lack of trust AFL Commissioner Al Davis had among owners, as they essentially worked for a merger behind his back while he was taking a all out go to war approach in trying to sign the biggest stars from the other league. I also learned a great deal about how the television contacts the AFL was able to garner greatly helped the league, and the integral role Ralph Wilson played in the not only this, but the eventually merger itself. It's surprising that it took so long for Ralph Wilson (owner of the Buffalo Bills) to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For those interested in NFL history and how the AFL was founded, grew, and eventually managed to merge with the NFL, this book is worth reading. But I will warn that the writing and organization of the book lack a lot to be desired.
July 26, 2012
This book is definitely aimed at old-timers or those with a keen interest in NFL history. The casual fan won't get through this one. A solid behind-the-scenes look from the key movers and shakers that brought the NFL-AFL together and some great insights into just how much of a struggle it was to merge the two leagues into what is now America's most popular sport.
Felser also offers some rare play-by-play from some of the big games in history, interesting reminders about big moments that don't show up in those NFL Films docs. Of course, there's also some weird choices for play-by-play of what seemed to me anyway to be pretty meaningless games along the way.
The biggest bother for me was the consistent batch of typos and missed editing that went with the version I purchased. Mine came off Barnes&Noble.com for $1.99, so maybe that's why?
A good read for hard-core football fans with a nose for the history of the game.
Spoiler alert ... I can't believe my Denver Broncos were on the cutting block more than once, and I have Al Davis to thank (at least in part) for me wearing blue and orange today :)
Felser also offers some rare play-by-play from some of the big games in history, interesting reminders about big moments that don't show up in those NFL Films docs. Of course, there's also some weird choices for play-by-play of what seemed to me anyway to be pretty meaningless games along the way.
The biggest bother for me was the consistent batch of typos and missed editing that went with the version I purchased. Mine came off Barnes&Noble.com for $1.99, so maybe that's why?
A good read for hard-core football fans with a nose for the history of the game.
Spoiler alert ... I can't believe my Denver Broncos were on the cutting block more than once, and I have Al Davis to thank (at least in part) for me wearing blue and orange today :)
October 9, 2015
Good anecdotes; atrocious writing...
Writer could have used a good editor; or, at least any editor. His anecdotes provided good info, that I didn't know before; but, unsure what was true, and what wasn't, as I found many inaccuracies, of facts that I DID know. The writing itself, was also sub-par.
I wanted to like this. I really did.
Writer could have used a good editor; or, at least any editor. His anecdotes provided good info, that I didn't know before; but, unsure what was true, and what wasn't, as I found many inaccuracies, of facts that I DID know. The writing itself, was also sub-par.
I wanted to like this. I really did.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews