What do you think?
Rate this book
The First Star: Red Grange and the Barnstorming Tour That Launched the NFL
In The First Star , acclaimed sports writer Lars Anderson recounts the thrilling story of Harold "Red" Grange, the Galloping Ghost of the gridiron, and the wild barnstorming tour that earned professional football a place in the American sporting firmament.
Red Grange's on-field exploits at the University of Illinois, so vividly depicted in print by the likes of Grantland Rice and Damon Runyan, had already earned him a stature equal to that of Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and other titans of American sports' golden age. Then, in November 1925, Grange made the fateful decision to parlay his fame in pro ball, at the time regarded as inferior to the "purer" college game.
Grange signed on with the dapper theater impresario and promoter C. C. Pyle, who had courted him with the promise of instant wealth and fame. Teaming with George Halas, the hard-nosed entrepreneurial boss of the cash-strapped Chicago Bears NFL franchise, Pyle and Grange crafted an audacious a series of seventeen matches against pro teams and college "all-star" squads–an entire season's worth of games crammed into six punishing weeks that would forever change sports in America.
With an unerring eye, Anderson evocatively captures the full scope of this frenetic Jazz Age spectacle. Night after night, the Bears squared off against a galaxy of legends–Jim Thorpe, George "Wildcat" Wilson, the "Four Horsemen of Notre Dame": Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller, and Layden–while entertaining immense crowds. Grange's name alone could cause makeshift stadiums to rise overnight, as occurred in Coral Gables, Florida, for a Bears game against a squad of college stars. Facing constant physical punishment and nonstop attention from autograph hounds, gamblers, showgirls, and headhunting defensive backs, Grange nevertheless thrilled audiences with epic scoring runs and late-game heroics.
Grange's tour alone did not account for the rise of the NFL, but in bringing star power to fans nationwide, Grange set the pro game on a course for dominance. A real-life story chock-full of timeless athletic feats and overnight fortunes, of speakeasies and public spectacles, The First Star is both an engrossing sports yarn and a meticulous cultural narrative of America in the age of Gatsby.
Red Grange's on-field exploits at the University of Illinois, so vividly depicted in print by the likes of Grantland Rice and Damon Runyan, had already earned him a stature equal to that of Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and other titans of American sports' golden age. Then, in November 1925, Grange made the fateful decision to parlay his fame in pro ball, at the time regarded as inferior to the "purer" college game.
Grange signed on with the dapper theater impresario and promoter C. C. Pyle, who had courted him with the promise of instant wealth and fame. Teaming with George Halas, the hard-nosed entrepreneurial boss of the cash-strapped Chicago Bears NFL franchise, Pyle and Grange crafted an audacious a series of seventeen matches against pro teams and college "all-star" squads–an entire season's worth of games crammed into six punishing weeks that would forever change sports in America.
With an unerring eye, Anderson evocatively captures the full scope of this frenetic Jazz Age spectacle. Night after night, the Bears squared off against a galaxy of legends–Jim Thorpe, George "Wildcat" Wilson, the "Four Horsemen of Notre Dame": Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller, and Layden–while entertaining immense crowds. Grange's name alone could cause makeshift stadiums to rise overnight, as occurred in Coral Gables, Florida, for a Bears game against a squad of college stars. Facing constant physical punishment and nonstop attention from autograph hounds, gamblers, showgirls, and headhunting defensive backs, Grange nevertheless thrilled audiences with epic scoring runs and late-game heroics.
Grange's tour alone did not account for the rise of the NFL, but in bringing star power to fans nationwide, Grange set the pro game on a course for dominance. A real-life story chock-full of timeless athletic feats and overnight fortunes, of speakeasies and public spectacles, The First Star is both an engrossing sports yarn and a meticulous cultural narrative of America in the age of Gatsby.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
77 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 - 15 of 15 reviews
Read
February 5, 2021It's hard to imagine today, but there was a time when the American public simply was not interested in professional football. Football was a college game. Working men, who loved baseball and boxing, thought football was for hoity-toity rich kids, not a real man's sport. Those who did follow the college game thought it wholesome and noble, and wanted it kept pure from the dirty, corrupt influence of professionalism. There were only a few professional football teams, and all of them were going broke, playing in empty fields for a few bucks a game.
This book is a biography of Red Grange, from his childhood as a withdrawn, hardworking boy who found that football helped ease the pain of his mother's death, to his peak as a national celebrity. But this book is even more a biography of the National Football League, how everything came together. George Halas, whose love of the college game he had once played lured him away from a stable job as a civil engineer to form his own team, the Chicago Bears. C.C Pyle, the slick, polished promoter who became Grange's agent. Grange dropped out of the University of Illinois to join the Chicago Bears. He had been so famous as a college player (nicknamed the Galloping Ghost) that he packed stadiums. People who didn't even know anything about football showed up to see him, and Grange, Halas, and Pyle grew rich all together.
The Bears first tour was played under punishing conditions. Games were scheduled so close together that the men didn't even have time to wash their muddy uniforms. All the men, Grange included, were bruised, bandaged, and exhausted. On one day the players were running to catch their train, but were so beat up they could only hobble. These events make a great story, and the narration is surprisingly poetic at times, describing Grange's grace on the field, the team train chugging into the night, and the women hovering around the star like mosquitoes around ripe fruit. Grange was acknowledged by those who saw him as one of the greatest players ever, but his legacy is that he made people love football, and the NFL is now, well, huge.
This book is a biography of Red Grange, from his childhood as a withdrawn, hardworking boy who found that football helped ease the pain of his mother's death, to his peak as a national celebrity. But this book is even more a biography of the National Football League, how everything came together. George Halas, whose love of the college game he had once played lured him away from a stable job as a civil engineer to form his own team, the Chicago Bears. C.C Pyle, the slick, polished promoter who became Grange's agent. Grange dropped out of the University of Illinois to join the Chicago Bears. He had been so famous as a college player (nicknamed the Galloping Ghost) that he packed stadiums. People who didn't even know anything about football showed up to see him, and Grange, Halas, and Pyle grew rich all together.
The Bears first tour was played under punishing conditions. Games were scheduled so close together that the men didn't even have time to wash their muddy uniforms. All the men, Grange included, were bruised, bandaged, and exhausted. On one day the players were running to catch their train, but were so beat up they could only hobble. These events make a great story, and the narration is surprisingly poetic at times, describing Grange's grace on the field, the team train chugging into the night, and the women hovering around the star like mosquitoes around ripe fruit. Grange was acknowledged by those who saw him as one of the greatest players ever, but his legacy is that he made people love football, and the NFL is now, well, huge.
June 14, 2025
It is a fantastic book about how Grange, Halas, and an agent/promoter named Pyle saved the NFL. The long, exhausting barnstorming tour of every part of the US made football, and Grange's huge stardom brought it the attention it needed. A well written narrative that pulls you in and keeps you interested throughout.
Highly recommended, truly is a perfect book for anyone wanting to know more about the starting days of the NFL.
Highly recommended, truly is a perfect book for anyone wanting to know more about the starting days of the NFL.
December 31, 2014
As a big Illinois and Bears fan, I am a completely biased reviewer. Having said that, I really enjoyed this book and the story of launching the NFL. The book is written in a typical sports writer fashion and a little long winded at times. However, the subject matter is very interesting. The author also did a great job intertwining the stories of Grange, Halas, and Pyle. I recommend this book to any NFL, Bears, or Illini fan.
May 3, 2016
I liked this book and I enjoyed hearing about Red Grange and his sporting ability. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book which told all about Grange's exploits and his stats and how good of football player he really was. I mean, the man lifted ice as a job to make money to get into shape for football.
The second half of the book was different in that it told more about how professional football was formed, and they needed a star which is what Grange provided. It was both the owner and an agent and how as well as Grange they profited from a tour going on around the us show casing Grange's talent.
I read on other reviews that this book was read for some college classes for sports management. It seems like a good book for that because it is an introductory book and it tells of how this man from the middle of the country became a national sensation because of newspaper reporters and in effect made him bigger than life.
It was a good book in that it included a lot of information
on football, but in a way felt like it was a little sensationalized in that how good Grange was, but I believe that football fans would enjoy it. We in our current day sports culture can't believe a time when football was not being watched.
The second half of the book was different in that it told more about how professional football was formed, and they needed a star which is what Grange provided. It was both the owner and an agent and how as well as Grange they profited from a tour going on around the us show casing Grange's talent.
I read on other reviews that this book was read for some college classes for sports management. It seems like a good book for that because it is an introductory book and it tells of how this man from the middle of the country became a national sensation because of newspaper reporters and in effect made him bigger than life.
It was a good book in that it included a lot of information
on football, but in a way felt like it was a little sensationalized in that how good Grange was, but I believe that football fans would enjoy it. We in our current day sports culture can't believe a time when football was not being watched.
November 9, 2013
I remember when my son found a book at the library about Bigfoot, and was so fascinated that he would share his Bigfoot knowledge with anyone who would listen. I found myself reacting the same way to this book. Before I started, I knew very little about Red Grange: he was an early star of the Chicago Bears, who had also played at the University of Illinois. But did you know that Illinois used to be GOOD? An Red Grange once scored six touchdowns against Michigan? And George Halas played one baseball season for the Yankees? And Red Grange helped found a New York Yankees football team?
With all the current concern about concussions in the NFL, reading this book makes you wonder why it took this long for that concern to develop. Red Grange was once knocked unconscious for two days in a high school game, and that was almost 100 years ago.
With all the current concern about concussions in the NFL, reading this book makes you wonder why it took this long for that concern to develop. Red Grange was once knocked unconscious for two days in a high school game, and that was almost 100 years ago.
August 2, 2018
The well-told story of Harold "Red" Grange, nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost," who played college football for the U. of Illinois, earning consensus All-American honors all 3 years. After his junior year in 1925, pro football owner George Halas inked Grange to a pro contract with the Chicago Bears, and took the team on a barnstorming tour the likes of which has never been seen: 10 games in 7 eastern U.S. cities in 18 days; a brief Christmas break; then 9 more games spread over 5 weeks in Florida, Washington State and California. The tour stamped the NFL (named by Halas) as a national sport, making Grange (and Halas) wealthy.
December 30, 2023
Anderson takes us back to when football was finding it's way in the 1900's . And the book gets us to the 1930's. Some of the names are well known from that time but there are one names are very new to me. The most surprising top was the money those guys got doing these tough times. And some of the games were two or even three days a week.
The book also has a few things that are not exactingly to football, the game. It's to learn about Wheaton, IL, where there are some topics that would say that professional grew up there.
And many of the names are ones you have heard about or many read about. It gives the reader some information about sports in the US.
Yes, football game up in colleges and universities. The book gives a few things that explain another story. The best material shows that the professional guys had a very different kind of game.
The book also has a few things that are not exactingly to football, the game. It's to learn about Wheaton, IL, where there are some topics that would say that professional grew up there.
And many of the names are ones you have heard about or many read about. It gives the reader some information about sports in the US.
Yes, football game up in colleges and universities. The book gives a few things that explain another story. The best material shows that the professional guys had a very different kind of game.
May 4, 2024
This was great if you are a football fan.
It is also a history of George Halas, and showed how important he was in the early years of the NFL.
It is also a history of George Halas, and showed how important he was in the early years of the NFL.
February 13, 2013
3 1/2 stars. An entertaining story about Harold "Red" Grange and the tour that transformed professional football (the NFL) from an obscure, illegitimate and shady organization into the most popular sport in America. Without Red Grange, the National Football League would have collapsed in financial ruin and we'd all be sitting around watching figure skating on Sunday afternoons.
The writing style of this book was very easy and entertaining. There was a lot of information that I knew little or nothing about (I am not a football expert, nor an expert on George Halas or even the Chicago Bears) and overall I feel like it is a shame a paperback edition was never released and that the hardback edition is now out of print.
A few interesting facts:
College Football was the dominant football sport in the early 20th century. Pro football was looked at like a "scam" a "quick buck" endeavor that brought shame to the sport. College athletes that turned pro after graduation were considered shameful. "The prevalence of dirty play in the professional game caused college coaches and newspapermen around the country to decry pro ball as foul, corrupt, and not at all in keeping with the traditional values of fair play and sportsmanship that distinguished other sports such as college football, pro baseball, even boxing."
In one game against a powerful University of Michigan team, Grange had running touchdowns of 95,67,56, and 45 yards and a total of 303 yards from scrimmage in the first quarter alone. More yardage than "the Michigan defense had given up all last year."
"Two plays later, he launched his body into the end zone, scoring the only touchdown of the game. As his teammates mobbed him and the crowd thundered its approval, Grange simply dropped the ball at the end line and walked back to the huddle". Class is a commodity lacking in the game today. Please guys, could you start acting like you been there before?
Red Grange dropped out of college after his final game during his senior season and before graduating from the University of Illinois, probably becoming the first college athlete to "come out early" and definitely becoming the first athlete to transition from college to pro without "embarrassing himself or his sport".
George "Papa Bear" Halas (the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears) was the 1919 Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player. Halas served in the Navy during World War 1, not in the field or theater, but as a football coach for a naval training academy in suburban Illinois. He purchased NFL license for his Bears franchise for $100. Yea, one hundred dollars. He and Grange were members of the first class inducted into the Pro Football Hall of fame.
The Hall of Fame resides in Canton, Oh. because the original franchise meetings were held there, in a car dealership.
During the Barnstorming tour that this book is about, the Chicago Bears played 18 games in 60+ days all over the country including a stretch that included back-to-back-to-back games in New York, Boston and Pittsburg (that's three games in a row with no days off, usually in the same wet dirty uniform they played in the day before). Their journey (broken into two tours with a nine day layoff in between) took them all over the east coast, to Florida, New Orleans, across to California and up through Washington before it was all over. The result of that tour solidified the NFL as a popular sport and a money making institution.
All thanks to Red.
The writing style of this book was very easy and entertaining. There was a lot of information that I knew little or nothing about (I am not a football expert, nor an expert on George Halas or even the Chicago Bears) and overall I feel like it is a shame a paperback edition was never released and that the hardback edition is now out of print.
A few interesting facts:
College Football was the dominant football sport in the early 20th century. Pro football was looked at like a "scam" a "quick buck" endeavor that brought shame to the sport. College athletes that turned pro after graduation were considered shameful. "The prevalence of dirty play in the professional game caused college coaches and newspapermen around the country to decry pro ball as foul, corrupt, and not at all in keeping with the traditional values of fair play and sportsmanship that distinguished other sports such as college football, pro baseball, even boxing."
In one game against a powerful University of Michigan team, Grange had running touchdowns of 95,67,56, and 45 yards and a total of 303 yards from scrimmage in the first quarter alone. More yardage than "the Michigan defense had given up all last year."
"Two plays later, he launched his body into the end zone, scoring the only touchdown of the game. As his teammates mobbed him and the crowd thundered its approval, Grange simply dropped the ball at the end line and walked back to the huddle". Class is a commodity lacking in the game today. Please guys, could you start acting like you been there before?
Red Grange dropped out of college after his final game during his senior season and before graduating from the University of Illinois, probably becoming the first college athlete to "come out early" and definitely becoming the first athlete to transition from college to pro without "embarrassing himself or his sport".
George "Papa Bear" Halas (the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears) was the 1919 Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player. Halas served in the Navy during World War 1, not in the field or theater, but as a football coach for a naval training academy in suburban Illinois. He purchased NFL license for his Bears franchise for $100. Yea, one hundred dollars. He and Grange were members of the first class inducted into the Pro Football Hall of fame.
The Hall of Fame resides in Canton, Oh. because the original franchise meetings were held there, in a car dealership.
During the Barnstorming tour that this book is about, the Chicago Bears played 18 games in 60+ days all over the country including a stretch that included back-to-back-to-back games in New York, Boston and Pittsburg (that's three games in a row with no days off, usually in the same wet dirty uniform they played in the day before). Their journey (broken into two tours with a nine day layoff in between) took them all over the east coast, to Florida, New Orleans, across to California and up through Washington before it was all over. The result of that tour solidified the NFL as a popular sport and a money making institution.
All thanks to Red.
April 8, 2011
There are tons of book's on baseball's history, but not so many on football. The history of the game remains much more untold, and this is a tremendous story of it's first star. Well written period piece.
Read
August 10, 2011First half of this book had a nice flow, but the second half felt like a laundry list of Grange's infamous barnstorming tour, and less a biography of the first true star of the sport of football. Overall, I did learn some new stuff however.
March 2, 2012
Couldn't put this book down...absolutely devoured it. Would have loved to have seen Grange play in his prime...can't believe they had to play 10 games in 18 days...in a time when players played both offense and defense. The NFL owes its current success to Grange and George Halas.
January 28, 2023
If you are interested in the start of the NFL, I Highly recommend this. Excellent read.
I loved learning about American life in the 1920's, start of football in small towns, and of course, the tenacity of Red Grange.
I loved learning about American life in the 1920's, start of football in small towns, and of course, the tenacity of Red Grange.
December 29, 2013
I was underwhelmed. Had read an excerpt in Sports Illustrated which was great, but the rest of the book was just okay.
July 6, 2016
Great story of Red Grange and his smarmy manager, and how they created the modern NFL. Oh yeah, along with a guy named George Halas, the only guy to get rich from owning an nfl franchise.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews