Chris Willis, head of the Research Library at NFL Films and author of Red Grange: The Life and Legacy of the NFL s First Superstar's Books

Red Grange

The Life and Legacy of the NFL's First Superstar

By: Chris Willis

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Red Grange

The Life and Legacy of the NFL's First Superstar

By: Chris Willis

In celebration of the National Football League’s 100th season, noted football historian Chris Willis brings to life the story of Red Grange, the nation’s first NFL star, in this definitive biography. Harold “Red” Grange became a national sensation as a junior halfback at the University of Illinois in the 1920s. He quickly joined other great athletes of the Roaring Twenties such as Bobby Jones, Jack Dempsey, and Babe Ruth in enthralling audiences on the radio and in newspapers on a daily basis. A year later the "Galloping Ghost" stunned the country by dropping out of school after his last collegiate game and going pro with the six year old NFL, signing with the Chicago Bears. In Red Grange: The Life and Legacy of the NFL’s First Superstar, Chris Willis tells the remarkable story of a humble football player who rose to fame in the 1920s and became an icon. With unlimited access and complete cooperation of the Grange family, Willis offers new insight into Grange’s rags-to-riches story, including details about his tomboy mother who died when Grange was six years old and never-before-published information on Grange’s barnstorming tour with the Chicago Bears that instantly gave credibility to the fledgling NFL. With over fifty original interviews, personal letters to and from Grange, and more than forty photos, this definitive biography reveals in intimate detail the life of a sports pioneer. Whether as a player, coach, broadcaster, pitchman, Hall of Famer, ambassador, or icon, Red Grange was, and still is, the face of the early NFL and one of the greatest athletes of all-time.

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521

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Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

1538101955

ISBN 13

9781538101957

Red Grange

The Life and Legacy of the NFL's First Superstar

By: Chris Willis

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Red Grange

The Life and Legacy of the NFL's First Superstar

By: Chris Willis

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521

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Rowman & Littlefield

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ISBN 10

1538101955

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9781538101957

Bronko

The Legendary Story of the NFL's Greatest Two-Way Fullback

By: Chris Willis

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Bronko

The Legendary Story of the NFL's Greatest Two-Way Fullback

By: Chris Willis

The remarkable biography of a small-town athlete who became one of the greatest players in NFL history. Bronislau “Bronko” Nagurski was a superstar for the NFL in the 1930s and one of the pioneer players of the league. He led the Chicago Bears to success on the gridiron as a larger-than-life personality, helping raise the popularity of the NFL during the Great Depression. In Bronko: The Legendary Story of the NFL’s Greatest Two-Way Fullback, NFL Films historian Chris Willis tells the remarkable story of how Bronko became an NFL legend. Throughout his nine-year NFL career, Bronko’s name became synonymous with power football. While the new league fought to gain respect and recognition, Bronko immediately captured the attention of sports fans in Chicago and across the country. The bruising fullback could do everything: run, block, tackle, and even throw the occasional pass. With the complete cooperation of the Nagurski family and unlimited access to personal letters, family scrapbooks, and photos, Bronko is the definitive biography of a true sports pioneer and NFL great.

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281

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

1538150638

ISBN 13

9781538150634

Bronko

The Legendary Story of the NFL's Greatest Two-Way Fullback

By: Chris Willis

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Bronko

The Legendary Story of the NFL's Greatest Two-Way Fullback

By: Chris Willis

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281

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Rowman & Littlefield

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ISBN 10

1538150638

ISBN 13

9781538150634

Dutch Clark

The Life of an NFL Legend and the Birth of the Detroit Lions

By: Chris Willis

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Dutch Clark

The Life of an NFL Legend and the Birth of the Detroit Lions

By: Chris Willis

In Dutch Clark: The Life of an NFL Legend and the Birth of the Detroit Lions, Chris Willis tells the remarkable story of an athlete from a small town in Colorado who would become one of the NFL's greatest players. Throughout his seven-year NFL career (1931-1932, 1934-1938), quarterback Dutch Clark was selected first team NFL All-Pro six times, led the league in scoring three times, was team captain of the Detroit Lions, and helped the Lions win the 1935 NFL Championship in just their second season in Detroit. Supplemented with archival interviews, never-before-seen photos, newspaper quotes, and anecdotes, Dutch Clark tells the rags-to-riches story of one of the NFL's first stars.

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423

Publisher

Scarecrow Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0810885204

ISBN 13

9780810885202

Old Leather

An Oral History of Early Pro Football in Ohio, 1920-1935

By: Chris Willis

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Old Leather

An Oral History of Early Pro Football in Ohio, 1920-1935

By: Chris Willis

In this collection of original and archival interviews, former players, owners, fans, family members and league officials provide a rare glimpse into the origins of professional football. Chris Willis, head of the Research Library at NFL Films, conveys what the era of professional football was like in the age of leather helmets, no television, dirt fields, small salaries and playing for the love of the game was its own reward.

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206

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Scarecrow Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0810856603

ISBN 13

9780810856608

The Man Who Built the National Football League

Joe F. Carr

By: Chris Willis

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The Man Who Built the National Football League

Joe F. Carr

By: Chris Willis

Founded in 1920, the National Football League chose famed athlete Jim Thorpe as its first president, a position he held briefly until a successor was elected. From 1921 to 1939, Joe F. Carr guided the sport of professional football with intelligence, hard work, and a passion that built the foundation of what the NFL has become: the number one sports organization in the world. During his eighteen-year tenure as NFL President, Carr created the organization's first Constitution & By-Laws; implemented the standard player's contract; wrote the NFL's first-ever Record and Fact Book; helped split the NFL into two divisions and establish the NFL's World Championship Game; started keeping league statistics; and developed the NFL Draft. But Carr's greatest achievement was creating a vision for the NFL as a big-city sport. By skillfully recruiting financially capable owners to operate NFL franchises in big market cities, he created the solid foundation for the league's successful future. While the sport has grown to unheard of heights, Carr's name and accomplishments have been lost and forgotten. The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr captures the life and career of this pivotal figure in professional sports, chronicling the many achievements of a man whose vision helped shaped what the NFL is today. With unlimited access and complete cooperation from the Carr family—including family interviews, personal letters, and family photos—as well as NFL League Minutes, Willis recounts the fascinating life and career of a man dedicated to the game.

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505

Publisher

Scarecrow Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0810876701

ISBN 13

9780810876705

The NFL's 60-Minute Men

All-Time Greats of the Two-Way Player Era, 1920-1945

By: Chris Willis

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The NFL's 60-Minute Men

All-Time Greats of the Two-Way Player Era, 1920-1945

By: Chris Willis

In 2019 the NFL celebrated its 100th season. During that historic year the league selected an All-Time Team of 100 former star players. Among them were seven from before football's free substitution rule (1920-1945), two-way players who were skilled at both offense and defense. They were: Sammy Baugh (Quarterback), Dutch Clark (Running Back), Dan Fortmann (Guard), Mel Hein (Center), Cal Hubbard (Tackle), Don Hutson (Wide Receiver) and Bill Hewitt (Defensive End). There were more than just seven great players from those years, when men in leather helmets played multiple positions on dirt fields for modest salaries. This book ranks the NFL's top two-way players, with detailed biographies and analysis by their contemporaries.

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Page Count

313

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476650640

ISBN 13

9781476650647

Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians

How a Dog Kennel Owner Created the NFL's Most Famous Traveling Team

By: Chris Willis

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Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians

How a Dog Kennel Owner Created the NFL's Most Famous Traveling Team

By: Chris Willis

At the beginning of the Roaring Twenties the NFL was just a footnote within the landscape of American sports. The early pro game was played on dirt fields by vagabond athletes who would beat up or punch out their opponent for fifty dollars a game. But one team was different than the rest: the Oorang Indians. Comprised entirely of Native Americans and led by star athlete Jim Thorpe, the Oorang Indians were an instant hit in almost every city they visited. In Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians: How a Dog Kennel Owner Created the NFL's Most Famous Traveling Team, NFL historian Chris Willis tells the story of this unique and fascinating part of professional football history. In 1922 Walter Lingo, a dog kennel owner from tiny La Rue, Ohio, joined forces with Jim Thorpe, the country’s greatest athlete, to create the Oorang Indians. Willis recounts how Lingo used the football team, the star attraction of player-coach Thorpe, and the all Native-American squad to help advertise his kennel and sell dogs, putting the small town of La Rue on the map. With the complete cooperation of the Lingo family and unlimited access to family photos and archives, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians provides an up-close and behind-the-scenes view into the making of this little-known team. It is a remarkable story that will be enjoyed by football fans and historians alike.

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Page Count

311

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

1442277661

ISBN 13

9781442277663

Book's by Chris Willis, head of the Research Library at NFL Films and author of Red Grange: The Life and Legacy of the NFL s First Superstar

Red Grange

Red Grange

Red Grange

Red Grange

Bronko

Bronko

Bronko

Bronko

Dutch Clark

Dutch Clark

Old Leather

Old Leather

The Man Who Built the National Football League

The Man Who Built the National Football League

The NFL's 60-Minute Men

The NFL's 60-Minute Men

Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians

Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians

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