A Fire to Win: The Life and Times of Woody Hayes (Paperback)

by John Lombardo (Author)
Key Phrases: spring practice, faculty council, young quarterback, Ohio State, Rose Bowl, Big Ten (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes died in 1987, but his legacy lives on. Lombardo presents Hayes' youth in rural Ohio as the cornerstone of the values that would guide him all his life. Education was critical to Hayes' family, and it was the call to teaching that eventually led to coaching. Lombardo follows Hayes' career from his first high-school job--from which he was dismissed for being abusive to his players--to small Denison University to Miami of Ohio and finally to Ohio State. Hayes' volatile, on-field personality--in his last collegiate game, he punched an opposing player, leading to his almost immediate dismissal--stood in sharp contrast to the scholarly, empathetic, and generous man who was revered by players and associates. Lombardo explores these contradictions without delivering any conclusions, but even Hayes seemed unable to control his demons, let alone understand them. Typical of sports biographies, there's a bit too much then-they-played narrative, but on balance, this is a sympathetic yet evenhanded examination of a modern coaching giant. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Woody Hayes was one of the greatest football coaches in history---and one of the most fascinating.   More than a brilliant coach, he was a complicated, contradictory man.   The former history teacher ran his football empire as an absolute monarchy, but   had a surprisingly altruistic side, hidden from the public,. and author John Lombardo uses his extensive sports-writing experience to craft an accurate portrait of one of the most complex and fascinating figures in football.   
      First and foremost, Woody Hayes was a coach---and his achievements are stunning.   While at Ohio State, he won five national titles, and thirteen Big Ten Conference championships, made eight Rose Bowl appearances, and earned two national Coach of the Year awards.   Moreover, Hayes’s lifetime coaching record, 238--72--10, puts him in the first rank of college coaching immortals.   No other coach won more games in a shorter period.
      Countless interviews of former players, assistant coaches, and friends shape the image of Hayes and his career, which spanned the mid-1940s to the late 1970s during a tremendous period of change in American society.   A Fire to Win is an honest and revealing biography of Hayes, a man who ranks in the pantheon of football coaches. “An easy-to-read, objective look at one of Ohio’s most powerful, complex, admired, feared, and contradictory figures.”
---The Columbus Dispatch
 
“A sympathetic yet evenhanded examination of a modern coaching giant.”
---Booklist
 
“Insightful and comprehensive biography.”
---The New York Sun
 
“Contradictions, of course, are what make Hayes fascinating. And Lombardo delves into those contradictions with a cell biologist’s eye for detail and a landscape painter’s eye for perspective.”
---Chicago Tribune

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (September 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312360363
• ISBN-13: 978-0312360368
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #527,478 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, October 26, 2005

By	Edward Kaminski (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Fire to Win: The Life and Times of Woody Hayes (Hardcover)

It's easy to remember Woody Hayes as a brutal tyrant on the football field, who was able to turn on his country charm for the media and fans away from it. A folk hero and coaching icon who was tragically brought down by personal demons in the form of a punch to an opposing player during a football game.

But how does a man like Woody Hayes become the stuff of legend? I think that in order to understand a man, you have to know where he came from. A Fire To Win is more than just a recounting of the same stories we've heard over and over. The book takes us on a journey through a man's life in order that we may understand him, even if we don't agree with him.

A brutal tyrant, yet mentor, academic advisor, and friend. A staunch conservative, yet defender of student's rights to rage against the machine. A man who recognized the value of power, but cared not for the money associated with it. A preacher of family values who rarely came home from work. An enigma to be sure, but when seen over the light of a lifetime, somehow, his choices make sense.

The infamous punch is of course perhaps the single most defining moment in the life of Woody Hayes. One may think that this is where the story ends. A Fire To Win takes us well beyond this moment to witness the remarkable resurrection of a remarkable man. Fittingly, this is where the real story ends.

A Fire To Win is a fascinating read about the life of the enigma, icon and flawed hero that was Woody Hayes.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, November 15, 2005

By	Patricia Carter "king" (Portland, Maine) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Fire to Win: The Life and Times of Woody Hayes (Hardcover)

The definative Hayes bio. No "idol worship" and no ax job. This the real Woody. Love him or hate him, he went 238-72 and won 5 National Titles his way. His kids got college degrees, Woody ABSOLUTELY made sure of that. Woody's discipline is what America needs today, now more than ever. I pulled an ALL NIGHTER the day I got this book, I just had to finish it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A broad brush look at Coach Hayes, August 26, 2006

By	M. Brown (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Fire to Win: The Life and Times of Woody Hayes (Hardcover)

Mr. Lombardo seems intent on being overly objective in his book by always finding a way to knock Woody even when paying him compliments. Some examples:
1. Woody was no racist and had black players on the team...but no black QB came aboard until well after other Big 10 teams. (So what? Does that dismiss the civil rights work he supported? Why does that need to be mentioned multiple times?)
2. Woody was well read and very knowledgable about topics but was not a scholar because he didn't deeply explore areas that did not fit his political/cultural beliefs. (So he wanted Woody to read Marx and Mao? Give me a break with this.)

I scatched my head at these and related passages. The book ends strong with Lombardo quoting from various players and coaches about the legacy of this great man and coach.

However if you are a true Buckeye fan I caution you against expecting too much here. The author has consolidated information from various sources but has not effectively added enough of his own input to truly paint a vivid picture of the coach (for my taste).

Perhaps I'm too spoiled by McCullough and Kearns-Goodwin biographies. While Woody doesn't merit their attention, Mr. Lombardo's effort does not reach their standards of taking the primary sources and writing a text that leaves you thinking you've met the man in the flesh. I wish I had.