Customer Reviews

The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, an American Football Legend

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gary Poole has written a compelling book which takes you back to the time when professional football was considered a game for hooligans and derided by serious sports fans. Along with Red, Gary profiles his manager CC Pyle, one of the early agents who made Red and himself richer in three months than Babe Ruth made in a whole year. Highly recommended for thinking sports fans.

I bought this for my brother, a history buff, after hearing the author on NPR. My brother said he was surprised at how good this was. He said not so much for the football content, but more about the feel of the era. He said regardless of how interested anyone might be in football or Red Grange, it did a great job depicting this time in our country's history. He is recommending it to others...something he rarely does.

The history of football might have been extremely different if Red Grange only pursued basketball and track at the University of Illinois as he had initially planned. It may be far from carrying the moniker of "America's Game."

The importance of "The Galloping Ghost" to the gridiron is legendary, but author Gary Andrew Poole scrambles past the well-trodden turf to deliver a comprehensive biography on the man who made football professional. In Grange's first college game (1923) he rushed for three touchdowns against Nebraska, ultimately gaining 723 yards in seven games and notching a dozen TD's while leading Illinois to a "national championship."

But it was one year later - scoring four TD's in the first quarter versus Michigan - that solidified Grange's name in the "Golden Age of Sports." And in an era when college players were dissuaded by coaches in turning pro - even threatened with having to return their varsity letters - Grange signed with the National Football League's Chicago Bears one day after the end of the 1925 season and embarked on a 19-game barnstorming tour that earned him in excess of $100,000.

A salary dispute between Grange and the Bears led the player - along with his agent, C.C. Pyle, to form their own league - the American Football League - in 1926 to compete against the NFL, with the superstar playing for the New York Yankees. The upstart league lasted one year before folding, with the Yankees moving to the NFL for the 1927 and 1928 seasons, though Grange missed that second year due to a severe knee injury.

Though not the same player after the injury, Grange returned to the Bears (1929-1934) and helped the club to titles in 1932 and 1933. The iconic pop culture status was solidified through the marketing by Pyle; Grange appeared in two silent-films and a 12-part serial.

This "Ghost" was pure gold in a time when pro football needed a superstar. His name resonates today as signifying excellence and Poole delivers a great look into the incredible life and times of the "Ice Man."

"A deeply personal account of a part of history that many might not remember or know of but will not soon forget. Poole manages to bring an endearing account of perseverence and responsibility to the page that reinforces what football and sportsmanship is supposed to be all about. Definitely a nice way to end the year: giving the world a present like this biography that is sure to be read, discussed and enjoy for years to come. Bravo!"

Reading about Red Grange in Galloping Ghost is more than just a book about a man who was a great football player. Mr. Poole has worked so hard to make us feel part of sports in the 20's and he gives us the road map to pro football's origins and how it struggled and finally took off thanks to Red and his promoter Mr. Pyle. You've heard some of the names; Red Grange, George Halas, Bob Zuppke, Bronko Nagurske etc, now you see how they all became legends. The book also gives you insight into the glory days of college football and puts you in seats of the nation's greatest stadiums, many still being used today.

College football was popular and well-established when Red Grange starred for the University of Illinois, but professional football was seen as a kind of carnival freak show. That all changed when Grange went to play for George Halas, the young owner of the Chicago Bears and a "missionary" for what professional football could become. The third indispensible ingredient was Charles C. Pyle, a theatre-owner in Champaign and a promoter with a shadowy reputation. Grange's college coach, Robert Zuppke, was disgusted at Grange's decision to go pro and tried to talk him out of it, but what followed was the creation of a pro football world with stars and loyal fans, a world that we would recognize today. Still, the most interesting details about Grange himself come from his college years, when working off-season as an iceman in his hometown of Wheaton kept him in shape. On the day in 1924 when the University of Illinois stadium was dedicated, Grange scored six touchdowns against the University of Michigan, a day that always will be remembered in college football.

I'm a big Bears fan. I am a bigger fan of the early days of football. The Galloping Ghost fumbled in the historical department in my opinion. This is the kind of book that adds to the "lore" and "myth" of a player. This book had the feel of building a Paul Bunyan type reputation for Grange. There is no question of Grange's roll in rocketing the popularity of the pro game on his famous barnstorming tour. There is no question of Grange's ability and demand for his skills. But, I think there was some lack of overall historical perspective. Example: Poole makes it seem like Halas and the Bears were hoodwinked in the tour across the nation as Pyle and Grange raked in the money. It gave the impression that Halas was a sucker used by the sly Pyle. Here is some historical perspective: This was during a time when the pro game had little to no reputation as a quality league. The league was in financial trouble. Teams were folding all the time. Halas and the Bears saw (and used) an opportunity with Grange to give publicity not only to their team, but to the league. Both sides used the arrangment for their own gain. Grange/Pyle used it for money. Halas/Bears used it for publicity, stability, but got the short end of the stick with the money deal. For historical perspective look at where the league (NFL) is today started by Halas (and others) and helped by Grange, and look at where the league is that Pyle and Grange tried to start? I am of the opinion that this is a pretty big point in the historical value of Grange and the NFL and it was completely missed by Poole. Grange and Pyle may have only been in the tour for themselves, but the rings in the pond rippled out far beyond them. A book on Grange has to include that. That's why only 2 stars.

I wanted to love this book. I love football history and stories about old school football players from bygone eras, and Red Grange is truly one of the biggest names in football history. I read Galloping Ghost on the heels of having read Johnny U: The Life and Times of John Unitas (which was excellent), and it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Red Grange had been gone from football for about 3 decades by the time I was born, but his was still a household name when I was growing up. I don't ever remember NOT knowing who Red Grange was. So I was thrilled to find this book in our local public library.

The book is well written, so what is my problem with it? Well, through no fault of the author (I'm sure), Grange simply wasn't a particularly interesting character. By all accounts, his dazzling displays on the gridiron were spellbinding and unforgettable. Off the field, Grange seems to have been a great guy: polite, humble, a bit shy, but again, not terribly interesting. And though the writing is good, and though it may well have been true, I don't think a compelling case was made for Grange outshining Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and Bobby Jones for a time during the 1920s. And, though this has nothing to do with the book per se, I can't help but feel as though Grange is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame solely on the merits of his college career. I truly hate to say that, but the statistics don't lie.

As for CC Pyle, I get that he was a huge influence in Grange's life (and was more responsible than anyone for destroying Grange's pro career almost as soon as it started), and he may well have been the first sports "agent", not to mention a visionary of sorts. But so much of the book is devoted to him that by the time I was done with it, I felt as though I had read his biography instead of Grange's. No question I know more about him than I do about Grange.

Is the book worth reading? Sure it is. But whereas I had thought about buying it at one point, I'm glad I was able to borrow it from the library first. I might consider buying it at a bargain price, but I can't say that I strongly recommend it at full price. I do recommend Johnny U and, to an even greater degree, When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi. The latter is the best football biography I've read to date.

Poole does a great job of discussing the role that Grange's celebrity had on the birth of professional football. There is ample evidence that a great amount of research went into this book. Go Illini.

As a Chicago Bears fan I enjoyed this book a great deal! However, some of the slang terms used by the author such as "Num Nuts" caught me off guard and didn't seem to fit. Had they been quotes that would have worked well. But the author has written for several major publications and I expected better writing. At times it felt like he was trying too hard to be one of the guys in the locker room with Grange. The storyline between Grange and his manager CC Pyle was one of the best parts of the book.