The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate Battle [Hardcover]

Michael Corcoran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2004

On Thanksgiving Day 1971 a record fifty-five million homes tuned in to watch two powerhouse college football teams collide. The defending national champion, the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, was squaring off against the number one offense in the country and second-ranked team, the Oklahoma Sooners. Combining a meticulously researched history of college football with in-depth interviews, Michael Corcoran reveals the play-by-play strategies and techniques, the personalities of the coaches who conceived the plans and the players who executed them, and the formations and intricate blocking schemes that spelled victory or defeat. Nebraska radio play-by-play man Lyell Bremser echoed the nation when he proclaimed, “I never thought I would live this long to see this kind of football game.”

From the roots of both football teams, to the players, coaches, reporters, spectators, and fans, The Game of the Century is a story that will resonate with football fans across America.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Many college football fans consider the 1971 matchup between Oklahoma and Nebraska the most exciting game ever played in any sport; people were talking about its thrill even before the nationally telecast Thanksgiving game ended. Corcoran, a sportswriter switching to the gridiron after several books on golf (Duel in the Sun, etc.), tries to recapture the excitement of that day through a combination of archival research and interviews with players and coaches. An extensive description of the game, play-by-play at some key moments, isn't enough to fill this slim chronicle, however, so the historical record extends back to the 19th century, when football was so unruly that one Oklahoma sheriff happening upon a game thought it was a brawl he needed to stop. Corcoran finds remarkable side stories, like the origins of Oklahoma's wishbone offensive or the criminal misadventures of Nebraska star Johnny Rodgers, but he also ends up padding the story with extraneous details. The chapters devoted to the game offer a clear, often vivid presentation and maintain suspense. Although the account occasionally reads like an extended magazine article or a dress rehearsal for an ESPN Classics documentary, the best moments deliver solid reportage that reanimates memories of one of college football's greatest games.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Think precable, 1971: the defending national champion and top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers battle the second-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in a nationally televised game on Thanksgiving Day. Fifty-five million sets tune in to the game. Amazingly, it was worth the hype. Corcoran sets the stage with in-depth research and interviews with many of the participants. Nebraska won 35-31, but the game stays in the memory of fans and players not only because it was exciting but also because it captured an era. As always in college sports, the coaches were the focal point. Nebraska's Bob Devaney resurrected a moribund program with determination and a surprising wit. Chuck Fairbanks at OU adapted the Texas wishbone offense for his team and turned it into the top offense in the country for years. Corcoran's interviews with the players, more than 30 years later, are telling. All are proud to have played in the game; the winners are still buoyed by it, and the losers still bear the pain. This is a wonderful, people-driven account of a classic game that is often replayed on cable sports channels. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743236211
• ISBN-13: 978-0743236218
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars as good, September 29, 2004

By 

E. Snow "Ed Snow" (Perkiomenville, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate Battle (Hardcover)

I was 14 year old boy in 1971, living in Lincoln, Nebraska, we would ride our bikes to the stadium and sneak in games by crawling under and over fences. That season has always held a special place in my youth and this book brings back all of the memories and gives a deeper insight into that game.

Any fan of football will enjoy this wonderful book, even Sooners. It goes into history of the game and both programs and interviews members of both teams, giving a background of the game I never had.

and of course the best part is that the Huskers still win.

Now if only I can get a DVD of the game for Christmas...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want History, November 5, 2008

By 

Sports Fan Sam "Sam" (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate Battle (Hardcover)

If you want a pice of history, buy this book. If you want to know what the rivalry was like between OU and Nebraska, but this book. You can't go wrong. If you want more history about the Sooners, check this out. UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA FOOTBALL: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Sports By the Numbers)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, February 13, 2005

By 

Shocker Fan (Wichita KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate Battle (Hardcover)

Being a kid in Kansas in the early 70s, I was sandwiched between the two great football powers on either side of my state that this book focuses on. Believe me, the influence of both programs was incredible. Corcoran does a terrific job of recreating what college football could mean, when - get this kids- there was only ONE game a week on TV! Today, given all the explosive media growth and abundance of 'big' games, a term like 'game of the century' would sound trite, but in the early 70s such a description was fully accurate when # 1 and # 2 managed to meet on the field.

In the end, this an example of the perfect sports book, really. The writing is clear and concise and the author manages to keeps a great narrative going behind a constant historical background of a game that actually lived up to its hype.