Green Bay Replay [Hardcover]

Dick Schaap (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

In 1967 Dick Schaap and Jerry Kramer wrote the definitive work on the Vince Lombardi-era Green Bay Packers. Entitled Instant Replay, the book sold two million copies and became the standard by which all other sports books were measured. Now with "Green Bay Replay" Dick Schaap revisits the revitalized Green Bay Packers.

"Green Bay Replay" is three compelling stories in one. The first is of one of sports' most heralded franchises, winner of numerous NFL championships, the first two Super Bowls and the second most popular merchandising logo in the NFL. The second is of a town of less than 100,000 that lives and breathes Packers football and has sold out every home game for decades...even when the Packers went through a slump of longer than 20 years. And the third is of the building of a new dynasty, led by coach Mike Holmgren, quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end Reggie White, culminating in victory at Super Bowl XXXI.

Written with unparalleled access to all members of the Packers organization, "Green Bay Replay" is the definitive look at football's most jubilant story -- presented with the warmth and insight that make Dick Schaap a singular sports chronicler.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is something refreshing about Dick Schaap's ready admission that he's had a long-standing romance with Green Bay and its football team. "I do not come to this book with clean journalistic hands," he cops. And so much the better. In an era of cold, corporate sports and cold, cynical sportswriters, the Packers are the nation's only civically owned major franchise, and Schaap, one of the best observers of the sporting scene, adores them for it. His chronicle of the 1997 Super Bowl championship campaign warmly examines the town's special relationship with its team, and the team's special relationship with its past as it affectionately links current stars such as Brett Favre and Reggie White with their spiritual ancestors--Bart Starr and Willie Davis--from the dynasties of the Vince Lombardi-led '60s. A little soppy? Sure. But so what? There's no law that says baseball's the only sport allowed to split the uprights of emotion.

About the Author

Dick Schaap lives in Manhattan with his wife, Trish, and their own children, Kari and David.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 289 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380975955
• ISBN-13: 978-0380975952
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,125 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 Great History Of A Great Team, June 19, 2000

By 

A Positive Guy "Jay" (San Antonio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Green Bay Replay (Mass Market Paperback)

As a die-hard Packer fan, I savored every minute of my team's return to glory in the mid 90's. This book chronicles and highlights the long and often difficult road that the Pack traveled back to the top. From the days of Vince Lombardi to Mike Holmgren and all the time in between, Dick Schaap has got the greatest team to ever step on a field well covered. An absolute must for any Green Bay Packer fan!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for Packer fans, July 15, 2004

By 

Barb Caffrey "writer-for-hire" (In a Midwest State (of mind), USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Green Bay Replay (Mass Market Paperback)

"Green Bay Replay" is one of the best sports books I've ever read. The late Dick Schaap was a master sportswriter, someone who could tell a story lyrically and powerfully, and was also a longtime fan of the Green Bay Packers. Both were needed, because one without the other wouldn't have written this powerful, funny book, one of the best modern football books ever.

I've read many, many books about sports. Baseball, football, basketball . . . and most have been tolerable. Some have been excellent. This book is superlative, mostly because it (like Schaap did) has a heart about the issues that have changed the NFL since the 1960s (the time of original Super Bowl I winning Green Bay team) and points out how many of these changes, for good and ill, have affected one team -- Green Bay.

Because Green Bay is the only publicly owned team in America and has an unusual leadership setup in that there's not even a figurehead owner, the relationship with the fans, city and team is closer, warmer and more special than in any other city. Other cities have great fans, yes -- many of them do. But other cities don't live and die with their team, year in and year out, as do the Green Bay fans.

This fan, who suffered through many 3-13 and 4-12 seasons on the way back to first respectability, then a Super Bowl Win, then playoff contention and near-Super Bowl misses, enjoys re-reading this book now and again because it contains what many sports books of the present lack -- optimism.

As well, it's a faithful look at the Packer teams of the 60s and the 90s, warts and all; granted, some of the scandals that came out after this book was published (i.e., Antonio Freeman's car accident with or without DUI -- he got out of the car and no one's sure who was driving at the time -- and Eugene Robinson's trip to the strip club after moving to the next team happened after this book was printed in paperback) are not covered, but was Schaap supposed to be omniscient, too?

If you like Brett Favre, Reggie White, Jerry Kramer or Ray Nitschke (among others), this book is for you. If you're a Packer fan, this book is for you. And if you're a football fan, demoralized from star after so-called star refusing to sign autographs, swearing in front of kids and microphones, and other such behavior (and it goes downhill from there, let me assure you), this book is for you.

Five stars. Highly recommended.

Barb Caffrey