Customer Reviews

Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles--"The Steagles"--Saved Pro Football During World War II

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beyond being a history of pro football before, during, and after the WWII years, using the "Steagles" of 1943 as the focus, this book is a social history of America during those times, and a very engagingly written one at that. I quickly began to feel I was back in 1943, a fan intently following the Steagles but also acutely aware of the larger and more important surrounding world of war. Clearly, this book was a labor of love for the author--I don't think there has been any kind of overwhelming demand for a book on the wartime NFL or the Steagles!

The book falls somewhere between an informal narrative and a scholarly text. For example, there are several pages of end notes, but they are not individually numbered or referenced with superscripts. The author has clearly done in-depth research and done it well. Many facts and figures are presented, and I found essentially nothing to quibble about among those I have expertise in or could check.

The players, the game they played, and the world of war around them, are presented in a lively but non-sensational manner. To my relief, there were none of the standard "cute" but unverifiable stories of old time ballplayers presented as fact. Though the author interviewed several surviving members of the Steagles, all in their eighties now, they apparently took his book as a serious enterprise and did not ply him with such "cute" recollections.

Just one note: The author mentions that the Steagles had a high ranking rushing defense, and were proud of their pass rush as well. Since in 1943, the NFL treated what we would now called sack yardage as yards lost rushing, these two actually go together. I was surprised the author didn't mention this connection--given the high quality of his research, I'm certain he must be aware of it.

Very highly recommended.

Given what professional football has become today, the entertaining story told in LAST TEAM STANDING is all the more remarkable. To think there was a shortage of guys willing and able to play in the NFL is, well, almost unthinkable. But that was exactly the scenario in 1943, the year that author Matthew Algeo focuses on in this fantastic book.

LAST TEAM STANDING is a great read for football fans, history buffs and pop culture scholars alike. And the drama that plays out between the Steelers coach and the Eagles coach (who, it seems, hated each other's guts but were nonetheless forced to co-coach the Steagles) is the stuff of high comedy. Really, I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

The year is 1943 and the NFL is at a crossroads. With WWII raging, teams are losing players, coaches and owners to the various military branches. One of the 10 teams had suspended operations and there are questions if the league should follow that lead.

The remaining league members elect to conduct a 10-game season with a twist, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles will merge for the year.

That is where Matthew Algeo picks up the story with the world at war and the attempt to maintain athletic entertainment on the homefront. The "Steagles" had a roster of players who washed-out of the military, former stars who had little to nothing left for the gridiron and those waiting for their call-ups.

And unlike some players on other clubs who had pro football listed as their main occupation - which granted them an exemption of working in a war-related industry during the season - every Steagle worked full-time during the day and practiced at night.

Algeo artfully utilizes the history of the time, comments from players & coaches and game stats for the season that nearly found the hybrid club with two homes on top of the league standings. A forgotten piece of early NFL lore, it took 60 years for the story to be grandly presented to fans, as a ceremony honoring the team was held in the Steelers' Heinz Field.

It is a must read for football fans or those interested in the homefront during WW II.

A thoroughly researched, highly detailed, and well-written look at a frequently forgotten footnote in football history. The book puts the merger of the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers into an excellent historical context. It should also be a real eye-opener for football fans who only know the NFL as the Goliath it is today.

-- Mitch Teich, Milwaukee Public Radio

Having grown up just off of City Line Ave. in Philadelphia, I was intriqued by a book whose cover mentions two of my favorite interests...World War II history and The Philadelphia Eagles. How could I go wrong!

The book is part history lesson and part human interest story. Mr. Algeo intertwines Philadelphia and WWII stories with personal anecdotes about the men who kept the NFL going through difficult times.

Some of the places he mentions in the book I used to ride my bike past as a kid. It brought back great memories of a time gone by, but also made you remember men used to play the game for the game's sake.

I read this book almost straight through one evening and then finished up the next morning. I rarely do that. Great read if you are a Philly and NFL fan or interested in WWII history and the courage that made our country survive and thrive.

I'm a long standing Eagles fan and wasn't around in the day of the Steagles, what a fascinating story! And a great gift for Steelers and Eagles fans alike!

World War II was a devastating time in American history and the drain of manpower had significantly dire consequences for professional sports. The fact professional sports even survived the war is a testament to the gutsiness of the well off owners of sports teams, and the "luck" of those not able to serve for one reason or another.

The National Football League was still not a very established professional sport as World War II hit but it survived by some deft moves by many owners. One of those moves was the combining of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles into the "Steagles" since neither team, especially the Steelers, were likely to be able to field a full compliment of players.

This book is about that year, 1943, when owners like Art Rooney and Bert Bell of the Steelers and wealthy Lex Thompson, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, set aside egos for the survival and betterment of the game. It tells the story of the colorful cast of misfits that made up the team, who for one reason or another were not inducted into the military. Some were old veterans, some newcomers, but all merged into a single team with two coequal head coaches that didn't get along.

The book is beyond just about football, however. It is also a bit of social history of the time told through the eyes of sports. And it also brings to light the importance sports had to take people's mind off the war and sacrifices at home. And finally, it's about the survival and perpetuation of the National Football League through one of the most trying times in the nation's history.

This is mostly a well written account of the Steagles, who for what it's worth posted a winning record in 1943. While not as scintillatingly told as some accounts of professional sports in that era, it does give a glimpse into pro football of during the war and introduces us to a quirky and usual team in the most unusual of times for professional sports.

The book is written a lot like the play of the Steagles. Solid but unspectacular.

I enjoyed the read but was not as drawn to it as I have of some football books (eg Michael McCambridge's classic America's Game).

The author tells the story of the wartime efforts to field teams in the NFL and of how due to the lack of suitable players, there was a need for the Eagles and the Steelers to merge for the one year.

An interesting read but not as exciting as one would hope.

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers merged in June 1943 in an effort to keep the Steelers (who only had seven players under contract) alive during World War II.

The team was sometimes referred to as The Steagles. That name, however, was never official. The NFL referred to them as the Phil-Pitt entry.

Author Matt Algeo describes the Steagles as "thrown together by necessity and chance, they were a motley bunch, the unwanted remnants of two mediocre teams, with a host of ailments: ulcers, perforated ear drums and trick knees."

Fifteen of the 24 players who appeared in five or more games for the Steagles were military rejects. Chicago Bears quarterback Sid Luckman said, "The game slid backwards 10 years in 1943."

Algeo does an excellent job of chronicling the team's challenges (co-coaches that didn't get along, every player being required to work a full-time job in the defense industry and a number of injuries) as well as what the times were like. He also offers an interesting look at the early days of professional football.

Surprisingly, the Steagles had a decent season, and an outside chance to win the Eastern Division late in the season.

Any football fan should find this book worth their time.

After hearing a review of this book on a morning talk show, I ran to Amazon and was amazed to find it. My children in Pittsburgh and Steeler fans and us in Philadelphia and Eagle fans, this book made for a fun holiday gift. I never knew the story before. It was a hit!