Parcells: A Biography [Hardcover]

Bill Gutman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2000

Both intimidating and disarming, at once a regular-Joe Jersey kind of guy and the hard-nosed, hard-driving NFL winner of a coach with a tongue like a whip and the temperament of a tyrant, Bill Parcells has already made football history. And he's done it three times.

Taking the reins of the desperately failing New York Giants in 1983, Parcells not only turned the team around but took it to the Super Bowl -- twice (in 1986 and 1990), and twice the Giants won. Then, with the downtrodden New England Patriots he again managed to work some of the same gridiron magic by propelling them to the Super Bowl in his fourth season at the helm. Returning to New York in 1997, this time to rally the Jets, he faced perhaps his greatest coaching challenge yet, but in two seasons the team with a lamentable 1-15 record had won a division title at 12-4 and missed the Super Bowl by only a game.

While this no-holds-barred biography of Parcells examines and assesses the career of this consummate coach, it also explores the force that defines the public personality and drives the private man. Call that force ambition, a dream, bulldog spirit, or perfectionism, it took hold of Bill Parcells early and never let him go, as he strives still to achieve his vision of the perfect game.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Don't expect any blockbuster revelations or unique insights about Bill Parcells in this biography of the famous football coach. In a straightforward fashion, sportswriter Gutman tracks Parcells's rise from a star New Jersey athlete to a head coach in the NFL, first with the New York Giants, then the New England Patriots and finally the New York Jets. Gutman also recounts Parcells's various college coaching stops before he cracked the professional coaching ranks as an assistant with the Giants in 1981. Gutman's argument that Parcells's success as a coachAhe brought two different teams to the Super Bowl and a third to a championship gameAwas due to his highly competitive nature, his motivational ability and willingness to adjust his coaching philosophy to meet the capabilities of his players, has been made before. Also rehashed is Gutman's observation that Parcells's high school coach Mickey Corcoran was the most influential person in his life. Gutman (no relation to Jets president Steve Gutman) is a capable writer who delivers an accurate overview of the coach's life. If he does not provide much new material, he still gives fans of Parcells's teams a pleasant ride down memory lane, especially Giants fans who have been waiting to return to the Super Bowl since the 1990 departure of the Big Tuna. Photos not seen by PW. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Above all, an NFL coach must know how to survive. Parcells is one of those survivors, with an uncanny ability to build and nurture championship teams. He has been referred to as a miracle man in helping three franchises (the Giants, the Patriots, and the Jets) climb from the depths of despair. Two of these teams reached the summit of the game, the Super Bowl. Parcells's record of 149 wins, 106 losses, and one tie is impressive. Sportswriter Gutman has written numerous books on sport celebrities. His current biography is a good read about a hard-nosed, uncompromising man with a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality: charming at one moment and belligerent the next. Regardless, the coach earned the respect of his peers and players. An engaging story describing the motivation that drove Parcells to become one of the most successful coaches in pro football; buy where demand warrants. (Index and photos not seen.)DLarry R. Little, Penticton P.L., BC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers; First Carroll & Graf edition (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786707313
• ISBN-13: 978-0786707317
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,463,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent book, January 22, 2008

By 

B. Rodriguez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parcells: A Biography (Paperback)

The book is a pretty good account of his very successful years with the NY Giants and some of his earlier experiences. How he interacts with various other players and coaches and his family experiences are all brought to light in this book. Overall a good read. If you're looking for a leadership book by Parcells, there are other better ones out there but if you're looking at an introspective into his life and who he is, I'd say this is a good book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed the book, February 26, 2007

By 

Bookworm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parcells: A Biography (Paperback)

Unlike the previous reviewer who wrote his opinion twice, I enjoyed the book (I read the hardcover edition 2000). I've read 2 or 3 books on Parcells and this is the best. Yes, there's too much review of games, but I skipped over that.

The book tells a lot of interesting things about Parcells that I didn't know, and I've followed his career very closely the last 16 years because I lived in the NE when he coached the Pats & Jets. The books tells how he got his nickname the "Tuna" and his name Bill (not his birthname). It tells a lot about his early years in HS, college, and as a vagabond assistant coach. I never knew that he took a year off from coaching at 38 to sell real estate for a land development company and actually made more money that being the head coach at the Air Force Academy the previous year. The book tells how BP never liked college coaching.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Gutman's doesn't land "Tuna"-- a major disappointment!, May 15, 2001

By 

Karen & Jim Bennett (Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parcells: A Biography (Hardcover)

The same for the paperback edition of "Parcells"...This book, by and large, is nothing more then a rehash of old football games coached by Parcells. Gutman should be ashamed of himself for delivering yesterday's cup of coffee to football fans. Giving ad nasuem blow-by-blow accounts of games that took place 5-10 years ago is not my idea of a biography. About 25% represents Parcels' philosophies on life, football, family, and friends, etc., and I would rate that at best a C-. Overall the book is a major flop. Don't waste your money on this one. Of course, I shouldn't complain, I picked it up for a buck at a used bookstore...I paid 99 cents too much!