Saint Bobby and the Barbarians [Hardcover]

Ben Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1992

A behind-the-scenes look at one season with Florida State University's football team describes how Coach Bobby Bowden helped turn the school team into a football powerhouse and discusses boosters, practice, and more. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While interest in college football has flagged over the last three decades in most of the nation, it remains extremely popular in Florida, where three undergraduate teams--Florida, Miami and Florida State--have all achieved national rankings for some years. Florida State coach Bobby Bowden reportedly expected his team to have a magnificent season in 1991, perhaps to be judged the best in the nation. However, as USA Today writer/editor Brown's account shows, the year that began with 10 straight victories ended in losses to both other in-state teams, a disappointing record mitigated slightly by a post-season win over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Brown manages to sustain interest in this uneven season, however, narrating events in a smooth writing style marred only by his penchant for hyperbole. (Bowden is "one of the most famous men in sports"; the Florida-Florida State contest is "the Game of the Century." The author might have commented at greater length on the fact that 65% of the football squad is black, while 92% of the student body is white.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Coach Bobby Bowden's 1991 Florida State Seminoles football team was rated first among colleges in polls among sportswriters prior to the season's opening game. The nail-biting, ultimately unsuccessful season is dramatically reported by Brown, a writer for USA Today . Brown, who portrays Bowden as a devoutly religious warrior, indicates how the inspirational coach built an exemplary football program without compromising his school's ethical reputation. This account provides a more penetrating glimpse into the demanding, nearly militaristic business of big-time college football than George R. Mills's Go Big Red ( LJ 9/1/91). Recommended for most public libraries.
- Morey Berger, St. Joseph's Hosp. Medical Lib., Tucson
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 373 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (August 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385424078
• ISBN-13: 978-0385424073
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,547,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars saint bobby and the barbarians, October 23, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Saint Bobby and the Barbarians (Hardcover)

I felt this book reached deep down into college football. I was thrilled when names such as Edgar Bennet, Charlie Ward, Amp Lee, and Danny Kanell. I felt the boos of the opossing fans and felt the cheers of ours. Until I read this book, I never realized the preparation it takes to coach a college football team. This was a well planned, well thought, documentation of Florida State Football.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 2nd best coach in college football(1 BEAR BRYANT), May 17, 2000

By 

Jessefitzgerald "tomfitzgerald" (Mobile, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saint Bobby and the Barbarians (Hardcover)

This was a very intrestling book about the 2nd best coach and the incredible story of the 1991 season. This is a must read book for FSU Fans everywhere. I thourghly enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves college football.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, as seen from the inside!, November 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Saint Bobby and the Barbarians (Hardcover)

As a freshman at Florida State in '91, I worked with the football team as a student athletic trainer. I remember Ben Brown, and how he spent almost every minute with the team, nearly becoming a part of it. Take it from someone who was there: Ben Brown got it right. If you want to know what a season at the top of college football's elite feels like, read this book. Even today, reading passages takes me back to memories I will never forget. I just wish Ben could have been with us in '93, when we won the National Championship, so he could have written a happier ending.