Shark Among Dolphins [Hardcover]

Steve Hubbard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 1997

"Listen, guys, this is not a college. It's a job. We get to training camp, your ass has cramps, I'll cut you in a minute."
--Jimmy Johnson

Love him or hate him, Jimmy Johnson's headline-making new gig with the Miami Dolphins made him football's comeback kid of the year. In this no-holds-barred book--the first all-access look at a coach in action since John Feinstein's #1 bestseller A Season on the Brink--you'll get an up-close, powerfully personal, and brutally honest chronicle of Johnson's first year on the job . . . on and off the field.

After legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula was pushed into retirement, former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson came back into the spotlight, and with him, his famously uncompromising attitude and standards of perfection and professionalism.

For Shark Among Dolphins, Johnson allowed award-winning reporter Steve Hubbard to sit in on team practices, player meetings, postgame speeches,  and much more: to see it, hear it, and most important of all . . . tell it, exactly the way it is.

Shark Among Dolphins reveals insider insights into Jimmy's feud and frustration with Jerry, Barry, and the 'Boys. It details his speeches that sparked upsets over New England and Buffalo, and his draft and personal decisions, from axing selfish stars to anointing rookies like Zack Thomas. It shows why corporations pay $40,000 to hear how this master psychologist molds and motivates people to win championships.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Author Steve Hubbard has spent most of his career writing about football. Maybe that's why he had full access to Miami's new coach--the ballyhooed Jimmy Johnson--in his inaugural year with the sinking Dolphins. After taking the Dallas Cowboys from a dismal 1-15 season to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in just four years, Johnson pretty much solidified his reputation as a great motivator and strategist. But controversy has always lurked nearby, and in 1995 he walked (or was pushed), only to reemerge on the Florida shore with a new game plan. Hubbard's Shark Among Dolphins shadows Coach Johnson through the '96 season as he struggles to turn the Dolphin organization around and keep his own myth alive.

From the Publisher

Jimmy Johnson took over the Miami Dolphins from the legendary Don Shula. Hall of Famer Don Shula. Institution Don Shula. And you'd think Miami fans would be upset. Hell no! They welcomed Johnson with open arms, like the breath of fresh air he was. Here was the man who would bring another Super Bowl championship to the land of the Fish. Well, it didn't quite work out that way, but that was the idea. When veteran football journalist Steve Hubbard got the okay from Jimmy Johnson to follow him around and sit in on confidential meetings, we were so excited you couldn't believe it. Here was another SEASON ON THE BRINK, we thought. But the Dolphins finished 8-8 in Jimmy's first year. Perhaps a struggling Dolphin team makes a more interesting book. Among other things were Johnson's handling of players, personnel decisions, the destruction of the Shula playbook, the acknowledgement that Miami couldn't win without a ground game even with Dan Marino at QB . . . The list goes on. It's really a fascinating insight into the making (or make-over) of an NFL team. Johnson comes across as a smart man who is not above taking risks--and doing virtually anything to get his players to perform. He'll stroke them when they need it, and verbally abuse them when they need that--treat them as pros and as little babies depending on the situation. But he always has a master plan, and Hubbard lets the reader inside for a rare look at how a football genius thinks.

Doug Grad, Editor --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 263 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (August 19, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345412044
• ISBN-13: 978-0345412041
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,252,530 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Back for Avid Dolphin Fans!!!, December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Shark Among Dolphins (Hardcover)

For those of you who are devout Dolphins fans, this great book gives you an inside look at Jimmy Johnson's first year on the job. Reading it, you will remember a lot of the games from that year, and soon learn of what happened before and after the game. A must read if you love the Dolphins!!!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Inside look at J.J., February 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Shark Among Dolphins (Hardcover)

Yes, many of the same stories were reported on ESPN, but the book also has unvarnished stories on players and coaches. It pulls no punches in telling WHY a player was cut.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!!!, January 2, 2005

By 

Patricia Carter "king" (Portland, Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shark Among Dolphins: Inside Jimmy Johnson's Transformation of the Miami Dolphins (Mass Market Paperback)

Just the way I like it!! A very REAL account of Jimmy and WHY he wins everywhere he goes. Nothing held back, if you love reading REAL books about coaching greats like Johnson, then this is for you!!