Recruited for his combination of size and speed, George Mills had the potential to become an outstanding college football player - but it never happened. "A View from the Bench" reveals the reality behind the glamour of college football and the tough experiences in the life of a benchwarmer. Mills was a solid player who loved the game, but he had only one shot in nearly five years at making Nebraska's starting team. He found little time or energy left for academics after hours of drills, weight lifting, and team meetings. Now, with complete candor, Mills lays bare the true weight of emphasis in the "student-athlete" dichotomy. Free from anger or malice, Mills tells of his struggle to come to terms with a sports career of "mediocrity." "A View from the Bench" is an honest reflection of the experiences of so many overlooked players. It will be meaningful to anyone who has watched or played competitive sports.
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"I love the book! It takes me back to those pleasant days at Nebraska. I didn't realize I was so tough on George and the other defensive linemen. As he admits, he wasn't one of the outstanding players on the team, but he worked hard... That's all a coach can ask. As a writer on college football he makes the first team." -- Monte Kiffin, defensive coordinator for the 2003 Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers "No other book about the college athletic experience rings truer." -- Benjamin G. Rader, author of American Sports "It brought back the sounds, sights, smells, pain, and excitement of being an average football player in a big-time college football program. I was impressed by Mills' description of those seemingly endless practice sessions, of those fanatical coaches, of the dedication of that handful of teammates who had a genuine chance of making it in the pros, and the joys of being a big man on campus." -- Stephen E. Ambrose, biographer of Nixon and Eisenhower and former pulling guard and linebacker at Wisconsin, 1954-56
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Story of an Ordinary player,
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This review is from: A View from the Bench: The Story of an Ordinary Player on a Big-Time Football Team (Sport and Society) (Paperback)
Interesting insight into " big time " college athletics. Parents can learn to guide their children into the " best option" for college athletics by being realistic. The book confirms what we all know.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Informative Book, Especially His Relationship With Monte Kiffin,
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This review is from: A View from the Bench: The Story of an Ordinary Player on a Big-Time Football Team (Sport and Society) (Paperback)
The book might be best targeted for Nebraska Cornhusker fans since most of information comes from when the author played in the early 1970's. However, because the book deals in large part with his relationship with Monte Kiffin, his defensive coach, the book has surprising relevance today. The book gives great insight into Kiffin's coaching style.
Mills also was very candid about his playing ability, his inability to gain and maintain weight needed to play his position and the problems he had being a student. I read Big Red Confidential years ago and found Mill's take on Boyd Epley to be different from that book. If one is an old Big 8 fan, the book mentions two other assistant coaches Mills played for, Warren Powers and Jim Walden, who later became head coaches in th conference. He did have tidbits about Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, but his constant focus on Kiffin showed that college football players have more of a relationship with their most direct coach. I would recommend the book even though a die-hard Nebraska fan would enjoy it more.
5.0 out of 5 stars
My All-Time Favorite Sports Book,
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This review is from: A View from the Bench: The Story of an Ordinary Player on a Big-Time Football Team (Sport and Society) (Paperback)
I played football in high school, and since I never played that much I feel like I can relate to the story told in this book. The author writes mostly about his college years, not high school, but the idea is the same. It is an insirational account of not giving up, and finding that what is most important about being an athlete isn't always how much playing time you get.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The Neighborhood, as we affectionately called it, was a working-class neighborhood in east-central Omaha. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
winter conditioning, right defensive tackle, grass drills, sport autobiography, traveling squad, spring ball, bowl officials, spring game, defensive linemen, major college football, film session, depth chart, fall camp, offensive linemen Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Coach Kiffin, Coach Osborne, Tony Davis, Orange Bowl, Coach Devaney, Rich Glover, John Dutton, Big Eight, Johnny Rodgers, Coach Fischer, Cotton Bowl, George Mills, University of Nebraska, Mike Fultz, Shrine Bowl, Iowa State, Notre Dame, David Humm, Kansas State, New Orleans, Rik Bonness, Ron Pruitt, Terry Luck, Memorial Stadium, Ritch Bahe New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The Neighborhood, as we affectionately called it, was a working-class neighborhood in east-central Omaha. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
winter conditioning, right defensive tackle, grass drills, sport autobiography, traveling squad, spring ball, bowl officials, spring game, defensive linemen, major college football, film session, depth chart, fall camp, offensive linemen Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Coach Kiffin, Coach Osborne, Tony Davis, Orange Bowl, Coach Devaney, Rich Glover, John Dutton, Big Eight, Johnny Rodgers, Coach Fischer, Cotton Bowl, George Mills, University of Nebraska, Mike Fultz, Shrine Bowl, Iowa State, Notre Dame, David Humm, Kansas State, New Orleans, Rik Bonness, Ron Pruitt, Terry Luck, Memorial Stadium, Ritch Bahe New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and page 234
- Great Gatsby (Penguin Longman Reader Level 5) by Fitzgerald F Scott in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and page 234
- Great Gatsby (Everyman Classics) by F Scott Fitzgerald in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and page 234
- The Great Gatsby (Textplus) by Francis Scott Fitzgerald in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and page 234
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and page 234
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- Harry Hooper: AN AMERICAN BASEBALL LIFE (Sport and Society) by Paul J. Zingg in Back Matter
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