Rites of Autumn: The Story of College Football (Hardcover)

by Richard Whittingham (Author), Roger Staubach (Foreword) "In the constantly unfolding drama of college football, it has been said, the coaches are the playwrights and the players the actors on stage..." (more)
Key Phrases: college football history, first intercollegiate football game, explosive offense, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Rose Bowl (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Rites of Autumn: The Story of College Football, the companion book to the ESPN series of the same name, is an attractive, broad, yet detailed history of college football, from the first game through the latest bowl victories. Not only does author Richard Whittingham include comprehensive rankings of the top teams, players, and coaches throughout the last century-plus (such as Heisman Trophy winners or the greatest team rivalries), he highlights the choice games and plays, as well as the coaches and gridiron legends that have put their indelible stamp on this truly American sport.

Timelines and photographs complement the text, providing a deep sense of how the sport has evolved. Moreover, the author uses a variety of sources, giving readers bits of poetry, fight-song lyrics, and famous or insightful quotes, along with play-by-plays and a lively narrative. Whittingham put careful thought into his selections, readily admitting the difficulty of winnowing down the lists, and he even includes notes on those that barely missed the cut.

As Whittingham summarizes, "The game itself--violent, tactical, demanding of skills, strength, and endurance--evoked the very essentials of classic drama: conflict, suspense, excitement, competition, triumph, and failure. It is hardly surprising then that it became such a fertile ground for the cultivation of legends." The roar of a crowd, the sense of place or destiny--all of the factors that have led to greatness are described, with statistical support, in this informative, oversized book. Rites of Autumn is for football fans everywhere. --Michael Ferch

From Library Journal
College football fans who long for a simpler time when the men on the field and the sidelines were all noble will enjoy Fields of Honor, which is authored by a football brat whose father and uncle were coaches. Those who favor the glitter of today's high-stakes major college game will prefer veteran writer Whittingham's book, which will be published to coincide with a ten-part ESPN special in October. Texans might disagree with Pont's thesis that Ohio was the axis upon which the football world spun from the late 1940s to 1980s, and older fans might feel that college football's golden age came a few decades earlier. Still, few can argue that Miami University in Ohio has been a cradle of coaches or that the men of whom she writes Woody Hayes, Bob Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, and others helped shape the sport. However, in idealizing an era and these coaches, she ends up sanitizing and apologizing, asserting, for instance, that Ohio State's Hayes slugged an opposing player only because the irascible coach was diabetic and "deep in a hypoglycemic daze"at the time.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; Complete Numbers Starting with 1, 1st Ed edition (September 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743222199
• ISBN-13: 978-0743222198
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 10.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #530,914 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rites of Autumn, October 5, 2001

By	Thomas Kneafsey (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

The introduction by Roger Stauback is worth the price of the book. Anyone who had anything from a mild interest or upward in college football would love this book. The author knows his subject well. This and his other sports books express his interest and love of the "game". After reading this you will want to look at some of his previous books, especially "What a game they played".

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Good It Stopped My Pain, October 26, 2001

By	Bill Hare (Dallas) - See all my reviews

I am a fan of Richard Whittingham's work and normally would have eagerly anticipated his new RITES OF AUTUMN. But my life had become far from normal. I was three days past very invasive day-long surgery, half way through a 23 day hospital stay. Despite a lot of drugs, I was hurting like hell when my wife brought in RITES after dinner. Here is how good that book is. Since the operation I was exhausted by 9PM and, after more medication, feel asleep soon after. But this night I began the book and stayed up until 2PM finishing it -- literally feeling no pain. I paid for this splurge the next day without regret. Then September 11th happened on my TV and I got so depressed I read RITES again. Again I was carried away, now from America's tragedy. Obviously, I am grateful for this wonderful work and recommend it to anyone interested in out nation's rich traditions. Like Whittingham's other work, RITES OF AUTUMN is far more than a sports book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great celebration of history, personality, and lore, October 10, 2003

By	Andrew S. Rogers (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I didn't see the ESPN series to which this book is "companion," but if the series is as good as the book, I'll start praying for the network to begin re-running it as soon as possible. As the days start to get autumnal, there are few things better than settling in with a college football game on TV and this book on your lap.

Richard Whittingham takes us through the history of college football, from the Ivy League dynasties of the 1880s to the 1920s, through Army's dominant years in the 1940s, to today's powerhouse teams and superstar coaches. Along the way, we meet many of the great players and coaches, look at many historic photographs, and read engrossing descriptions of memorable games. The photos are well-chosen and impressive, the writing fast-paced, and the book's layout appealing and easy to read.

For any serious and knowledgeable fan, this book can be fodder for countless hot-stove league debates (I know "hot stove league" is a baseball expression, but work with me here). Whittingham makes a case for his choices for best team in each of the decades from the 1900s to the 1990s. He also picks "games worth remembering" from each of the great bowl games, analyses many of the game's great rivalries, and even lists the best (or, to be fair, his favorite) school fight songs and mascots.

This is a fascinating, entertaining, and memorable book -- and as a lifelong Roger Staubach fan, I found his foreword an extra bonus. I find it hard to believe that any college football fan wouldn't appreciate receiving it ... and could easily see some of the more serious fans becoming quite passionate about it. It's definitely worth checking out.