Contributed By: Laura Dobbins
In our house football matters. A lot. My parents grew up in Oklahoma and my mother is a graduate of OU. Growing up, two things were a certainty – the evening news and OU football. After I got married and had kids, we lived for a number of years in Alabama, where I got my degree in Library Science from the University of Alabama. At the time, my son was playing football, and in an effort to understand the mindset of the true fans, I read Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania by Warren St. John, who spent time traveling with and getting to know the passionate community of RVers who follow the Tide from game to game. I’m fairly certain a number of them will be here in Atlanta today. (As an aside, St. John went on to write Outcasts United: an American town, a refugee team, and one woman’s quest to make a difference about soccer, which is set in Clarkston, Georgia. He told the story about how one woman started a soccer team which unified a group of refugee children who had come from around the world.) Although we now live in Georgia, we have UGA ties with both my son and daughter. So, during this last week, there has been quite a bit of trash talking going on in my house leading up to the National Championship. (I told my UGA son that when he’s talking with his OU Papa, his inheritance “may be on the line.”) I don’t know what the outcome is yet (and of course, I’m torn between my Tide and the Bulldogs), but here are some books to tide me over until the next season comes around:
100 Things Bulldogs Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die
The storied traditions of the University of Georgia are legendary in college football. Most Bulldogs fans can sing “Glory, Glory” and know who Uga is. On game days, fans are serenaded at Sanford Stadium by the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band and know the history of the hedges and the iconic Georgia G. Names like Fran Tarkenton, Herschel Walker, and Eric Zeier are just as familiar as Vince Dooley, Wally Butts, and Mark Richt. But even the most die-hard fans don’t know everything they should know about their beloved Bulldogs.
Saban: The making of a coach by Monte Burke
A defining biography of Nick Saban, the influential and polarizing University of Alabama football coach who not only transformed the college game but might also be the best ever at winning. As the head coach of the University of Alabama’s football team, Nick Saban is perhaps the most enigmatic man in the sport. Unpredictable in his professional loyalties, uncompromising in his vision, and unyielding in his pursuit of perfection, the highest-paid coach in college football has changed the face of the game. His program-building skills have delivered packed stadiums, rabid fans, hundreds of millions of dollars, legions of detractors, countless NFL draft picks, and a total of four national championships, including three in the last six years…Though a great deal is known about Saban the coach, not much is known about Saban the man.
Fantasy Football for Dummies
Discover how to understand the basics of the game; pick the league right for you; assemble your dream team in the draft; develop your in-season management skills; know which quick fixes work and what common mistakes to avoid.