Packer books

Fozastuta

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Could any recommend me any good Packer reads or decent American Football books in general? Not much about here in the UK, but thanks to the wonderful Internet i can buy stuff from all over.
 

Vladimirr

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I'm a fan of Arch Ward's "Green Bay Packers". I have an old copy and really enjoy reading through it from time to time. It chronicles the early years of the team from the start through the 1940s. Some good stories in there from when gridiron football was a tough man's sport.

Here's an excerpt that I keep around in a text file. As you read it, filter it through the experience of 1946 - World War II had just ended, radio had not-long-ago surpassed the grid-o-graph for real-time scoring updates, and the Packers had won their sixth league championship. 1919 was not even thirty years ago.

Packers-Ishpeming, 1919

The upper peninsula of Michigan has long been known as
a territory where men are men and football players are big
and tough. Ishpeming was an example in the Packers' first
season as an organized team. For five years no team had
been able to beat the Michiganders on their home grounds,
and they were acknowledge champions of the Wolverine
state.

Captain Lambeau and his mates dared to invade Ishpem-
ing on October 20, 1919, even though older heads had
counseled them about the punishment they would take from
Ishpeming. It required only three running plays for the
young Packers to realize that their elders had not been josh-
ing them. Jimmy Coffeen, the quarterback who now officiates
at the public-address mike at all Packer home games, was
the first casualty, a brace of broken ribs sending him out.
Another scrimmage play followed, and tackle Al Petka
emerged from that with a cracked collarbone. One more
rushing maneuver, and tackle Andy Muldoon made his exit
with a broken ankle.

Lambeau & Company took quick stock of the situation.
This was hardly a day to buck the rugged Ishpeming line.
The Green Bay personnel totaled only twenty players, and
just seventeen were left for duty. Curly suggested a drastic
switch in tactics--no line plays, just passes and punts. The
reversal not only resulted in a 33-to-0 triumph for Green
Bay, with Lambeau doing the pitching, but also infuriated
the Ishpeming team to a point where it used a seven-man
line that included its fullback. The Michiganders taunted
their lighter rivals to come through, but the Packers hewed
to the pass-and-punt line for the rest of the day. Lambeau,
Tubby Bero, Walter Ladrow, and their associates continued
to fling and kick footballs through the air until the game
was over, and the riled Ishpeming gents had been given a
sound trouncing.

This game is chosen as outstanding because it proved
conclusively that brawn could be conquered by strategy, the
same aerial brand which young Lambeau and his friends had
learned in their knicker days on Cherry Street, Green Bay,
when they used a stuffed salt sack for play. It was to become
a concrete factor in Green Bay offensive play, one that is
still employed today.
 
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I got "Take your eye off the ball" by Pat Kirwan for Christmas. It's a pretty interesting book about how teams/ the league works and goes into quite a bit of detail about each position's role. Highly recommend, especially if you haven't grown up with the game
 

Powarun

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Packers by the Number gives a good read on the "best" player to wear the number before the Rodger's era began.
 

Sky King

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Jerry Kramer wrote several books. The first and arguably the best was Instant Replay which he co-authored with the late **** Schaap. It is an insider's view of the Lombardi years.

Another winner is The Ultimate Super Bowl Book by Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. It was written before the past two SBs took place but it has some terrific back stories to tell about all the other games. Unbiased and interesting as all get-out. Email him directly to order a copy.

Mudbaths and Bloodbaths by Gary D'Amato and Cliff Christl chronicles the intense long-standing rivalry between the Packers and Bears. Very balanced storytelling.
 

PWT

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Green and Golden Moments] Bob Harlan and the Green Bay Packers Buy Bob Harlan and Dale Hofmann Copyright 2007 KCI Sports Publishing-- Available Amazon books . com. New and used copies

The Packer Way Nine stepping stones to building a Winning organization by Ron Wolf Executive Vice president of the Green Bay Packers and Paul Attner published by St Martin's Press Copyright 1998 Available? ? Amazon Bookx.com
 
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weeds

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The Packer Way Nine stepping stones to building a Winning organization by Ron Wolf Executive Vice president of the Green Bay Packers and Paul Attner published by St Martin's Press Copyright 1998 Available? ? Amazon Bookx.com

This was a superior read. I bought this thing right out of the blocks ... loaned it someone AFTER I read it a couple of times...and never got it back.

If you really want to know what is in Ted Thompson's mind as he makes personnel decisions ... this is a must read... I am an unabashed fan of Ron Wolf, and Thompson, AND Schneider come from the Wolf 'tree' so to speak. Having read that book, I learned a long time ago to not get too involved in free agency speculation and stuff like that. Just ain't gonna happen with these guys at the helm -- and rightly so, in my opinion.

While the Lombardi book was a good read as well, the Wolf book is largely a first hand account of how he set about to rebuild a moribund franchise. Reading it with the benefit of 20+ years of hindsight, a lot of things will become a lot more clear to you younger fans. Not kidding...
 

yooperpackfan

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I'm a fan of Arch Ward's "Green Bay Packers". I have an old copy and really enjoy reading through it from time to time. It chronicles the early years of the team from the start through the 1940s. Some good stories in there from when gridiron football was a tough man's sport.

Here's an excerpt that I keep around in a text file. As you read it, filter it through the experience of 1946 - World War II had just ended, radio had not-long-ago surpassed the grid-o-graph for real-time scoring updates, and the Packers had won their sixth league championship. 1919 was not even thirty years ago.

Packers-Ishpeming, 1919

The upper peninsula of Michigan has long been known as
a territory where men are men and football players are big
and tough. Ishpeming was an example in the Packers' first
season as an organized team. For five years no team had
been able to beat the Michiganders on their home grounds,
and they were acknowledge champions of the Wolverine
state.

Captain Lambeau and his mates dared to invade Ishpem-
ing on October 20, 1919, even though older heads had
counseled them about the punishment they would take from
Ishpeming. It required only three running plays for the
young Packers to realize that their elders had not been josh-
ing them. Jimmy Coffeen, the quarterback who now officiates
at the public-address mike at all Packer home games, was
the first casualty, a brace of broken ribs sending him out.
Another scrimmage play followed, and tackle Al Petka
emerged from that with a cracked collarbone. One more
rushing maneuver, and tackle Andy Muldoon made his exit
with a broken ankle.

Lambeau & Company took quick stock of the situation.
This was hardly a day to buck the rugged Ishpeming line.
The Green Bay personnel totaled only twenty players, and
just seventeen were left for duty. Curly suggested a drastic
switch in tactics--no line plays, just passes and punts. The
reversal not only resulted in a 33-to-0 triumph for Green
Bay, with Lambeau doing the pitching, but also infuriated
the Ishpeming team to a point where it used a seven-man
line that included its fullback. The Michiganders taunted
their lighter rivals to come through, but the Packers hewed
to the pass-and-punt line for the rest of the day. Lambeau,
Tubby Bero, Walter Ladrow, and their associates continued
to fling and kick footballs through the air until the game
was over, and the riled Ishpeming gents had been given a
sound trouncing.

This game is chosen as outstanding because it proved
conclusively that brawn could be conquered by strategy, the
same aerial brand which young Lambeau and his friends had
learned in their knicker days on Cherry Street, Green Bay,
when they used a stuffed salt sack for play. It was to become
a concrete factor in Green Bay offensive play, one that is
still employed today.
Being as I'm from Ishpeming and we have had a long and storied relationship with the Packers that most people nowadays don't know about, I crown you a winner for posting that piece.
 
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Fozastuta

Fozastuta

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I got "Take your eye off the ball" by Pat Kirwan for Christmas. It's a pretty interesting book about how teams/ the league works and goes into quite a bit of detail about each position's role. Highly recommend, especially if you haven't grown up with the game

Sounds interesting that Doc. I've certainly took more notice of plays and positions watching one of my friends play for the Chester Romans the last few years, not anywhere near the level of you guys know the game but they are dedicated bunch and love the game. If i was a few years younger i would of love to of took it up, but i played "our" football instead.
The Wembley series of games has done wonders for the game here, great day out.

http://www.chesterromans.com/
 

gopkrs

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Green and Golden Moments] Bob Harlan and the Green Bay Packers Buy Bob Harlan and Dale Hofmann Copyright 2007 KCI Sports Publishing-- Available Amazon books . com. New and used copies

The Packer Way Mine stepping stones to building a Winning organization by Ron Wolf Executive Vice president of the Green Bay Packers and Paul Attner published by St Martin's Press Copyright 1998 Available? ? Amazon Bookx.com
I second the Harlan book. Shows how the team got turned in the right direction.
 

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