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Johnny U: The Life and Times of John Unitas
List Price: $13.95Our Price: $11.16 You Save: $2.79 (20%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9781400081400
ISBN: 1400081408
Label: Three Rivers Press
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: August 28, 2007
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Release Date: August 28, 2007
Studio: Three Rivers Press
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Editorial Review:
In a time “when men played football for something less than a living and something more than money,” John Unitas was the ultimate quarterback. Rejected by Notre Dame, discarded by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he started on a Pennsylvania sandlot making six dollars a game and ended as the most commanding presence in the National Football League, calling the critical plays and completing the crucial passes at the moment his sport came of age.Johnny U is the first authoritative biography of Unitas, based on hundreds of hours of interviews with teammates and opponents, coaches, family and friends. The depth of Tom Callahan’s research allows him to present something more than a biography, something approaching an oral history of a bygone sporting era. It was a time when players were paid a pittance and superstars painted houses and tiled floors in the off-season—when ex-soldiers and marines like Gino Marchetti, Art Donovan, and “Big Daddy” Lipscomb fell in behind a special field general in Baltimore. Few took more punishment than Unitas. His refusal to leave the field, even when savagely bloodied by opposing linemen, won his teammates’ respect. His insistence on taking the blame for others’ mistakes inspired their love. His encyclopedic football mind, in which he’d filed every play the Colts had ever run, was a wonder.In the seminal championship game of 1958, when Unitas led the Colts over the Giants in the NFL’s first sudden-death overtime, Sundays changed. John didn’t. As one teammate said, “It was one of the best things about him.”
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Great story
This item arrived quickly and in good condition. This is more 'times' than 'life', but the combination works well and delivers a great book.
Rating:  - "The Greatest" deserves better!
When I read that Unitas was receiving a new biography I was very excited. After reading many great sports-related books in the past few years (Maraniss' "When Pride Still Mattered," Kriegel's "Namath," Barra's "The Last Coach," and everything by Halberstam), I just knew that Unitas had to be getting his just due. Sadly, this is not the case. I can't believe the favorable reviews for this book! There is nothing new that is not found in others concerning the Colts and Unitas. The '58 Championship ... Read More
Rating: - Johnny U - Pure dynamite
It's not often that a book can "transport" the reader back to the time and with the feeling that they experienced at the time the depicted events were happening but "Johnny U" does just that.
As a kid growing up in a town on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the Colts were our team and Johnny U was our man. In our neighborhood, every kid who took his turn at QB in a vacant lot game became "Johnny U" (or Berry or "the Horse").
As I read this book, the times, the excitement, the flavor ... Read More
Rating: - Brings Back One of the Greats!
I couldn't put this one down! Almost made me late to work. Easy to read, bringing great names to life. As I read, I came to feel that I personally knew Unitas, Nomellini, Tittle, and the rest. It makes me sad that the days of "smash-mouth" football are gone!
Rating:  - Very good read
I wasn't around in the days of Unitas but reading this book gives one a feel of what life was like in the 1950's NFL and it definitely gives us a good look at Unitas the man.
Johnny Unitas comes across as a legend and leader. What more could a team or nation want from a sportsman?
If you want to read a good, solid book and get a fair bit of hero worship (not a bad thing), then this is the book to read.
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