GREAT PASS CATCHERS IN PRO FOOTBALL

by Howard Coan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 1971

Twelve great receivers viewed and admired, beginning with Don Hutson, who in the '30's and '40's ""almost single-handedly revolutionized football and. . . standardized his fakes into what we call pass patterns."" Other receivers surveyed range from Elroy ""Crazylegs"" Hirsch of the '50's (""he ran like a demented duck"") to current players Otis Taylor (""Super Revenge"") and Paul Warfield (""Pure Talent""). Each sketch, accompanied by a full-page photograph of the catcher in action, is a mix of impressive statistics, quoted praise, highlights of significant games, and brief biography. Uninfluenced by recent sports exposes, Coan projects each player as spunky, hard-working, universally admired, immensely talented, and inspiring (like Tommy McDonald, who ""showed that skill and courage were much more important than size""). But the writing is literate and the heroics documented, and there are just enough human interest anecdotes (Bob Hayes' police record, stemming from his presence at the scene of a childish prank; Lance Alworth's conversion to mod clothes) to distinguish one private-life personality from the next.

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Messner

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION