THE CRUNCH

by Pat Toomay ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 27, 1975

A flatly lucid gridiron diary by the Dallas Cowboys' sixth-round draft choice from Vanderbilt. The action spans the defensive end's first summer training camp in 1970--""if you can concentrate on the crap, the humiliations, and the aches, you can kiss youself good-bye""--through the recent NFL Players' Strike and '74 season. The seldom-starting rookie belonged to a team that lost Super Bowl V to Baltimore, yet came back the next year with ten wins in a row en route to the NFL Championship. A regular thereafter, Toomay has a justifiable gripe with the Cowboy organization for its coldly efficient corporate setup. Dallas coach Tom Landry is viewed as a rigid organization man who's both unwilling and unable to motivate his players. The book's roster--Duane Thomas, Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, etc.,--should be familiar even if you've never heard of the flex defense. Toomay, a future Birmingham American in the WFL, makes a few points in between the grunts.

Pub Date: Oct. 27, 1975

ISBN: 0595177948

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1975

Categories: NONFICTION