MEAN ON SUNDAY: The Autobiography of Ray Nitschke

by Ray & Robert W. Wells Nitschke ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 7, 1973

Yes, the recently retired Ray Nitschke was vicious as the junkyard dog on the football field -- in 1968 the Sporting News acclaimed him one of the five meanest men in a game full of them. But sans cleats and the helmet that covers his bald pate, Ray's about the nicest guy in Green Bay where he continues to live with his wife and adopted children. He grew up ""hungry,"" plagued by an inferiority complex as big as the Superbowl (but with the Packers he missed damn few plays -- voted all-time all-pro NFL middle linebacker), a tendency to be a bully especially after a drink or two. Marriage and St. Vincent Lombardi, however, settled him down into the winsome fellow he is today -- ""I wised up and realized T wasn't the only letter in the alphabet."" Here old No. 66 goes through the seasons, all fifteen of them, recalling the best and worst games, the shock at finally being benched in 1971, the lump-in-the-throat feeling during his Day. This lacks the wider appeal of, say, an Instant Replay and it's antithetical to the juicy Ball Four genre. But Packer fans and others around the league who admired Nitschke's professional skills might pick this up as a reminder of the man beneath the armor.

Pub Date: Sept. 7, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1973

Categories: NONFICTION