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P.B.: THE PAUL BROWN STORY by Paul with Jack Clary Brown

P.B.: THE PAUL BROWN STORY

By

Pub Date: Oct. 16th, 1979
Publisher: Atheneum

Paul Brown's style of football was wide open and offense-minded, and so are his memoirs. His coaching brilliance and rigid moralism are both on display here as he traces his career with Massillon High (an undefeated, unscored-upon season), Ohio State (a national championship and the happiest period of his life), the Cleveland Browns (1946-63), and the Cincinnati Bengals (1968-75), which Brown founded and led to the playoffs in three years. Brown describes each season in general terms and his ""special"" games in detail; he also explains how he taught football in the classroom and toughness on the field -- inventing play-books and not permitting teams to sit or drink during a game. His innovations included the face mask, the draw play, and, most important, the messenger play-call system. And, assessing all-time performances, he pronounces Otto Graham ""the greatest player in the game's history."" On the down side, he scores commercialism, player unions and player politics, bad language (Ted Husing), ignorant, power-hungry owners (Art Modell), obnoxious scheming owners (George Preston Marshall), long hair, and anyone not totally devoted to football. To those he's hurt, Brown says repeatedly, ""It wasn't personal."" So: paeans to small-town wholesomeness, pep rallies, school songs, and bonfires -- along with lots of locker-room lowdown that hard-core fans will take to, regardless.