FOOTSTEPS OF A GIANT

Tunnell was one of the first professional Negro football players after WWII. He was always prominent in sports, always playing with the big boys in Garrett Hill, Pa., and he tells here the story of his life to date. As such it's neither better nor worse than Paul Hornung's recent autobiography and is distinguished from the other by some interludes of grief and bitterness. There is the cocky star quality to the prose, with a few modulations of his ""Katherine Hepburn"" elocution. He says modesty is not his leading virtue, but this is a modest book, not overly sensitive, and a few punches are reserved for the last chapter. Corollary to his development as a player are his deep love for his mother and affection for some managers and coaches. (He hasn't much to say about his other love life, unlike Hornung.) Tunnell played with the New York Giants for many years in the NFL, then switched to the Green Bay Packers for three years. Since then he's been coaching and scouting and has also held a PR job with Miller's Brewery. In only one instance in the book does the writing ever get down to the gristle of the game to reveal the action as only a player can know it. This is a pleasant, readable book without an axe to grind or a single burst of temper.