“Dave Revsine’s work is filled with jaw-dropping, vividly detailed stories about football’s wild, woolly formative years. If you think America’s football obsession is a recent development, or that corruption in the money-driven college game is only a modern problem, you’ll be stunned by The Opening Kickoff. A great read. I loved it!”
—Chris Fowler, host of ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning College GameDay
“With the industry of college football currently at the center of questions about priorities, purity, and purpose, Dave Revsine’s lovingly crafted The Opening Kickoff is a remarkable and engaging account of the heroes, villains, successes, and scandals in the early years of this sport. The passion and the people of those early years, their feats, their foibles—all contribute to this game taking root in the American heart. No other sport matters as much to fans of each team—and Revsine’s keen eye for detail, and clear love of the game make this a fascinating journey through an important time. And with messages that resonate today.”
—Bob Ley, host of ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning Outside the Lines and anchor of SportsCenter
“Dave Revsine’s well-researched book on the early days of football is absorbing from opening kickoff to final gun. The stories are filled with historical romance, yet are not rosy-eyed. It is fascinating to see how all the glories and corruptions of football were there from the beginning.”
—David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi
“Before there was Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, there was Wisconsin’s Pat O’Dea. Before Miami and Auburn found themselves embroiled in controversy, so did Yale and Princeton. Before the endless coverage of ESPN, the New York Sun had seventeen reporters at a game. In Dave Revsine’s fascinating read, The Opening Kickoff, we learn that college football’s nascent seasons were as wild, unpredictable, and controversial as the ones that unfold in front of us now. Revsine’s meticulous research and crisp storytelling bring us back to a long-ago era, where the themes and storylines are familiar.”
—Pete Thamel, senior writer for Sports Illustrated
“Reading the author’s heavily researched tale of the history of college football—specifically, the period between 1890 and 1915—is like watching an old-fashioned, dramatic movie newsreel…. [I]t is a vivid examination of the sport’s infancy…. Revsine’s descriptions of momentous games and quotes from published accounts give the narrative a storybook feel. He examines how numerous issues and ethical questions during the sport’s early years are still debated today…. An interesting demonstration of how athletics remains today what it was well over 100 years ago: big business.”
—Kirkus Reviews