War Football

World War I and the Birth of the NFL

Chris Serb

During World War I, American army camps, navy stations and marine barracks formed football's first true all-star teams, competing against each other and top colleges while raising millions of dollars for the war effort. More than fifty college football hall-of-famers, dozens of future generals, and two Medal of Honor winners would play for, coach, or promote military teams during the war, including Dwight Eisenhower, Walter Camp, and George Halas.

In War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL, Chris Serb recounts a fascinating chapter of military and sports history. He details three of the best but long-forgotten seasons of American football, when college amateurs mixed with blue-collar pros on the field of play. These games showed investors a lucrative market for teams of post-collegiate stars and made players realize that their football careers didn’t have to end after college. Soon the barriers to professionalism began to fall, and within two years of the Armistice the National Football League was born.

War Football explores for the first time this lost chapter of sports history and makes a direct connection between World War I and the founding of the NFL. Seven future Hall-of-Famers led the charge of more than 200 military veterans who played in, coached for, and shaped the character of the young league. Football fans, sports historians, and military historians alike will find this book a fascinating read. « less more »

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 296 • Trim: 6 1/4 x 9 3/8

978-1-5381-2484-0 • Hardback • June 2019 • $35.00 • (£23.95)

978-1-5381-2485-7 • eBook • June 2019 • $33.00 • (£22.95) (coming soon)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Football, Sports & Recreation / History

War Football

World War I and the Birth of the NFL

Hardback

Summary

During World War I, American army camps, navy stations and marine barracks formed football's first true all-star teams, competing against each other and top colleges while raising millions of dollars for the war effort. More than fifty college football hall-of-famers, dozens of future generals, and two Medal of Honor winners would play for, coach, or promote military teams during the war, including Dwight Eisenhower, Walter Camp, and George Halas.

In War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL, Chris Serb recounts a fascinating chapter of military and sports history. He details three of the best but long-forgotten seasons of American football, when college amateurs mixed with blue-collar pros on the field of play. These games showed investors a lucrative market for teams of post-collegiate stars and made players realize that their football careers didn’t have to end after college. Soon the barriers to professionalism began to fall, and within two years of the Armistice the National Football League was born.

War Football explores for the first time this lost chapter of sports history and makes a direct connection between World War I and the founding of the NFL. Seven future Hall-of-Famers led the charge of more than 200 military veterans who played in, coached for, and shaped the character of the young league. Football fans, sports historians, and military historians alike will find this book a fascinating read.

Book Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 296 • Trim: 6 1/4 x 9 3/8

978-1-5381-2484-0 • Hardback • June 2019 • $35.00 • (£23.95)

978-1-5381-2485-7 • eBook • June 2019 • $33.00 • (£22.95) (coming soon)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Football, Sports & Recreation / History

Author

Chris Serb is an independent journalist who has written extensively for such publications as Chicago Tribune, Chicago History, Writer’s Digest, Chicago Athlete, and Men’s Fitness. He is the author of Sam’s Boys: The History of Chicago’s Leone Beach and Legendary Lifeguard Sam Leone (2000), whose profits were donated to charity. Serb was a finalist for Chicago Headline Club’s prestigious Peter Lisagor Award for Best Sports Feature in 2000.

Reviews

Think you know all there is to know about the NFL? Think again. In his fascinating book, War Football, Chris Serb digs deep into American history to tell the riveting story of how World War I directly led to the birth of the NFL and brings to life the intrepid pioneers who formed what has become the nation's most important sports league.
— Christine Brennan, USA Today sports columnist and ABC News, CNN, and NPR commentator

Chris Serb’s War Football is a revelation. It is a thoroughly researched and wonderfully written saga. This book shines a light on the untold story of World War I, including its role in the birth of what would ultimately become today’s National Football League. The rich detail that brings to life those early days—endowed by our football forefathers, Walter Camp and George Halas—is not to be missed!
— Pete Dawkins, US Army Brigadier General (ret.), 1958 Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Fame halfback at West Point

War Football

World War I and the Birth of the NFL

Chris Serb

War Football

World War I and the Birth of the NFL

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