The 10 Most Entertaining Football Books

I recently finished reading The Blind Side by Michael Lewis. I enjoyed the book, especially the fact that it emphasized the importance of the often overlooked offensive linemen. Usually the quarterbacks, running backs and even wide receivers get all the publicity. They also get the most books. A cursory look through the local Borders or Barnes & Noble store will indicate that two out of every three biographies of football men are about players in the backfield.

While some of these books are very good, they can become repetitive. As a former high school offensive tackle, I find myself enjoying books about linemen or just teams in general. Here are the ten football books I find the most memorable.

10. Only a Game by Robert Daley: I remember reading this novel for a high school book report and finding it fascinating. Daley worked in public relations for the Giants, so he was able to provide insight hitherto unavailable to most fans.

9. Busted: The Rise and Fall of Art Schlister by Jeff Snook: I grew up in Ohio, where Schlister was a legend even while playing at Miami Trace High School. Schlister's story is much different than most of the other quarterbacks, since he spent years of his life in prisons for gambling-related crimes.

8.Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap: Kramer kept a diary of his 1967 season as a Green Bay Packer offensive lineman, and renown sportswriter Schaap helped him turn it into an excellent, accurate account of professional football players. It did for football what Jim Bouton's Ball Four did for baseball.

7. Ten Men You Meet in the Huddle by Bill Curry: Curry's book is similar to Kramer's in that they both include seasons as Green Bay linemen. Curry, who was a center for both the Packers and Colts, sprinkles more humor into his book, probably because he wrote it forty years after having played in the NFL. He even attempts to atone for his dislike of Ray Nitske that Curry carried around with him for the entirety of his career.

6. When All the Laughter Died in Sorrow by Lance Rentzel: This book differs from most of the ones about star wide receivers mainly because Rentzel was arrested for exposing himself to ten year old girls. Rentzel gives an honest account of not only his career as a Dallas Cowboy and his personal exhibitionist incidents, but also the glamour and pitfalls of being married to a Hollywood star like Joey Heatherton.

5. Bleachers by John Grisham: This tale of the antagonism between QB Neely Crenshaw and legendary coach Eddie Rake makes great sports fiction. The side plots, especially the lost relationship between Neely and his high school sweetheart and a former gridiron serving life for felonies, entertain even non-fans.

4. I Am Third by Gale Sayers and Al Silverman: This autobiography by the Hall of Fame Bears running back became immortalized through its chapter about the death of Brian Piccolo, which inspired the film Brian's Song.

3. Paper Lion by George Plimpton: The talented writer draws an unparalleled first-person portrait of the year he spent as a Detroit Lion. It is funny, informative and extremely well-written.

2. Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger: The author, who will probably be forever unwelcome anywhere near Permian High, chronicled one season of the Texas high school's obsession with football. Like all great books, it has a multitude of side stories, such as racism, joblessness, and shattered dreams.

1. About Three Bricks Shy of a Load by Ray Blount, Jr: This classic covers the Steelers of the 70s, including such characters as L.C. Greenwood, Joe Green, Terry Bradshaw, and even the colorful John Fuqua. Blount's talent allows him to immortalize each player through various tales and incidents both on and off the field.