Of Mikes and Men: From Ray Scott to Curt Gowdy: Tales from the Pro Football Booth

by Curt Smith

Overview

In this collection of anecdotes from the announcers of pro football, the Voices reminisce about a time before television, when the NFL was just making its floundering start and college ball held all the attraction. With the spread of television broadcasting, the Voices gain faces and the NFL gains an audience. Recall with the broadcasters the excitement of pivotal moments, the glory of the victors, and the great men who coached those champions. With their love of the work and lots of lighthearted memories about everything from the Heidi game to the glory of Green Bay to the birth of "Monday Night Football," these men and women bring football to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781888698114
Publisher:	Taylor Trade Publishing
Publication date:	01/01/1998
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.36(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Curt Smith is the author of twelve sports books, including the classic Voices of The Game, The Voice: Mel Allen's Untold Story, and Voices of Summer: Ranking Baseball's 101 All-Time Best Announcers. He is a GateHouse Media columnist; XM Satellite Radio and National Public Radio affiliate host; and former speechwriter to President George H.W. Bush. Smith has written for, among others, Newsweek, the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and the Washington Post.

Editorial Reviews

Just about everyone who has broadcast even a single pro-football play is included in this wide-ranging volume, which consists largely of quotes from the announcers assembled by Smith (Voices of the Game). The days of radio coverage and early telecasting are explored only briefly, but the participants of the 1960s and beyond offer a treasure trove of anecdotes. There's the TV executive who rushed onto the field at a critical juncture pretending to be drunk because mechanical failure had turned the screens dark; accounts of the Giants-Colts 1958 contest, called by many "the greatest game ever played"; the Green Bay Ice Bowl victory of 1967, when the wind-chill temperature was -40F; the evening in 1968 when the movie Heidi preempted the Jets-Raiders game and the Californians scored two touchdowns in the last minute to win. The great moments are vividly recaptured here. Photos. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly