They're Playing My Game by Hank Stram with Lou Sahadi
(Foreword by Len Dawson and Special Tributes by Lamar Hunt and Dale Stram) is a unique look at Hank Stram and his incredible 17-year career as a football coach with the Texans/Chiefs (1960-1974) and New Orleans Saints (1976-1977) and his successful second career as an analyst for CBS television and in the radio booth on Monday Night Football.
Book Description
Publication Date: September 1, 2006Hall of Fame football coach Hank Stram was a winner in the AFL, the NFL, and in the broadcast booth. He wrote his autobiography in the same no-nonsense way he coached his football teams and delivered his color commentary. They’re Playing My Game is an honest, insightful, and entertaining look at life in professional football from a man who spent much of his life finding ways to win on the sideline and behind a microphone.
From the Publisher
From the Inside Flap
Hank Stram was a winner, plain and simple. He was the first head coach of the AFL’s Dallas Texans, and he produced a winner almost immediately. Stram and the Texans claimed the 1962 AFL championship, and the next year the fledgling franchise moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs. Stram led the Chiefs to two Super Bowls in four seasons, falling to Vince Lombardi’s Packers in Super Bowl I and soundly defeating Bud Grant and the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Among Stram’s many coaching innovations were the moving pocket and the stack defense, which was particularly effective in shutting down the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. The Chiefs’ victory was the second straight Super Bowl win by the rising AFL, and the next year brought the merger between the NFL and AFL. Stram’s NFL Chiefs won the 1971 AFC Western Division, and he also coached in two Pro Bowls, winning them both. All told, the Hall of Famer won 136 games over a 17-year career that ended with the New Orleans Saints in 1976. Stram then moved into the broadcast booth for an equally successful second career, earning accolades for his straight-talking style and witty commentary. He wrote his autobiography in the same straightforward manner and pulled no punches as he described life on the sideline, in the locker room, and behind the microphone. Beginning with his years coaching at the University of Miami, Notre Dame, and SMU and culminating with his years in the AFL and then the NFL, Stram delivers a compelling play-by-play of life in professional football. They’re Playing My Game explores all of Stram’s game-changing innovations, gives an insightful look into his relationship with Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson, shares anecdotes about legendary Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, and recalls some of pro football’s greatest players and most memorable moments.
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Fans used to viewing TV's Monday Night Football games while tuned in to Stram's expert radio commentary will be delighted by his equally authoritative autobiography. Stram covers the formative American Football League years, key athletes he has coached, and his countless innovative challenges to pro football's traditional play formations, scouting habits, and training techniques. His knack for clarifying technical jargon and for humanizing the increasingly "corporate" pro-football world via lively anecdotes provides entertaining reading for lay readers as well as players and coaches.
- Thomas J. Reigstad, English Dept., SUNY Coll. at Buffalo.
About the Author
Lou Sahadi is one of the country’s most prolific sports authors. He has collaborated on other autobiographies with Willie Mays, Don Shula, and Len Dawson and has authored more than 20 books. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida.
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