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Summary: Horns go wrong
Review: A sometimes interesting diatribe of southern football in the late 60's, but everyone knows that Penn State was the real nation champ that year. PSU went 11-0 in both 1968 and 1969 but only ended up in 2nd place in final rankings each year. Nixon's declaration of Texas as national champ was a sham.
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Summary: '69 National Champs lived in Austin, not State College
Review: A very well-written book on one of the truly classic games in college football. Sadly, not surprising to see a still-bitter PSU fan whining about the '69 national title rightly won by the Longhorns. This famous qoute by a much-beloved Texas player says it all: "We could never figure out why they didn't choose to settle it on the grass in Dallas, rather than from a soapbox in Pennsylvania."
-- Freddie Steinmark on the protestations of Penn State and Joe Paterno that they deserved the MNC in 1969, after they refused the invitation to play the Horns in the Cotton Bowl.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: Excellent book not only for the coverage of the players and the game, but also for reminding us of the social issues of the time. A must read not only for college football fans, but anyone interested in the era.
Rating:
Summary: The Big Shootout
Review: Finally all of the lore and myths surrounding the Big Shootout and set straight--on the record. Terry Frei produced a fine book, a fine accouting of the Game of the Century. I enjoyed his profiles of the players, the coaches, and the times. A first-class read that I would recommend to any college football fan. Frei's first effort ranks him right up there with Mike Corcoran as a writer who can bring to life a sports event that happened more than a quarter-century ago. Buy it!
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Summary: Football + social issues = a great read
Review: Frei does a marvelous job of telling the story of what truly was the GAME OF THE CENTURY. You may be surprised as to who suggested tha the game be moved from it's normal date to become the last game of the year. It was a time when Arkansas and Texas dominated the old Southwest Conference. Much went into the preperation and much came out of it. Frank Broyles, AD at Arkansas and the head coach at the time of the 1969 game has NEVER watched the tape of the game.
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Summary: A well told tale of football and a changing society.
Review: Frei does a marvelous job of telling the story of what truly was the GAME OF THE CENTURY. You may be surprised as to who suggested tha the game be moved from it's normal date to become the last game of the year. It was a time when Arkansas and Texas dominated the old Southwest Conference. Much went into the preperation and much came out of it. Frank Broyles, AD at Arkansas and the head coach at the time of the 1969 game has NEVER watched the tape of the game.
Rating:
Summary: What a game! What a book!
Review: Having spent 4 years as a manager for the Longhorns, I search out books on UT sports. Imagine my surprise in finding one with my picture (in the team photo) on the back of the dust jacket! Seriously, a well-researched, well-written book. How do I know? For starters, I was there at some of those conversations, both as an observer & participant. Many of the incidents Frei describes brought back many memories. I knew the Texas players & coaches very, very well. Some of them I still see on occasion.I particularly enjoyed Frei's delving into more than just the game itself. For those of us in college during the late 60's, it was a tumultuous time. Sports often was a "safety-valve release" for the on-campus tensions that raged around us. Gathering in stadiums across the country was one way of forgetting about the social unrest threatening to tear our country apart. Frei made all of those memories come alive. I commend Terry Frei for his book. Sure, he could have gone for pumped-up sales by getting into the "dirt" (& every sport has it!), but instead he chose to do a more serious work. I congratulate him for that. The book both gets across the intensity of the game - & of the rivalry between UA & UT - & its connection with the times. I heartily recommend "HHNC" to all sports fans. It will be enjoyed by all who love college athletics, especially football.
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Summary: A sports book for everyone
Review: Horns, Hogs and Nixon Coming is a book that even non sports-fans will enjoy tremendously: it made a convert of me. I received this book as a gift, reluctantly. College football ranks very low on my list of things I enjoy: even lower still are Baby-Boomer nostalgia books. Terry Frei's writing lifts Horns, Hogs far above the level of typical testosterone-drenched sports tomes and Big Chill-style self-importance. With restraint and skill, Frei shows how the strands of social issues and the trajectories of many human lives intersected to produce a memorable weekend both on and off the football field. Frei does not claim that one college football game changed history. He does show how that one point in time served as a stage where humans displayed courage, intelligence, idealism, administrative cowardice and even vanity. Terry Frei did not forget Freddie Steinmark's courage; neither will the readers of this book. Buy it if you enjoy true tales of humanity well told.
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Summary: Much More Than Football
Review: I was a grade schooler in Colorado when this game was played but I still remembered it when I saw the book. I grabbed a copy, and much to my wife's dismay, I couldn't put it down. Finished it off in a couple of days and have loaned it to several friends, each of whom has thoroughly enjoyed it! While I remember the game and the subsequent tragedy involving Freddie Steinmark, this book provided interesting background and history on the coaches, the teams, and the game as well as great insight into the changing socials conditions of the late 60s and the seeds of integration into Southwest Conference football. For those of you who are true college football fans, this is a MUST READ. But for those of you who aren't football fans, the surrounding social events will be of interest to you as well. I've heard the author has another book coming out shortly on the Wisconsin football team and the members of that team who ended up serving their country in World War II. I will be watching for its release and recommend that after finishing "Horns, Hogs and Nixon Coming," you look for his new one. Mr Frei is a talented author!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding gift for any occasion!
Review: I was a grade schooler in Colorado when this game was played but I still remembered it when I saw the book. I grabbed a copy, and much to my wife's dismay, I couldn't put it down. Finished it off in a couple of days and have loaned it to several friends, each of whom has thoroughly enjoyed it! While I remember the game and the subsequent tragedy involving Freddie Steinmark, this book provided interesting background and history on the coaches, the teams, and the game as well as great insight into the changing socials conditions of the late 60s and the seeds of integration into Southwest Conference football. For those of you who are true college football fans, this is a MUST READ. But for those of you who aren't football fans, the surrounding social events will be of interest to you as well. I've heard the author has another book coming out shortly on the Wisconsin football team and the members of that team who ended up serving their country in World War II. I will be watching for its release and recommend that after finishing "Horns, Hogs and Nixon Coming," you look for his new one. Mr Frei is a talented author!
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