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Check It Out: Book great appetizer before Super Bowl

By Jan Johnston
Published: January 25, 2014, 4:00pm
2 Photos
Review
&quot;100 Yards of Glory: The Greatest Moments in NFL History&quot;
by Joe Garner and Bob Costas 
 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 320 pages
Review "100 Yards of Glory: The Greatest Moments in NFL History" by Joe Garner and Bob Costas Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 320 pages Photo Gallery

Hey, Seattle Seahawks fans, your team is headed to Super Bowl XLVIII! Next Sunday the Seahawks and the Denver Broncos will battle it out for the NFL’s highest honor. It’s coming up fast, but for die-hard football enthusiasts, a week can be a long time to wait. To fill in those empty hours before the big game, I have a suggestion. Go to the library and check out a few books about football to tide you over until game time Feb. 2. We have a great selection covering current and historical components of America’s gridiron pastime.

The book I have decided to write about was published in 2011, which means it doesn’t include the very latest in football numbers and details. And if you’re looking for in-depth information about specific teams and players, “100 Yards of Glory” is probably not for you. But if you enjoy watching sports highlights on television, I’ll take a guess that this tribute to football’s finest and most epic moments in NFL history will make for fun, interesting reading.

What game do Joe Garner and Bob Costas call the “greatest game ever played”? The 1958 NFL championship between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts. You may disagree, but turn to pages 48-51 to read Garner’s and Costas’ compelling reasons why.

What is the coldest NFL game on record? The match between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 31, 1967, was so cold that several players from both teams suffered frostbite or needed medical attention due to exposure.

Pages 112-113 describe how weather and the failure of a specially installed heating system beneath the grass at Lambeau Field tested players’ and attendees’ limits during what’s known as The Ice Bowl.

The Seattle Seahawks make a couple of appearances, too, although not in the most positive vein. The longest run in Super Bowl history goes to Willie Parker of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who made his record run during Super Bowl XL. The opposing team — yep, the Seahawks — didn’t win that day, and page 160 explains why. And if it hurts too much to read about another Seahawks defeat — Nov. 23, 2003, with Seattle playing against the Baltimore Ravens — take a pass on page 262.

If your normal game plan for watching the Super Bowl centers around stocking up on snacks and making sure you have complete control of the television remote, consider adding a boost to your football IQ — already impressive, I’m sure — by huddling up with this week’s book, or any of the other fascinating football titles waiting for you at the library. Hut, hut, hike!


Jan Johnston is the Collection Development Coordinator for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Email her at readingforfun@fvrl.org.

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