Product Description

Here is your chance to go inside the huddle, head into the locker room, or grab a seat on the sidelines. This is your exclusive pass to get on the team plane or have breakfast at the team hotel. Go behind the scenes and peek into the private world of the players, coaches, and decision makers and eavesdrop on their conversations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102160 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From the Publisher
"I know the history of Missouri, and it has not had the best of luck. When we got here, Coach Pinkel told us we were about the dream. Our class would be the class to turn it around. And I think we have done a great job." --2007 Missouri nose tackle Lorenzo Williams

"I was offered a scholarship to the University of Missouri, and I took it even though I wondered if I had what it took to play major college football. I was able to mature as a football player and as a man under that program with a coaching staff that was second to none." --NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Roger Wehrli

"When he said `fifth down,' I just dropped the phone and ran out on the field. At that point, Coach Bob Stull is trying to plead his case. `You gave them an extra down!' The officials truly did not believe it." --Joe Castiglione recalling the infamous "Fifth Down Game" against Colorado

"We never dreamed we would be that close to a national championship. It would have been huge." --Merv Johnson, remembering the 1960 Missouri Tigers

From the Inside Flap
In 2007 Missouri football fans were energized by the Tigers' climb to the top of the polls. Winning had finally become commonplace again, thanks to the coaching prowess of Gary Pinkel and the on-field achievements of stars like Chase Daniels. Die-hard followers of the black-and-gold know that the recent bowl appearances represent only Missouri's latest run of success in a long history of great football. Decades earlier, under the wise leadership of coach (later athletics director) Don Faurot, Missouri had developed into a big-time college program--and once Faurot hired Dan Devine as head coach, Missouri become a perennial bowl team in the 1960s. "Then Pinkel Said to Smith..." relives this rich history, recounting all the greatest Missouri Tigers football stories from both yesterday and today, as told by players, coaches, and even fans. Readers will relish the insider accounts of all the greatest highlights in the school's history--from the 1961 Orange Bowl victory over Navy to the 2008 Cotton Bowl trouncing of Arkansas--along with memories of games and seasons that failed to live up to expectations (including the infamous Fifth Down Game against Colorado). Along the way, Missouri fans will enjoy reading about the greatest stars from the team's history--including Roger Wehrli, Kellen Winslow, Phil Bradley, and Brad Smith--and learning why they loved playing for the Tigers. "Then Pinkel Said to Smith..."is the ultimate book for fans of Missouri football. Written by University of Missouri graduate and award-winning sportswriter Steve Richardson, the book offers a personal, up-close look at everything that is great about rooting for the Tigers. A trip through these pages is about as close as you can get to spending a crisp autumn afternoon as part of the crowd enjoying a game at beautiful Faurot Field.

About the Author
Steve Richardson, a Dallas-based freelance writer, has covered college sports since the late 1970s. This is his seventh book. A 1975 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, Richardson collected writing awards while working in three states, including stints with the Kansas City Star and Dallas Morning News. In recent years, he has been a correspondent for Sports Illustrated and written freelance articles for numerous publications, including USA Today. He has been executive director of the Football Writers Association of America since 1996.

Customer Reviews

Mizzou-Rah!!!
A very good, comprehensive overview of Missouri Tiger Football. This book covers all of the highs and lows of the football program in a cronilogical fashion . A must for any true Tiger fan. Go Mizzou!

Tiger Tales
Steve Tiger Richardson pulls up lots of the best tidbits and stories from Mizzou's history for a great overview of Missouri FB's greatest hits.