The Redskins Encyclopedia by Michael Richman
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Book Reviews of The Redskins Encyclopedia
Book Review: A must for any Redskins fan...
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The author describes this book as "the most comprehensive journalistic account of the Redskins ever"... and he's not kidding!
In fact, this may be the most comprehensive book (encyclopedia) of any football team ever written. Using archives, interviews, narratives, and photographic history, this book covers just about everything you can imagine in the teams 75 years of history.
The first 230 pages are a year-by-year history of the Redskins (starting, of course, in 1932). It's filled with pictures, stories, statistics, and Q&A. The next 100 pages are histories of most notable players in the team's history. Finally, there are 70 pages of records and stats, followed by an extensive appendix.
The author himself has been a lifelong Rockville resident and a die-hard fan since 1971 (at age 10). When working for the Associated Press in the 90's, he covered the Skins, and later went on to write for Sports Illustrated. This gave him an "in" with the franchise, along with opportunities to get interviews and inside information not available to other journalists. He currently writes for Redskins.com, GameDay magazine, and works full time at Voice of America.
But what makes this book better than most sports histories are the personal stories. Richman may be a professional journalist, but the voice and passion of that 10-year-old fan certainly comes through in the anecdotes and biographies.
My only (small) complaint is that there are no color photos in here. I completely understand that adding color photos to an already enormous book would have made it cost prohibitive. Nonetheless, the photos are both novel and fun (i.e., cheerleaders and marching bands from 50+ years ago, old ads and flyers, etc).
I'm certain the sportscasters and journalists will be using this book in the press box as a reference. I take my hat off to Mr. Richman for such an overwhelming achievement.
Book Review: Honest, Exhaustive Look at Redskins Lore
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Redskins Encyclopedia contains all the information a Redskins fan or sports trivia nut could want. The book begins with a brief introduction and then delves into the genesis of the franchise in 1932. Richman then takes it a year and step at a time. He organizes the history by different era's; for example, 1962-1970 is "Perennial Doormat Sees Sonny Days." Richman offers the facts and statistics for each season, and enhances the season with highlights such as particular games, players, coaches, conflicts, etc. The book is much much more than just facts. Even the seasons are stories rather than bullet-points. There are plenty of sidebars and side stories that provide stimulating stories that include profiles and more. Championship games and Super Bowls get deserved special attention. The Redskins-Cowboys rivalry has its own chapter.
Richman has a chapter dedicated to "Washington Monuments" that highlights the best of the best from the Redskins history. He follows that with a chapter "Best of the Rest" that offers profiles and stories of standout players.
The book is full of black and white photos that run the gamut of action shots and off-field shots. The appendix includes a plethora of info like records, rosters, results, draft picks, results, and the Ring of Fame.
The text is well written, not too deep but also not too cursory. Richman seems to add flavor when needed and lets the story speak for itself also. One thing is for sure...he writes it as it was; for example, the era from 1993-2006 is titled "Mediocrity, Redskins Style."
Obviously, this book is written for a target audience. If you are in that target, this book is definitely one for your coffee table or, excuse me, beer table.
Book Review: "HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!" A 75 YEAR HISTORY OF PERSONAGES, GAMES AND STATISTICS
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
"Hail To The Redskins"
Five BURGUNDY & GOLD Stars!! In "The Redskins Encyclopedia", Michael Richman has pulled together an awesome amount of historical, biographical, and statistical information into a single volume that could be a great reference book in the sports den of any 'Skins fan. I've been a fan on and off for decades and this book has impressive information that I did not know and other information that caused a rush of memories about this wonderful football team. How many of us knew that they started in Boston? (C'mon, be honest. LOL) Or about the previous winning NFL seasons that preceded the seasonal success of George Allen and the 3 SuperBowl successes of Joe Gibbs. From first coach Lud Wray to the return of Joe Gibbs, each season is given a trechant and concisely detailed examination. There is a chapter on the top 20 "monuments" (George Allen, Sammy Baugh, John Riggins are showcased among many others). And another chapter on the 100 next most influential Redskins, giving each one appropriate space (Remember Joe Jacoby, Dexter Manley, Mark May, Neal Olkewicz, Doug Williams, Mark Rypien, Billy Kilmer, Chris Hanburger, and Joe Theismann? OK, those were easy: how about Pete Wysocki, Joe Washington, Bob Toneff, Jerry Smith, and Rusty Tillman? If you got those, you're a big fan!). And the statistics appendix gives the complete history of team records, drafts, team rosters, games played, and many other appropriate statistics. In all, a wonderful encyclopedic view of the 'Skins that will provide many hours of pleasurable reading for the Redskins fan and easily accessible statistics. Highly recommended! Five IMPRESSIVE Stars. (Hardcover, 420 pages, Black & White Photos)
"Braves on the Warpath; Fight for old DC."
Book Review: Without question, it is the definitive popular reference on the history of the Redskins.
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This book is clearly a labor of love, the love of the Washington Redskins football team. It chronicles the history of the team from the first days of the franchise when the National Football League (NFL) was struggling. George Preston Marshall was the original owner of the team, purchasing the Newark Tornadoes franchise that had folded the year before. Originally located in Boston and known as the Braves, the team struggled on the field and at the box office. That name lasted a year until they moved to Fenway Park. Marshall wanted to keep a name with an Indian theme and thought that Redskins would be more akin to the Boston Red Sox. The team moved to Washington, D. C. where they have remained ever since.
The first part of the book is a season-by-season summary of the team from 1932 through 2006. Many photographs and explanatory sidebars serve to expand on the summaries. Detailed descriptions of the greatest players in Redskins history, appropriately titled "Washington Monuments" fills up the next section. Following that is a section called "Best of the Rest" where there are shorter descriptions of players not considered truly great. An enormous assortment of detailed team records covering all aspects of the game is included in an appendix. If the record is not in this collection, then it probably does not matter.
This is a book that all Redskins fans should have on their coffee table or in their bookshelf. I can envision each member of a group of hard-core fans reading this book, arguing over statistical points and then reaching for this book to settle the issue(s). Without question, it is the definitive popular reference on the history of the Redskins.
Book Review: Outstanding Reference For The Redskin Fan!
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Examining my review copy, I was happy to see that Temple University Press is the publisher of this book-university publishers have a well-deserved reputation for accuracy, quality, and reliability. And "The Redskins Encyclopedia" does not disappont-every season, from the surprising beginning of 1937 to 2006 is completely chronicled in lively narrative style. To guide the reader, the years are also grouped by periods ("1946-1961 Ominous Times for the Burgundy and Gold", "1962-1970 Perennial Doormat Sees Sonny [quarterback] Days",etc.). People of particular importance within each period are covered in special profiles that break into the text in an attractive way. The 200+ illustrations are particularly well-chosen, and the high-quality, acid-free paper reproduce them well. The narrative section is followed by "Washington Monuments"-profiles of all 20 Redskin members that reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, followed by "Best of the Rest". Exhaustive statistics on everything relating to the team finish the 418 pages. Amazingly, in a reference work such as this, there is no index, which hurts the book's value as a research source. But the layout of the book is so clear and intuitive that the reader can find information quickly. An essential purchase for Washington fans and library reference sections of the immediate area.