Ultimate Super Bowl Book: A Complete Reference To The Stats, Stars, And Stories Behind Football's Biggest Game - And Why The Best Team Won

 The The ultimate reference for the ultimate sports event, this book puts you on the sidelines at football’s annual big game, with year-by-year game summaries, play-by-play accounts, detailed stats, and insightful quotes from the players and coaches who were there. Along with profiles of every Super Bowl game played since 1967, this fascinating volume includes features on the best (and worst) individual performances in Super Bowl history, an extensive collection of all-time Super Bowl records, and complete player and coaching rosters for every game.

More than just an examination of each season's championship contest, The Ultimate Super Bowl Book is a definitive study of the game of football itself. Based on interviews with more than 150 coaches, scouts, and players, as well as hundreds of hours studying game tape, award-winning sportswriter Bob McGinn reveals the inner workings of the sport and what it takes to build a champion. The book takes you beyond the glitz of the game---the flashy halftime shows and multimillion-dollar commercials---to offer a work of true football scholarship that will delight readers with its hardcore analysis and in-depth accounts of what really happened on the field that day. The Ultimate Super Bowl Book is an indispensable resource for fans of all ages and passions.

Book Description

For more than four decades, the Super Bowl has been the greatest spectacle in sports. But beyond the bright lights and hype of the annual "Big Game," beyond the highlight reels or the famous commercials that are replayed again and again, beyond the familiar storylines that fans have come to know oh-so-well---the most important football game of the year was played and coached on those fateful days. 

Written by award-winning sportswriter Bob McGinn, The Ultimate Super Bowl Book is not only a penetrating look at each season's ultimate game for the last 40-plus years, but also one of the definitive works on the game of football itself. Based on interviews with more than 150 head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts, and players that he conducted while researching the book for more than four years, as well as hundreds of hours studying game tape, The Ultimate Super Bowl Book reveals the little-known strategies, game plans and adjustments, and integral match-ups that were pivotal points for creating championships and dynasties for one team, and heartbreak for another. 

            Combining the taut, driving prose and unique statistical approach that has made McGinn one of the ground-breaking football writers working today, The Ultimate Super Bowl Book forgoes the glitz of the game and is instead a work of football scholarship that will delight readers with its hardcore analysis and accounts of what really happened on the field that day. Additional features also make it an essential reference guide, with complete statistics for every game (including the first-ever listing of individual defensive statistics, in addition to complete offensive and team stats), the first-ever listing of every assistant coach who ever coached in the game, jersey numbers for every player, the heights and weights of each starter, and an appendix of Super Bowl records. Fans will love poring over and debating McGinn’s many top 10 lists that are spread throughout the book, including the best and worst plays, coaching and player performances, blunders, and more. 

            Destined to shed new light on the games behind the media circus, The Ultimate Super Bowl Book is a must-read for fans of famous games and teams, as well as an indispensable resource for coaches and players at all levels of football. It is a revelation for any football enthusiast, from diehard season-ticket holders to fantasy-football players to football video-game addicts. 

 

 

The ultimate reference for the ultimate sports event, this book puts you on the sidelines at football's annual big game, with year-by-year game summaries, play-by-play accounts, detailed stats, and insightful quotes from the players and coaches who were t

Contents

 

Foreword by Michael MacCambridge                                                                                   

Preface                                                                                                                                

Acknowledgments                                                                                                               

                    Ten Greatest Super Bowl Games                                                                   

I                   Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 1967                                            

II                  Green Bay Packers vs. Oakland Raiders, 1968                                                

                    Top Ten Characters                                                                                       

III                New York Jets vs. Baltimore Colts, 1969                                                        

IV                Kansas City Chiefs vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1970                                              

                    Ten Most Significant Field Goals                                                                  

V                 Baltimore Colts vs. Dallas Cowboys, 1971                                                      

VI                Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins, 1972                                                      

VII               Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins, 1973                                               

VIII              Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1974                                                   

IX                Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1975                                               

                    Top Ten Coaches                                                                                           

X                 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys, 1976                                                  

                    Ten Best Performances by a Wide Receiver                                                  

XI                Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1977                                                 

                    Ten Hardest Hits                                                                                            

XII               Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos, 1978                                                     

                    Ten Worst Performances by a Quarterback                                                  

XIII              Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys, 1979                                                  

XIV             Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams, 1980                                             

                    Ten Best Performances by a Linebacker                                                     

XV               Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 1981                                               

XVI             San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1982                                          

XVII            Washington Redskins vs. Miami Dolphins, 1983                                             

                    Ten Best Running Plays                                                                               

XVIII           Los Angeles Raiders vs. Washington Redskins, 1984                                     

                    Ten Best Performances by a Running Back                                                 

XIX             San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins, 1985                                              

                    Ten Best Performances by a Quarterback                                                   

XX               Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots, 1986                                              

XXI             New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos, 1987                                                 

XXII            Washington Redskins vs. Denver Broncos, 1988                                            

                    Top Ten Unexpected Heroes                                                                       

XXIII           San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1989                                          

XXIV           San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos, 1990                                             

XXV            New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills, 1991                                                        

XXVI           Washington Redskins vs. Buffalo Bills, 1992                                                  

                    Top Ten Coaching Goats                                                                             

XXVII         Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills, 1993                                                          

XXVIII        Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills, 1994                                                          

XXIX           San Francisco 49ers vs. San Diego Chargers, 1995                                       

                    Ten Best Performances by a Defensive Back                                              

XXX            Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996                                                

                    Ten Best Performances by a Defensive Lineman                                        

XXXI           Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots, 1997                                      

XXXII         Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers, 1998                                               

                    Ten Who Played Hurt                                                                                  

                    Ten Most Significant Injuries                                                                       

XXXIII        Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1999                                                     

                    Top Ten Goats (Player)                                                                               

XXXIV        St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans, 2000                                                    

XXXV         Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants, 2001                                               

XXXVI        New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams, 2002                                             

                    Top Ten Super Bowl Upsets                                                                         

XXXVII       Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders, 2003                                       

XXXVIII     New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers, 2004                                         

XXXIX        New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 2005                                       

XL               Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks, 2006                                              

                    Top Ten Defensive Coaching Jobs                                                              

XLI              Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears, 2007                                                    

                    Top Ten Kick Returns                                                                                  

XLII             New York Giants vs. New England Patriots, 2008                                         

                    Top Ten Plays by a Wide Receiver                                                               

XLIII           Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals, 2009                                              

                    Ten Best Defensive Plays                                                                             

                    The Hall of Shame                                                                                       

Appendix: Super Bowl Record Book                                                                                 

Bibliography                                                                                                                      

Index                                                                                                                                 

About the Author                                                                                                               

Don't know any other way to say it than this: if you love football. I mean, really love the game itself. How successful franchises are constructed. How they go about winning the ultimate game -- the Super Bowl. The game plans. The strategies. The matchups. The big plays. The not-so big plays that factor into the final outcome. Then you need to run to buy Bob McGinn's new book, The Ultimate Super Bowl Book, which has been produced by MVP Books and is available now.

As far as I know, there has never been a book like this. There is no question you will learn more about the game and be a much smarter fan. The amount of information and insight is dizzying. I've covered the NFL in some capacity for 12 years. I learned something on every page that I was able to read…But the real reason to buy the book is the answering of one fundamental question for each game: how was the game won?  In McGinn's unmistakable style and depth, it is laid out perfectly time and time again.

If you are a real football fan, go buy this book. Now. - Greg Bedard, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Packers blog

"When I read this book I thought, Wow, this is the perfect book for me. I've always wanted to know about other Super Bowls. The X's and O's are the reason why I couldn't put it down. The interviews are unbelievable. It was just very informative. There was a lot of history I didn't know. I definitely recommend it." — LeRoy Butler

Wisconsin sportswriter McGinn is widely hailed as perhaps the best football beat man in the business. His analytic study of game replays and his intelligent interviewing enable him to write knowledgably about the inside game—the design of plays and the techniques and responsibilities of players. McGinn has interviewed players, assistant coaches, and head coaches from all 43 Super Bowls, 23 of which he covered in person, to determine the reasons that things went right or wrong on all the key plays in these championship games. He doesn’t just retell the familiar backstories, but instead contributes a wealth of fresh material that heightens our understanding of why teams won or lost. In particular, his interviews with a variety of position coaches often pinpoint the fine line between success and failure in the ultimate pressurized environment of the Super Bowl. The book also features complete player rosters, comprehensive team and individual statistics, and a thorough listing of Super Bowl records. Entertaining Top 10 lists interspersed throughout the text add even more value to this best book ever about America’s greatest game. VERDICT Essential for all football lovers.—John Maxymuk, Robeson Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ, Library Journal

Ultimate Super Bowl Book, in which author Bob McGinn has not only delivered an exhaustive, blow-by-blow account of every Super Bowl game so far, he's also done some magnificent work in collating retrospective interviews from everyone involved, from the head coach down to the water boy.  And the results are a jaw-dropping, no frills delight to read… Apart from the deeply enjoyable tittle-tattle, McGinn – clearly voted one of America's top 20 sportswriters in 1998 for good reason – has also done a grand job of breaking down the games, providing all the necessary stats and lineup info, and all round making a potentially formidable topic easy to read, a doddle to understand, and a joy to read.  The Ultimate Super Bowl Book: every football fan should own one.  Diner Rating 10/10

http://www.footballdiner.com

“The thing I liked best about Bob McGinn’s ‘The Ultimate Super Bowl Book’ is that I’ve already heard from sports fans how good it is,” Goldin said.  “It has a local connection, penned by the Journal Sentinel’s McGinn, but it’s not just for Packer fans, so it also works for far-flung relatives. Stories, stats, analysis — it’s all here.”

Marquette Tribune

If you're scrambling around, trying to find the perfect gift for the pro football nut on your list, I have a suggestion.  I was recently provided a review copy of the following book, which may be the most comprehensive tome on the subject of the Super Bowl…This is an inspired piece of work.

http://bleacherreport.com

McGinn, who covers the Green Bay Packers for the Journal Sentinel, has produced a Super Bowl book that is the equivalent of a great Joe Montana or Tom Brady performance: tireless attention to detail and one surgical strike after another. Through extensive interviewing of players, football personnel guys and coaches, including such luminaries as Bill Belichick, McGinn describes and analyzes why each of the 43 Super Bowl winners won the game. Data nerds will find plenty of supporting numbers to go with the essays, and lists including "Top Ten Coaching Goats" and "Ten Hardest Hits" are fine argument-starters. Packers fans can relish reliving Green Bay's three victories before reading McGinn's post-mortem on why the Packers lost Super Bowl XXXII to the Broncos, which McGinn considers both one of the Super Bowl's greatest games and greatest upsets. It's difficult to imagine a passionate pro football fan who wouldn't enjoy this book.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel football writer Bob McGinn's superbly researched The Ultimate Super Bowl Book. In game after game we thought we knew well, McGinn sheds the kind of light that only a deft student of the game can. He has a chapter, 10 to 12 pages, on each Super Bowl game.

I'll give you an example of the knowledge McGinn conveys, using the Giants-Patriots game two years ago as an example, talking about what McGinn correctly saw as the factor in the game that most influenced the outcome: defensive pressure by the Giants' four-man front. "Our guys were possessed, no question,' then-Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo told McGinn.

Writes McGinn: "Playing the final game of his brilliant 15-year career, [Michael] Strahan led the onslaught with 5.5 pressures. [Justin] Tuck contributed 4.5 and [Osi] Umenyiora had 3.5. Two of Spagnuolo's blitzers, [Kawika] Mitchell and [Gibril] Wilson, each had two pressures ... [Logan] Mankins, [Matt] Light and center Dan Koppen all made the Pro Bowl for a New England line expertly coached by Dante Scarnecchia since 1999. Mankins allowed 5.5 pressures, while Light and right tackle Nick Kaczur allowed four each ... 'Trust me,' special teams coach Brad Seely said months later, 'I know Scarnecchia is still sick about it. Tom was running for his life.' '

That's the kind of terrific insight you'll get from this book.

 

 

This isn’t normally my kind of book, but the sheer scope of information, interesting tidbits, stories and reporting produced by McGinn won me over. If you have an NFL fan who can’t know enough about the game, this is a book for him or her. McGinn weaves little-considered statistics with first-hand reporting to show you Super Bowl games in ways you never knew possible. - David Wetzel, sports.yahoo.com

Bob McGinn has covered more than 20 Super Bowls as a sportswriter for two Wisconsin newspapers, The Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A five-time Wisconsin State sportswriter of the year, he has won numerous writing awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and the Pro Football Writers of America. In 1998, McGinn was selected as one of America’s top 20 sportswriters by Men’s Journal, and in 2005 he was a finalist for the McCann Award, given each year to one writer for reporting on pro football. McGinn was the main writer on The Road to Glory: The Inside Story of the Packers’ Super Bowl XXXI Championship Season. A native of Escanaba and a graduate of the University of Michigan, he was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He lives in Green Bay.

“Bob McGinn has become an indispensable writer by observing the cardinal rule of the game: He keeps his eye on the ball. He has developed a loyal following by asking smart questions of people who know the most: scouts, assistant coaches, team captains, and offensive linemen. He is relentless about getting the story.”

— from the foreword by Michael MacCambridge, author of America’s Game

“Bob McGinn is one of the best pro football writers in the country. His attention to detail is unmatched. The care he has taken in this book to break down each Super Bowl game reveals a new dimension on the players and the games. Bob has captured the best of this country's most celebrated sporting event. It is one of the most compelling NFL works I have read.”

— Kevin Harlan, CBS Sports

 

Bob McGinn has covered more than 20 Super Bowls as a sportswriter for two Wisconsin newspapers, The Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A five-time Wisconsin State sportswriter of the year, he has won numerous writing awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and the Pro Football Writers of America. In 1998, McGinn was selected as one of America’s top 20 sportswriters by Men’s Journal, and in 2005 he was a finalist for the McCann Award, given each year to one writer for reporting on pro football. McGinn was the main writer on The Road to Glory: The Inside Story of the Packers’ Super Bowl XXXI Championship Season. A native of Escanaba and a graduate of the University of Michigan, he was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He lives in Green Bay.

Publisher: MBI Publishing Company
Distributor: MBI Publishing Company
Publication Date: 11-08-2009
Pages: 384
Measurements: 9.00in X 7.00in X 0.91in X 1.56lb