Old Leather - by Chris Willis (Paperback)

About the Book

In this collection of original and archival interviews, former players, owners, fans, family members and league officials provide a rare glimpse into the origins of professional football. Chris Willis, head of the Research Library at NFL Films, conveys what the era of professi...

Book Synopsis

Very little has been documented about the early days of pro football and the pioneers who had a major influence in the history of the NFL. Chris Willis, head of the Research Library at NFL Films, seeks to address this neglect. In this collection of original and archival interviews, former players, owners, fans, family members and league officials provide a rare glimpse into the origins of professional football. Full of rich anecdotes, early stars such as Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, Dutch Clark, Glenn Presnell, and Pete Henry are brought back to the playing field. The interviews also reveal how small towns in Ohio such as Canton, Akron, Columbus, and Dayton came to host franchises, as the state became a major force in the founding and growth of the NFL.

Old Leather provides the reader with a firsthand look at a period that has largely been ignored. It recalls what the era of professional football was like in the age of leather helmets, no television, dirt fields, small salaries and when playing for the love of the game was its own reward. This book will appeal not only to historians, sportswriters, and scholars, but also to die-hard fans and general history buffs who can never get enough of America's favorite sport.

Contains 17 photographs of players, owners, and teams.

Review Quotes

"For anyone interested in an easy read on how it all began, Old Leather is a good introduction." --The Columbus Dispatch

"The stories in Old Leather: An Oral History of Early Pro Football in Ohio, 1920-1935 have appeal far beyond that of average sports anecdotes." --Akron

"...Old Leather is fast, enjoyable reading, and contains a few significant nuggets of insight about the experiences, environment, and attitudes of pioneering players and league officials....All in all, this book is fun reading and the pictures displayed in the book are real treasures..." --Journal of Sport History

"This collection of 19 interviews with former players, owners, fans, and league officials sheds light on the origins of the National Football League. Illustrated with b&w historical photographs, the volume focuses on the NFL's first 15 seasons, during which football grew from a scrappy, small town sport into a glamorous game played by superior athletes in front of huge audiences. Included in the appendix are complete standings, team rosters, game results, and attendance figures for all Ohio teams in the NFL during the period 1920-1935. Willis is resident historian at NFL Films..." --Reference and Research Book News

"The author's success in finding "new ways to make use of materual from NFL archives" may inspire the creation of a more definitive history of the 'Cradle of Professional Football'" --The Oral History Review

"This collection of 19 interviews with former players, owners, fans, and league officials sheds light on the origins of the National Football League. Illustrated with b&w historical photographs, the volume focuses on the NFL's first 15 seasons, during which football grew from a scrappy, small town sport into a glamorous game played by superior athletes in front of huge audiences. Included in the appendix are complete standings, team rosters, game results, and attendance figures for all Ohio teams in the NFL during the period 1920-1935. Willis is resident historian at NFL Films." --Reference and Research Book News

This collection of 19 interviews with former players, owners, fans, and league officials sheds light on the origins of the National Football League. Illustrated with b&w historical photographs, the volume focuses on the NFL's first 15 seasons, during which football grew from a scrappy, small town sport into a glamorous game played by superior athletes in front of huge audiences. Included in the appendix are complete standings, team rosters, game results, and attendance figures for all Ohio teams in the NFL during the period 1920-1935. Willis is resident historian at NFL Films.

...Old Leather is fast, enjoyable reading, and contains a few significant nuggets of insight about the experiences, environment, and attitudes of pioneering players and league officials....All in all, this book is fun reading and the pictures displayed in the book are real treasures...

For anyone interested in an easy read on how it all began, Old Leather is a good introduction.

The author's success in finding "new ways to make use of materual from NFL archives" may inspire the creation of a more definitive history of the 'Cradle of Professional Football'

The stories in Old Leather: An Oral History of Early Pro Football in Ohio, 1920-1935 have appeal far beyond that of average sports anecdotes.

About the Author

Chris Willis is head of the Research Library, NFL Films, a position he has held since 1996. He is the author of Columbus Panhandles: A Complete History of Pro Football's Toughest Team, 1900-1922 (2007) and The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr (2010), both published by Scarecrow Press.

Joe Horrigan is the Vice-President of Communications/Exhibits at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.