The Chase - by Bill Rabinowitz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This inside look at an unprecedented season follows Ohio State's road to the inaugural College Football Playoff and the national championship

In The Chase, Bill Rabinowitz takes readers inside Ohio State's improbable championship season, from the final moments of their 2014 Orange Bowl loss to Clemson to the championship celebration in Texas a year later. Fans will learn how Ohio State overcame the loss of not one but two quarterbacks--gaining inside perspective behind the dynamic between Miller, J. T. Barrett, and Cardale Jones. Rabinowitz captures the mood of the team in late November following the tragic death of Kosta Karageorge, and profiles other Ohio State stars, including Joey Bosa, Michael Bennett, Ezekiel Elliott, and more.

Review Quotes

"Bill Rabinowitz is the insider's insider at Ohio State. He chronicles the amazing 2014 championship season down to the smallest detail. A fantastic read." --Dennis Dodd, CBSSports.com

"Born and bred in Michigan I was prepared to dislike The Chase on basic principle. That notion was quickly disabused -- replaced by rich reporting, surprising detail and the kind of insight only a talent the likes of Bill can provide. It's a gift that every Buckeyes fan will treasure. One of those rare post-season books that actually delivers - taking you deep inside the offices, meetings and minds of those who brought the first College Football Playoff trophy back to Columbus. Want to know how the path to a national title was paved? The Chase lays it out brick by championship brick." --Armen Keteyian, lead correspondent, 60 Minutes Sports

"If you love American football, you should read this book. If you sort of love American football, you should read this book. If you dislike American football, you probably still should read this book. Its richness of reporting and detail make it both a football story and one of those curious human stories about improvisation and collaboration." --Chuck Culpepper, Washington Post

"Ohio State in 2014 overcame more setbacks on and off the field than any national champion in recent memory. The Chase takes us behind the curtain to learn how the Buckeyes pulled it off with new details straight from the coaches and players' mouths." --Stewart Mandel, Fox Sports

"Ohio State's 2014 national title shocked the college football world, but those who read The Chase will understand that it was less a miracle run and more a methodical build that culminated at the sport's pinnacle. There obviously was a little magic sprinkled in, too, but Bill's book explains perfectly that the title run owes mostly to a special group of players and coaches who came together to create a team for the ages." --Andy Staples, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated

About the Author

Bill Rabinowitz has covered the Ohio State Buckeyes football team for the Columbus Dispatch since 2011. He is the author of Buckeye Rebirth about the undefeated 2012 Ohio State team and the forthcoming The Chase, the inside story of Ohio State's 2014 national championship season. Rabinowitz is a native of Dayton, Ohio, and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a history degree and from the Medill School of Journalism's master's program at Northwestern University. He has been a sportswriter since 1988 and has been with the Dispatch since 1999 after 10 years with the York Daily Record in Pennsylvania. Rabinowitz has won numerous state and national awards, including Best Sports Writer in the 2014 Ohio Associated Press Media Editors' contest and the same honor in 2011 by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. Kirk Herbstreit is the lead college football analyst for ABC Sports and ESPN. A former quarterback at Ohio State, Herbstreit was a four-year letter winner under head coach John Cooper. As a senior in 1992 he was voted team MVP. Herbstreit lives in Franklin, Tennessee.