War as They Knew It: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and America in a Time of Unrest

I am stunned at the overwhelming negative reaction to this book. I am also stunned that the negative reviews all sound so coincidentally similar. Am I suggesting an organized campaign to discredit the book? Well, let me describe what an organized campaign would probably look like: It would include an overwhelming number of short (1 or 2 line) reviews, with little content other than to recommend against buying. All those reviews would have "helpful" endorsement levels hugely out of proportion with the consumer information they actually offer. Meanwhile the more positive reviews, that lay out the merits of the book in a thoughtful manner, would all get overwhelming numbers of "unhelpful" responses. You judge for yourself. Here is my offering, likely to be marked overwhelmingly as "unhelpful." This book is about two college coaches who considered nothing more important than winning football games. One man, Woody Hayes of Ohio State, was engaged in American life -- politics, war, culture -- to the extent that he could see it in football metaphors. The other man, Bo Schembechler of Michigan, worked in a hotbed of social activism, but consciously tuned out anything potentially distracting from football -- including politics, war, and culture. The story is about their rivalry: how a mentor-student relationship became a battle of equals. But at a deeper level it is about how their rivalry was shaped by the times they lived through. It is a well-written, well-researched, well-annotated book. If you care anything about either school you will enjoy it. If you care anything about the 1960s, you will enjoy it. It is excellent.

Excelent book. Reminds me of the movie true grit with john wayne. Comes at you from the beginning.

As a journalist, English teacher and librarian, I found War as They Knew It to be a noteworthy piece of journalism. The author does a great job of weaving the metaphor of football as war-- at least between Ohio State and Michigan-- throughout the book. The anecdotes are well placed and the information presented about the two coaches captured the essence of the two men. The writing is worth studying. The author' commentary is peppered with wry wit that is effectively juxtaposed to tense, riveting descriptions of Ohio State games. The game play does not get in the way of the two coaches' biographies or the overall theme of the novel. I think this is a book that all serious sports writers and aspiring writers in general should study. The critical reviews presented about the book no doubt come from zealous fans who know the story of the two colleges' rivalry and the coaches inside out. But a book has to be written for everyone -- those who already know the story and those who know nothing or very little. This is one of my favorite books.

Not only is this book a great read -- even for non-football fans -- it's an important contribution to the understanding of the impact of sports on culture ... and vice-versa. Take one of the greatest sports rivalries of all time, add two iconic coaches, some great games, political turmoil, a cadre of radicals, and a bunch of well-researched historical background ... and you've got a compelling story that's better than fiction.

The title "War as They Knew It" is a take off of the title of the George Patton memoir, "War as I Knew It." Patton was Woody Hayes' military hero, and Michael Rosenberg crafts a brilliant narrative that details Hayes and his great disciple, Bo Schembechler, marshalling their football teams during the era of the Vietnam war. Regarding football, both demanded precision, toughness and execution. Their teams were mirror images of each other and they respected each other greatly. Regarding politics, they were quite different. Hayes was politically engaged and an active participant; Schembechler was politically indifferent and eager to stay on the sidelines. But, Rosenberg's genius is not limited to comparing and contrasting the coaches. He also contrasts the cities, Columbus and Ann Arbor, the players, and the school administrations. Rosenberg's admiration for innovative UM AD Don Canham makes him the third leading figure of the book. Also quite admirable is the way that Rosenberg paints the picture of Hayes. Much more complex than realized by the Eastern media, Hayes had a passion for Ralph Waldo Emerson, history, and education in general. Revealing is the exasperation of Hayes' assistants when he refused to call passing plays. Also revealing is the change of the players from being respectful and attentive in the late 60s to the "Old Man" to the non-respectful, irreverent, even drug taking players of the late 70s. For my money, the best book on Woody Hayes, and one of the best on Bo Schembechler.