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The Perfect Pass

American Genius and the Reinvention of Football

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The Perfect Pass

By: S. C. Gwynne
Narrated by: Santino Fontana
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About this listen

An “excellent sports history” (Publishers Weekly) in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Moneyball, award-winning historian S.C. Gwynne tells the incredible story of how two unknown coaches revolutionized American football at every level, from high school to the NFL.

Hal Mumme spent fourteen mostly losing seasons coaching football before inventing a potent passing offense that would soon shock players, delight fans, and terrify opposing coaches. It all began at a tiny, overlooked college called Iowa Wesleyan, where Mumme was head coach and Mike Leach, a lawyer who had never played college football, was hired as his offensive line coach. In the cornfields of Iowa these two mad inventors, drawn together by a shared disregard for conventionalism and a love for Jimmy Buffett, began to engineer the purest, most extreme passing game in the 145-year history of football. Implementing their “Air Raid” offense, their teams—at Iowa Wesleyan and later at Valdosta State and the University of Kentucky—played blazingly fast—faster than any team ever had before, and they routinely beat teams with far more talented athletes. And Mumme and Leach did it all without even a playbook.

“A superb treat for all gridiron fans” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), The Perfect Pass S.C. Gwynne explores Mumme’s leading role in changing football from a run-dominated sport to a pass-dominated one, the game that tens of millions of Americans now watch every fall weekend. Whether you’re a casual or ravenous football fan, this is “a rousing tale of innovation” (Booklist), and “Gwynne’s book ably relates the story of that innovation and the successes of the man who devised it” (New York Journal of Books).
Americas Coaching Football (American) Sports History United States Sports Game

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amazing audiobook that dives in to air raid offence... I been player then coach now referee and I loved this

gripping audiobook

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Fascinating story of football coaches and of someone with a belief he is still following. Slightly too technical for a casual football fan

Brilliant story but a little too technical

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Fantasticly written, the book goes deep into the career of Hal Mumme and how he was instrumental in the revolution of passing offence, while also sharing the human side of his journey. A must listen for any serious football fan

Must read for any football fan

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