During World War I, American army camps, navy stations and marine barracks formed football's first true all-star teams, competing against each other and top colleges while raising millions of dollars for the war effort. More than fifty college football hall-of-famers, dozens of future generals, and two Medal of Honor winners would play for, coach, or promote military teams during the war, including Dwight Eisenhower, Walter Camp, and George Halas.
In War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL, Chris Serb recounts a fascinating chapter of military and sports history. He details three of the best but long-forgotten seasons of American football, when college amateurs mixed with blue-collar pros on the field of play. These games showed investors a lucrative market for teams of post-collegiate stars and made players realize that their football careers didn't have to end after college. Soon the barriers to professionalism began to fall, and within two years of the Armistice the National Football League was born.
War Football explores for the first time this lost chapter of sports history and makes a direct connection between World War I and the founding of the NFL. Seven future Hall-of-Famers led the charge of more than 200 military veterans who played in, coached for, and shaped the character of the young league. Football fans, sports historians, and military historians alike will find this book a fascinating read.

- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Information
Edition
1Subtopic
World War ITable of contents
- Title Page
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Names and Nicknames
- Prologue
- George Halas Sees His Future
- Walter Campās Vision
- Cupid Takes Aim at the Northeast
- A True All-American at Camp Custer
- Camp Shermanās March through Ohio
- Beckettās Marines Conquer the West
- Selling War Football
- Brickley Kicks for Uncle Sam
- Jock Sutherlandās Fighting Dentists Head Down South
- Frank Pollard, Omar Bradley, and Race in War Football
- Coach Ike
- The Cleveland Navy Battles Pop Warner
- George Halas and the 1919 Rose Bowl
- How Football Helped Win the War
- The AEF Tournament
- Peace and College Footballās Golden Age
- War Football and the Birth of the NFL
- Epilogue
- Appendix 1
- Appendix 2
- Appendix 3
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author
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Yes, you can access War Football by Chris Serb in PDF and/or ePUB format. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.