Every Week a Season: A Journey Inside Big-Time College Football

By Brian Curtis

Book Overview

"Brian Curtis tells the stories behind the stories. He brings the meetings, practice sessions, recruiting calls and game day experience to light like never before. Fans who want to know what goes on behind the scenes will find out in this book."
-RON ZOOK, head football coach, the University of Florida

In Every Week a Season, acclaimed sports reporter and author Brian Curtis takes readers on an unprecedented whirlwind tour of NCAA Division I football. It's a world that breeds great drama, a world that millions watch but few understand. It is a multibillion-dollar business. It is an obsession.

To get to the beating heart of college football, Curtis embarked on a breakneck itinerary that took him where all red-blooded college football fans long to be: behind the scenes at nine big-time programs. In nine weeks, Curtis visited Colorado State University, the University of Georgia, Boston College, the University of Tennessee, the University of Maryland, the University of Wisconsin, Louisiana State University, Florida State University, and Arizona State University. He braved the rain to watch Wisconsin pull off the upset of the year; he was at Neyland Stadium to see Tennessee manage a thrilling overtime victory; he was in Tallahassee to witness Florida State's dramatic double overtime battle for the ACC title. As added bonuses, he was with Georgia when the team fought for the SEC Championship, and on the LSU sideline when the boys from Baton Rouge defeated Oklahoma to capture the BCS National Championship. At each stop, he brings us inside the game's inner sanctum: in team meetings and scouting sessions; on the field and on the sidelines, during scrimmages, practices, and games; at pre-game traditions, meals, and religious services; in the locker room before the game and at half-time. Virtually nothing and no one was off-limits.

Along with the players, Curtis got to know the coaches-from the young guns to the legends-spending time with them in their offices and on the road. We see firsthand the challenges of running a major college football program-when called on, coaches must serve as CEOs, PR gurus, lawyers, politicians, and policemen. We also learn of the sacrifices made by wives and children that enable coaches to keep the numerous young athletes under their supervision focused, secure, and happy.

Brian Curtis gives a no-holds-barred insider's account that will rank as one of the most honest and accurate books on big-time sports in America. Short of strapping on a helmet, you'll never get closer to the game.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345483375
• ISBN13: 9780345483379
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A zebra's wife checks in

My husband is a D-I FB official and I bought him this book as a gift. He thoroughly enjoyed this well-researched, behind-the-scenes look at big-time college football. The author captures the intensity and drama which unfold each week during the season.

There is a lot to a game.

This book provides an interesting view into the lives of college football coaches as they deal with the weekly challenges of analyzing last week's game, preparing for the next, recruiting high school players, and dealing with the media. All the teams feature accomplished coaches at big-name programs but there is a fair amount of variation into how they relate to their players, their general outlooks on life, even their spirituality. Each week covers a major game, and many fans of college football are likely to have watched at least one or two of them. If you want to get a feel for what happens behind the scenes in college football, this book is about as good as it gets.

A look beyond the football field

This book was great. Curtis spent a week at 10 major college programs which included teams from the ACC, SEC, WAC, Big 10 & Big East, including the week leading up to LSU's Sugar Bowl victory over the Sooners in the Championship game. I found it a great read on two fronts: 1) You get a look at how each coach prepares for his game, some are completely hands on while others have great trust in their assistants and just overlook everything. 2) The part I enjoyed most about the book was how different schools/coaches look at their players. Some of the coaches it was win at all costs having no regard for classes or much else. Fortunately there were more coaches who went along the lines of caring about the student will promote winning. Alot of people think big time colleges are just football factories, but after reading this book you realize more schools care more about there students beinging students first and athletes second. A must read for any college football fan!

Great idea, very well-written

Curtis hits all the marks with this book. I was a little skeptical going in, wondering what I might learn, as I'm a pretty big college football fan. I was surprised because I didn't know most of what he reveals. He talks about the world off the field in a way that ESPN, SI, etc. never fully explore, in my experience. Very well-written book, I definitely recommend it for casual or serious sports fans. It shows so much of the real game that you hardly ever see or hear about.

More than a Game, a Love Affair with the Teams

This book is a high tribute to the Great American Sport of Football. It is based on visits to nine of the top names in college football. The author, Brian Curtis, spent a week at each school. The result is a report, not of just the games, but of the essence of the teams. He reports on the practice, the personalities, the tone of the school and the team. The tone varies a good bit depending if the last game was a win or a loss. He reports on the 'intelligence' I guess you'd call it about what the team can expect in the game plan expected from their opponents next week. And on the ways to counter the oponnents expected game. Coming through on each page is the fascination, the love that the author feels for the game and the teams. Delightful book.