Joe namath book biography

Word Wise. Enhanced typesetting. See all details. Next slide of product details. Report an issue with this product or seller. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Previous set of slides. Joe Willie Namath. Kindle Edition. Pistol: A Biography of Pete Maravich. Mark Kriegel. Joe Posnanski. Shoeless Joe. Summerland: A Novel.

Michael Chabon. Next set of slides. From Publishers Weekly Avoiding the pitfalls of mythology while telling a larger-than-life story is never easy, but Kriegel does it grandly in this landmark portrait of the s icon.

Joe namath book biography: This book is a biography

All the important athletic moments are here, elegantly told: his hardscrabble western Pennsylvania upbringing; his unlikely pairing with Bear Bryant; his arrival in New York as a hard-partying, money-making star and, of course, the win in Super Bowl III. Namath comes off as both throwback he played through unbearable pain and hypermodern 40 years ago, he was already getting paid to wear certain brands of clothing.

But to write of the first media-age sports star is to tell not just of an athlete but the changing nature of celebrity and society in the '60s-that is, the story of modern America-and the author manages the elusive trick of illuminating setting as much as subject. If Namath feels like a distant figure, more statue around whom society scrambled to adjust itself than active change seeker, that's because Kriegel convinces us he was-a figure both epic and accidental in a world revolving too fast for one person to control.

Kriegel has written a remarkable book: a feel-good sports story still abundant withinsight and social commentary. Copyright Reed Business Information. The divided opinion about Namath seems driven as much by its subject as by its author. Told without the participation of Namath who reportedly wanted compensation and creative controlthe author offers a compassionate ear to this difficult tale.

But when the Jets made good on their brash quarterback's claim, the Namath legend was born. Not that Broadway Joe didn't help it grow with his flamboyant lifestyle. Soon enough Namath was the toast of New York nightlife, the poster child for cool. Kriegel, an award-winning columnist for the New York Daily Newsexamines Namath's life evidently without Namath's cooperation from his modest beginnings in the mill town of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, through collegiate years at Alabama, and on to the Broadway Joe era and beyond, analyzing in the process the way that the quarterback's handlers managed to market Namath's cool to the masses.

Interviews with friends, former teammates, and family, along with secondary sources, form the bulk of Kriegel's research. The Namath who emerges here is an appealing mix of swagger and insecurity. All rights reserved. Kriegel has meticulously reconstructed Namath s life and accomplishments with a thoroughness that historian[s] would admire.

Until recently biographies of sports figures were written primarily for adolescents, or adults suffering from arrested adolescence. With two notable exceptions -- Robert Creamer's biographies of Babe Ruth and Casey Stengel -- they were brief, worshipful and unfailingly discreet. The "heroes" about whom they were written never swore, never whored and always played fair; they were Ragged Dick in sweatpants, All-American boys, Dink Stover at Yale and Tom Brown at Oxford.

The joe namath book biography had accommodations for 40 passengers in first class, in steerage. Immigration officers directed their transfer to ferries, on which they were literally packed and delivered to Ellis Island. He was Hungarian, of the Magyar joe namath book biography and the peasant class. He had been born a subject of Franz Josef, emperor of Austria and apostolic king of Hungary, and lived in a place called Raho, a village of several hundred on the Rima River in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains.

He swore he was neither a polygamist nor an anarchist. He was not crippled. He was in fine mental and physical condition, save for a common ailment known as Amerika-laz, American fever. More meat, more money. Better odds. What, then, made you a man? Was it loss? Or the ability to endure it? The baby was dimpled, but dark. Very dark. Almost Spanish-looking.

Joe Namath could throw a football 70 yards with a pound defensive tackle sitting on his chest. Back then, people wore Nehru jackets and paisley shirts, and the "sexual revolution" was ongoing. Joe, the sweet, hazel-eyed hustler in mutton chops, found himself at the center of a maelstrom of fashion shoots, booze, and big-time media.

Mark Kriegel's story captures the vitality and arrogance of the early days, as well as the pathos of the later arthritic and alcoholic years. Scott Brick's reading conveys the foreboding of Bear Bryant's pronouncements, the impish humor of Namath's late-night adventures, and the excitement of Super Bowls and long bombs to Don Maynard. Kriegel's portrayal is as much fun as a girl in fishnet stockings and go-go boots.

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Customers say. Select to learn more. Images in this review. Top reviews from the United States. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Verified Purchase. Remember the Titans? Mark Kreigel has wrote an excellent sports biography and much much more. The book reads very well, almost like a fast paced exciting novel I read the page burning, exciting, high descriptive page book in 3 days, Couldn't put it down.

WE are shown Joe Namath's ancestry, his family and young years,and his running around partying boyhood days. We see his athletic highs school days he had big hands and superb athletic ability excellent in basketball and could dunk front and back, over. He was only a C student and scored low his on SATs. His mom wanted Joe to go to college and get a degree.

His religious mom would love Joe to go to Notre Dame but Joe doesn't want to go there as its an all boys school Several major colleges were reluctant to give Joe a football scholarship but Alabama and couch Bear Bryant get him to go to their college. Bear Bryant is a disciplinarian and molds Joe and straightens him out. Joe needed a father figure.

He sets records at Alabama and becomes a super star, but does not graduate to the chagrin of his mom. The largest contract at that time ever given to any beginning professional athlete. We all know the Jets won Superbowl 3, Namath had bad knees, played in extreme pain and the epic battle against the Colts with the mighty Johnny Unitas some say the greatest quarterback ever!

Of Southern Comforts and the Schoolhouse Door. Booze and Broads. The Star System. The Beauty of Joe. Student of the Game. Disheveled but Happy. Dont Trust Anyone Over Thirty. Garden City Joe. Hollywood Ending. Thats Entertainment. Sound of the Soul. Top reviews from other countries. Verified Purchase. Great book found it interesting to read not only about Namith himself but what it was like to be a quarter back in that era and having read alot of NFl history books such as Americas game I still found it a valuable account of the game in that era.

Remember the Titans? Mark Kreigel has wrote an excellent sports biography and much much more. The book reads very well, almost like a fast paced exciting novel I read the page burning, exciting, high descriptive page book in 3 days, Couldn't put it down. WE are shown Joe Namath's ancestry, his family and young years,and his running around partying boyhood days.

We see his athletic highs school days he had big hands and superb athletic ability excellent in basketball and could dunk front and back, over. He was only a C student and scored low his on SATs. His mom joe namath book biography Joe to go to college and get a degree. His religious mom would love Joe to go to Notre Dame but Joe doesn't want to go there as its an all boys school Several major colleges were reluctant to give Joe a football scholarship but Alabama and couch Bear Bryant get him to go to their college.

Bear Bryant is a disciplinarian and molds Joe and straightens him out. Joe needed a father figure. He sets records at Alabama and becomes a super star, but does not graduate to the chagrin of his mom. The largest contract at that time ever given to any beginning professional athlete. We all know the Jets won Superbowl 3, Namath had bad knees, played in extreme pain and the epic battle against the Colts with the mighty Johnny Unitas some say the greatest quarterback ever!

We see Joe's gambling, drinking, pot smoking and indirectly associating with known organized crime figures. Lots and lots of beautiful woman in his life. Joe says he loved them all. We see his many business deals, him being the pitch man for many products, his parts in some movies, The Joe Namath show, Monday Night Football and more.

An incredible rich life. Finally Joe settles down with a girl named Debora and they have two beautiful daughters that Joe loves more than life itself. His whole world revolves around them. A super great Dad. Unfortunately Debora wants more than to be Mrs. Namath and wants to be an actress. She even legally changes her first name, takes lots of acting classes and eventually finds someone else Joe and her divorce but we are shown him being crushed by Debora and his great love of his two girls.

A friend wants to see Joe's trophy room in his home in Fl and Joe shows the girls school accomplishments on the refrigerator and says "that's my trophy room". A super excellent biography about Joe Namath and much more. A book even the non sports oriented will appreciate. If you're any kind of football fan, this excellent biography should be on your reading li" Read more.

Customers enjoy the book's realism. They find it fascinating and interesting to read about one of the most popular sports figures of the 20th century. The book brings back memories and is described as exciting and high-description. I read the page burning, excitinghigh descriptive page book in 3 days, Couldn't put it down Joe Namath, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, in this interesting and well-written biography He has also replayed an interesting time in our pop-culture history that made me a little nostolgic and at the same time, reminded me that the late Customers find the book visually appealing.

The author paints a thorough portrait of Joe Namath, one of the greatest quarterbacks. I read the page burning, exciting, high descriptive page book in 3 days, Couldn't put it down It gives an inside look at what type of person Joe Namath really is, and provides much insight into the personality of a very unique individual Customers like the talent of Joe Namath.

They mention he was a talented athlete with big hands and superb athletic ability. We see his athletic highs school days he had big hands and superb athletic ability He was a very talented athletebut also a flawed one Customers enjoy the book. They find it engaging and informative, with an enjoyable character. As a man, he comes off as an amiable drunk who is not particularly loyal to those who stood by him and those he fought alongside with I remember this time period as a kid and it gave me great pleasure as I was reading it.

Purchase options and add-ons. In between Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan there was Joe Namath, one of the few sports heroes to transcend the game he played.

Joe namath book biography: Looking for books by Joe

The first of his kind, Namath enabled a nation to see sports as show biz. This unforgettable portrait brings readers from the gridiron to the go-go nightclubs as Kriegel uncovers the truth behind Broadway Joe and why his legend has meant so much to so many. Report an issue with this product or seller. Previous slide of product details.

Print length. Publication date. See all details. Next slide of product details. Frequently bought together. This item: Namath: A Biography. Get it as soon as Sunday, Feb 2. The Art of Fielding: A Novel. To see our price, add these items to your cart. Try again! Added to Cart. Add all 3 to Cart. Choose items to buy together. Customers who viewed this item also viewed.

Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Previous set of slides. Joe Namath. Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich. Mark Kriegel. Namath Icons of the NFL. Joe Willie Namath.

Joe namath book biography: Novelist and former sports-columnist Mark

Dave Anderson. Namath: My Son Joe. Bill Szolnoki, Rose Namath and Kushner. Next set of slides. Review "Brilliant All rights reserved. The steamer had accommodations for 40 passengers in first class, in steerage. Immigration officers directed their transfer to ferries, on which they were literally packed and delivered to Ellis Island.

He was Hungarian, of the Magyar race and the peasant class. He had been born a subject of Franz Josef, emperor of Austria and apostolic king of Hungary, and lived in a place called Raho, a village of several hundred on the Rima River in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. He swore he was neither a polygamist nor an anarchist. He was not crippled.

He was in fine mental and physical condition, save for a common ailment known as Amerika-laz, American fever. More meat, more money. Better odds. What, then, made you a man? Was it loss? Or the ability to endure it? The baby was dimpled, but dark. Very dark. Almost Spanish-looking. Read more.