Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (Total Football)

Football's blitz on the culture is covered in a series of smart essays that range from the mystique attending Super Bowl commercials to why football movies usually come up short. In a nifty examination of the game's penetration of the language, a scenario presents itself: "The average Joe woke up this morning, got into his car, found a seam in the northbound lane of the freeway, and drove to work. At his desk, he huddled with his coworkers, went over his game plan ..." and, well, you get the point. These are just some of the volume's many extra points, and it's the ingenuity of the extras that earn Total Football the right to celebrate in the end zone. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description
The most authoritative book of its kind ever created, Total Football is crammed with stories, scores and stats from 77 years of NFL action. For the first time ever, fans can examine a complete Player Register, with personal and statistical data on every one of the more than 17,000 players who wore an NFL uniform from 1920 through the 1996 season.

All the greats come alive. Johnny Unitas... Jim Brown... Joe Namath... Brett Favre... in stories that explore the humor and heartbreak, the guts and the glory of professional football from a Pro Bowl team of writers. Packed with notes, quotes and anecdotes about coaching legends like Lambeau, Lombardi and Landry; strategy, histories of every NFL team (even the Tonawanda Cardex); the 25 greatest regular season games; and summaries of every NFL playoff game and Super Bowl, Total Football is an absolute must for football fans.

But perhaps I am being harsh in comparing Total Football to something as canonical as Total Baseball. Total Football has been an invaluable reference. It has statistics on every NFL, AFL and AAFC player (no comprehensive playoff stats, though); team statistics dating to 1920; and scores and attendence (where available) for every game played. The book even lists players' high schools, although unfortunately it does not have an index of high schools. For stats junkies like me, the book is a lot of fun.


Good reference   April 20, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Don't expect to find a football book you can use exclusively from the rest. This is a good supplement to books like "The Pro Football Encyclopedia" (by Maher/Gill). If you're into statistics this is one of the best to have. Whereas "Pro Football Encyclopedia" has players longest gains, which this book doesn't, this book gives you kickoff and punt return stats for all players, the encyclopedia doesn't. This book is mainly about the NFL. I bought it for the statistics. It's also a good book to use if you want to find out more about a specific player (statistically speaking). Chapters like "The 25 Most Memorable Regular Season Games" and "The 300 Greatest Players" etc.. are not what I got this book for. I would prefer a book that leaves out author's opinions. I've seen games I'll never forget that I knew wouldn't make the list and also players. Although these chapters are somewhat interesting along with others I could live without half this book easily but like I said, it's a good season by season individual stat book that has information other books don't. It mainly depends on what you're buying this book for. There are statistics here excluded from other books but there are stats left out that ARE in other books, like blocked punts for instance, which may not seem to matter to most, but it all depends on what you're buying it for. It has stats other books don't, that's what I bought it for.