Review of "100 Years of Football," by Jerry Brondfield

Review of

100 Years of Football, by Jerry Brondfield

Five out of five stars

 In this book, the history of football from the very beginnings to the Jet victory over Baltimore in Super Bowl III is presented in graphic novel form. A short segment of explanatory text is associated with each image, so the reader can clearly understand the point of each of the images.

 The most interesting feature of the book is the description of how tactics and the rules have changed over time. Few fans of the modern game are aware of how the points awarded for scoring have changed so significantly over time. Furthermore, it was surprising to read that an offense could once be penalized for having two incomplete passes in a set of downs.

 If you are interested in the history of football, this book is an excellent primer on how the game began and how it has developed over time. Another surprising fact is how small most of the players were in the early years. For example, the famed four horsemen of Notre Dame averaged 165 pounds, a weight that would not even take the field in the modern game.