Thursday, August 18, 2016

Look at Favre's Contributions and Family

A couple weeks ago, Pro Football Hall of Fame 2016 induction ceremonies and speeches were held. There was a big crowd from Green Bay on hand to see Bret Favre become a Hall of Fame member. Favre gave the audience his personal reflections on the people who supported him in life including in his father Irv who was his high school football coach.  Favre was the worst nightmare of Packer's opponents, but one that visitors or home team could not take their eyes off.  I certainly couldn't, even as die-hard Bears fan.

There was also much to Favre that is contrary to today's quarterback lesson plans. Coaches seem to call for a machine-like ball tosser who is exploiting the opposing team by throwing with precision when the plan calls for deadly dull plodding up the field. Eliminate mistakes and win. Favre was too fun-loving for such an approach. And on most Sundays his methods worked.  

Brett Favre was certainly one of the best quarterback ever, although he sure threw a lot of interceptions.  In his 20 seasons, he led the league in interceptions 3 times.  His 29 interceptions in 2005 gives him the 12th highest mark for the single season interceptions for all time. If you watched Favre play, you knew he had a gunslinger mentality and he was going to do his best to resurrect a game even if it made him look foolish. And as good as Favre was, sometimes he did look foolish.

Favre threw 336 career interceptions. In this way, Favre was a QB equivalent of Babe Ruth. Ruth led the league in strikeouts, but holds several other more coveted records.

But the final tally on Favre has to be a winning number for fans, not his missed marks. Fahre's 1996 Packers won the Super Bowl; his 1997 Packers lost it. In his post-Packers years, in the 2009 season with the Vikings,  his team came within 3 points of winning the Conference Championship against the New Orleans Saints and going on to another Super Bowl.   The Saints were the only team to possess the ball in overtime and won the game on a field goal--this was before the rules were changed to give the opposing team another possession under such circumstance.

Packer fans had to be "in for a penny, in for a pound" with Favre.  He would work miracles in one game with his efforts, though heroic in some ways, and then in the next contest he might take more risks than necessary. But for Favre it was always a game, a sport, and a lifelong love--never a business.

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Copyright 2016 Sporting Chance Press 
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Greatest Coaches of the NFL

Pillars of the NFL looks at the great coaches and brings the reader into their world.  The coaches early life, schooling, playing days, coaching days and their contributions to the game are all there for you to see and examine.  Packer fans will appreciate Pillars of the NFL, which includes coverage of Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau.  Order this classic title from the publisher or order from Amazon. 



About Sporting Chance Press:

Our goal at Sporting Chance Press is to provide entertaining books that can give readers a lift in sports and in life. We publish books that give readers insight into the hero within each of us. When sport is at its best, there is a payoff constantly taking shape – a payoff "at work." We are improving—whether it is building self esteem, improving health, developing strong social skills, or learning the habit of achievement. There is a discipline needed in preparing for sports contests and life contests. Getting our bodies and minds in shape for the competition is critical. If we can approach sports training and life with enthusiasm, the contest is pure joy. If we can approach sport and life with passion and not pressure, we can achieve and release that fearless hero within. 
Lawrence Norris







Monday, November 9, 2015

A Football Life: Paul Brown, Film Looks at the Great Coaches Football Life that We Cover in Pillars



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Sporting Chance Press covers Paul Brown in Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships by Patrick McCaskey.  Pillars examines the football lives of the legendary coaches who hoisted the game upon their shoulders and won the most NFL Championships. Pillars of the NFL looks at: Bill Belichick, Paul Brown, Guy Chamberlin, Weeb Ewbank, Joe Gibbs, George Halas, Chuck Noll, Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Walsh.  The Pillars coverage on Paul Brown discusses his early life, playing days and coaching career.  His key players, championships, and contributions to the game are covered.  

Paul Brown is also featured in our eBook series for paperless readers featuring the 10 greatest Coaches in NFL History. These eBooks for Kindle are derived from the encyclopedic Pillars of the NFL print volume. Our fourth ebook on the 10 Greatest Coaches of the NFL, Paul Brown, is now available from Amazon.

If you like the Football Life Documentary Series, you may have noticed a new entry: A Football Life: Paul Brown. This popular film series now covers the great coach. If you are looking for a concise study in print of Paul Brown's football life, we have it Pillars of the NFL and then the eBook, Paul Brown: The 10 Greatest Coaches of the NFL Volume 4. 

About Sporting Chance Press:

Our goal at Sporting Chance Press is to provide entertaining books that can give readers a lift in sports and in life. We publish books that give readers insight into the hero within each of us. When sport is at its best, there is a payoff constantly taking shape – a payoff "at work." We are improving—whether it is building self esteem, improving health, developing strong social skills, or learning the habit of achievement. There is a discipline needed in preparing for sports contests and life contests. Getting our bodies and minds in shape for the competition is critical. If we can approach sports training and life with enthusiasm, the contest is pure joy. If we can approach sport and life with passion and not pressure, we can achieve and release that fearless hero within. 
Lawrence Norris







Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Patrick McCaskey Pillars and eBooks on Greatest Coaches of the NFL

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Patrick McCaskey's encyclopedic 2014 print book, Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships covers the football lives of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Their selection is based on the number of NFL Championships won and these include seasons before and after the Super Bowl existed. 

We have also taken the individual chapters from the book and created 10 eBooks so you can pick and choose any content to read.  The chapters stand up by themselves. 

The volume on Bill Belichick has been updated to reflect the 2014 season and Super Bowl. So far, the Chuck Noll volume is the most popular, followed closely by the Bill Belichick volume. Here are the eBooks available on Amazon Kindle:


*Bill Belichick: Ten Greatest Coaches of the NFL Volume 10

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Greatest Coaches eBooks Available From Pillars of the NFL

Patrick McCaskey's encyclopedic 2014 print book, Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships covers the football lives of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Their selection is based on the number of NFL Championships won and these include seasons before and after the Super Bowl existed. 

Since we live the age of the digital book or eBook, we have also taken the individual chapters from the book and created 10 eBooks so you can pick and choose any content to read.  The chapters stand up by themselves. 

The volume on Bill Belichick has been updated to reflect the 2014 season and Super Bowl. Here are the eBooks available on Amazon Kindle:


Bill Belichick: Ten Greatest Coaches of the NFL Volume 10

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Greatest Coaches of the NFL Series: Vince Lombardi

Based on the encyclopedic Pillars of the NFL,  Vince Lombardi is the sixth volume in the 10 Greatest Coaches of the NFL Series by Patrick McCaskey--now available on Amazon Kindle.

Vince Lombardi, the Sixth Volume of the 10 Greatest Coaches of the NFL Series examines the football life of one of the more important coaches. So much has been written about Lombardi over the years, but here's a volume that captures the football life of Lombardi in a brilliant succinct way. This look at Lombardi is for modern readers who want to understand the man and appreciate his work.  It is written as one of the 10 Greatest Coaches of the NFL Series, following a model that helps readers more easily compare one coach with another.


Compared to many football legends, Vince Lombardi was in the NFL for a short time. He came and left in 16 years, but his legacy is strong today many years after his death. Five NFL championships in 9 years; the first two Super Bowl wins; and his 89–29–4 record in Green Bay remain a source of great pride for Packer fans. His 96–34–6 overall professional head-coaching record and the manner in which he achieved it brings honor to the NFL.
The films, tributes, and books remind fans of what he accomplished. Lombardi’s ambitions and values were imprinted on those around him. Those affected personally, have been generous in promoting his legacy. 

Lombardi elevated the game by making his players approach it as a pursuit towards perfection. Under Lombardi’s philosophy, by working to excel at football, a football player excels at life—he seeks to achieve his potential. By becoming the best football player possible, the player contributes to the greater good. For Lombardi, football was not a metaphor for life, it was an integral part of it—not just for him, but for his players and fans. 

Here is the story of one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
 
Pillars of the NFL
Vince Lombardi, Volume 6 of the Ten Greatest Coaches of the NFL is comprised of materials from the encyclopedic print book: Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships.

Big Red Fans Love Pillars of the NFL and Other Sporting Chance Press Books

Pillars of the NFL
We published the book Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships and at the same time re-introduced NFL fans to Guy Chamberlin, the University of Nebraska star who went on to greatness as an NFL Player-Coach and quietly left football after a spectacular pro career in the 1920s.  The Chamberlin chapter in the book is one of the few places readers can find a good biography of the great star. Chamberlin was a player-coach who won four NFL Championships for three different teams. 

Why is he not considered by many contemporary writers as one of the greatest coaches of the NFL?  It simple, all three of Chamberlin's teams disappeared. The Canton Bulldogs (Champions in 1922 and 1923), the Cleveland  Bulldogs (Champions in 1924), and the Frankford Yellow Jackets (Champions in 1926) have long since disappeared. Without an existing NFL franchise to remember and relay Chamberlin's accomplishments, he does not get a lot of press.

Of course, the University of Nebraska has not forgotten Chamberlin who was among the best players in University history.  Their Chamberlin Trophy, inaugurated in 1967, is presented to the Senior player who has shown by his play and contributions to the betterment of the University of Nebraska football program that he has the qualifications and dedication of Guy Chamberlin to the University.

Go Big Red!

Sports and Faith Book 2
The author of Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships, Patrick McCaskey, has also included Chamberlin in  his latest book, Sports and Faith (Book 2): More Stories of the Devoted and the Devout.  

Chamberlin eBook
Now there are three Sporting Chance Press products where you can get the Stars football history. 

Monday, December 8, 2014

Guy Chamberlin Celebrated Anew

Guy Chamberlin won his NFL championships in the 1920s and he also was a player-coach for championship teams that no longer exist: The Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Bulldogs, and the Frankford Yellow Jackets.  He has a fan base in Nebraska where the University of Nebraska Chamberlin Award has been given out each year since his death, but his NFL reputation has grown somewhat dim over the years because he had no NFL base like coaches whose teams have carried on to this day.  He is one of the ten coaches whose football lives we examine in our new book, Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships

Recent efforts to recognize or at least renew his recognition as one of the NFL's greatest coaches have been building.  The University of Nebraska has been recognizing great players with the annual Chamberlin Award since the great man's death. The award is presented to the senior player who has shown by the play and contributions to the team that he has the qualities and dedication of Guy Chamberlin to the Cornhusker tradition.  Folks back home at the Gage County Historical Society, the Wymore Library,  and now his home town, Blue Springs have worked to see Chamberlin recognized and remembered.  A monument in Chamberlin's honor was recently constructed and placed on ground near where the High School that Chamberlin attended once existed.

 On August 8, 2014, at Aunt Mary’s Center at 111 South 8th, Beatrice, Nebraska, a special evening included a book signing and Sunday meal with Patrick McCaskey, 40-year veteran and senior Director of the Chicago Bears. McCaskey is the Chairman of Sports International, an initiative that recognizes people who are successful in sports while leading exemplary lives. He is a speaker known for his moving and humorous presentations on sports, community and faith. This fundraiser is for the Nebraska Baseball Hall of Fame and the Gage County Historical Society.

In his new book, Pillars of the NFL, McCaskey takes a look at interesting important coaches who have won three or more championships in their career including Blue Springs, Nebraska, native and Nebraska Cornhusker All-American, Guy Chamberlin. Patrick McCaskey’s grandfather, George Halas and Guy Chamberlin were starting ends for the Staleys in 1920 and 1921 and early organizers of the National Football League.