Pillars and Post: Orders Coming in Now

GREATEST BOOK ON NFL COACHES

We published a football book in 2014: Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships written by Patrick McCaskey, the grandson of Papa Bear George Halas.  The book examines the football lives the 10 Greatest coaches in NFL history. 

Pillars is finally getting  some attention from coaches. It's about time! I'm not getting any younger. 

As a publisher, I am always concerned about the model used for each of our books--how we cover what we are covering, the depth of information--how it all looks and is organized.  A model is important because it give you continuity  and it makes it easier on the reader as he goes from topic to topic, chapter to chapter. And Pillars is a book that delivers one some succinct information about some of the most important men that helped form the National Football League. 

In Pillars, we cover the football lives of George Halas, Guy Chamberlin, Curly Lambeau, Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Bill Belichick.  

We wanted to keep Pillars manageable and create useful and interesting information but only go so deep. We wanted to focus  on each coach's early life, schooling, key players, coaching with an emphasis on championships, contributions, and provide a historical timeline, and highlights.  I think the concise model kept us on task and helped us include the right information. 

Look of the Book

My friend Don Torres, a graphic artist, did the design and Bill Potter provided some illustrations of the coaches, some of which resemble those biographical montages that you used to see in newspapers. 

When you publish a book like Pillars, the art is in the details.  Many of the coaches are no longer around and you gather information from other books, news stories, and organizations. Hundreds of endnotes lead readers to more information. 

So if you know any coaches, or you have NFL fans on your shopping list, buy some copies of Pillars of the NFL. 

The Power of Pillars Principles

Author Patrick McCaskey

Pillars of the NFL  by Patrick McCaskey is about the top 10 coaches in NFL history. A study on the great men of the NFL is a worthwhile exercise. Great ideas came and continue to come from NFL thought leaders. Here are five personal principles (paraphrased in some cases) culled from NFL legends that coaches/trainers should help instill in their “players.” These are general principles that should be of interest to people in every walk of life.

1.    “Never go to bed a loser”—George “Papa Bear” Halas

George Halas's Chicago Bears became a premier sports enterprise and this little principle was his way to promote great effort every day. The Bears were the Monsters of the Midway and Halas knew the importance of good self esteem. He could be tough on is players, but he appreciated their efforts.  He wanted his players to be healthy people and this principle was a personal one that made sense to him.

2.    Treat everyone with kindness, but never let anyone mistake kindness for weakness—Art Rooney, Sr.

Rooney was a boxer, baseball player, and a sports promoter whose family continues to play a leading role in professional sports ownership along with many philanthropic causes. He loved his family and his players, but he was always looking for the proper expression of manhood and motivation from those he worked with in Pittsburgh. He was charitable, but he was no fool. 

3.    Love and respect all, but fear no one.—Wellington Mara

Wellington Mara owned the New York Giants football team and he was one of the most advanced thinking owners. His family became wealthy, but he worked tirelessly to improve the NFL--at times he sacrificed time to the League that might have been spent on the team. But it was necessary.  Sometimes people criticized him for ridiculous reasons and he famously fought back on occasion. Sometimes it takes courage to go to battle over something important where you are in the limelight because he know chances are the press will not always be fair. 

4.    You don’t necessarily have to like your players, but as a leader you must love them—Vince Lombardi

School-teacher Lombardi was a legendary motivator who focused on basics and preparation. Shades of meaning were important to him. He was tuned into emotions like no other coach. You could understand how Lombardi might not like some of his men, but he loved them all. He wanted them to excel, to be the best. 

5.    Focus on your job—focus on what you do and do it right—Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick runs the tightest of organizations. He can often be heard in key situations telling a player, “just do your job.” He wants focus rather than everyone worrying about what other people are going to do. Players worrying about what others are doing are hurting the organization and the team. 


Principles are often short and sweet, but have a deeper meaning for people as they consider their implications. 

Copyright Sporting Chance Press

Pillars to Notre Dame Post

Chicago Lithograph Image of Notre Dame-Library of Congress

This Post is taken from Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships. 

Chicago Bears Training Camp at Notre Dame, 1933 Season

George Halas picked up Notre Dame graduates early and often in his career coaching and managing the Chicago Bears.   In another post, we discussed Hunk Anderson and George Trafton.  In 1933, Halas had a very good team and he held the Bears Training at Notre Dame in 1933.  That year the Bears won the West Division with a 10–2–1 record and played the Giants in the first scheduled championship game. It turned out to be the most spectacular game of the season featuring a trick play by the Giants early on and one by the Bears late in the game. It would also feature six lead changes.   

On a damp cool foggy December 17, 26,000 fans showed up at Wrigley Field to see the championship battle. In the early goings, the Giants center Mel Hein reported as an eligible receiver. Harry Newman took the ball under center from Hein and handed it right back to him with a slight of hand. While the defense watched Newman fall back as if he was going to pass, Hein hid the ball under his jersey and quietly started to make his way up field. Not a particularly good actor, Hein got anxious and began to run. The Bears tackled him on the 15-yard line and although the play worked beautifully, the Bears held and the Giants did not score on that series.

The contest swung back and forth and late in the game the Bears found themselves behind 21–16.  It was time for the Bears’ trick play.  Fullback Bronko Nagurski faked a run and threw a 14-yard jump pass to Bill Hewitt who was attracting Giants.  Hewitt lateraled to Bill Karr who then made his way to the end zone.  The Bears won 23–21 to take top honors in 1933. 

Chamberlin’s Big Day at Notre Dame, Knute Rockne

In at least one way, the Notre Dame connections to the Pillars of the NFL even predated the NFL! 

Perhaps the most obscure Pillar is Guy Chamberlin.  Chamberlin came off a Nebraska farm and played tremendous football for two Nebraska schools –Nebraska Wesleyan for his first two years and then the University of Nebraska to finish off his college years.  In the 1915 season, Chamberlin and the Huskers started out strong by clobbering Drake, Kansas State, and Washburn on their way to a showdown with a strong Notre Dame team coached by Jesse Harper.  On staff for Notre Dame was Assistant Coach Knute Rockne who would go on to a legendary head coaching career starting in 1918.  Rockne had famously scouted the Huskers.  Notre Dame’s defense was instructed on apparent weaknesses in Chamberlin’s running game that Rockne had discovered.  Rockne also noted that Chamberlin licked his fingers before any passing play.  Rockne’s scouting report did not help—Chamberlin displayed no weaknesses at all.  Long after the game, Rockne laughed when he recalled his predictions on Chamberlin’s play.  Chamberlin joked that he licked his fingers regardless of what he was going to do with the ball, but on that day, he fingered a wet sponge that he somehow affixed to his uniform to fight off the dryness. The Nebraska-Notre Dame game was a tight match from beginning to end, but Nebraska prevailed 20–19.  

During the game, Nebraska fans across the state gathered at railroad stations to hear the latest game news read by telegraph operators coming over the wires while the contest was being played.  Chamberlin scored on two end-around plays and he passed for another touchdown.  Notre Dame missed two extra points while Nebraska made two of three.

Chamberlin moved on as a player-coach in the pro ranks where he won two championships with the Canton Bulldogs and one with the Cleveland Bulldogs, and one more with the Frankford Yellow Jackets—all in the 1920s.  None of Chamberlin’s teams have survived into the modern era, which may be why most modern sports analysts rarely mention him in debates about the greatest coaches. 

Copyright Sporting Chance Press

You will like Pillars of the NFL, a book that provides a lot of NFL history with historic photos, illustrations of the coaches by Bill Potter, and a great resource that should be in your library. The book is also sale priced on Amazon right now (August 2017). Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships is published by Sporting Chance Press and written by Chicago Bears Senior Director Patrick McCaskey.  The Pillars are the greatest coaches in NFL history--determined strictly by the number of championships.  Ten coaches have won three or more championships: George Halas, Guy Chamberlin, Curly Lambeau, Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Belichick.  

Winning Ways, A Football eBook on Papa Bear

A Look at Papa Bear

As we are coming up to the 2017 football season, it's a good time to remind readers that we have a small book that has tremendous value for kids that we have available as an eBook on Kindle. It is called Papa Bear and the Chicago Bears’ Winning Ways by Patrick McCaskey. “Papa Bear” George Halas was the owner of the Chicago Bears and one of the founders of the National Football League. He was also the author's grandfather. This is a short book about how he successfully managed the Bears during the 20^th Century. It’s also a book that focuses on some of George Halas’s sayings or “winning ways” that may help you and your children.  

Papa Bear and the Chicago Bears Winning Ways discusses some historical events that affected George Halas and many others. When we do this, we put certain words in italics and then we explain them for the reader in the Glossary in the back of the book. It's a simple easy to read book that kids will like. 

Pillars is about Principles

Pillars of the NFL  by Patrick McCaskey is about the top 10 coaches in NFL history. A study on the great men of the NFL is a worthwhile exercise. Great ideas came and continue to come from NFL thought leaders. Here are five team principles (paraphrased in some cases) culled from NFL legends that should help teams or any groups get things done.

1. “Don't do anything in practice that you wouldn't do in the game.”—George Halas. 

Focus on what you need to get done. 

2. Regardless of what happens, a team controls its attitude, approach, and response.—Tony Dungy  

A winning personality can keep things on track regardless. 

3. When you hire someone, hire someone who can help the team. Each hire should fill a need. —Bill Belichick  

A team’s personnel is critical to its mission and success.  

4. “Individual commitment to a group effort… makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”—Vince Lombardi   

Every team member needs to be committed to the team. 

5. “You can learn a line from a win and a book from a defeat.”—Paul Brown

Teams do not gloss over their losses nor do they dwell on them, they study them and learn from them. 

Don't underestimate the power of good principles in leading teams. 

Papa Bear George Halas in World War I and World War II

World War I Service

Anxious to serve his country at the start of World War I, with only six credit hours remaining to graduate from the University of Illinois, George Halas joined the Navy.  The University granted him a degree and sent his diploma on to the family.  George Stanley Halas entered Officer Candidate School and ended up serving at Great Lakes Naval Station as recreation officer.  A far cry from the sea duty he had envisioned, but it was a providential assignment that brought him together with many great college players.  His duties involved playing and coaching football as well as playing baseball and basketball.  The Great Lakes football team was a powerhouse in 1918.  This second “college career” gave Halas another opportunity to shine and play with a terrific group of athletes.  It also provided an opportunity to size up the best talent in football for the future.

Rose Bowl MVP

The highlight of his Great Lakes career was playing the Mare Island Marines in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1919.  On that particular day, Halas played exceptionally well on both defense and offense, perhaps the best of his long career.  He scored a touchdown on a 45-yard pass from Paddy Driscoll.  On defense, he tackled Marines all over the field and he intercepted a pass that he ran back 77 yards.  He was named the Rose Bowl’s Most Valuable Player; Great Lakes won, 17–0.

New York Yankees

Halas also played baseball at Great Lakes and he made an impression on the diamond.  After the war ended, he was invited to the Yankees’ spring training.  He was an excellent outfielder, but he had difficulty hitting the curve ball—a malady that has ended many a professional baseball career.  But because he showed so much promise in the field and he was a switch-hitter, Yankee manager Miller Huggins kept him on. 

A hip injury threatened his career early, but his condition improved after treatment by the famous hands of “Doctor” Bonesetter Reese of Youngstown. Unfortunately, he continued to have difficulties hitting and he was sent down to the St. Paul Saints, a minor league team coached by renowned manager Mike Kelley.  He was making good progress but not quick enough for his high expectations.  The Yankees were acquiring a young man named Babe Ruth and they had plenty of veteran talent on the team.  They simply did not have room for a player who needed more time to develop.  When Halas was asked to return to the minors for one more season, he declined.

Bears’ 1941 Season

Two decades after his service during World War I, Halas was the owner and coach of the NFL's Chicago Bears football team.  In 1941, the Bears  ended the regular season 10–1 on the strength of a powerful, balanced offense and a very good defense.  They didn’t just beat their opponents; they dominated them—with one exception.  The Green Bay Packers had also finished out their season at 10–1, tied with the Bears for the Western Division crown.  During the season, the Bears and Packers had split with each other.  But this season, the competitors won while away and lost at home. 

As the 1941 season was closing, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, and the United States became a combatant in World War II.  Just 7 days later, on the December 14, the Bears played the Packers in a playoff game to determine the Western Division crown.  After the Packers scored first on a short run by Clark Hinkle, the Bears came back with 30 unanswered points.  Hugh Gallarneau started the rally with an 81-yard punt return for a score.  After Bob Snyder kicked a field goal, the Bears’ 6-foot-2, 238 pound first-round draft choice, Norm Standee, crashed in for two scores to finish off successful drives.  Bob Swisher ran one in from the 9-yard line to give the Bears a 30–7 lead before the Packers answered with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cecil Isbell to Hal Van Every.  Snyder kicked another field goal to give the Bears a final 33–14 victory.  Although he did not score, George McAfee logged in a terrific 119-yard rushing performance. 

1941 NFL Championship

The Bears played the Giants in the championship game at Wrigley Field.  It was a surprisingly balmy 47° when the teams met on December 21.  As the reality of a long war and its resulting impact on everyone seemed to settle in, the attendance was only 13,341 for the Championship Game.

Bob Snyder led off the scoring for the Bears on a 14-yard field goal.  Hall of Famer Tuffy Leemans of the Giants hit George Franck on a 31-yard touchdown play.  In the second quarter, Bob Snyder kicked two field goals, one from 39 yards and a second from 37 yards, to give the Bears a 9–7 lead heading into the half.  In the third quarter, Ward Cuff kicked a 16-yard field goal for the Giants.  The Bears’ big back, Norm Standlee, muscled his way into the end zone for two scores, one from 2 yards out and the second from 7 yards out.  The Bears’ defense closed down the Giants’ passing game with interceptions by Danny Fortmann and Bulldog Turner.  Hall of Famer George McAfee scored from 5 yards out.  Ken Kavanaugh picked up a fumbled lateral and rumbled 42 yards for another Bears’ score.  The final was 37–9, in favor of the Bears. 

Bears’ 1942 Season

Halas wanted to contribute more actively to the war effort than his assignment had allowed him in World War I.  After he coached his near-perfect Bears to their first five wins in 1942, he left for duty at the Naval station in Norman, Oklahoma, and then on to the South Pacific.  In the South Pacific, Commander Halas, USNR, used his considerable organizational, persuasive, and leadership talents to serve as recreational and welfare officer of Admiral Thomas Kincaid’s Seventh Fleet.  Kincaid supported McArthur’s command and the commander was kept pretty busy.

Back at home, the Bears were undefeated in the regular 1942 season.  They beat the Packers by scores of 44–28 and 38–7, although the Packers had been the one team to challenge the Bears in 1941.  Only the Cardinals and Rams came within 14 points of the Bears that entire season.  Halas was gone, but most of the Bears starters from 1941 were still on the roster. 

1942 NFL Championship Game

At season’s end in 1942, the 11–0 Bears took on the Washington Redskins for the championship.  The Bears scored first in the second quarter when defensive tackle Lee Artoe recovered a fumble by Redskins’ halfback Dick Todd at the Bears 48-yard line and ran it into the end zone. Todd lost the ball when tackled after catching a Sammy Baugh pass.  The Bears missed the extra point.

Baugh threw a 39-yard touchdown strike to Wilbur Moore.  Fullback “Anvil Andy” Farkas, who is believed to be the first player to wear eye black to reduce glare, rushed for the Redskins’ second score from 1 yard out after carrying the ball nine times on an 11-play bone-crushing drive. Bears’ quarterback Sid Luckman threw two interceptions and was ineffective.  The Redskins prevailed, 14–6.

Bears’ 1943 Season

The 1943 Bears would play without Halas as the war continued.  The league suffered financially and players were in short supply.  Assistants Hunk Anderson and Luke Johnsos coached the Bears to another great season.  They were helped immeasurably when Bronko Nagurski was coaxed out of retirement after leaving football in 1937.  Nagurski had become a wrestler.  Nagurski at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, had the size to play fullback today and the heart to play it in any era.  In his first professional football stretch, he played fullback and defensive line.  When he came back to the Bears, he played tackle.  When the Bears were trailing the Cardinals in a must-win game at the end of the season, Bronko returned to his fullback position, scored a key touchdown, and turned the tide in favor of the Bears.  He returned again as fullback in the championship game in which the Bears beat the Washington Redskins 41–21.  The Bears had won three of the last four championships. 

Bears’ 1944-1945 Seasons

The Bears had done well in the early war years, but NFL teams were struggling to survive and even the best run teams were starting to unravel.  Sid Luckman had joined the Merchant Marine in 1943.  Although he was not able to practice, he was able to play on Sundays.  In 1944, the Bears were 6–3–1 and they scored 258 points and allowed 172 points from their opponents.  Green Bay beat the Giants for the 1944 championship.  In 1945, the Bears ended the season 3–7–0.  They scored 192 points and allowed 235 from their opponents.  The Cleveland (soon-to-be Los Angeles) Rams won the championship.  The Bears had dropped down in the standings in 1944 and 1945, but came back strong at war’s end as their premier players and Coach Halas returned from war.  

Copyright, Sporting Chance Press.
Material taken from Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships by Patrick McCaskey, grandson of Papa Bear George Halas. Pillars in on sale right now on Amazon (8/17).

Bronko Nagurski and the Greatest Coaches of the NFL

In 1930, George Halas and co-owner Dutch Sternaman of the Chicago Bears hired Ralph Jones, who was athletic director at Lake Forest Academy, to coach the Bears.  Jones made innovative adjustments to the Bears’ offense that gave the team a more mobile attack.  The Bears also added University of Minnesota standout, Bronko Nagurski, who gave the team one of the greatest power-runners of all time as well as a bone-crushing tackler and a terrific blocker.  With Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, and several other excellent players on the roster, the Bears were a formidable power.  

Bronko Nagurski was a one-of-a-kind fullback and linebacker who played in the 1930s.  “Bronk” had the size, strength, and speed of modern fullbacks coupled with the toughness of a freight train.  Like many players of the Era, he played both side of the ball. He was what the media would call a complete player. On offense, sometimes Nagurski would also throw a jump-pass--he would fake the run, pedal backwards, jump for a clear view of the receiver, and throw. He later became a professional wrestler.  He was a professional athlete for three decades.

If you are every up by International Falls, Minnesota, you might like to visit the Bronko Nagurski Museum at 214 6th Avenue.  The museum is attached to the Koochiching Historical Museum.  Nagurski never moved from the area. He farmed on property his family had owned and ran a gas station. His family donated much of his memorabilia to the museum after his death. 

About our book.  On sale now on Amazon.