Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen

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Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen

by Joe Drape (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 271 ratings · 85 reviews

An inspiring portrait of the extraordinary high-school football team whose quest for perfection sustains its hometown in the heartland

The football team in Smith Center, Kansas, has won sixty-seven games in a row, the nation’s longest high-school winning streak. They have done so by embracing a philosophy of life taught by their legendary coach, Roger Barta: “Respect each o...more

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published August 18th 2009 by Times Books (first published October 1989)

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Jun 19, 2012 Dennis Maley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here's a good book for a light, heartwarming read. Smith Center, Kansas sits out on the prairie on a not-so-busy highway and they win football games. One heck of a dedicated coach built a dynasty and at the time this book was written, the team was looking for another perfect season of 8-man football. A New York writer took up residence in Smith Center for a year or so to write the book and was given terrific access to the everything having to do with the program. It seems like everyone in town w...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: local-interest, nonfiction

When I was a student at K-State, I met and became friends with many, many kids from rural farms and small towns scattered across the Kansas plains, like Smith Center. (In fact, I may have known someone from Smith Center--it's hard to recall all the little hometowns of my "old" friends.) That was one of the things that I loved about Kansas State. For a large university, it really had a small-town feel--and that's coming from a city girl! Many of the students were from small, rural towns where eve...more

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Sep 06, 2009 Seth rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Football fans

Recommended to Seth by: Amazon Vine

Our Boys is both an epic quest of a high school football team and a story rich with meaningful lessons and thoughts, most of which delivered by Coach Roger Barta. In 2008 the Smith Center Redmen were looking for their fifth consecutive state championship and setting a state record for consecutive wins.

Taking place in Kansas, without reading so much as a synopsis I expected Our Boys to be about a football team steamrolling their competition behind their devoted small town fans. I know the Midwest...more

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Aug 19, 2009 Joseph rated it 2 of 5 stars

Here's what my experience was like in trying to read this book. Reading the first few pages and finding it slow... Deciding I'll give it 50 pages, but found it slow... Decided to give it another 50 pages, but found it slow.. OK, I'll give it another 70 pages, etc. For me, it never seemed to change gears or get to an exciting part.

The author, Mr. Drape, appears to concede that the coach involved in this true story does not have much to say; or rather he tends to say two different things to repor...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

A guy I coach with recommended this book to me. It's about a small high school football team. Located in Smith Center, Kansas, the book chronicles the Redmen as they chase after their 5th straight state championship and continue their winning streak, which had reached 60+ games.

As a high school football coach, it was a very interesting read. The town is located in the geographical center of the U.S. and is the prototypical small midwestern town. The people of the community are hard-working, with...more

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Aug 26, 2009 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, sports, read-in-2009

When the Smith County Redmen set a Kansas state playoff record for the most points scored in one quarter, the team caught the interest of the national media, including New York Times reporter Joe Drape.

But after the story calmed down a bit, Drape began to dig a little deeper into the history, tradition and story of the Smith Center Redmen and their long-time coach, Roger Barta, Drape found there was more to the story than just one of the most dominant high school teams in the history of the stat...more When the Smith County Redmen set a Kansas state playoff record for the most points scored in one quarter, the team caught the interest of the national media, including New York Times reporter Joe Drape.

But after the story calmed down a bit, Drape began to dig a little deeper into the history, tradition and story of the Smith Center Redmen and their long-time coach, Roger Barta, Drape found there was more to the story than just one of the most dominant high school teams in the history of the state of Kansas. The team had won four straight championships and looked poised to make a run at a fifth. If they could make it through the 2008 season undefeated they'd not only have a fifth title but a state record for the most games won in a row.

And yet the team was facing some questions going into the season, including whether or not the team would gel on the field.

"Our Boys" is the account of the events leading up to the season and the season itself. But it's about a lot more than that. It's the story of the impact one man can have on his team--in this case, it's Coach Bafta. It's about how Bafta works to instill on his team the virtues they will need to be successful on the football field and, more importantly, in life beyond football. It's the story of how a town finds its sense of community from the team and what it represents to the faithful who gather each Friday evening to watch their team play. It's about the pressure placed on the team not only by themselves but the outside world as they make the run. It's about the sport of football and how it can bring people together in a positive way.

I've seen this book compared to "Friday Night Lights" and while I can see the similarities, the two are very different beasts. Both are good, but "Our Boys" is a far more inspiring tale about what can happen when the emphasis in football isn't entirely all about winning but instead being part of something bigger than yourself--whether it be the football team or the community. Both a good books and a must read for any football fan, but they're both very different books.
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Nov 07, 2009 JoAnn/QuAppelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to know the many characters in this book better...maybe that is why it was just an okay read for me. The author tried to cover too many people and thus not many of them were fully described enough for me.

Also, despite my own inner admonition not to do so, I kept comparing this book to "Friday Night Lights" and to another lesser-known book entitled "in These Girls, Hope is a Muscle". Both of those books were exciting, written with style and a lot of passion, and read like novels. Lots of...more

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Dec 20, 2009 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was expecting a updated version of Friday Night Lights, which would not be entirely bad since I for some reason have a fascination with small town high school football. However, this book showed that, unlike the portrayal in Friday Night Lights, some coaches still care not only about the star player, but about all of the students on his team.

Smith Center, Kansas is everything that Odessa, Texas was not. Sure, they both love their high school football, but I feel that this is where the similar...more

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Dec 09, 2009 Nic Germano rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although I wouldn't normally pick up a book about high school football, Joe is a great friend and I wanted to support him so I picked it up on Tuesday. I'm only 35 pages into it but am instantly reminded of my own experience at a high school athlete, I also dated a high school football player. Ahhh the good times.....I definately reccommend it to everyone. Looking forward to finshing it. Thanks Joe!

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Aug 17, 2009 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a former high school coach and current athletic administrator, I am fascinated by the impact, both positive and negative, that co-curricular athletics can have on small communities. I was hoping that Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen, by Joe Drape, would meet the high expectations set by Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights. I believe F.N.L. is the consummate story on the powers (or poisons) that a community can enshrine on its athletes. Fortunately, with anothe...more As a former high school coach and current athletic administrator, I am fascinated by the impact, both positive and negative, that co-curricular athletics can have on small communities. I was hoping that Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen, by Joe Drape, would meet the high expectations set by Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights. I believe F.N.L. is the consummate story on the powers (or poisons) that a community can enshrine on its athletes. Fortunately, with another fall season around the corner, I get the impression that this is not another frightening social commentary like the story from Odessa, Texas. The opening quote by Coach Roger Barta states, “None of this is really about football...What I hope we’re doing is sending kids into life who know that every day means something.” Very promising.

Drape begins his story by describing his desire to reconnect with his Midwestern roots and proceeds to introduce the reader to the coaching staff and several members of the incoming senior class. The team is pursuing a record-setting sixty-seven game winning streak set several years ago. It is a classic setting that could be created by a novelist. The town of Smith Center is isolated from big-city influences (the nearest McDonald’s is 90 miles away) and never fully recovered from the tragic dust bowls of the 1930’s. The average per capita income in this politically conservative county is under $15,000 and few jobs exist outside of agriculture and the public school districts. The student-athletes’ discipline appears to begin at home and is reinforced by Banta’s compassionate, yet stern, leadership. In an era in which some tend to laud a coach for over-bearing authority, Banta tells his players to call him directly if they are going to miss a practice because if they don’t show up “I get worried. I wonder if (you) are hurt, or if something has happened to (your) family. I may not agree with why (you miss practice), but I’m going to let you go. We’re a team. We look after one another.” Isn’t this what we want from the people leading our students? This being said, Banta does not receive a free pass from Drape regarding some questionable scores that his team has run up on opponents. Most noticeable is the shocking record 72-0 opening quarter that led many to criticize coaching decisions. He mildly defends himself by stating that it happened very quickly and the opponent was virtually unable to stop a single play from resulting in a touchdown. While this may have been the case, it is difficult to accept such an excuse without further questioning a coach’s motives.

Drape chose to maintain a positive focus throughout the story. He casually describes his relationships with many of the down-to-earth folks he meets during his stay. I think one of his greatest successes in this book is how he describes the student-athletes critically, yet with a great deal of restraint. Although he touches on them, he avoided the temptation to glamorize academic struggles or emotional outbursts from these young men. When writing about teenagers, there is an inherent risk of creating mini-celebrities and I believe the parents of these boys would approve of the way their children were described.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. It was smooth and flowed very effortlessly. If you are a reader that finds interest in hearing about very average teenagers searching for a purpose and working to achieve goals, take a couple of days and relax with Our Boys. If you have experienced a football season as a player, parent or coach, you will connect with this team and coaching staff thanks to Drape's casual style. High school football can be a great experience for all involved when the priorities are in order. This book seems to justify that.(less)

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Aug 21, 2009 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This is a wonderful story. Very down to earth, and well put together. It was ideal that I have a brother with a love of football, it helped me understand the anatomy behind this novel, but this book would have been crystal clear if you had never even heard of football. This novel was more about what was underneath the football. The raw emotions about living in a small town.

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Sep 24, 2009 Mary Novaria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great storytelling weaves football, community and family together in tiny, agricultural Smith Center, Kansas. What happens on the field is only part of the story. What's really going on is proof that "it takes a village", and that success and character are built with strong leadership, support, trust and love. Forgive the cliche, but Coach Barta proves there's "no I in Team" as he emphasizes camradery, hard work and tradition to bring out the best in "our boys." These kids compete with the oppos...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Leslie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Joe Drape moved his family to Kansas for a year to write the story of the winning-est high school football team in the state's history. I really appreciated the way the author treats the subjects of his tale. He writes about the team and the entire community of Smith Center with respect and curiosity--he does not romanticize small town life, nor does he patronize the town's obsession with its "boys." It's just the right balance, which was refreshing to me.

While I enjoyed reading about the diffe...more

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May 10, 2010 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars

If this book doesn't make you want to put your McMansion up for sale and load up your spoiled Johnson County children and head to Western Kansas for a slice of real life well I don't know what will. Yes, A Perfect Season is about high school football, some of the best in the state. But truly it is the story of a community of men and women, teachers, coaches, lunch ladies, everyone in fact loving, guiding and supporting the children, whether or not they play football for the legendary Redmen. It...more

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Aug 31, 2010 Joe Drape added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

We are out in paperback with new chapter, new cover and extensive reading group materials. I appreciate the support and feedback I've gotten here. With football season upon us, especially high school footbal, keep Our Boys in mind.

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Nov 23, 2009 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think that anyone who has children, coaches sports teams, lives in the city or suburbs, or longs for a stronger sense of community and a simpler way of doing things in our fast-paced world may want to read this book. I was slightly skeptical before buying the book, worrying it would be too overdone and really hoping only to read about an amazing football season. But reading about Coach Barta's coaching methods, his message, his impact on the players and town, and his dedication was inspiring a...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Lissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

I liked this book. I read it almost all in one night, and was interested in the story even though the outcome "a perfect season" waas right there on the front of the book.

Discussing it in book group REALLY brought more depth to the book - and I thought I had been reading critically to begin with -- my cohorts criticized the lack of women and girls in the story, particularly their role in the football program, which I had noticed also. People from small towns were MUCH more attuned to the feeling...more

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May 25, 2010 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, a true story about the high school football team in Smith Center, KS. It was written by a NY Times sports writer who moved to Smith Center for several months to experience what made the town and its team so special -- besides the fact that they had one of the longest winning streaks in high school football history. This is no "Friday Night Lights" where the townfolks want to win at any cost. The title really expresses how the townspeople see ALL the high school studen...more

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Oct 05, 2009 Donna Jo Atwood rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: football, 2009-fall-read, nonfiction

This is a great story of high school football as played in small town Kansas. It's a story of a coach who, yes, wants his boys to win games, but more importantly wants them to win a life. It is the story of teen-aged boys who have a goal to work for and a dream to live up to. It is the story of a small town which on the surface doesn't have much going for it, but then there are the people--the parents, the teachers, the whole community.
I'm not a huge sports nut, but I enjoyed this story alot. I...more

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Sep 30, 2009 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: real-world

A beautiful and heartwarming book. This book makes you want to move to Kansas so you can have your kids grow up in a community that really is a community. Here's a link to the author's latest article in the NYT about the team and Smith Center http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/spo... It would have been nice to have a map of Kansas is my only complaint. This book is about taking care of each other and when you do that as a team and as a oommunity you win. Not only that it's about mentoring and doi...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This was a really enjoyable read in which New York Times reporter Joe Drape tells of the football dynasty from Smith Center, Kansas. It is 2008 and the Smith Center High School Redmen are hoping to set the record for Kansas longest high school winning streak and claim the Class 2A Championship for the fifth year in a row.

Joe Drape and his family move to Smith Center so he can observe first-hand what is so special about this football program and their esteemed coach, Roger Barta. He learns that...more

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Nov 11, 2010 Tom Gase rated it 3 of 5 stars

A pretty good book by Joe Drape about a football team from Smith Center, Kansas that attempt to break the state record for most consecutive wins in a row for a high school football team at 67. The team begins the 2008 season with 54 straight wins, so in order to break the record the team, the Redmen, need to win the state championship. So yeah, this book is kind of predictable. Jeez, I wonder if they have a chance to get to that state championship game??? I won't tell you who wins though.

The bo...more A pretty good book by Joe Drape about a football team from Smith Center, Kansas that attempt to break the state record for most consecutive wins in a row for a high school football team at 67. The team begins the 2008 season with 54 straight wins, so in order to break the record the team, the Redmen, need to win the state championship. So yeah, this book is kind of predictable. Jeez, I wonder if they have a chance to get to that state championship game??? I won't tell you who wins though.

The book is good in that it describes what life is like in a small town with a population below 2,000 (my last apartment complex had about as many people in it in Camarillo, CA.) in a midwestern town. I felt like I was living in Smith Center myself as I read the book. The author also does a good job of describing the players and what they go through each and every day. I really felt I got to know most of the players.

Now the problems. One, I liked this book the first time when it was called Friday Night Lights and every other book that has tried to rip that one off in the last 20 years. A few years back I thought about doing the same thing myself with the football team from Oaks Christian but I didn't. It probably would have been very similiar to this book, only in a bigger town. The second problem I had with the book is that I really felt the writer got too close to the team and was like a fan rather than a reporter. Drape brings this up a couple times near the end of the book, saying he didn't want to become a fan. Too late Joe, this read like a fan's perspective and not a writers. If something even close to remotely bad happened to this team or anyone on it, I got the feeling that Drape would not report it because he had grown too close to the team himself. I wondered if having your 3-year-old son hanging out with the team was considered good ethics for a reporter, even if he WAS trying to be a good father. I did get the feeling that this team actually WAS squeaky clean because the city is located in the butt-center of nowhere, and I DO believe these were good kids. But I also believed that the whole story wasn't being told, that this was at times too good to be true. I don't know, just my opinion I guess.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves high school football, and fans of the book Friday Night Lights will also enjoy this, although not as much. (less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, sociology-culture

An enjoyable read about a small Kansas town that supports a record-setting high school football team. I enjoyed the description of a small town and how sports can unify a town. I would have liked to hear more about the difficulties of a small town, it sometimes felt like it was a romantic view of small-town life. It was a great narrative about community, sports and building young men for life beyond football.

My favorite part was after every game all of the men and boys would circle around the te...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american, memoirs-and-bios, sports

Don't let the cover fool you: this isn't a book about football.

When Joe Drape left his Kansas City home to work his way up as a sports journalist for The Dallas Morning News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and then The New York Times, he probably didn't imagine he'd one day return to the Midwest and fall in love with a 1.2 square mile rural farming community just shy of 1700 people. At it's heart, Our Boys is a love story.

When Drape arrived in Smith Center in the fall of 2008, he counted hims...more Don't let the cover fool you: this isn't a book about football.

When Joe Drape left his Kansas City home to work his way up as a sports journalist for The Dallas Morning News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and then The New York Times, he probably didn't imagine he'd one day return to the Midwest and fall in love with a 1.2 square mile rural farming community just shy of 1700 people. At it's heart, Our Boys is a love story.

When Drape arrived in Smith Center in the fall of 2008, he counted himself an objective journalist. He assured the head coach that a defeat wouldn't spoil the book he was planning to write about the Redmen, and might even "be better for the narrative of the book." But by the time the playoffs were in full swing, he found himself fighting to keep his emotions in check, cheering for the Redmen as heartily as the football moms and dads.

Our Boys is the story of Smith Center, Kansas: a close-knit community that nurtures its boys, teaching them about teamwork, love, respect, and becoming men. It's about Coach Barta's nearly new-age sayings and mantras; the father / son conflict between feisty running back Colt Rogers and his dad, coach Mike Rogers; senior Marshall McCall gradually easing into the shoes of team captain and leader. It's also about Smith Center's Second Cup Cafe and the charming octogenarian society, the "As the Bladder Fills" club, and it's about the Tucker, Overmiller, and Roush families, all working hard to keep the tradition of Kansas family farms alive.

In Our Boys there is none of the harsh critique that can sometimes creep in when an outsider pens objective third-party nonfiction. Instead, Drape has taken a page out of Coach Barta's book, and returned respect with respect, love with love. The result is a beautiful, bestselling book that might just inspire you to be a little kinder to your neighbor.

And for you, football fans? Don't worry -- Drape easily slides in play-by-plays of some of the Redmen's most exciting games, dissects the Redmen's fascinating winning strategy, and gives a complete glimpse into the "NASA lab" where Coach Barta and his colleagues analyze the reels from week to week, converting even the most casual bystander into just a little bit of fan. Trust me, I know.(less)

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Dec 06, 2009 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reporter Joe Draper counts himself a Midwesterner even though he hasn't lived there in 30 years. He returns from New York to his Kansas roots with his wife and 2 year son to chronicle the 2008 season of a highly acclaimed high school football team, with promised "complete access" from 31 year veteran coach, Roger Barta. The narrative dips into the geography, economy, and history of the team and Smith County with plenty of local color, and details training camp, student struggles to lead, the cha...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Sean rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Football fans, Fans of Friday Night Lights (TV) series, people who like inspiring stories of success

Shelves: non-fiction, first-reads

I thoroughly enjoyed "Our Boys." Even though I'm not the biggest football fan in the world, or a fan of high school football at all for that matter, the Redmen have a truly compelling story here - one that Drape communicates wonderfully.

What Drape does in "Our Boys" that makes the book so worthwhile is that he makes characters - at first just names on a page - matter to the reader. To be honest, when I first started reading, I thought to myself, "This book is really getting off to a slow start,"...more I thoroughly enjoyed "Our Boys." Even though I'm not the biggest football fan in the world, or a fan of high school football at all for that matter, the Redmen have a truly compelling story here - one that Drape communicates wonderfully.

What Drape does in "Our Boys" that makes the book so worthwhile is that he makes characters - at first just names on a page - matter to the reader. To be honest, when I first started reading, I thought to myself, "This book is really getting off to a slow start," but as the narrative progressed, I realized that this perceived "slowness" wasn't any fault of Drape's at all. Rather, Drape was just taking his time building the narrative, trying to make people like me, a lifelong New Yorker, relate to kids younger than 18 who live in Kansas and raise hogs and harvest grain with their families. Drape not only succeeds at this endeavor but excels at it is what makes this a great book.

One thing in particular that I enjoyed about "Our Boys" was Drape's insertion of anecdotes about his family's efforts to adapt to a rural, small-town lifestyle. I am too young to have a family of my own yet, but I couldn't help but smile at the pride that radiated from Drape's words when he watched his son Jack volunteering with the Redmen as a water boy. These anecdotes don't necessarily advance along the narrative in regard to the Redmen, but they do enhance the reader's sense of the ideal of the pure, simple, Aaron Copland-backed lifestyle of the American heartland that Drape experienced when writing this book.

In fact, I felt at times like Drape could have written two separate books here - one exclusively about the Redmen's winning streak and the team's cast of characters, and another book, in the spirit of travel narratives, written about transplanting his family to essentially the middle of nowhere (no offense Smith Center!), in order to experience rural America.

The fact that I give Drape's book four rather than five stars should not be taken to mean that there were any glaring flaws in the book; rather, the rating is just a personal thing for me. I tend to reserve fives only for books that are my *absolute* all-time favorites. Goodreads describes a four-star rating as "Really liked it," and that's no lie - I really liked "Our Boys"!

I really hope that some day I meet someone who comes across as so effortlessly inspiring as Coach Barta... until then, at least we have people like Joe Drape to write about the Coach Bartas of the world.

Full disclosure: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.(less)

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Feb 19, 2010 Kelley Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, 2009

I got this book as part of a first-reads giveaway. At first, I really didn't think that I'd enjoy it that much. I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction. Plus, although I enjoy watching a good football game, I don't know football inside and out like a lot of people do. I had never heard of the team before, and didn't think that I'd care about what really happened to them or to their football season.

I was wrong! Drape does an amazing job of making you care about this team, the players, and the town that...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are no surprises. This is about a perfect season with a high school football team. You do not need to have a good grasp on football to read this book. I picked it up because it was choosen by the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library as a Kansas Reads. I did not come out to hear Coach Barta talk, and now I wish I would have. This book shows how imporant leadership is - especially to teenagers. The community of small towns and how everyone pulls together. While the focus is on a high school...more

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Nov 24, 2010 Carie rated it 3 of 5 stars

What is it with me and sports non-fiction?

This was a great, great story. Definitely 3 1/2 stars. It was not terribly compelling or a real page turner but that helped add to it's authenticity. It's a true story. These are real people. So the author can't (and thankfully didn't) embellish for dramatic flare. Also there is A LOT of football: plays, positions, coaching strategies, etc. If you don't like football you probably won't like this book. Otherwise, it is a fantastic story about life in a s...more

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Nov 22, 2009 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

The simple truths of teaching to get better everyday, respect, and love are known by all teachers, but in this story the coaches actually imparted these values upon their students while teaching them how to kick some serious butt. I think Drape played down the importance of winning in this story. Closing with a passage about how this story wasn't about winning, but this story would never have been written without the longest undefeated streak being broken.

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About Joe Drape

Joe Drape is a reporter for The New York Times and the author of the New York Times Best Seller Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen. He also is the author of The Race for the Triple Crown and Black Maestro. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, he previously worked for The Dallas Morning News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When he doesn’t live in Kan...more

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