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Guts and Genius: The Story of Three Unlikely Coaches Who Came to Dominate the NFL in the '80s
Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells dominated what may go down as the greatest decade in pro football history, leading their teams to a combined eight championships and developing some of the most gifted players of all time in the process.
Walsh, Gibbs and Parcells developed such NFL stars as Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice, Art Monk and Darrell Green. They resurrected the careers of players like John Riggins, Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, Everson Walls and Hacksaw Reynolds. They did so with a combination of guts and genius, built championship teams in their own likeness, and revolutionized pro football like few others. Their influence is still evident in today's game, with coaches who either worked directly for them or are part of their coaching trees now winning Super Bowls and using strategy the three men devised and perfected.
In interviews with more than 150 players, coaches, family members and friends, GUTS AND GENIUS digs into the careers of three men who overcame their own insecurities and doubts to build Hall of Fame legacies that transformed their generation and continue to impact today's NFL.
Walsh, Gibbs and Parcells developed such NFL stars as Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice, Art Monk and Darrell Green. They resurrected the careers of players like John Riggins, Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, Everson Walls and Hacksaw Reynolds. They did so with a combination of guts and genius, built championship teams in their own likeness, and revolutionized pro football like few others. Their influence is still evident in today's game, with coaches who either worked directly for them or are part of their coaching trees now winning Super Bowls and using strategy the three men devised and perfected.
In interviews with more than 150 players, coaches, family members and friends, GUTS AND GENIUS digs into the careers of three men who overcame their own insecurities and doubts to build Hall of Fame legacies that transformed their generation and continue to impact today's NFL.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published November 20, 2018
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975 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 9, 2019
Brought back a lot of great memories of a great period of football between 1981-1991. Damn I miss those times. Some good anecdotes, especially with respect to how close the Redskin, 49er and Giant players were with these coaches as well as the personality traits of each. Walsh-extremely insecure at times but also brimming with self confidence. Parcells-tough and demanding as they come. Gibbs-workaholic and dependent on smart players. I’ve thought a lot about these three coaches and how, for as much success they had, they went through stretches of poor postseason and sometimes regular season performance. Consider, Walsh, after winning two titles in 4 years, lost his opening playoff game three straight years from ‘86-‘88, score 102-30. Parcells, after the ‘86 season, missed ‘87 and ‘88 playoffs and then had tough home loss in ‘89 playoffs. Gibbs missed back to back years after the ‘88 title. And all of them came back to win titles again. Not sure if these coaches would be extended the same patience in today’s day and age.
Of course, Glauber makes some annoying errors.
- First page of book, gets Paul Brown’s age wrong by 4 years. Later in the book he gets it right.
- Chapter on Redskins-Dolphins Super Bowl, inexplicably gets the final score wrong. It was 27-17. For some reason he has it as 27-16.
- A Parcells chapter on the ‘84 Giants, he has a 37-13 Giant win over the Redskins as being played in DC at RFK..it was at Giant Stadium.
Of course, Glauber makes some annoying errors.
- First page of book, gets Paul Brown’s age wrong by 4 years. Later in the book he gets it right.
- Chapter on Redskins-Dolphins Super Bowl, inexplicably gets the final score wrong. It was 27-17. For some reason he has it as 27-16.
- A Parcells chapter on the ‘84 Giants, he has a 37-13 Giant win over the Redskins as being played in DC at RFK..it was at Giant Stadium.
November 23, 2018
This book focused on the three dominant National Football League Coaches of the 1980's - Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells. This book is an overview of the career development of the three coaches along with how their personalities propelled them to the pinnacle of their sport while at the same time causing them great stress in achieving their goals. The author uses a rotating chapter format in the book, but it does not detract from the continuity. This is a fairly fast read.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants an overview into the makeup of the three coaches discussed. If you are interested in greater detail I would suggest reading individual biographies of each.
I received a free Kindle copy of Guts and Genius by by Bob Glauber courtesy of Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.
I requested this book as I am a sports fan and these were the dominant NFL coaches in the 1980's. This is the first book by the author that I have read.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants an overview into the makeup of the three coaches discussed. If you are interested in greater detail I would suggest reading individual biographies of each.
I received a free Kindle copy of Guts and Genius by by Bob Glauber courtesy of Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.
I requested this book as I am a sports fan and these were the dominant NFL coaches in the 1980's. This is the first book by the author that I have read.
March 12, 2019
This book details the struggles and successes of 49ers coach, Bill Walsh, Redskins coach, Joe Gibbs and New York Giants coach, Bill Parcells. I remember their coaching regimes clearly. What I did not know which this book discusses is that all three coaches initially struggled with losing teams and were on the cusp of being fired. However all three coaches were able to turn around their losing teams and eventually found themselves Super Bowl champions.
All three coaches had issues with their quarterbacks and it was interesting how they were able to resolve those issues. There are a lot of interesting anecdotes within the book. The most painful memory that I remember was the injury to Joe Theismann whose leg was broken in a game against Lawrence Taylor and the New York Giants.
A good read for football fans fans. Young fans who are not familiar with these three coaches may be interested in learning that there were other great catches besides Bill Belichick. ( As an aside, Belichick worked under Parcells as an assistant defensive coach.
All three coaches had issues with their quarterbacks and it was interesting how they were able to resolve those issues. There are a lot of interesting anecdotes within the book. The most painful memory that I remember was the injury to Joe Theismann whose leg was broken in a game against Lawrence Taylor and the New York Giants.
A good read for football fans fans. Young fans who are not familiar with these three coaches may be interested in learning that there were other great catches besides Bill Belichick. ( As an aside, Belichick worked under Parcells as an assistant defensive coach.
June 12, 2023
Most sports fans think their favorite game had a golden age. This usually roughly corresponds with the era they look back on most fondly. No matter what great players or teams come along, it's never quite the same. For National Football League fans from the 1980s, the rivalries between three dominant teams, the San Francisco 49ers, the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants, defined an era of pro football. Their head coaches, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells, respectively, came up with new approaches while never losing sight of the fact that their teams still had to hit people. Each was rewarded with multiple Super Bowl wins (the first for each franchise). Decades after their retirements, this trio still looms large over their old teams.
This book shows how each achieved his success. Although a fairly short book, its details offer a sweeping look at each man and his path to success. While probably not for the casual football viewers, for serious football fan will find it a welcome rush through a fondly remembered decade for the sport.
This book shows how each achieved his success. Although a fairly short book, its details offer a sweeping look at each man and his path to success. While probably not for the casual football viewers, for serious football fan will find it a welcome rush through a fondly remembered decade for the sport.
September 30, 2023
Nothing revolutionary but a fun look at the three great coaches of 1980s football. Good read if that’s your bailiwick as it is most certainly mine.
October 5, 2025
𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨 analyzed three head coaches who won a combined seven Super Bowls in the 1980s in Bill Walsh (3), Joe Gibbs (2), and Bill Parcells (1). Even though all three of those coaches received their fair share of praise, glory, and everything else that comes with success in the 1980s and in the early 1990s, this book will help you appreciate what those three men accomplished when they were in their primes.
𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨 and you have to totally give author Bob Glauber credit for this and it's that the book was well researched, the interviews that he gathered for the book helped drive the narrative about the three head coaches, and overall, this book just had some very good writing. Glauber used to be a writer for the 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙨𝙙𝙖𝙮 newspaper where he covered the New York Giants and the New York Jets among other NFL teams back in the 1980s and early 1990s. What all that means is that he had a front row seat or intimate view of the subjects that he covered in this book, which in turn makes for an in-depth book with coupled with good writing.
I appreciated the coverage or attention he gave to each head coach with individual chapters about them which included their ups and downs on the field from the early 1980s to around the time they retired.
The book began with a chapter about Walsh which included him at one of the lowest points of his career (when he got passed over for the Cincinnati Bengals head coaching job in the late 1970s) and the beginning stages of his San Francisco 49ers head coaching career. That chapter helped give you some thoughts on the struggles that Walsh endured to get to where he eventually got, which was the Mount Rushmore of NFL Head Coaches.
Later in the book there was a chapter on Parcells that started on page 45 and in that chapter, I learned that one of his main influences in his coaching career never coached a down of football on any level in former Indiana Hoosiers head basketball coach Bobby Knight. Both of them were short tempered perfectionists so it made sense that knew each other and bonded over the 1970s, 1980s and after. As I was reading that chapter I was like, no wonder why Parcells had that well known temper of his that you saw on NFL Films videos from the 80s and 90s when he was coaching or when he was dealing with the media. Of course, Parcells was born with that temper of his but hanging around men like Knight helped sort of shape or tinker with that temper.
I learned in this book how emotional and self-battling Walsh was. That man may be the best offensive mind whoever lived in NFL history, and he was certainly one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history, but that man was suffering mentally inside during every season that he coached the 49ers, even the seasons when they were highly successful (winning 11 or more games, NFC West titles, NFC Championships, and Super Bowls). I bet historical 49ers fans would love to read this book especially the Walsh chapters. Glauber really did his research on Walsh from a psychological standpoint with his own grown-man analysis of Walsh, with interviews from people who knew him like his son Craig, former players, and more. To me one of the best parts of this book was Glauber's psychological analysis of Walsh. You'll see what I mean when you read page 164 as there were two paragraphs on that page that will make you look at Walsh and the 1980s 49ers in a different way than you ever did.
Like I said before, Glauber put some interesting quotes in this book that really made you think hard or deep about the teams that Walsh, Gibbs, and Parcells coached. Like on page 182 where Glauber included a quote from 1985 where former Dallas Cowboys safety Dexter Clinkscales said this, "The myth is that Phil Simms is a great quarterback, which he isn't." He continues. "He has no special gifts like Joe Montana, Dan Marino, or even Joe Theismann." I was just a toddler in 1985 but through decades of watching NFL football, I know darn well that Clinkscales was right. Phil Simms was a good quarterback for the Giants in the 1980s and part of the 1990s, I mean the man won a Super Bowl MVP in 1986 (Super Bowl XXI), but he was not anywhere near a great quarterback even in his prime. Giants defenses which included the incomparable Lawrence Taylor and sufficient offensive talent around Simms in the 1980s and early 1990s helped him reach heights that NFL quarterbacks dream of.
Meanwhile, pages 192 to 193 had quotes and writing by Glauber that gave you a darn good lead up to the Giants' great 1986 season. Read those two pages and you'll see what I mean.
Another example of good writing by Glauber took place on pages 225 and near the halfway point of page 226, where he explained the contradictions of Walsh as a coach and human being. I beg you to read those pages because it will really help you understand what time it was with Walsh from 1981 to 1988.
Glauber closed the book with a chapter about Gibbs called Something Had to Give. That chapter was one of the chapters in this book that stood out to me. With all the success that Gibbs achieved in the 1980s it came with a price, and Glauber made sure you knew what those prices were in that closing chapter. I implore any historical Washington Redskins (I know what their current mascot is thank you) fan to read that chapter.
Pros of 𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨: The analysis of how Walsh, Gibbs, and Parcells rose from the ashes to the mountaintop of the 1980s NFL was well documented in this book. Glauber made you feel the pain that Gibbs felt when he went 0-5 in the first five games of his debut season in 1981. The author made you feel the pain of Walsh getting passed over for that Bengals head coaching job in the 1970s. He made you feel the pain of that 1983 season that nearly got Parcells fired. This book was more than a chronicling of three great head coaches; it was also a psychological study of how hard it is to achieve consistent success in the NFL. The NFL is a grind no matter what decade you're in, and Glauber made you understand that through his writing style in this book.
Cons of 𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨: I wish Glauber would have included how Gibbs dealt with defensive end Dexter Manley and running back Timmy Smith's successes and declines because that would have made for some interesting reading. Those players were barely mentioned in this book. Maybe those two's drug and money spending problems didn't fit the narrative for this book in Glauber's eyes.
In closing, Glauber covered the NFL in the 1980s and 1990s and he was smart enough to write a book about what he saw in those years he covered the league with 𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨. The book was informative, had a psychological spin to it, and more. You can't come away from this book and not appreciate what Walsh, Gibbs, and Parcells went through to get to the top of their profession. I would recommend this book to any historical NFL fan who wants to know about how the book's subjects got to the top in the 1980s.
𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨 and you have to totally give author Bob Glauber credit for this and it's that the book was well researched, the interviews that he gathered for the book helped drive the narrative about the three head coaches, and overall, this book just had some very good writing. Glauber used to be a writer for the 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙨𝙙𝙖𝙮 newspaper where he covered the New York Giants and the New York Jets among other NFL teams back in the 1980s and early 1990s. What all that means is that he had a front row seat or intimate view of the subjects that he covered in this book, which in turn makes for an in-depth book with coupled with good writing.
I appreciated the coverage or attention he gave to each head coach with individual chapters about them which included their ups and downs on the field from the early 1980s to around the time they retired.
The book began with a chapter about Walsh which included him at one of the lowest points of his career (when he got passed over for the Cincinnati Bengals head coaching job in the late 1970s) and the beginning stages of his San Francisco 49ers head coaching career. That chapter helped give you some thoughts on the struggles that Walsh endured to get to where he eventually got, which was the Mount Rushmore of NFL Head Coaches.
Later in the book there was a chapter on Parcells that started on page 45 and in that chapter, I learned that one of his main influences in his coaching career never coached a down of football on any level in former Indiana Hoosiers head basketball coach Bobby Knight. Both of them were short tempered perfectionists so it made sense that knew each other and bonded over the 1970s, 1980s and after. As I was reading that chapter I was like, no wonder why Parcells had that well known temper of his that you saw on NFL Films videos from the 80s and 90s when he was coaching or when he was dealing with the media. Of course, Parcells was born with that temper of his but hanging around men like Knight helped sort of shape or tinker with that temper.
I learned in this book how emotional and self-battling Walsh was. That man may be the best offensive mind whoever lived in NFL history, and he was certainly one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history, but that man was suffering mentally inside during every season that he coached the 49ers, even the seasons when they were highly successful (winning 11 or more games, NFC West titles, NFC Championships, and Super Bowls). I bet historical 49ers fans would love to read this book especially the Walsh chapters. Glauber really did his research on Walsh from a psychological standpoint with his own grown-man analysis of Walsh, with interviews from people who knew him like his son Craig, former players, and more. To me one of the best parts of this book was Glauber's psychological analysis of Walsh. You'll see what I mean when you read page 164 as there were two paragraphs on that page that will make you look at Walsh and the 1980s 49ers in a different way than you ever did.
Like I said before, Glauber put some interesting quotes in this book that really made you think hard or deep about the teams that Walsh, Gibbs, and Parcells coached. Like on page 182 where Glauber included a quote from 1985 where former Dallas Cowboys safety Dexter Clinkscales said this, "The myth is that Phil Simms is a great quarterback, which he isn't." He continues. "He has no special gifts like Joe Montana, Dan Marino, or even Joe Theismann." I was just a toddler in 1985 but through decades of watching NFL football, I know darn well that Clinkscales was right. Phil Simms was a good quarterback for the Giants in the 1980s and part of the 1990s, I mean the man won a Super Bowl MVP in 1986 (Super Bowl XXI), but he was not anywhere near a great quarterback even in his prime. Giants defenses which included the incomparable Lawrence Taylor and sufficient offensive talent around Simms in the 1980s and early 1990s helped him reach heights that NFL quarterbacks dream of.
Meanwhile, pages 192 to 193 had quotes and writing by Glauber that gave you a darn good lead up to the Giants' great 1986 season. Read those two pages and you'll see what I mean.
Another example of good writing by Glauber took place on pages 225 and near the halfway point of page 226, where he explained the contradictions of Walsh as a coach and human being. I beg you to read those pages because it will really help you understand what time it was with Walsh from 1981 to 1988.
Glauber closed the book with a chapter about Gibbs called Something Had to Give. That chapter was one of the chapters in this book that stood out to me. With all the success that Gibbs achieved in the 1980s it came with a price, and Glauber made sure you knew what those prices were in that closing chapter. I implore any historical Washington Redskins (I know what their current mascot is thank you) fan to read that chapter.
Pros of 𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨: The analysis of how Walsh, Gibbs, and Parcells rose from the ashes to the mountaintop of the 1980s NFL was well documented in this book. Glauber made you feel the pain that Gibbs felt when he went 0-5 in the first five games of his debut season in 1981. The author made you feel the pain of Walsh getting passed over for that Bengals head coaching job in the 1970s. He made you feel the pain of that 1983 season that nearly got Parcells fired. This book was more than a chronicling of three great head coaches; it was also a psychological study of how hard it is to achieve consistent success in the NFL. The NFL is a grind no matter what decade you're in, and Glauber made you understand that through his writing style in this book.
Cons of 𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨: I wish Glauber would have included how Gibbs dealt with defensive end Dexter Manley and running back Timmy Smith's successes and declines because that would have made for some interesting reading. Those players were barely mentioned in this book. Maybe those two's drug and money spending problems didn't fit the narrative for this book in Glauber's eyes.
In closing, Glauber covered the NFL in the 1980s and 1990s and he was smart enough to write a book about what he saw in those years he covered the league with 𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨. The book was informative, had a psychological spin to it, and more. You can't come away from this book and not appreciate what Walsh, Gibbs, and Parcells went through to get to the top of their profession. I would recommend this book to any historical NFL fan who wants to know about how the book's subjects got to the top in the 1980s.
May 8, 2019
Will always be my favorite time for the NFL for obvious reasons. While fun, there is very little new here. Each coach has his own book, all have been broadly covered by nfl films and espn. A fun, light read but not an important one
October 17, 2020
Great book on the legendary coaches with different styles.
Enjoyable read and you never have time to get bored
Enjoyable read and you never have time to get bored
July 13, 2019
Veteran NFL scribe Bob Glauber has delivered an excellent account of the coaches who dominated the NFL in the '80s in his book Guts and Genius.
The three coaches- Bill Walsh, Joe GIbbs, and Bill Parcells- combined to win eight Super Bowls between 1981-1991 and often served as the only obstacle to each other on the path to football glory.
Glauber traces the evolution of all three as coaches and is particularly strong at detailing their coaching journeys. The disappointments and close calls are most revealing, including Walsh's devastation at getting passed over to take over the Bengals from Paul Brown, and how close Parcells was to getting fired as head coach of the Giants after just one season.
The book proceeds more or less chronologically with chapters alternating through each of the three coaches. Walsh was the first to become a head coach and last coached in the NFL in 1988 and so his chapters trend earlier, while Gibbs was the last of the three to reach Super Bowl glory (in 1991), and he and Parcells both coached in the 2000s.
A long time NFL media figure, Glauber uses his contacts to great effect, interviewing many friends, family members, coaches and players of each of the three. These interviews enhance an already strong narrative.
The only thing that keeps this book from receiving five stars is that there are far too many factual errors. Two examples from late in the book... Glauber states that Gibbs is the only coach to win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks (which is true), but then states that Parcells is the only other coach to win multiple Super Bowls with multiple quarterbacks. However, Walsh's replacement George Seifert won two Super Bowls with the 49ers, one with Joe Montana and one with Steve Young. Another misstep involves the discussion of the success of the Bill Walsh coaching tree. Citing the example of Mike Shanahan, who worked for Seifert in San Francisco, Glauber states that he took over the Denver Broncos for Dan Reeves and went on to win two Super Bowls. Shanahan did win two Super Bowls with Denver, but Wade Phillips took over for Reeves for two seasons, and Shanahan took over for Phillips.
Errors not withstanding, Guts and Genius is a good and enjoyable book that NFL fans should not miss.
The three coaches- Bill Walsh, Joe GIbbs, and Bill Parcells- combined to win eight Super Bowls between 1981-1991 and often served as the only obstacle to each other on the path to football glory.
Glauber traces the evolution of all three as coaches and is particularly strong at detailing their coaching journeys. The disappointments and close calls are most revealing, including Walsh's devastation at getting passed over to take over the Bengals from Paul Brown, and how close Parcells was to getting fired as head coach of the Giants after just one season.
The book proceeds more or less chronologically with chapters alternating through each of the three coaches. Walsh was the first to become a head coach and last coached in the NFL in 1988 and so his chapters trend earlier, while Gibbs was the last of the three to reach Super Bowl glory (in 1991), and he and Parcells both coached in the 2000s.
A long time NFL media figure, Glauber uses his contacts to great effect, interviewing many friends, family members, coaches and players of each of the three. These interviews enhance an already strong narrative.
The only thing that keeps this book from receiving five stars is that there are far too many factual errors. Two examples from late in the book... Glauber states that Gibbs is the only coach to win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks (which is true), but then states that Parcells is the only other coach to win multiple Super Bowls with multiple quarterbacks. However, Walsh's replacement George Seifert won two Super Bowls with the 49ers, one with Joe Montana and one with Steve Young. Another misstep involves the discussion of the success of the Bill Walsh coaching tree. Citing the example of Mike Shanahan, who worked for Seifert in San Francisco, Glauber states that he took over the Denver Broncos for Dan Reeves and went on to win two Super Bowls. Shanahan did win two Super Bowls with Denver, but Wade Phillips took over for Reeves for two seasons, and Shanahan took over for Phillips.
Errors not withstanding, Guts and Genius is a good and enjoyable book that NFL fans should not miss.
March 4, 2019
Guts and Genius tells the story of the three most successful NFL coaches of the 1980s: Bill Walsh (49ers), Bill Parcells (Giants) and Joe Gibbs (Redskins). For those readers who have looked at the NFL series America's Game, a lot of the stories in the book are going to be familiar, as writer Bob Glauber, takes you through the championship seasons of each of the coaches. The beginning of the book details the hard fought struggle to become NFL coaches, as each coach, took a long and circuitous path to a head coaching job, and each reaching near the breaking point along the way. Ultimately, the three coaches' teams had great battles, won championships, and had diminishing success once they retired. It's a fast read, especially if you have some knowledge of NFL football in the 1980s. As a Cowboys fan, it was hard reading on how each team made its mark by destroying the Landry dynasty. (Of course, Dallas and Jimmy Johnson would exact sweet revenge later). On top of football though, it's an inspirational story about coaches, building relationships with athletes and having the will to continue against great odds. Great read for sports (re: football) fans though probably a bit too heavy in sports jargon and facts for non-sports fans to appreciate.
November 24, 2019
This book was basically exactly what I expected and it was a fun nostalgic trip through the 80's with three legendary NFL coaches - Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs. From the 1982 Super Bowl to the 1992 Super Bowl, these three coaches led their teams to championships a combined eight times. That's eight times in 11 years and one of the other years was the 49ers team that Walsh left to George Seifert the year after he retired. The Redskins lost another one of those Super Bowls to the the Raiders in 1984. So these three coaches represented the Super Bowl basically in 10 of 11 Super Bowls. This book doesn't get into the players that much, it's mostly the stories of the coaches and how they got to their respective teams and then what they did once they got there. Oh the playoff games are detailed each year for sure, but if you're looking for a very detailed book on one of the coaches, there are other books out there. This is almost a cliff notes, but a very fun to read book on all three coaches. Good stuff, the only reason I didn't give a five, is I HAVE READ other books on the three coaches and didn't really learn anything new. That being said, someone reading their first NFL book and loving the 1980's version of the NFL will love this book by Bob Glauber.
December 16, 2019
If you watched the America's Game and other NFL film documentaries from this era, there may be little new here. The book picked up towards the end. At first, it seemed to repeat things I had read or heard before. Ultimately, this is a quick read, and it brings back memories from a now by gone era. I do not like the NFL as much as I did in these days. One reason was the coaches. Parcells, Walsh and Gibbs, handled themselves like full grown men. They were father figures to their younger players. Many of today's coaches seem more like big brothers. The NFL has changed. Maybe not always for the better.
November 25, 2021
I've enjoyed listening to Bob Glauber as a guest on a radio show for years, so was excited to get to read his first book. Sadly, I found it a little disappointing. For a hall of fame writer, I expected more. His writing style is choppy, and there are several areas where he uses the same word repeatedly in a sentence or on a page. Overall, the story was interesting though hard to follow at some points, and not as compelling as I thought it would be; there didn't seem to be an overarching plot line or, well, a main point. He just came out with another book, so I will probably give the author another go, but am not as excited as I thought I'd be about it.
December 31, 2019
This is a pretty easy read, but one I found immensely enjoyable. The first Super Bowl I really remember was the 1981 49ers-Bengals, and this book took me back through that Super Bowl, and the ones that followed. Walsh, Gibbs and Parcells were legendary coaches - I felt like the book captured what made each of them tick (and successful). Worth reading for any football fan, and even more so if (like me) you came of age in the 1980s.
November 6, 2025
Weaves its way from being a somewhat bland rundown of seasonal results to then having interesting tidbits and stories about these three men and the lives they led. The pacing of the book is a little unsteady due to this dynamic and is not a smooth read. Still interesting and a good read for any fan of the NFL, especially during the 1980s.
December 14, 2018
I grew up in NJ and am a long time Giants fan. I was a high school senior when the Giants won SB XXI and a college senior when they won XXV. Bob’s book was a trip down memory lane and does a great job of weaving together the stories behind the three best coaches of that era. Highly recommended.
December 21, 2022
Very Good Book
For someone who grew up watching football in the 1980's this book brings back wonderful memories. Such great battles between 3 teams and coaches who dominated the decade.
For someone who grew up watching football in the 1980's this book brings back wonderful memories. Such great battles between 3 teams and coaches who dominated the decade.
January 8, 2019
A good look back at a great time
Good insight into 3 of the modern greats of the nfl and the effect of high quality coaching. The 80s had a lot of great teams.
Good insight into 3 of the modern greats of the nfl and the effect of high quality coaching. The 80s had a lot of great teams.
February 25, 2019
Great read, especially as an audiobook. The three coaches really come alive through Glauber's words. Certainly a must-read for any dedicated football fan
February 7, 2019
Great read for those who watched football in the 80's. Thought I knew a lot about this time period but learned a lot of new info.
January 31, 2020
Very interesting. Nothing new but good.
January 23, 2022
Triple Threat
Good book.
Amazing how all three of these legends really did connect with each other. Check it out you won't be disappointed.
Good book.
Amazing how all three of these legends really did connect with each other. Check it out you won't be disappointed.
December 27, 2022
Just a fantastic book that really captures the golden age of the NFL in the 1980s.
January 9, 2023
A very good look at three iconic NFL coaches.
June 11, 2023
Quick read. I liked the outline of the book, jumping from one coach to the other sequentially as they each won Super Bowls. Good interviews and info.
August 30, 2023
Overall a good insight to 3 of the most famous names in football
A good overview and leaves me wanting to read more about each
A good overview and leaves me wanting to read more about each
December 3, 2025
Super great read. Recommend if you’re interested in learning more about these 3 amazing coaches. Little boring at times but learned a lot
April 2, 2023
An interesting take that compares and contrasts the coaching primes of three of the most dominant coaches from the 1980s. This book follows Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells and their fortunes coaching their teams (49ers, Washington, NY Giants). The work starts with just enough biographical information about each coach, but it really gets to the successful years, following their career trajectories from the 1981 to 1991 seasons. During that time, these men accounted for 8 of the 11 Super Bowls (Gibbs: 3, Walsh: 3, Parcells: 2), with Gibbs the losing coach in another Super Bowl, and one of the wins being claimed by the 49ers in the season immediately after Walsh retired, with most of the same personnel. Additionally, they managed to make their mark on the game, from Bill Walsh's offensive philosophies to Joe Gibbs' tactical brilliance taking three different quarterbacks and a formidable offensive line to three Super Bowl wins, to Parcells defensive schemes and coaching methodology. They came to define the NFL in the 1980s, and the impact is still felt to this day. A good read for any NFL fan.
(3/31/23) Relistened to this work as a nighttime listen. Still interesting and offering some good insights, but also, did help me to fall asleep, so the rating still holds.
(3/31/23) Relistened to this work as a nighttime listen. Still interesting and offering some good insights, but also, did help me to fall asleep, so the rating still holds.
April 26, 2019
This is a very enjoyable book - well-written and easy to get through as it traces the careers of Gibbs, Parcells, and Walsh.
It's a little heavy on Parcells (the author is, after all, a NYC sportswriter) compared to the others. The chapter on Gibbs's last championship is far too brief, compared to the attention spent on the other guys. Also, a dumb error near the end made me wonder how well researched it all was. (Glauber said that Earnest Byner's fumble in the 1986 AFC championship game set up Elway's drive. No. Byner's fumble was the next year in a separate game - those games are pretty well-remembered so it's odd/embarrassing for Galuber to botch that up).
But in all this is a really good book.
It's a little heavy on Parcells (the author is, after all, a NYC sportswriter) compared to the others. The chapter on Gibbs's last championship is far too brief, compared to the attention spent on the other guys. Also, a dumb error near the end made me wonder how well researched it all was. (Glauber said that Earnest Byner's fumble in the 1986 AFC championship game set up Elway's drive. No. Byner's fumble was the next year in a separate game - those games are pretty well-remembered so it's odd/embarrassing for Galuber to botch that up).
But in all this is a really good book.
December 30, 2018
This was my favorite era of NFL football. I was an avid 49er fan, and I loved Bill Walsh and Joe Montana. I also liked Joe Gibbs a lot. I probably would have liked Bill Parcells, but his Giants beat the 49ers too many times. I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane.
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