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Ten Men You Meet in the Huddle: Lessons from a Football Life
No sport rivals football for building character. In the scorching heat of two-a-days and the fierce combat of the gridiron, true leaders are born. Just ask Bill Curry, whose credentials for exploring the relationship between football and leadership include two Super Bowl rings and the distinction of having snapped footballs to Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas.
In Ten Men You Meet in the Huddle , Curry shares the wit, wisdom, and tough love of teammates and coaches who turned him from a next-to-last NFL draft pick into a two-time Pro Bowler. Learning from such giants as Vince Lombardi and Don Shula, Ray Nitschke and Bubba Smith, Bobby Dodd and even the indomitable George Plimpton, Curry led a football life of nonstop exploration packed with adventure and surprise.
Blessed with irresistible characters, rich personal history, and a strong, simple, down-to-earth voice, Ten Men You Meet in the Huddle proves that football is much more than a game.
It’s a metaphor for life.
In Ten Men You Meet in the Huddle , Curry shares the wit, wisdom, and tough love of teammates and coaches who turned him from a next-to-last NFL draft pick into a two-time Pro Bowler. Learning from such giants as Vince Lombardi and Don Shula, Ray Nitschke and Bubba Smith, Bobby Dodd and even the indomitable George Plimpton, Curry led a football life of nonstop exploration packed with adventure and surprise.
Blessed with irresistible characters, rich personal history, and a strong, simple, down-to-earth voice, Ten Men You Meet in the Huddle proves that football is much more than a game.
It’s a metaphor for life.
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2008
6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 7, 2009
Actually, a heartwarming book on a violent sport. If you're a fan of football, you'll find some great stories - especially if you are a Packer fan. I do consider this more than a book on football. It actually feels a lot like a coming-of-age book of not only growing up to be a man - but a better man.
November 7, 2025
A great read about the men that Bill Curry met while playing football that meant the most to him. There are lots of great football tales, but he also talks about things he learned from each person. From legendary coaches like Lombardi and Schula to great players like Starr and Unitas, each chapter is fascinating in its own way.
Highly recommended, not just for the great football tales but for outlooks on life in general.
Highly recommended, not just for the great football tales but for outlooks on life in general.
January 25, 2010
Bill Curry's life is more than a football life. In reality, Curry is a humanitairan, scribe, ESPN analyst, an inspirational speaker on the dias and an engaging man about town who at the age of 65 has decided to build a first-ever football program at Georgia State University. He is the epitome of the Southern gentleman who just happened to enjoy knocking heads on the football field.
Ten Men tells Curry's story by telling the tales of those who influenced him in the huddle. The key to understanding the book is to see Curry's clever use of a simple metephor to describe how none of us go at this alone. The book is funny, intresting and sometimes brutally honest even when it makes Curry look less than stellar.
Truth be told, I have worked with Bill and been influenced by his attention to detail and passion to help others. A few motivational words from Bill can make a group of oldsters ready to knock heads against Super Bowl champions. A very special book by one of football's most precious treasures.
Ten Men tells Curry's story by telling the tales of those who influenced him in the huddle. The key to understanding the book is to see Curry's clever use of a simple metephor to describe how none of us go at this alone. The book is funny, intresting and sometimes brutally honest even when it makes Curry look less than stellar.
Truth be told, I have worked with Bill and been influenced by his attention to detail and passion to help others. A few motivational words from Bill can make a group of oldsters ready to knock heads against Super Bowl champions. A very special book by one of football's most precious treasures.
January 9, 2010
An easy read, this book was a look at 10 people from pro, college and high school football that were influential in Bill Curry's life. The chapters on Don Shula and Vince Lombardi were the best, not surprisingly. I also enjoyed the chapter on John Unitas. My favorite caption from the book came from this chapter:
"Hey John, how come you sound so happy? What's there to be happy about in weather (90 degree heat) like this?". In my book, two-a-days in 90 degree heat was a time for fatigue, bitching and self pity. "You're a long time dead, Billy!" he grinned. "You're crazy, Old man. Nobody could like this part of football". "Listen Billy, you aren't here but a little while. You better love what you do, or just don't do it. I love football practice. I love every minute of every day we're out here. If you want to last, you better learn to love it, too.
"Hey John, how come you sound so happy? What's there to be happy about in weather (90 degree heat) like this?". In my book, two-a-days in 90 degree heat was a time for fatigue, bitching and self pity. "You're a long time dead, Billy!" he grinned. "You're crazy, Old man. Nobody could like this part of football". "Listen Billy, you aren't here but a little while. You better love what you do, or just don't do it. I love football practice. I love every minute of every day we're out here. If you want to last, you better learn to love it, too.
April 30, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “COACH LOMBARDI BEGAN A POWERFUL, PROFANE TIRADE. IN LOUD & UGLY TERMS, HE QUESTIONED OUR MANHOOD, OUR DESIRE, & OUR COURAGE!”
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This autobiography of “OLD-SCHOOL” college and NFL player and Coach Bill Curry, is a must read for every “OLD-SCHOOL” fan of football. It also provides an important link to the past for younger fans, who only know the name Vince Lombardi, because his name is emblazoned on the Super Bowl trophy. Bill’s credentials include ten years in the NFL playing for multiple teams, the most impressive of them, being two world championship teams that were part of, perhaps the greatest dynasty in the history of the NFL - “LOMBARDI’S PACKER’S”, and part of a third world championship team, as a member of the Baltimore Colts. He has also held multiple coaching jobs, including the head coaching position at Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky, and currently is employed as the head coach of Georgia State University.
What the author has done quite uniquely… and creatively… is “wrap” his life story around the “mileposts” of ten men who had a tremendous influence on his life. Eight of these men are infamous in the mythology of college and professional football: Bobby Dodd (one of only three men to be elected to the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame as a player AND a coach), Vince Lombardi (perhaps the greatest coach in the history of professional football), Bart Starr (Hall of Fame quarterback), Willie Davis (Hall of Fame defensive end), Ray Nitschke (Hall of Fame linebacker… and perhaps one of the most intimidating and feared players in NFL history), Don Shula (winningest coach in NFL history and of course in the Hall of Fame), Johnny Unitas (Hall of Fame quarterback), Bubba Smith (former massive NFL defensive end)… and two others… not in the aforementioned, rarefied air of athletic pantheon… but still an important part of the author’s life and success. Bill Badgett his high school football coach, who was the first coach that pushed the pre-pubescent youngster on to the football field, despite the fact that the author’s youthful dream, was of pitching for the New York Yankees. Coach Badgett dragged… shoved… and led… a young Curry to find the winner within… which could only be found… by facing oneself… at the inner wall that a young boy had never faced before. It was the first time that Curry’s inner “soul”, had ever been to the crossroads of physical and mental exhaustion… one road was called “quit”… the other road was called becoming a “man”… and Coach Badgett was instrumental in forging the youngster that would become a man. There is also a chapter on friend and author George Plimpton… and a final short homage to his “twelfth man” and Father.
There are numerous elements that contribute to the “beauty” of this book to the eyes of a sports fan. The writing is always honest and direct, even when the author knows the truth isn’t pretty… especially in the harsh light of modern days. When the author recounts his teenage years in 1950’s Georgia, he doesn’t shy away from the ugly racism that existed in those days. It’s a minor epiphany, when his dream of playing football for the greatest team on earth, the Green Bay Packers in 1965, when they were about to win - *THREE-STRAIGHT-WORLD-CHAMPIONSHIPS* - and he first stepped into the huddle… he realized this was the first huddle he’d ever been part of, that wasn’t “all-white.”
** AND THEN… THERE WAS… VINCE LOMBARDI!!! **
Vince Lombardi has been quoted through the annals of football… more than any coach in history… posthumously he has had the greatest trophy in the entire world of football named after him… calendar’s with his quotes are sold everywhere… motivational books with his quotes are still top sellers today… TV commercials with his image and voice are everywhere… and any true football fan can never get enough… as well as Fortune 500 executives. One of the greatest gifts this book provides to the reader, is the up close and personal… no holds barred… interaction between Bill Curry and “The-Great-Lombardi”… and all of it isn’t pretty. The quotes that you live for abound… such as…
“THE SWEEPS OUR BASIC PLAY. EVERYBODY KNOWS IT. EVERYBODY EXPECTS IT. EVERYBODY THINKS THEY CAN DEFEND AGAINST IT. TO PROVE THEM WRONG, WE HAVE TO EXECUTE… **PERFECTLY!**
“YOUR RELIGION, YOUR FAMILY, AND THE GREEN BAY PACKERS WILL BE YOUR PRIORITIES AS LONG AS YOU ARE HERE! AND IN THAT ORDER!”
“I WILL PUT THE FEAR OF G-D IN YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU AFRAID OF ME! I WILL USE FEAR TO GET WHAT I WANT FROM YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU INTO A FOOTBALL PLAYER!”
“YOU HAVE TO HATE YOUR OPPONENTS! HATE THEM! SHOW NO MERCY! HELL!… HERE WE ARE WITH THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD, AND YOU DON’T CARE ENOUGH TO LEARN THE AUDIBLES OR STEP WITH THE RIGHT FOOT. YOU LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF CATTLE OUT "HEAH"! YOU DON’T HATE ENOUGH!”
“LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, GENTLEMEN! IF YOU DON’T SHOW ME BY THURSDAY THAT YOU HATE THE COLTS TO MY SATISFACTION, I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL HATE ME SO MUCH BY SUNDAY YOU WILL WANT TO KILL THOSE OTHER GUYS ACROSS FROM YOU”
The rookie Bill Curry quickly surmised: “This was not Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech football was a petting zoo. THIS WAS THE JUNGLE!”
This book is an opportunity for a current, living and breathing, football fan, to go back in time to when football was still football… and the quarterback didn’t wear a dress! The author writes in such a style that you won’t want to put this gem down.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This autobiography of “OLD-SCHOOL” college and NFL player and Coach Bill Curry, is a must read for every “OLD-SCHOOL” fan of football. It also provides an important link to the past for younger fans, who only know the name Vince Lombardi, because his name is emblazoned on the Super Bowl trophy. Bill’s credentials include ten years in the NFL playing for multiple teams, the most impressive of them, being two world championship teams that were part of, perhaps the greatest dynasty in the history of the NFL - “LOMBARDI’S PACKER’S”, and part of a third world championship team, as a member of the Baltimore Colts. He has also held multiple coaching jobs, including the head coaching position at Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky, and currently is employed as the head coach of Georgia State University.
What the author has done quite uniquely… and creatively… is “wrap” his life story around the “mileposts” of ten men who had a tremendous influence on his life. Eight of these men are infamous in the mythology of college and professional football: Bobby Dodd (one of only three men to be elected to the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame as a player AND a coach), Vince Lombardi (perhaps the greatest coach in the history of professional football), Bart Starr (Hall of Fame quarterback), Willie Davis (Hall of Fame defensive end), Ray Nitschke (Hall of Fame linebacker… and perhaps one of the most intimidating and feared players in NFL history), Don Shula (winningest coach in NFL history and of course in the Hall of Fame), Johnny Unitas (Hall of Fame quarterback), Bubba Smith (former massive NFL defensive end)… and two others… not in the aforementioned, rarefied air of athletic pantheon… but still an important part of the author’s life and success. Bill Badgett his high school football coach, who was the first coach that pushed the pre-pubescent youngster on to the football field, despite the fact that the author’s youthful dream, was of pitching for the New York Yankees. Coach Badgett dragged… shoved… and led… a young Curry to find the winner within… which could only be found… by facing oneself… at the inner wall that a young boy had never faced before. It was the first time that Curry’s inner “soul”, had ever been to the crossroads of physical and mental exhaustion… one road was called “quit”… the other road was called becoming a “man”… and Coach Badgett was instrumental in forging the youngster that would become a man. There is also a chapter on friend and author George Plimpton… and a final short homage to his “twelfth man” and Father.
There are numerous elements that contribute to the “beauty” of this book to the eyes of a sports fan. The writing is always honest and direct, even when the author knows the truth isn’t pretty… especially in the harsh light of modern days. When the author recounts his teenage years in 1950’s Georgia, he doesn’t shy away from the ugly racism that existed in those days. It’s a minor epiphany, when his dream of playing football for the greatest team on earth, the Green Bay Packers in 1965, when they were about to win - *THREE-STRAIGHT-WORLD-CHAMPIONSHIPS* - and he first stepped into the huddle… he realized this was the first huddle he’d ever been part of, that wasn’t “all-white.”
** AND THEN… THERE WAS… VINCE LOMBARDI!!! **
Vince Lombardi has been quoted through the annals of football… more than any coach in history… posthumously he has had the greatest trophy in the entire world of football named after him… calendar’s with his quotes are sold everywhere… motivational books with his quotes are still top sellers today… TV commercials with his image and voice are everywhere… and any true football fan can never get enough… as well as Fortune 500 executives. One of the greatest gifts this book provides to the reader, is the up close and personal… no holds barred… interaction between Bill Curry and “The-Great-Lombardi”… and all of it isn’t pretty. The quotes that you live for abound… such as…
“THE SWEEPS OUR BASIC PLAY. EVERYBODY KNOWS IT. EVERYBODY EXPECTS IT. EVERYBODY THINKS THEY CAN DEFEND AGAINST IT. TO PROVE THEM WRONG, WE HAVE TO EXECUTE… **PERFECTLY!**
“YOUR RELIGION, YOUR FAMILY, AND THE GREEN BAY PACKERS WILL BE YOUR PRIORITIES AS LONG AS YOU ARE HERE! AND IN THAT ORDER!”
“I WILL PUT THE FEAR OF G-D IN YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU AFRAID OF ME! I WILL USE FEAR TO GET WHAT I WANT FROM YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU INTO A FOOTBALL PLAYER!”
“YOU HAVE TO HATE YOUR OPPONENTS! HATE THEM! SHOW NO MERCY! HELL!… HERE WE ARE WITH THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD, AND YOU DON’T CARE ENOUGH TO LEARN THE AUDIBLES OR STEP WITH THE RIGHT FOOT. YOU LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF CATTLE OUT "HEAH"! YOU DON’T HATE ENOUGH!”
“LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, GENTLEMEN! IF YOU DON’T SHOW ME BY THURSDAY THAT YOU HATE THE COLTS TO MY SATISFACTION, I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL HATE ME SO MUCH BY SUNDAY YOU WILL WANT TO KILL THOSE OTHER GUYS ACROSS FROM YOU”
The rookie Bill Curry quickly surmised: “This was not Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech football was a petting zoo. THIS WAS THE JUNGLE!”
This book is an opportunity for a current, living and breathing, football fan, to go back in time to when football was still football… and the quarterback didn’t wear a dress! The author writes in such a style that you won’t want to put this gem down.
August 8, 2011
I've been to my share of Georgia Tech "Lunch Bunch" events where they bring in a Tech or Atlanta sports personality to speak to the group on Mondays. Bill Curry is far and away the best speaker they've had out there. Take his wonderful stories about all the great people and personalities he knows and he has the makings for a pretty dang entertaining book. The book could have used a bit more editing to have everything flow more chronologically but he's a great story teller. Well worth checking out.
Want to read
October 14, 2008Hehehehehe, cheese! I can't let a GT football book roll off the presses without having a copy, though (see: Clean Old-Fashioned Hate, Kip King's Tales from the Georgia Tech Sidelines, Ramblin' Wreck, etc ad nauseam).
August 19, 2009
Interesting insight of pro football by a player who played with Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas just to name a few. It was interesting to hear about the different styles of coaching from Vince Lombardi to Don Shula.
March 4, 2010
It an amazing book. That teaches right things about football.
July 2, 2024
Not a typical football biography. Mr Curry's journey to the NFL was typical , the product of hard work and being in the right place at the right time. He does an excellent job of recording what he was feeling at the time, then goes on to explain how an event/ interaction with players and coaches, such as Bart Starr, Vince Lombardi, Willie Davis, Bubba Smith, and John Unitas helped him grow and reach goals, some of which he never dreamed he could reach not all of them involving football.
March 19, 2015
Light and nostalgic. Ten chapters, each one about a different dude who had a major impact on Curry’s life, both on and off the field (but mostly on). It’s written with a genuine fondness and respect for the people as well as the game. You can tell he’s very appreciative of the life he’s lived so far.
As a Packer fan, the sections that obviously interested me were the Lombardi, Starr and Nitschke chapters. And even though Willie Davis had a chapter, I feel like he barely got mentioned in it. Either way --it’s always cool to get some new insight into these guys.
When he wasn’t talking Packers, he’s was usually talking Colts (Unitas, Shula), and this was cool since I didn’t really know anything about their history. I knew OF Johnny Unitas, but that was about it.
Overall, an enjoyable read for Cheeseheads, but probably just as enjoyable for any football fan.
As a Packer fan, the sections that obviously interested me were the Lombardi, Starr and Nitschke chapters. And even though Willie Davis had a chapter, I feel like he barely got mentioned in it. Either way --it’s always cool to get some new insight into these guys.
When he wasn’t talking Packers, he’s was usually talking Colts (Unitas, Shula), and this was cool since I didn’t really know anything about their history. I knew OF Johnny Unitas, but that was about it.
Overall, an enjoyable read for Cheeseheads, but probably just as enjoyable for any football fan.
January 9, 2009
Entertaining if you are a pro-football fan.
I would probably not buy this book on my own but it was a give and was pretty much just OK
I would probably not buy this book on my own but it was a give and was pretty much just OK
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews