Hard Knox: The Life of an NFL Coach
by Chuck Knox and Bill Plaschke
Overview
From the Publisher
From Publishers Weekly
Seemingly nothing in life except a happy marriage has come easily for Knox and in this autobiography, written with freelancer Plaschke, he tells of the vicissitudes that have enabled him to become strong and to be a coach who has consistently been able to take over a losing franchise and make it a winner. A drunken brute of a father (although Knox doesn't actually label him that), who regularly beat both of his sons, made the boy tough. He barely stayed in college, fighting the fear that it was not for a poor kid from the slums of Sewickley, Pa., and then put in 19 years as an assistant coach before landing the top spot with the Los Angeles Rams, moving to the Buffalo Bills and then to the Seattle Seahawks. Knox sees himself primarily as a teacher and a motivator who exudes faith in his players. -
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
My thoughts
This is a fantastic book!! I read this book years ago and revisited it recently, and I can't believe I didn't have it on my All Time Favorite books EVER! Yes, I know All Time and EVER are redundant, but this book is that good!
Chuck Knox came from a very difficult childhood to rise to the top in the NFL. At the time of this writing, he is in the Top 10 coaches in the history of the League for all time wins! I have SO much respect for this man who made his own success and took with him the woman he married as a young man.
I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Chuck Knox a few years ago, and I regret that I hadn't read his book prior to our visit. He is a very kind and gracious man, so proud of his son who went on to be an assistant coach in the NFL. I can't say enough about this book, this man, and his philosophies. I stand in awe.
Favorite Passage
I know this book seems full of Doblers and Whites and Simpsons. You're saying, Where are our heroes, the guys from Hollywood, the guys from the headlines? I'm sorry, but I guess my favorite players have never been anyone else's favorite players. I think that's why the 1980 Buffalo Bills were one of my favorite teams. You never heard of them. You never thought they were much of anything. But you get down in there and take a lick from a Reggie McKenzie or a Freddie Smerlas, and you'd know why they were there. My favorite players - you never much saw or heard them, but you certainly felt them.
