The Big Scrum

(Paperback)

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Description

John J. Miller delivers the intriguing, never-before-told story of how Theodore Roosevelt saved American Footballa game that would become the nations most popular sport. Millers sweeping, novelistic retelling captures the violent, nearly lawless days of late 19^th century football and the public outcry that would have ended the great game but for a crucial Presidential intervention. Teddy Roosevelts championing of football led to the creation of the NCAA, the innovation of the forward pass, a vital collaboration between Walter Camp, Charles W. Eliot, John Heisman and others, and, ultimately, the creation of a new American pastime. Perfect for readers of Douglas Brinkleys Wilderness Warrior, Michael Lewiss The Blind Side, and Conn and Hal Igguldens The Dangerous Book for Boys, Millers The Big Scrum reclaims from the shadows of obscurity a remarkable story of one defining moment in our nations history.

Reviews

"Football enthusiassts and Theodore Roosevelt admirers will both enjoy and learn from these little-known but important historic events that preserved from extinction one of America's favorite sports." -- Tweed Roosevelt, president of the Theodore Roosevelt Association

"In Miller's hands, the story of Theodore Roosevelt's love for, and defense of, 'the great game' has as much vigor and passion as Roosevelt himself. It's a fascinating and thoroughly American tale." -- Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt

"A worthy addendum to the story of football's rise . . . [and] a good yarn." -- Kirkus Reviews

"[Miller] is on target with a necessarily selective biography highlighting Roosevelt's lifelong affinity for sports and physical activity, thereby providing context for understanding why a president would devote valuable time to what was then a minor sport. [An] enjoyable history of a seldom-explored turning point in American sports history." -- Booklist

Author Bio

John J. Miller is national correspondent of National Review, a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and the author of four books, including 'The First Assassin' a historical thriller, and 'Our Oldest Enemy: A History of Americas Disastrous Relationship with France'.