War As They Knew It: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and America in a Time of Unrest

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
For many, the late 1960s/early 1970s meant a country in turmoil. Sit-ins. Vietnam War protests. Don't trust anyone over 30. Nixon was 'not a crook' - or so he claimed. At the other end of the spectrum was the intense rivalry between Woody Hayes, the legendary Ohio State football coach, and his nemesis, Bo Schembechler from Michigan. To them, the American heartland was still 'pure and sacred', and they were totally in command of their troops. Hayes idolized General Patton, the great war hero. Schembechler idolized President Ford, a former All-American football player. Rosenberg sets the stage brilliantly for this coming clash of cultural differences, as Hayes and Schembechler try desperately to win a national football championship while coping with a shifting political landscape. It all leads to a climatic, and in part tragic, downfall of an important era gone by.

Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

"War" as I saw it. September 14, 2008
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

Michael Rosenberg did a superb job illuminating the larger than life personalities of coaches Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. How do I know Rosenberg did a superb job? I know nothing about football except that two teams, wearing two different uniforms come together on a large field. Yes, I am a woman almost totally ignorant of testosterone-soaked sports. Yet I have to admit I was completely enthralled by "War." My family is from Ohio and though my husband isn't, he attended OSU during Woody's early era. So, I had some familiarity with the Ohio coach and wanted to learn more about him. Though the author is grounded in Michigan, I never felt that he treated one rival at the expense of the other. Rosenberg was completely fair and even-handed in his appraisal of the two men.

Those in the know about football (which is probably almost everyone else in the world), will enjoy the specifics of the plays. Though I could not because of my lack of experience, I will confess I raced to the end of the description to find out how the games turned out. What made the book compelling to me, though, was how the author reveals the depth of character of the two coaches. Through thoroughly researched primary sources, Rosenberg authentically sets each scene. The reader comes to know the two coaches as if one had known them firsthand. And, in doing so, one both loves and loathes them at the same time. At times I found I wanted to grab them by the neck, shake them and discipline them like children. But then I had to remind myself that the very quality I was reacting to was what made them the competitive fighting animals they were. And how they played off each other. Their antipathy compounded at the same time by their respect for and understanding of each other, was exquisite. Place all of this in the context of the tumultuous times of the 60's and 70's and you're in for a great ride. I especially loved learning about Don Canham, an ancillary character, whose luck, pluck and instinct, propelled him to success.

I highly recommend this book to people interested in sports, in football, in life. How Hayes and Schembechler chose to live their lives in their time in history has relevance for us today. If we could take away with us, the best of them, we would not do poorly.

4 out of 5 stars

War As They Knew It October 9, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

An excellent chronicle of an intense athletic rivalry set against the background of one of the most politically and socially tumultuous eras in modern American history. Rosenberg's in depth research and behind-the-scenes insights offer a glimpse of how two genuine titans in collegiate sports met the period's unique challenges of impacting young men...all the while establishing winning football programs in the traditional sense. As a player on Bo's early Michigan teams I can attest to the book's authenticity. Most deninitely "a story worth telling." Very well done!

5 out of 5 stars

Those Who Stay Will Be Champions November 15, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

The story of sports is not in a vacuum and Michael Rosenberg does an outstanding job in delving into a pair of coaches in one of the college gridiron's most bitter rivalries during a tumultuous time in American history.

Woody Hayes of Ohio State - who was a student of military history - and Bo Schembechler - once an assistant to Hayes at OSU - started the "10-Year War" in 1968, with both teams so dominant in the Big 10, that the conference earned the moniker, "Big Two, Little Eight," during this decade.

But with the excellence on the field was the unrest that was growing on college campuses nationwide and on Main Street, USA, as such issues as the Viet Nam War, the rise of the New Left and the push of counter-culturalism against societal norms were dividing the nation. Rosenberg successfully juxtaposes the times outside the stadium with the game inside the vast edifices.

Hayes and Schembechler were successful in a time when it appeared - at least on the surface - that the times were changing rapidly and their form of leadership and teaching was quickly fading away. That they became iconic figures largely for what they accomplished during this time period is a story that Rosenberg succinctly tells, as if carrying the pigskin for a classic "three yards and a cloud of dust."

5 out of 5 stars

A stunning, well-crafted piece of sports history and American history September 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

One of the finest books on football, and a turbulent era in American history, to come along in years. Like a great novelist, Michael Rosenberg deftly weaves together multiple stories and complex characters, while making all of the original connections and conclusions of a fine historian.

5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Book, Great Narrative October 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

The title "War as They Knew It" is a take off of the title of the George Patton memoir, "War as I Knew It." Patton was Woody Hayes' military hero, and Michael Rosenberg crafts a brilliant narrative that details Hayes and his great disciple, Bo Schembechler, marshalling their football teams during the era of the Vietnam war. Regarding football, both demanded precision, toughness and execution. Their teams were mirror images of each other and they respected each other greatly. Regarding politics, they were quite different. Hayes was politically engaged and an active participant; Schembechler was politically indifferent and eager to stay on the sidelines.

But, Rosenberg's genius is not limited to comparing and contrasting the coaches. He also contrasts the cities, Columbus and Ann Arbor, the players, and the school administrations. Rosenberg's admiration for innovative UM AD Don Canham makes him the third leading figure of the book.

Also quite admirable is the way that Rosenberg paints the picture of Hayes. Much more complex than realized by the Eastern media, Hayes had a passion for Ralph Waldo Emerson, history, and education in general. Revealing is the exasperation of Hayes' assistants when he refused to call passing plays. Also revealing is the change of the players from being respectful and attentive in the late 60s to the "Old Man" to the non-respectful, irreverent, even drug taking players of the late 70s.

Wonderful book, great narrative. An incredible read.

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