The Ultimate Super Bowl Book: A Complete Reference to the Stats, Stars, and Stories Behind Football's Biggest Game-and Why the Best Team Won » (First)

Bob McGinn has covered more than 20 Super Bowls as a sportswriter for two Wisconsin newspapers, The Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A five-time Wisconsin State sportswriter of the year, he has won numerous writing awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and the Pro Football Writers of America. In 1998, McGinn was selected as one of America’s top 20 sportswriters by Men’s Journal, and in 2005 he was a finalist for the McCann Award, given each year to one writer for reporting on pro football. McGinn was the main writer on The Road to Glory: The Inside Story of the Packers’ Super Bowl XXXI Championship Season. A native of Escanaba and a graduate of the University of Michigan, he was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He lives in Green Bay.

“Bob McGinn has become an indispensable writer by observing the cardinal rule of the game: He keeps his eye on the ball. He has developed a loyal following by asking smart questions of people who know the most: scouts, assistant coaches, team captains, and offensive linemen. He is relentless about getting the story.”

— from the foreword by Michael MacCambridge, author of America’s Game

“Bob McGinn is one of the best pro football writers in the country. His attention to detail is unmatched. The care he has taken in this book to break down each Super Bowl game reveals a new dimension on the players and the games. Bob has captured the best of this country's most celebrated sporting event. It is one of the most compelling NFL works I have read.”

— Kevin Harlan, CBS Sports

Library Journal

Wisconsin sportswriter McGinn is widely hailed as perhaps the best football beat man in the business. His analytic study of game replays and his intelligent interviewing enable him to write knowledgably about the inside game—the design of plays and the techniques and responsibilities of players. McGinn has interviewed players, assistant coaches, and head coaches from all 43 Super Bowls, 23 of which he covered in person, to determine the reasons that things went right or wrong on all the key plays in these championship games. He doesn't just retell the familiar backstories, but instead contributes a wealth of fresh material that heightens our understanding of why teams won or lost. In particular, his interviews with a variety of position coaches often pinpoint the fine line between success and failure in the ultimate pressurized environment of the Super Bowl. The book also features complete player rosters, comprehensive team and individual statistics, and a thorough listing of Super Bowl records. Entertaining Top 10 lists interspersed throughout the text add even more value to this best book ever about America's greatest game. VERDICT Essential for all football lovers.—John Maxymuk, Robeson Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ

Contents

Foreword by Michael MacCambridge

Preface

Acknowledgments

Ten Greatest Super Bowl Games

I Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 1967

II Green Bay Packers vs. Oakland Raiders, 1968

Top Ten Characters

III New York Jets vs. Baltimore Colts, 1969

IV Kansas City Chiefs vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1970

Ten Most Significant Field Goals

V Baltimore Colts vs. Dallas Cowboys, 1971

VI Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins, 1972

VII Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins, 1973

VIII Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1974

IX Pittsburgh Steelers vs.