Breaker Boys

Believe it or not, I have read a few books in my lifetime. Believe it or not, they're not all about sports, but yeah, a good chunk of them are. Sue me. The sports books are the most enjoyable books I've read. I've had to read textbooks for school and, well, those aren't exactly entertaining, but they are way too expensive. I've also read books like Green Eggs and Ham and Bears on Wheels and I did in under a week.

Why am I telling you this? That's not important.

ESPN's David Fleming wrote Breaker Boys and I enjoyed every moment of it. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was there to witness it. He did tremendous research to tell the story of the 1925 Pottsville Maroons and how they were robbed of the Nation Championship for playing against the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame. League officials didn't like the fact the Maroons played the Fighting Irish, the Championship eventually went to the Chicago Cardinals, the team Pottsville beat in the NFL Championship.

Breaker Boys really gives you a great taste of true football history and I'd recommend this book to anyone, football fan or not. It gave me a great appreciation for the game.

Pottsville Maroons' 1925 Championship Trophy
Here are a few images of the Maroons' 1925 championship trophy. The placard below the trophy reads, "The 1925 Pottsville Maroons were not awarded a trophy by the NFL so they made their own! This football was sculpted from a single chunk of anthracite coal mined near Pottsville. The surviving members off the team presented this trophy to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964." It is on display in the Hall of Fame's Pottsville exhibit.