Badasses

The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death and John Madden’s Oakland Raiders Written By: Peter Richmond  Published By: Harper  Reviewed by Melissa Minners                 When I wrote the commentary, A Raiders Fan on the East Coast, I began to realize that I knew very little about the Badass years of the Oakland Raiders franchise.  Being

Football Season Is Here!

Yay! Football season is back! Here are some great movies and reads to enjoy while you are not watching the games: We Are the Troopers Rudy We Are Marshall The Blind Side Hail Mary The Gridiron Gang The Express: The Ernie Davis Story Badasses What’s your favorite football movie or read? #CommissionsEarned

We Are the Troopers

Written By: Stephen Guinan Published By: Hachette Books Reviewed By: Melissa Minners                Some time ago, I read Hail Mary, a book about the National Women’s Football League, something I never knew existed until I found that book.  It annoyed me that I never knew about women’s football.  I knew all about women’s baseball, tennis,

Though the Odds Be Great or Small

Written By Terry Brennan and William Meiners Published By Loyola Press Reviewed By Melissa Minners I’ve been following Notre Dame football for years…ever since watching the movie Rudy as a matter of fact.  There have been good years and bad years, but I’m a student of the game and understand that there will be ups

Hail Mary

The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League Written by Britni de la Cretaz and Lindsey D’Arcangelo Published by Perseus Books Reviewed By Melissa Minners                Women love sports just as much as men, but we don’t see enough women in organized sports leagues.  Thanks to a little movie called A League of

Gridiron Gang

Presented By: Sony Pictures Reviewed by Melissa Minners             In 1990, a football team, comprised of hardened juvenile detention camp prisoners, began a journey toward greatness.  The team was led by camp probation officers, Sean Porter and Malcolm Moore, who sought a way to keep their prisoners, mostly former gang members, from returning to their

The Express: The Ernie Davis Story

Distributed by: Universal Pictures Reviewed by Melissa Minners                  Years ago, I reviewed a musical score Mark Isham created for The Express: The Ernie Davis Story.  I was intrigued by the film based on a book (Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express by Robert C. Gallagher) about Ernie Davis, the first African American football player to

The Blind Side

Distributed By: Warner Bros. Reviewed by Melissa Minners              How much can a simple act of kindness achieve?  What if that act of kindness was followed by another?  What if, in addition to that initial kindness, you through in a willingness to believe in the person for whom you have committed this act of kindness?  What

We Are Marshall

Distributed By: Warner Bros. Pictures Reviewed by Melissa Minners             On November 14, 1970, Huntington, West Virginia experienced one of the worst tragedies in the history of the town.  A plane, chartered to transport the Marshall University’s Thundering Herd football team from its game in North Carolina, crashed just short of its destination.  The crash

Rudy

Distributed By: TriStar Pictures Reviewed by Melissa Minners             When football season begins, I watch games on television.  Sometimes I listen to them on the radio.  But I can in no way be considered an avid fan of the sport.  Sure, I know things about how the game is played or who is currently playing.