NFL Century

“Joe Horrigan may not have witnessed all one hundred seasons of the NFL in person, but it seems that way from reading NFL Century. Some of the story lines we know, others are a revelation, but the legends and lore of professional football come to life throughout these pages.”—Chris Berman, ESPN sportscaster
 
“It is a daunting challenge to weave a narrative from the years of Jim Thorpe and Fritz Pollard to the years of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Joe Horrigan pulls it off elegantly in NFL Century. His choice of subjects to highlight is spot-on. His reporting sheds new light on decades-old events. A century of rollicking pro football history flies by.”—John Eisenberg, author of The League
 
“An entertaining, passionate, and educational rags-to-riches story of the NFL’s greatest names, games, and events of the past one hundred seasons of America’s most popular sport. NFL Century should be on the shelf of every football fan’s library.”—Chris Willis, head of the Research Library at NFL Films, author of Red Grange

“Masterful . . . a superb compilation of anecdotes, little-known facts, insightful analysis and memorable quotes . . . Everything in the book, from the roots laid in Canton, Ohio, to the exhaustive look at Roger Goodell’s commissionership, is, well, Hall of Fame caliber.”—Associated Press
 
“Horrigan, who began his career at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 as a researcher and recently retired as now the HOF’s executive director, guides readers through the NFL’s good times and bad, always with an eye on the steady growth and increasing stability of the enterprise. Of course, there are anecdotes aplenty about the great players, historic games, and landmark moments, on the field and off (television contracts, labor disputes, scandals). Horrigan provides context for every moment, and the result is the definitive history of the league to date.”—Booklist
 
“Fans of the pigskin will savor this vigorous account of pro football’s evolution.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“This fast-paced history will thrill football fans of all allegiances.”—Publishers Weekly