There are rivalries and then there
are rivalries. What was known for
decades as “The Red River Shootout” between Oklahoma and Texas was one of those
intense clashes. The game each October is not anywhere near as good these days no
matter what they call it now, but the game at one time was the stuff of legend.
Those details and the battle between Texas and Oklahoma for football supremacy
each year is covered in detail in the fourth chapter of The Greatest College Football
Rivalries of All Time: The Civil War, The Iron Bowl, And Other Memorable Matchups.
Dating back to the first meeting in
1900 when Texas defeated Oklahoma 28 to 2 the chapter recounts the history of
this clash up until 2014. Over 26 pages the rivalry is analyzed and discussed
in great detail. Along with plenty of history and anecdotes passed down during
the years there is the final score list of the 108 games played through the
2013 season. Also included at the end of the chapter is a listing of bowl
appearances for each team that details the year, the opponent, and the final
score of that game.
That same format of detailed history
is used for the other 13 rivalries covered in the book starting with Ohio State
vs. Michigan. After opening with that one, author Martin Gitlin takes readers
onward through Alabama vs. Auburn, Army vs. Navy, Norte Dame vs. Southern
California, Harvard vs. Yale, Georgia vs. Florida, Layette vs. Lehigh,
California vs. Stanford, Florida State vs. Miami, Grambling State vs. Southern,
Utah vs. Brigham Young, Oregon vs. Oregon State, and Clemson vs. South
Carolina. Following all the detailed histories of the rivalries is a 12 page
“notes” section of footnotes, a five page bibliography, and a 13 page index. A
short one page author bio brings this hardback to a close.
An interesting book of facts and
history with the occasional black and white photograph, the book covers 14
rivalries extremely well. A notable missing rivalry was the legendary and long standing
Texas vs. Texas A&M clash that recently ended due to television dollars, gargantuan
egos of administrators on both sides as a result of conference shifting by
Texas A&M. No doubt other readers will be aware of other rivalries they
feel should have been included. Whether or not these fourteen are the greatest
rivalries of all time would also be up to some debate.
Designed for the hardcore fan, The
Greatest College Football Rivalries of All Time: The Civil War, The Iron Bowl, And
Other Memorable Matchups by Martin Gitlin is a well done historical
accounting of some of the greatest moments ever in college football.
The Greatest College Football
Rivalries of All Time: The Civil War, The Iron Bowl, And Other Memorable Matchups
Martin Gitlin
Rowman & Littlefield
August 2014
ISBN# 978-1-4422-2983-9
Hardback (e-book also available)
354 Pages
$40.00
Material was picked up to read and review after I
spotted it on the new arrivals table during a recent trip to the Haggard Branch
of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
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