Customer Review(s)
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Why did this book have to end
Comment: I had the great pleasure of hearing WW Hayes speak at my high school some 40 years ago. I expected to be dazzled with football talk, but to my surprise, Woody only mentioned football as an afterthought, he was spellbinding in describing the wonders and advantages of a college degree.
Lou Holtz can spend hours telling Woody stories, as could Bo. Both men are/were much better men for having known him, as are almost every player ever to have played for either man.
A great story set in difficult times, and artfully told by a very talented author. I read many books, and this is the first I have felt obligated to share my enthusiasm.
Should be on every American's Christmas list!
Customer Rating: Summary: A Rivalry for the Ages
Comment: First and foremost, It would be unfair of me to fail to mention that I am a Buckeye- born of two proud graduates of THE Ohio State University. That said, I want to say that this book is a heart warming and sometimes heart stopping must read for anyone familiar with this cherished rivalry between two very worthy opponents. The times were turbulent and a fitting backdrop for the tales told here of two venerable teams and the legendary coaches that made them so very great. At this time,with "the GAME" as both sides prefer to call it coming up this weekend, I know Ohio State fans will join me in saying that despite U.of M.'s rebuilding right now which hasn't resulted in their traditional strength and record of Big 10 dominance,they are a formidable presence in every sense of the word and will be back, fighting for the champinship one day soon. (The WAR continues you see and history continues to be made between these two teams)We look forward to that day- but pray it won't be this weekend! Michigan and Ohio State never play a better game than they do against eachother, and the book will tell you why! This is the game to win this weekend and for the season, for both teams. War As They Knew It will explain it all to of those who can't grasp the intensity of feeling between these archrivals. Some just cannot fathom that either team would rather win this game than a bowl game. This book will give the reader the history and background of the men behind this rivalry and their many on and off the field connections. Truly a holiday gift that a student, new grad. or many of the greatest generation, whether they shout Go Bucks! or Go Blue!, will really treasure. If this is available on tape or CD, please buy an extra copy of this book in audio format as a gift to a retirement home in Ohio or Michigan. You'll give them the gift of priceless memories brought to life again!
Customer Rating: Summary: Those Who Stay Will Be Champions
Comment: The story of sports is not in a vacuum and Michael Rosenberg does an outstanding job in delving into a pair of coaches in one of the college gridiron's most bitter rivalries during a tumultuous time in American history.
Woody Hayes of Ohio State - who was a student of military history - and Bo Schembechler - once an assistant to Hayes at OSU - started the "10-Year War" in 1968, with both teams so dominant in the Big 10, that the conference earned the moniker, "Big Two, Little Eight," during this decade.
But with the excellence on the field was the unrest that was growing on college campuses nationwide and on Main Street, USA, as such issues as the Viet Nam War, the rise of the New Left and the push of counter-culturalism against societal norms were dividing the nation. Rosenberg successfully juxtaposes the times outside the stadium with the game inside the vast edifices.
Hayes and Schembechler were successful in a time when it appeared - at least on the surface - that the times were changing rapidly and their form of leadership and teaching was quickly fading away. That they became iconic figures largely for what they accomplished during this time period is a story that Rosenberg succinctly tells, as if carrying the pigskin for a classic "three yards and a cloud of dust."
