{"product_id":"present-at-the-creation-my-life-in-the-nfl-and-the-rise-of-americas-game-paperback-softback-9781496217035","title":"Present at the Creation; My Life in the NFL and the Rise of America's Game (Paperback \/ softback) 9781496217035","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003ePresent at the Creation\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eMy Life in the NFL and the Rise of America's Game\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eUpton Bell (Author), Ron Borges (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781496217035\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 1 September 2019\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e416 pages, 37 photographs, 1 illustration\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.666 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e“This is a fascinating behind-the-scenes story of a young man who was beside his father, NFL commissioner Bert Bell, through all the major events as pro football became America’s No. 1 sport; he then became the chief scout of the Baltimore Colts’ championship teams and then the general manager of the New England Patriots. A must-read for any fan of pro football.”-Ernie Accorsi, former general manager of the New York Giants\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e“An extremely informative, definitive work by a dynamic personality who witnessed firsthand the development of the NFL, from his father’s contributions to his own personal achievements that helped cement the foundation of what has today become the most popular sport in the United States.”-Ron Wolf, former general manager of the Green Bay Packers and Pro Football Hall of Fame member\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e“It didn’t start with Joe Namath or Joe Montana or Tom Brady leading an impossible comeback in Super Bowl LI in Houston. \u003cu\u003eThis\u003c\/u\u003e is the history of professional football in America. If you ever played football, played fantasy football, or just tossed a few bucks in an office pool, this is the book for you. Upton Bell lived it and Ron Borges covered it. A stronger combo than Belichick and Brady.”-Dan Shaughnessy, \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e columnist and \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e To understand how the NFL became the sports phenomenon it is today, you can study its history or you can live its history as an active participant. Upton Bell grew up at the knee of the NFL's first great commissioner, his father, the legendary Bert Bell, who not only saved the game from financial ruin after World War II but was one of its greatest innovators. Coining the phrase \"On any given Sunday,\" Bert invented the pro football draft and proposed sudden death rules.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePresent at the Creation\u003c\/i\u003e details Bell's firsthand experiences, which started as he watched his father draw up the league schedule each year at the kitchen table using dominoes. There he learned the importance of parity, which is a hallmark of the league's success, and also how to create it. Over the past fifty-three years, Bell has been an owner, a general manager, a personnel executive, a scouting director for two Super Bowl teams, a television commentator and analyst, and a talk-radio host. He has seen the NFL from the inside and has experienced many of the most important moments in NFL history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bell was player personnel director for the Baltimore Colts when the team played in three championship games and appeared in two Super Bowls (1968 and 1970). At thirty-three, he became the youngest general manager in NFL history when he joined the Patriots in that role in 1971. He left the NFL in 1974 to compete against it, joining the upstart World Football League as owner of the Charlotte Hornets, which lasted just two years. In 1976 Bell began his forty‑year career as a radio and TV talk-show host, yet he remains a football guy who was in the middle of the game's most significant moments and knows that half the story has never been told, until now. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ca href='\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MxTwr-fZ5ks\u0026amp;feature=youtu.be\"' target='\"blank\"'\u003e\u003cb\u003eWatch a book trailer.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e1. On Any Given Sunday\u003cbr\u003e 2. A Long Ride to Baltimore\u003cbr\u003e 3. Welcome to the Colts\u003cbr\u003e 4. The Great Ticket Heist Was My Kickoff in Baltimore\u003cbr\u003e 5. A Scout’\u003cbr\u003es Life Is for Kit Carson but Not for Everybody\u003cbr\u003e 6. The Making of an NFL Scout\u003cbr\u003e 7. Spy vs. Spy Settles NFL-AFL War\u003cbr\u003e 8. The South Is Burning!\u003cbr\u003e 9. Running My Own Show in Baltimore\u003cbr\u003e 10. Worst Loss in the History of Losses\u003cbr\u003e 11. Some Things Can’\u003cbr\u003et Be Fixed\u003cbr\u003e 12. Why Did You Ever Come Here?\u003cbr\u003e 13. Everybody’\u003cbr\u003es Got to Serve Somebody\u003cbr\u003e 14. A New League, a Second Chance\u003cbr\u003e 15. No More Fish in the Sea\u003cbr\u003e 16. Scouting for QBs, the Most Important Position in Sports\u003cbr\u003e 17. Only One Moses Wore a Whistle\u003cbr\u003e 18. Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire\u003cbr\u003e Epilogue\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"University of Nebraska Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52599898734872,"sku":"9781496217035","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/present-at-the-creation-my-life-in-the-nfl-and-the-rise-of-americas-game-paperback-softback-9781496217035","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}