Bill Gutman has also authored biographies of Michael Jordan, Sammy Sosa, and Brett Favre.
Above all, an NFL coach must know how to survive. Parcells is one of those survivors, with an uncanny ability to build and nurture championship teams. He has been referred to as a miracle man in helping three franchises (the Giants, the Patriots, and the Jets) climb from the depths of despair. Two of these teams reached the summit of the game, the Super Bowl. Parcells's record of 149 wins, 106 losses, and one tie is impressive. Sportswriter Gutman has written numerous books on sport celebrities. His current biography is a good read about a hard-nosed, uncompromising man with a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality: charming at one moment and belligerent the next. Regardless, the coach earned the respect of his peers and players. An engaging story describing the motivation that drove Parcells to become one of the most successful coaches in pro football; buy where demand warrants. (Index and photos not seen.)DLarry R. Little, Penticton P.L., BC Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Don't expect any blockbuster revelations or unique insights about Bill Parcells in this biography of the famous football coach. In a straightforward fashion, sportswriter Gutman tracks Parcells's rise from a star New Jersey athlete to a head coach in the NFL, first with the New York Giants, then the New England Patriots and finally the New York Jets. Gutman also recounts Parcells's various college coaching stops before he cracked the professional coaching ranks as an assistant with the Giants in 1981. Gutman's argument that Parcells's success as a coachÄhe brought two different teams to the Super Bowl and a third to a championship gameÄwas due to his highly competitive nature, his motivational ability and willingness to adjust his coaching philosophy to meet the capabilities of his players, has been made before. Also rehashed is Gutman's observation that Parcells's high school coach Mickey Corcoran was the most influential person in his life. Gutman (no relation to Jets president Steve Gutman) is a capable writer who delivers an accurate overview of the coach's life. If he does not provide much new material, he still gives fans of Parcells's teams a pleasant ride down memory lane, especially Giants fans who have been waiting to return to the Super Bowl since the 1990 departure of the Big Tuna. Photos not seen by PW. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
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