Randy Snow
Randy Snow is a freelance football writer from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Since 2003, he has covered the Arena Football League, arenafootball2, United Indoor Football, the Continental Indoor Football League, the Indoor Football League, the Ultimate Indoor Football League, the All American Football League and the Canadian Football League. He has been a regular columnist on ArenaFan.com and is also a contributor to OurSportsCentral.com. Randy was a member of the Arena Football League Writer´s Association from 2005-2010 and a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association since 2010. He has had over 275 football related articles posted on the Internet and is also the organizer of "Operation Gridiron Airlift" which has been collecting footballs and sending them to U.S. troops serving overseas since 2008. Randy can be reached at randysnow22@yahoo.com.
Articles by Randy Snow
December 04, 2011
In the 2010 book, Integrating the Gridiron, author Lane Demas explores the journey of black athletes as they sought to establish themselves in college football. The book centers on four major events that helped to bring about change in college football and eventually led to the total integration of the sport.
July 09, 2011
What do President Theodore Roosevelt and the sport of football have in common? Plenty. In the new book, The Big Scrum, author John J. Miller tells the story of how Roosevelt led the fight to change football from a barbaric sport into the game we know today.
June 08, 2011
One of the most recognizable names in pro football history has to be that of the legendary Chicago Bears player, Bronko Nagurski. In the 2003 book, Monster of the Midway, author Jim Dent tells the story of Nagurski´s life and football career, from a simple farm boy in Minnesota to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
March 25, 2011
In the 1999 book, How You Played the Game, author William A. Harper explores the life and times of Grantland Rice, one of the first true sports writers of the early part of the 20th century. Rice is known as the Dean of American Sports Writers and carved a niche for himself in the field of sports reporting. He lived and wrote during a time known as the Golden Age of Sports, mainly the 1920´s. It was a time that included the liked of Babe Ruth, Knute Rockne, Jack Dempsey, Ty Cobb, Red Grange and Jim Thorpe.
December 28, 2010
In the new book, The Gipper, author Jack Cavanaugh tells the life story of George Gipp, the legendary Notre Dame player whose name will forever be synonymous with another college football legend, Knute Rockne.
November 23, 2010
In the 2009 book, The President´s Team, author Michael Connelly tells the story of the 1963 Naval Academy football team and its unique relationship with President John F. Kennedy. The success of the Naval Academy football team and world events that occurred during the time of Kennedy´s presidency (1960-1963) certainly makes for a fascinating tale.
October 14, 2010
Why pay for a satellite radio system in your car when your AM radio can pick up stations three states away after dark.
August 25, 2010
In his 2006 book, The Wow Boys, author James W. Johnson tells the story of the 1940 Stanford University football team. That season marked a turning point in college football from an old style of play, which had been used since the early part of the century, to one that we all know today.
August 17, 2010
Just north of the U.S. border, on the other side of Lake Ontario, lies the city of Toronto, Canada. It is a city known for the cultural diversity of it people as well as for its theater and entertainment districts. But when I think of Toronto, only one thing comes to mind, Canadian Football.
July 29, 2010
In the 2007 book, Twelve Might Orphans, author Jim Dent tells the true story of the Masonic Orphanage football teams in Fort Worth, Texas during the 1920´s, 30´s and 40´s. The small school, and its even smaller players, became an inspiration to people all across the country during the time of the Great Depression.
July 24, 2010
When you think of great NFL cities you might think of Green Bay, Chicago, Dallas or Pittsburgh. But there is a town in Ohio that is just as much a part of the NFL. It is the booming metropolis of Ada, Ohio, population 5,800 and home to the Wilson Football Factory!
May 23, 2010
It is not easy for a woman to compete in a man´s sport, but if you are passionate about something, it will carry you a long way. Still Kicking tells the story of Katie Hnida, who became the first woman to play and score points for a NCAA Division 1-A football team.
May 10, 2010
As a fan of the Canadian Football League, who happens to live in the United States, it is not always easy to keep up with what´s going on across the border. But the Internet is a great wat to keep up on football north of the border.
April 03, 2010
The story of how Jim Thorpe came to be buried in Pennsylvania and not in his native Oklahoma is a fascinating tale in itself. But the story of his life and athletic career is just as fascinating.
February 06, 2010
In the 2000 book, Night Train Lane, author Mike Burns tells the story of NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Dick "Night Train" Lane. In spite of all the tragedies and hardships he endured throughout his life, he will always be remembered as one the greatest players ever in the NFL.
January 31, 2010
In his new autobiography, Pro Football Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle tells the story of his incredible football career. You may know Tittle´s name or the famous picture of him kneeling in the end zone during an NFL game with blood on his face, but other than that, you may not know that much about him.
December 29, 2009
It is simply known as "The Game." The annual Harvard-Yale football game is steeped in history and tradition. In this 2004 book, authors Bernard Corbett and Paul Simpson followed both teams through the 2002 season and also tell the history of the Harvard-Yale series.
December 16, 2009
It's that time of year again. When call-in, sports-talk wannabe's are crying in their beer because there is no college football playoff. Well, I say boo-frickety-hoo! Give me the bowl games!
November 15, 2009
In the 2005 book, Gridiron Glory, authors Barry Wilmer and Ken Rappoport tell the story of the Army-Navy football rivalry from its beginnings in 1890 through the 2004 season.
October 28, 2009
The American Football League was founded in 1960 and for 10 years it existed as a seperate league, challenging the the NFL for players on the field, and in the courts.
October 02, 2009
The College Football Hall of Fame will be moving to Atlanta sometime in 2012. But I feel it should remain in South Bend.
August 02, 2009
The book Field of Valor profiles the five college football Heisman Trophy winners who played for the service academies. Doc Blanchard, Glenn Davis and Pete Dawkins played at West Point for the Army and Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach played at Annapolis for the Navy.
June 13, 2009
In her 2008 book, "Boots on the Ground by Dusk," Pat Tillman's mother, Mary, accuses the Army of covering up some of the facts surrounding the death of her son in Afghanistan in 2004. The book is also a poignant retelling of Pat's life as well as his football career in high school, college and the NFL.
May 15, 2009
George Gipp was the first All American football player at Notre Dame in 1920. While Knute Rockne is buried not too far from the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana, the final resting place of "The Gipper" is a little harder to find.
March 25, 2009
In the 2008 book, "Thunder on the Tundra," author Lew Freedman tells the story of the 2007 Barrow Alaska High School football team. It was only the second season for the team, which is located 300 miles above the Arctic Circle.
March 05, 2009
Pat Tillman never took the easy road when it came to getting where he wanted to go. As a high school, college and NFL player, he was always having to prove himself. And when he decided to leave the NFL after 9/11 to become an Army Ranger, he never looked back.
February 21, 2009
In the 2005 book, "The Big House: Fielding Yost and the Building of Michigan Stadium," author Robert M. Soderstrom tells the story of one of college football's most iconic figures and how he came to build one of the greatest stadiums in the counrty.
January 23, 2009
In the new book, "Passing Game," author Murray Greenberg tells the story of quarterback Benny Friedman, a two-time All-American at Michigan and a record setting player in the early days of the NFL.
December 20, 2008
The new book, "Loyal Sons" by Jim Lefebvre, tells the story of the 1924 Notre Dame football team. It was the senior season for the backfield known as The Four Horsemen and resulted in the first National Championship for the team from South Bend.
November 17, 2008
The new book, "The Galloping Ghost" by Gary Andrew Poole tells the story of one of the legends of college and pro football, Red Grange. From his college football days at the University of Illinois to his time in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to know the true story of a football icon.
October 18, 2008
In the book, "The Way We Played the Game," author John Armstrong takes readers throught the 1903 season of the Benton Harbor, Michigan high school football team. The book is a fictionalized account based on a true story.
September 09, 2008
College football is not just played in the United States. Canada also has a college football system, which is similar to the style played by the Canadian Football League.
September 05, 2008
The 2004 book, The All Americans, tells the story of four football players from the 1941 Army-Navy game. Author Lars Anderson follows their stories from the gridiron to the battle fields of World War II.
August 07, 2008
Leatherheads of the North is a new book that chronicles the 1926-27 Duluth Eskimos of the NFL.
July 20, 2008
The College Football Hall of Fame enshrined 20 new members on July 19, 2008. The Class of 2008 included former Boston College QB Doug Flutie and current Penn State head coach Joe Paterno.
June 21, 2008
On November 9, 1912, linebacker Dwight D. Eisenhower of the Army Academy squared off against the great Jim Thorpe of the Carlisle Indian School. The result of their encounter on the college football field that day would lead one to the white house and the other to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
February 27, 2008
The Real All Americans, by Sally Jenkins, tells the story of Richard Henry Pratt and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. The school took children from the reservations and educated them in the ways of the white man from 1879-1918. It also had a heck of a football team that prduced one of the greatest athletes of all time, Jim Thorpe.
January 30, 2008
In the new book, Notre Dame and The Game That Changed Football, author Frank P. Maggio examines the early years of Notre Dame Football from 1913-1917. During this time, the team was coached by Jesse C. Harper, who preceeded Knute Rockne as head coach of the team. Harper set the school on its path to greatness with his desire for perfection and use of a relatively new aspect of the game, the forward pass.
January 08, 2008
It used to be that rushing for 2,000 yards in a single season was a rare and extraordinary achievement. But during the recently completed college football season, a total of three running backs in Division I-A, Ray Rice of Rutgers, Kevin Smith of the University of Central Florida and Matt Forte of T...
December 15, 2007
In the new book Forward Pass: The Play That Saved Football, author Philip Brooks explores the origins of an aspect of football that, today, we all take for granted. After all, what would the game of football be without the passing game? But there was a time when the forward pass was not an officiall...
December 04, 2007
Eagles’ Wings: An Uncommon Story of World War II recounts the stories of two American Prisoners of War during World War II as well as what happened to them after they returned home. The two men, Larry Jenkins and Jack Curtis, were childhood friends who grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan, but lost to...
November 27, 2007
Not to be confused with the Adam Sandler movie of the same name, The Water Boy is a new book that recounts the life and career of Bob Ackles, a football executive who’s resume includes stops in the Canadian Football League, the National Football League and the Xtreme Football League.
In 1953, at...
November 24, 2007
This time of year, college football in the United States is just beginning to wind down. For some Division I-A team’s, their seasons are already over and the lower divisions within the NCAA have already begun their playoffs.
But up in Canada, the championship game of Canadian Interuniversity Spor...
November 06, 2007
Lansing, Michigan author Ted Kluck’s third book, Game Time: Inside College Football, is a collection of original stories on a variety of college football subjects and individuals. Collectively, they paint an interesting picture of what goes on behind the scenes in the world of college football.
...
October 30, 2007
On Sunday (October 28), the NFL played a regular season game in London, England at Wembley Stadium. The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins 13-10. Playing overseas is nothing new for the NFL. It has been playing games all around the world for many years. There have been American Bowl preseas...
October 18, 2007
Author John Grisham is best known for writing intense courtroom/legal dramas. His previous best sellers include The Firm, The Pelican Brief and A Time to Kill.
However, in his new book, Playing for Pizza, Grisham departs from his usual style of writing to tell the story of a fictional NFL quarte...
October 06, 2007
When Division I-AA Appalachian State shocked the college football world by beating the #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines earlier this season, it brought to light something that I have been saying for many years; There is a lot more to college football than just the teams in the Top 25.
But whenever ...
September 14, 2007
It is not always easy to give up something that you love. For many men who played football in high school or college, the desire to relive the experience and to be a part of a team once again does not die easily. So when a new indoor football league made its debut last year, many former players were...
August 06, 2007
For football fans in the United States, the wait is almost over. The NFL preseason is right around the corner and the high school and college football seasons will soon follow.
But just north of the border, in Canada, football season began back in June. That was when the eight-team Canadian Foot...
February 10, 2007
It’s about time!
The recent selection of former Detroit Lions tight end Charlie Sanders to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2007 was, in my opinion, long overdue. I have been saying for years that he deserved to be in Canton and many longtime Lions fans have felt the same way.
I saw hi...
December 28, 2006
For the second year in a row, I attended the Motor City Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit with my kids. As a bowl game, it may not measure up to the history and tradition of the Orange Bowl, the Cotton Bowl or the Rose Bowl, but it was still a lot of fun to attend and, for me, it’s a lot closer to home....
November 12, 2006
As a veteran of the Armed Forces, and a football fan, I recently had the good fortune of being able to celebrate both aspects of my life on the same day.
You see, Veteran’s Day (November 11) fell on a Saturday this year, and Saturdays in November mean one thing, college football.
For the thir...
September 06, 2006
Ah, Labor Day. A day set aside each year to honor the American worker. It is a day filled with parades, cookouts or maybe even a trip to the beach. It also marks the unofficial end of summer and the dreaded return to school for many kids.
Labor Day is treated pretty much the same up in Canada as...
September 02, 2006
The buying and selling of sports memorabilia is big business these days and many collectors specialize in autographed memorabilia. But how can you be certain that the autographed baseball or football you just bought is really authentic?
Sure, many items come with a certificate of authenticity, b...
August 15, 2006
In the world of college football, there is no greater coaching legend than Knute Rockne of Notre Dame. Born in Voss, Norway on March 4, 1888, Rockne immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of five. He played football for Notre Dame while he was a student at the school and then we...