First off – you started off as a music and film writer – why sports, and sports history?
I grew up a sports nerd – I had a Sports Illustrated subscription when I was seven. I dreamed of being the starting quarterback for the Chiefs but by 11 or 12 I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
I was a Journalism major at Creighton. My last two years I had a job on the sports desk at the World Herald which was a very influential newspaper then. I noticed then that a lot of the people that covered sports got bitter and lost their love of sports. I didn’t want to do that. I was a sports junkie but I decided instead to cover movies and music – I didn’t want to cover Chiefs games.
So the path I charted was different. I was a music critic and a film critic when I left my job to write sports books. But I wasn’t a sports writer – I didn’t cover teams or games. I wrote from a cultural, historical perspective.
With the multitude of interviews you’ve done over the years, how do you decide on what to use and what not?
When I start writing a book – this was true for example with the Chuck Noll book- I start with the contours of a narrative in mind. The interviews I do either fit or clash with that narrative. The narrative will change after 200 to 300 interviews. I’m mindful of what fits the narrative and how best to tell a story. I have friends who are much better writers – their first draft hits their most salient points. I don’t do that. I need 150,000 mediocre words and work on those to get it to a point where it stops sucking. It’s a laborious process. The Chuck Noll book took three years. America’s Game took five years. That’s my process. Now when I get to the point that I can anticipate the answers in an interview, that’s when I know I’ve gotten enough.
What are some of the interviews that surprised you most or stand out most -and why?
I try to go into interviews with an open mind. I go in with a large list if questions and make it a conversation. When I went to Hollywood to interview Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, he said I had 30 minutes. We ended up talking for two-and-a-half hours. He had to cut it off then because he had to pick up Bill Russell at the airport. I didn’t mind getting cut off for that! When we spoke he said I brought up some “Heavy shit!” I was so gratified – I wasn’t wasting his time. When I do interviews I want to learn more about the subject. Any interview I learn something in is worthwhile.
In all of your research on the history of the NFL and it’s biggest influencers, are there common traits in those that impacts the game the most?
Certainly – there are people who are natural leaders or who have learned to be leaders. Joe Greene – you could see in the first 10 minutes how he could command a locker room. Willie Lanier – you could see how formidable he was intellectually and how that played out in the locker room and on the field. Nobody excels in the NFL merely because they like it. It’s a calling. An obsession. Writer Dan Jenkins called sports an inoperable tumor.
Whether it was a legendary NFL coach like Chuck Noll or a great Division III coach – the great ones always had a commanding presence. The more time I spend with football leaders the clearer it is who is a natural leader and who will last as a coach.
When I watch Hard Knocks I always try and get a sense of which coach will last. Last year’s Bear’s one – Eberflus – he was probably a terrific offensive coordinator but I could tell he wasn’t going to last as a head coach. Dave Campo vibes are different than Bill Parcells vibes!
What worries you most about the future of the NFL? What are the big obstacles it faces moving forward?
Anyone watching the NFL should be concerned with player safety. I applaud what the NFL has done on the field for safety. But I can’t support a 17th and now maybe 18th game. It’s so clearly a cash grab. I’ve never met a fan who said the NFL needed a 17th game. It’s disappointing. As we become more aware of the physical toll the NFL has on players, the idea of adding more games is offensive. And when they say they’re taking away a preseason game so adding another game is ok – that’s nonsense. We know the best players don’t play in preseason games.
It’s mixed messaging. I know they want to maximize revenue but the teams are plenty wealthy with 16 games. I do like the overseas games – it’s great to see the NFL getting more traction overseas. They just don’t need 17 games.
You wrote a book with Brian Billick who I found to be so engaging. Why did you write More Than A Game with him and what was the biggest thing you learned from him?
I got to know Brian over time. He was in media relations first – he was Bill Walsh’s Media Liaison in San Francisco. He understood how things worked. he was so plugged in. When he was fired in Baltimore they were basically paying him not to coach. He had the idea of writing on the state of the NFL and I was interested in the idea. It was really a serendipitous endeavor and I enjoyed writing with him. The book I think stands the test of time – it’s a good snapshot of that time in the NFL.
What prompted your decision to write a book on Chuck Noll?
I had a hundred or more book ideas, and none were for a bio of Chuck Noll. I spent time with Dan Rooney on prior books – he was the Ambassador of Ireland at the time. Well, he summoned me to Pittsburgh and told me someone should write a biography of Chuck Noll. I told him I was flattered he thought of me and would look into it, but it would have to be on more than he was a great coach. He told me to “Look into it. You’ll see.”
The most surprising thing was that it turned out to be a love story. He had a troubled childhood and those troubles went away when he met his wife, Marianne. The troubles stopped and he could focus then on his love of football. He was also a gourmet cook, student of fine wines, pilot and ship captain. He was all of those things while being a successful NFL coach for 23 years.
I was able to spend some time with him in his later years while he was suffering from Alzheimers. That was rewarding.
Those 70’s teams carried a stigma of blue-collar, almost staid approach to the game – but those I spoke to described Noll as the most creative, innovative coach they worked with. Is that in sync with your research?
I don’t know if I’d classify him as innovative so much as adaptive. He didn’t have one system he forced players to conform to. He was superb at recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of his players and maximizing their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses on the field.
The first two teams that won Super Bowls were ground-oriented and relied on a dominant defense and occasional scores. They won lots of ugly games – the defense carried the offense. Then with the rules changes limiting what defensive backs could so, the last two Super Bowl teams were completely different. The defense was aging – Jack Ham described those last two Super Bowl defenses like the putt where the ball rolls into the hole and falls in on its last rotation. Bradshaw meanwhile was throwing bombs to Swann and Stallworth. That was in part due to the maturation of Bradshaw and the new passing rules, but also Noll’s willingness to adapt. It was like that Bum Phillips quote about Bear Bryant: “He could take your’n and beat his’n, and he could take his’n and beat your’n.”
Early on was there concern for Noll’s job security -Noll expressed some concerned about it to others year one.
The Rooneys knew they had the right man for the job even though they lost 13 straight after winning their first game versus the Lions. The Chief cut him a $10,00 bonus check after that first season and Chuck just put it in his drawer – he didn’t cash it. The Chief finally came by and told him Dan said he didn’t cash they check and told him he needed to cash it. So Chuck gave the check to Marianne and told her to deposit it but not to use the money until he accomplished something.
They knew he was a teacher and a builder and had the team on the right track even if the results didn’t immediately show it. They were 12-30 those first few season – coaches today would be fired if they had starts like that,
Does the “Steelers Way” work in today’s NFL? The family-first, heavy focus on loyalty?
It only works if you hire good people. People rave about loyalty but blind loyalty makes no sense. If you’re not up to the job it makes no sense giving them 10 years to do it. Loyalty and continuity are important but the Steelers had three great hires in a row. That’s the thing that is the least understood about the “Steelers Way”. Loyalty only kicks in when you hire someone who merits and earns that loyalty.
Why do you think they were so successful in those three hires?
There were so many false Dons before Chuck. He wasn’t about the bluster or about imitating Lombardi. The Rooneys wanted to build the team patiently and recognized Chuck was the right person.
Cowher was instrumental in helping Marty Schottenheimer’s shaping of the Chiefs. He was a great motivator and leader of me. The Steelers recognized that – but he was coveted around the league. If the Steelers didn’t hire him someone else would have.
Tomlin was a product of the Rooney rule in action. Paul Tagliabue and Rooney wanted the NFL coaching ranks to be more diverse. As Tagliabue said “They needed more Art Shells.” When Dan Rooney interviewed Tomlin, Tomlin knocked the interviews out of the park.
What’s the dream book or project for you?
The book I’m hoping to write is about the meaning of sports. With so many intelligent, connected, socially adept people that spend so much time, money and energy invested in sports I want to know what they get out of it and how it changes them.
In my book The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in America – in talking to athletes and coaches and administrators it was clear how many used sports as a prism to understand the world. There’s been a lot written on teams and athletes but not a lot on what we get out of sports.
Or else, a book on Bruce Springsteen!
Any other thoughts on your work on Pittsburgh coaches and teams?
When I look back on my years in Pittsburgh – I remember how much I loved driving through the tunnels and seeing the city. It’s the most breathtaking first city view in the country – and I’ve lived all over the country.
It’s always struck me – no matter what the season or whatever sports bar I’m in in any city- Steeler Nation is always there if there’s a Steelers game on. It’s only one of a few teams that deserves to be considered “America’s Team.”