Men in White. The Gutsy, Against-All-Odds Return of Penn State Football. Chris Raymond.
This is a book about the perseverance of a team that was put at a major disadvantage in the aftermath of a major University scandal. Of course, we are talking about the Pennsylvania State University football program in this case. Chris Raymond tells the story of how the program overcame plenty of obstacles just to field a team in 2012 and chronicles the progress over the next five seasons which ultimately culminated in a conference championship—against many odds as the subtitle of this book alludes.
Raymond, a current editor with Consumer Reports and a long-time writer over the last three decades for outlets such as ESPN, Esquire and GQ, explains the tale through the memories and emotions of former players, coaches, members of the media, mascots, fans and others connected with the university during that tumultuous period. In essence there are two writing proses’ of expression occurring in each chapter. The recounting from the players, coaches, etc. is printed in regular formatting. The author fills in the blanks and ties one chapter to the next with comments printed in italicized form.
One interesting feature about this book that may strike college football fans are the comments from no fewer than three current head college football coaches including James Franklin (still coaching PSU since 2014), Brent Pry (Virginia Tech) and former PSU and current Boston College head football coach, Bill O’Brien. The author tended to print and report mostly positive thoughts from all contributors but not necessarily in all cases especially regarding the relationship between Franklin and former starting quarterback Christian Hackenberg. In fact, Hackenberg, along with two other starting quarterbacks throughout that era, contributes heavily to the content of this manuscript.
The players seem to have rallied around Bill O’Brien who had the unenviable task of replacing legendary head coach Joe Paterno upon his immediate and acute dismissal just before the end of the 2011 regular season. The author reported that O’Brien never got the chance to pick Paterno’s brain upon his hiring. (Paterno passed away in January 2012 just a few weeks after the O’Brien era began). Nonetheless, Bill O’Brien is his own man and ran the program as such according to the players testimonial early in the book. All bets were off though once the NCAA sanctions and penalties were levied by the NCAA in July 2012, which apparently took the staff and players by surprise. The coaches were scrambling to keep as many players as possible, which was only exacerbated by coaches around the country trying to persuade current players to leave the Nittany Lions including at least one coaching staff that came directly to Happy Valley to aggressively and actively recruit Penn State players in person that summer.
However, O’Brien’s direct and honest coaching style seemed to resonate with the players that stayed with the program. He seemed to be remembered fondly by many of the contributors to the book. There was one caveat, though. O’Brien unexpectedly left at two seasons for a variety of reasons. Raymond did capture the frustration and wistfulness of some players upon that decision including and especially voiced by highly touted freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg. The book transitions to another new era at Penn State— unfamiliar territory for the players, administration and especially the large legion of diehard Nittany Lion fans. James Franklin was hired to replace Bill O’Brien and according to Raymond implemented a different philosophy in both offensive strategy and running a program in general. The book reports some dissatisfaction among the contributing players when recounting their struggles in the early seasons of the Franklin era.
The comments reported throughout the book certainly come across as authentic and honest but mostly positive as well. One wonders if certain comments were kept out of the book or specific players, coaches, etc... were eschewed in favor of a mostly propitious viewpoint that encapsulates myriad chapters. This is a noteworthy downside of reporting comments from a select cast of contributors, especially considering that over a five-year period there were hundreds of players and dozens of coaches that were connected to the program in the four years post-Paterno.
Overall, Raymond delivers a pretty good read for the Penn State fan base to reflect, rejoice and remember in what may have been considered a dark period for a proud football program and culture. Nevertheless, the reader does not have to be a Penn State football fan to enjoy this book or to learn about the trials and struggles that took place in the early years after the NCAA punishment was handed down to the program. The book packs four hundred and forty pages of dialogue and other sagacious content. The concept of this story may have seen, at first, to capitalize on writing another book about one of the most recognizable brands of college football but the author makes the case that there was a real story unfolding under our noses that deserved to be documented and digested by fans with insatiable appetites of sports triumphs and tribulations.
You might like to read this book if you are a Penn State football fan.
You might like to read this book if you are a college football fan.
You might like to read this book if you are a sports fan.
You might like to read this book if you seek books about overcoming odds.
Read more about the author on X: https://x.com/CRay65
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