The Perfect Pass

American Genius and the Reinvention of Football

By: S. C. Gwynne

Narrated by: Santino Fontana

An “excellent sports history” (Publishers Weekly) in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Moneyball, award-winning historian S.C. Gwynne tells the incredible story of how two unknown coaches revolutionized American football at every level, from high school to the NFL.

Hal Mumme spent fourteen mostly losing seasons coaching football before inventing a potent passing offense that would soon shock players, delight fans, and terrify opposing coaches. It all began at a tiny, overlooked college called Iowa Wesleyan, where Mumme was head coach and Mike Leach, a lawyer who had never played college football, was hired as his offensive line coach. In the cornfields of Iowa these two mad inventors, drawn together by a shared disregard for conventionalism and a love for Jimmy Buffett, began to engineer the purest, most extreme passing game in the 145-year history of football. Implementing their “Air Raid” offense, their teams—at Iowa Wesleyan and later at Valdosta State and the University of Kentucky—played blazingly fast—faster than any team ever had before, and they routinely beat teams with far more talented athletes. And Mumme and Leach did it all without even a playbook.

“A superb treat for all gridiron fans” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), The Perfect Pass S.C. Gwynne explores Mumme’s leading role in changing football from a run-dominated sport to a pass-dominated one, the game that tens of millions of Americans now watch every fall weekend. Whether you’re a casual or ravenous football fan, this is “a rousing tale of innovation” (Booklist), and “Gwynne’s book ably relates the story of that innovation and the successes of the man who devised it” (New York Journal of Books).

5 Star

Interesting book. SC Gwynn is an excellent storyteller. His book about the Comanches is one of my all time favorites.

Great story

A very good story about the rise of passing football and Hal Mumme. I throughly enjoyed it.

Quick read for me!

Thoroughly enjoyed this audible. Any football person will enjoy this glimpse of the Air Raid offense and its development!

Excellent

what are the best books about football that I've ever read I liked it so much I'm going to read it again right now!

we get to go behind the curtain with the air raid

S. C. Gwynne is a talented writer and this particular subject matter suffers from a lack of exploration. There are lots of sports stories but this is a virtually unique look behind the curtain at the development of the air raid offense .... a monumental event in football. I hated for it to be over could listen to this red another 8 hours with stories about Coach Leach Coach Mumme their passion for football and more specifically for throwing the football. This is a great sport story well told and thoroughly enjoyable. If you love football or you love history and you love great stories this one's not to be missed.