The First Star

Red Grange and the Barnstorming Tour That Launched the NFL

By: Lars Anderson

Narrated by: Petros Papadakis

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

In The First Star, acclaimed sports writer Lars Anderson recounts the thrilling story of Harold "Red" Grange, the Galloping Ghost of the gridiron, and the wild barnstorming tour that earned professional football a place in the American sporting firmament.

Red Grange's on-field exploits at the University of Illinois, so vividly depicted in print by the likes of Grantland Rice and Damon Runyan, had already earned him a stature equal to that of Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and other titans of American sports' golden age. Then, in November 1925, Grange made the fateful decision to parlay his fame in pro ball, at the time regarded as inferior to the "purer" college game. Grange signed on with the dapper theater impresario and promoter C. C. Pyle, who had courted him with the promise of instant wealth and fame. Teaming with George Halas, the hard-nosed entrepreneurial boss of the cash-strapped Chicago Bears NFL franchise, Pyle and Grange crafted an audacious plan: a series of seventeen matches against pro teams and college "all-star" squads - an entire season's worth of games crammed into six punishing weeks that would forever change sports in America.

With an unerring eye, Anderson evocatively captures the full scope of this frenetic Jazz Age spectacle. Night after night, the Bears squared off against a galaxy of legends - Jim Thorpe, George "Wildcat" Wilson, the "Four Horsemen of Notre Dame": Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller, and Layden - while entertaining immense crowds. Grange's name alone could cause makeshift stadiums to rise overnight, as occurred in Coral Gables, Florida, for a Bears game against a squad of college stars. Facing constant physical punishment and nonstop attention from autograph hounds, gamblers, showgirls, and headhunting defensive backs, Grange nevertheless thrilled audiences with epic scoring runs and late-game heroics.

©2010 Lars Anderson (P)2010 Phoenix Audio

Insightful history told in an excellent tenor

Lars Anderson does a wonderful job of combining sports with the larger societal framework. Papadakis, often shrill on his radio program, brings just the right tone to the reading. One that can be listened to again and again.

A Must For Football History Buffs

Thoroughly enjoyed this book except for the narration. Papadakis has one of the most irritating voices to suffer through but the writing and story are strong enough that it didn’t deter me. Definitely recommend this book.

great story

always wondered about Grange, his story completed and the narration was ok. all and all it was great

Amazing

If you could sum up The First Star in three words, what would they be?

Hard to believe.

What other book might you compare The First Star to and why?

Fifty-Nine in 84. What they had Grange do was as insane as what happened in that book.

Which scene was your favorite?

Overall the barnstorming tour was incredible. I am amazed any of the Bears survived the tour. 3 games in 3 days? Really? 18 games in 10 days? None of this would have been allowed today. The players on the other teams that punched him and hurt him were pretty stupid. They were too dumb to realize that his success would help them in the long run.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I broke it up. It was well written but was too depressing at times when you realize the stupidity and greed of those involved. Grange made money, sure, but the promoters and Hallas really played him.