The Last Cowboy

A Life of Tom Landry

By: Mark Ribowsky

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 27 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

As the coach during professional football’s most storied era, Tom Landry transformed the gridiron from a no-holds-barred battlefield to the highly-technical chess match it is today. With his trademark fedora and stoic facade, he was a man of faith and few words, for 29 years guiding “America’s Team” from laughingstock to well-oiled machine, with an unprecedented twenty consecutive winning seasons and two Super Bowl titles. Now, more than a decade after Landry’s death, acclaimed biographer Mark Ribowsky takes a fresh look at this misunderstood legend, telling us as much about our country’s obsession with football as about Landry himself, the likes of whom we’ll never see again.

©2014 Mark Ribowsky (P)2014 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“An eloquent, honest tribute to a sports genius.” ( Publishers Weekly, Best 100 Books of 2013)

Fine overview of TL

This was fine as far as bios go. I felt like it barely scratched the surface of who he was. Perhaps more precisely, no clear picture ever developed of Tom in this book. It was a very long collection of stories and opinions of Tom's life. So, again, it was a very standard bio (albeit a very thoroughly researched bio) with nothing too outstanding to set it apart; no conclusions or overarching storyline or unique angles...just a nice in memorium of Tom's life.

Cowboys fan of over 50 years!

Wow,I got to relive great wins, heartbreaking losses, inside look at the coach I loved!

Great research!

An excellent story, with a great narrator... It gave me an important remindment of cowboy history!Dont miss it!

Bosses' coach or players' coach?

A dual narrative of Coach Landry and the new Dallas Cowboys franchise through 1989. For those old enough to remember its inception in 1960, the formation of the team as a business organization and as a clumsy expansion franchise on the field, this work will fill in many gaps. Landry, an assistant coach with the Giants along with Vince Lombardi before coming to Texas, found himself laboring mightily to measure up to Lombardi's success with the Packers, and later to George Allen of the Redskins, as well as Shula and Noll. Landry coached the team to an endless series of 12-4 seasons but never quite found the mix for winning championships consistently. His personality and coaching ethic suited his oil baron bosses if not his players. It is arguable that Landry's inability to read men cost him more championships. One of the book's pleasures is revisiting the long series of Dallas' outstanding football players, but the pleasure is diluted by the general unhappiness with the organization and later with the infestation of drug abuse. The author reminds us why, for some years, the Cowboys were known as "South America's Team." This is a captivating narrative.

The History of the LAST COWBOY!

Great narrative of a man who believed by faith for God, love of his family, leading and teach in Football for the diversity of men.

The one sided story glorifying Tom

I am a cowboys fan and have been my whole life, heard all the stories read a lot of articles and listened to interviews. With that I have found this version quite a bit too gloriously regarding Tom. He was no saint and the stories of the people around seem to be so one sided without regard to the truth. I believe Tom was a great coach and man but his actions were not consistent with all the other stories out there is print. Sorry wish there was more truthful about the ownership transfer and transition.

For any NFL fan

Landry never claimed to be perfect, but he was a fine leader of men; and Skip Bayless was, is and always will be a clown.

History of a Legend

Well written, well read and well detailed of a time of Legendary Coach!
It’s worth your time to listen to.

Don't waste a credit!

Too many factual errors, not enough football. Not an accurate telling of the Tom Landry story.

The author’s political slant is a distraction from the topic

If the personal political commentary were removed, it could quickly be a 4 star book.