Frantic Francis : how one coach's madness changed football /

Perkins (a freelance writer) celebrates the career of one of modern football's less-renowned creative pioneers. Early college football was a slugfest of low scores due to relentless run plays and punts. Coach Francis Schmidt was one of the early proponents of the open-game movement, which expanded the offensive possibilities. Schmidt was obsessed with football and could not stop himself from creating new offensive plays. Perkins suggests that Schmidt suffered from hypomania, the characteristics of which (grandiosity, rapid speech, profanity, insomnia, and so on) matched his bombastic personality. Though Perkins examines Schmidt's entire career, which started at University of Tulsa in 1919 and ended at University of Idaho in 1942, he focuses on Schmidt's seven-year stint at Ohio State University (1934-40). He re-creates the excitement of many games, especially the Notre Dame-OSU classic in 1935. In addition to learning about Frantic Francis, the reader will receive an entertaining lesson on football history during the Depression. This book will appeal especially to the many devotees of football. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. J. A. Badics Eastern Michigan University

While the subject may seem a bit obscure, Francis "Shut the Gates of Mercy" Schmidt was renowned in the first half of the 20th century for his innovative approach to offensive football. He coached at Tulsa, Arkansas, Texas Christian, Ohio State and Idaho. He has been largely forgotten since his death in 1944. Although he achieved moderate success in his career, he came in for heavy criticism for the inherent weakness in his one-sided approach to the game. This wonderfully detailed biography of an innovator also fully acknowledges and explores the flaws of its subject while arguing for the significance of his contribution to football. Of interest to all who trace the evolution of the game.-J.M. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.