When the Grass Was Real: Unitas, Brown, Lombardi, Sayers, Butkus, Namath, and All the Rest: The Best Ten Years of Pro Football

For gridiron historian Carroll ( The Hidden Game of Football ), the 1960s were the golden age of the pro game. In a sense it was: the decade saw the emergence of the AFL as a successful second league; the number of teams increased from 12 to 26 and the total attendance rose from three million to nine million; televised games, introduced in 1958, became ever more popular and the networks became ever more generous. As for the caliber of play, though, there is some question as to whether the passage of time lends an enchanted aura. Even Carroll, enthusiast for the '60s that he is, seems to suggest that many of the teams of the fledgling AFL were pretty feeble. And surely a 1993 fan may well ask whether the players of 1963 were of the same caliber as the pros of today. It seems doubtful. Still, the book promises to be fun for nostalgia buffs interested in the players and the politics of the era. Photos not seen by PW . (Sept.)