Iron Men

Assembled by the author of The Railroaders , this oral history of pro football in the 1940s and '50s brings together reminiscences of players, an owner, a PR director, a bandmaster, even a fan. The players involved include quarterbacks Otto Graham and Eddie Lebaron, hitters Ed Sprinkle and Bucko Kilroy and other stars like Pat Summerall, Crazylegs Hirsch, Doak Walker and Marion Motley. Most, apparently, played for love of the game, since the starting pay was about $5000 a year, and seemingly all were well prepared to step into their post-gridiron ``other lives.'' There is virtually unanimous agreement that the best player was Jim Brown, but sharp disagreement as to whether or not the game is better today. The only participant whose recollections are not enveloped in a golden haze is Motley, one of the two who broke the color bar in pro football. (October)