Tough Luck: Sid Luckman, Murder Inc., and the Rise of the Modern NFL

A journalist brings to light a dark family secret of a player who helped create the modern game of football. A passionate Chicago Bears fan and former neighbor of the team’s great quarterback Sid Luckman of the 1940s, Rosen (Such Good Girls) couldn’t believe that Luckman’s dad, Meyer, had gone to prison for the murder of his own brother-in-law in 1935—and almost no one had reported the connection. Digging into the sordid crime, Rosen ties Meyer to Louis Lepke, head of the mafia organization known as Murder Inc., as he parallels Meyer’s demise with his son’s rise from Brooklyn Prep star to first round pick. While the Bears won four NFL championships with him at the helm, Luckman’s biggest impact on the game was running the T formation, which transformed the NFL from a low-scoring, brutal game to a pass-heavy, high-scoring affair that became America’s most popular sport. With great research and storytelling, Rosen brings to life Depression-era New York and WWII-era Chicago in a wonderful family saga that will captivate history and sports fan alike. (Sept.)