David Halberstam's book on Bill Belichick, The Education of a Coach might be the best sports book I ever read. It came out in 2005 and I only recently got around to reading it. Obviously there've been a lot of more recent books on the subject, maybe Patriots Reign being one of my favorites, or Tom Brady versus the NFL, but the Halberstam book stands above.
The book focuses in detail on Belichick, but also talks about his grandparents, his parents, his siblings, and the people he worked with. There is a lot of interesting football analysis there too, from his Giants days to 2005. The analysis of Belichick's friendship with Ernie Adams, and how obsessed with football plays the two were from the time they were in high school, is also notable.
Even though the book ends with '05 season, it has resonance now. The book talks a lot about Belichick's defensive brilliance and detail-oriented planning.
But what really lifts this book over contemporary works is its writing. Halberstam is a fluid, rich writer whose prose is interesting in a way that modern prose just isn't.
The book focuses in detail on Belichick, but also talks about his grandparents, his parents, his siblings, and the people he worked with. There is a lot of interesting football analysis there too, from his Giants days to 2005. The analysis of Belichick's friendship with Ernie Adams, and how obsessed with football plays the two were from the time they were in high school, is also notable.
Even though the book ends with '05 season, it has resonance now. The book talks a lot about Belichick's defensive brilliance and detail-oriented planning.
But what really lifts this book over contemporary works is its writing. Halberstam is a fluid, rich writer whose prose is interesting in a way that modern prose just isn't.