Reviews
"If there were a Mount Rushmore of pro football, the craggy face of Unitas would be one of the four figures on it. Tom Callahan is the perfect writer to tell the real story of Johnny U, and he does it with deep reporting and clear writing, cracking a myth etched in stone and bringing back to vivid life the real man." -David Maraniss, author ofWhen Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi "I'll be honest. I've never read a football book written by somebody else that made me wish my own name was on it-until now.Johnny Uis a classic." -Dan Jenkins, author ofSemi-Tough "Magnificent . . . Tom Callahan takes us through legendary times, bringing to life the history of professional football and the great players who were the essence of gridiron competition." -Bill Walsh, member, NFL Hall of Fame; two-time NFL Coach of the Year "A wonderfully human portrait of a legendary sportsman . . . takes us back to a team, a town, and a time that should never be forgotten." -Jeffrey Marx, Pulitzer Prizewinning author ofSeason of Life "As elegant, tough, tender, and unforgettable as Johnny U himself . . . This is Hall of Fame stuff." -Dave Kindred, author ofSound and Fury "As a young dyed-in-the-wool Baltimore Colts fan, I watched Johnny U ascend from a mere mortal to a football god. Tom Callahan gives us a full-textured account, as exciting as sudden-death overtime." -Barry Levinson, writer and director ofDiner "Destined to be acknowledged a classic . . . By page forty you're saying to yourself, 'I don't want this to end.'" -Dick Stockton, longtime broadcaster, Fox Sports, Advance Praise forJohnny U "Johnny Uis destined to be acknowledged a classic...By page forty you're saying to yourself, 'I don't want this to end.' Tom Callahan's seamless approach brings to life in an impressively intimate way the colorful personalities surrounding a quarterback who transcended every era. It's a wonderful journey." -Dick Stockton, longtime broadcaster, Fox Sports "Tom Callahan's book is as elegant, tough, tender, and unforgettable as Johnny U himself. For Unitas and his company of heroes, football was a matter of the heart, always more art than science. Now comes the artist Callahan with a full-length portrait of a quarterback so good that Staubach, Montana, and Manning bowed before him, unworthy. This is Hall of Fame stuff." -Dave Kindred, author ofSound and Fury "If there were a Mount Rushmore of pro football, the craggy face of Unitas would be one of the four figures on it. Tom Callahan is the perfect writer to tell the real story of Johnny U, and he does it with deep reporting and clear writing, cracking a myth etched in stone and bringing back to vivid life the real man." -David Maraniss, author ofWhen Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi "I'll be honest. I've never read a football book written by somebody else that made me wish my own name was on it---until now.Johnny Uis a classic. Tom Callahan, a masterful writer to start with, takes a literary plunge into the real world of pro football and throws more touchdown chapters than Unitas threw touchdown passes." -Dan Jenkins, author ofSemi-Tough "This is a magnificent piece of work. Tom Callahan takes us through legendary times, bringing to life the history of professional football and the great players who were the essence of gridiron competition. We are reminded that John Unitas, the quintessential gladiator, was a true champion in every sense of the word. It was he and his contemporaries who established the National Football League as we know it today. These are men who should be revered, whose sacrifice set a standard that will never be equaled." -Bill Walsh, Member, NFL Hall of Fame; Three-Time NFL Coach of the Year "What a tremendous gift Tom Callahan has given us. Combining personal experience with passionate research, he offers us both a wonderfully human portrait of a legendary sportsman and an enjoyable stroll down memory lane, taking us back to a team, a town, and a time that should never be forgotten." -Jeffrey Marx, Pulitzer Prize winning author ofSeason of Life, Advance Praise for Johnny U "If there were a Mount Rushmore of pro football, the craggy face of Unitas would be one of the four figures on it. Tom Callahan is the perfect writer to tell the real story of Johnny U, and he does it with deep reporting and clear writing, cracking a myth etched in stone and bringing back to vivid life the real man." -David Maraniss, author of When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi "I'll be honest. I've never read a football book written by somebody else that made me wish my own name was on it---until now. Johnny U is a classic. Tom Callahan, a masterful writer to start with, takes a literary plunge into the real world of pro football and throws more touchdown chapters than Unitas threw touchdown passes." -Dan Jenkins, author of Semi-Tough "This is a magnificent piece of work. Tom Callahan takes us through legendary times, bringing to life the history of professional football and the great players who were the essence of gridiron competition. We are reminded that John Unitas, the quintessential gladiator, was a true champion in every sense of the word. It was he and his contemporaries who established the National Football League as we know it today. These are men who should be revered, whose sacrifice set a standard that will never be equaled." -Bill Walsh, Member, NFL Hall of Fame; Three-Time NFL Coach of the Year "What a tremendous gift Tom Callahan has given us. Combining personal experience with passionate research, he offers us both a wonderfully human portrait of a legendary sportsman and an enjoyable stroll down memory lane, taking us back to a team, a town, and a time that should never be forgotten." -Jeffrey Marx, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Season of Life, " If there were a Mount Rushmore of pro football, the craggy face of Unitas would be one of the four figures on it. Tom Callahan is the perfect writer to tell the real story of Johnny U, and he does it with deep reporting and clear writing, cracking a myth etched in stone and bringing back to vivid life the real man." -- David Maraniss, author of "When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi" " I'll be honest. I've never read a football book written by somebody else that made me wish my own name was on it-- until now. "Johnny U" is a classic." -- Dan Jenkins, author of "Semi-Tough" " Magnificent . . . Tom Callahan takes us through legendary times, bringing to life the history of professional football and the great players who were the essence of gridiron competition." -- Bill Walsh, member, NFL Hall of Fame; two-time NFL Coach of the Year " A wonderfully human portrait of a legendary sportsman . . . takes us back to a team, a town, and a time that should never be forgotten." -- Jeffrey Marx, Pulitzer Prize- winning author of" Season of Life" " As elegant, tough, tender, and unforgettable as Johnny U himself . . . This is Hall of Fame stuff." -- Dave Kindred, author of "Sound and Fury" " As a young dyed-in-the-wool Baltimore Colts fan, I watched Johnny U ascend from a mere mortal to a football god. Tom Callahan gives us a full-textured account, as exciting as sudden-death overtime." -- Barry Levinson, writer and director of" Diner" " Destined to be acknowledged a classic . . . By page forty you're saying to yourself, ' I don't want this to end.' " -- Dick Stockton, longtime broadcaster, Fox Sports
