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Last Team Standing: How the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles-- The "Steagles"--Saved Pro Football During World War II |  | Author: Matthew Algeo
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $2.80
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Seller: ebooksweb*
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 736638
Media: Paperback
Pages: 296
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 13 x 8.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0306815761
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.332097309044
EAN: 9780306815768
ASIN: 0306815761
Publication Date: August 28, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
During World War II, the national Football League faced a crisis unimaginable today: a shortage of players. By 1943, so many players were in the armed forces that the league was forced to fold one team (the Cleveland Rams) and merge two others: the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Thus were the "Steagles" born. The Steagles included military draft rejects, a superstar lured out of retirement, and even a few active-duty servicemen who got leave for the games. Yet, somehow, this motley crew posted a winning record--the first in Eagles' history and the second in Steelers' history. A book about football, about life during the war, Last Team Standing is, above all, about those of the Greatest Generation who, against all odds, contributed to America's war effort in the unlikeliest ways.
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| Customer Reviews:
A Most Enjoyable Book on Football in a Bygone Era November 4, 2009
Richard E. Hegner (Columbia, MD USA)
This enjoyable book relates the story of the merger of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1943, but it should appeal to a much broader audience than football aficionadoes and Steelers and Eagles fans. The author very skillfully puts the 1943 NFL season into the context of the times, delivering a fascinating description of the Steagles' experience from a variety of perspectives. As expected, there is the story of the 1943 season of the Steagles, with captivating portraits of the owners, head coaches (yes, there were two, one of whom was nicknamed "Greasy"), and "star" players of the merged team (one of whose oppponents was named "Hippety" Hopp--no kidding!). But there is also an interesting analysis of how the Steagles were able to field a team of male athletes at a time when Uncle Sam had a direct say in who got to remain home and who was shipped overseas to fight the big war. (The Steagles required most team members to work at "essential" jobs during the work week that were deemed critical to the war effort and draft deferrable. The team practiced in the evenings and on Saturdays.) The book also offers a memorable portrait of what life was like on the Home Front during WW II, from ration books to steel pennies to travel restrictions to scrap drives. And while it is a bit of an overstatement to call the Steagles the team that "saved pro football during WW II," the book ably describes the evolution of professional football during this period. The author writes well, exhibiting a wry wit and an appreciation for the human interest aspects of his story that prevents his book from getting bogged down in a recitation of plays and scores. I found this volume a true page turner and enjoyed every minute of its concise 227 pages.
Great Read for NFL and WWII History Buffs June 13, 2009
N. Hohmann (Warsaw)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I must admit, I'm not a sports fan -- and I've never followed football seriously -- but I did read "Last Team Standing" because (1) I thoroughly enjoyed Algeo's "Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure" and (2) I have spent a significant amount of time in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
That said, this book is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the origins of the NFL, American history during the Second World War, and (of course) any fan of the Philadelphia Eagles or Pittsburgh Steelers.
The fact that Algeo was able to make a book about football interesting to even me attests to his writing skills, which includes peppering the book with interesting football and war-time trivia. He also does an excellent job of building suspense as the "Steagles" slam their way to consecutive victories despite various setbacks.
In all, it's an excellent read for any American football fan or WWII history buff.
LAST TEAM STANDING IS OUTSTANDING February 9, 2008
COOL JEWEL (MACEDONIA, OHIO USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
AUTHOR MATTHEW ALGEO DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING US ABOUT THE STEELERS AND EAGLES WHO FOR ONE YEAR MERGED AS ONE TEAM, THE STEAGLES. DURING WWII, EVERYTHING WAS RATIONED, ESPECIALLY MEN WHO WERE CALLED TO FIGHT THE WAR. ONLY 4F AND MEN WHO WORKED IN A JOB IMPORTANT TO THE WAR EFFORT WERE AVAILABLE TO PLAY. BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMY, RATIONING AND SMALL NUMBER OF MEN AVAILABLE A FEW TEAMS IN THE NFL FOLDED. BUT TWO TEAMS MERGED TO BECOME ONE FOR JUST ONE SEASON. THE BOOK FOCUSES ON THE COACHES WHO HATED EACH OTHER AND THE PLAYERS WHO BARELY KNEW EACH OTHER. A DETAILED GAME BY GAME DESCRIPTION IS A HIGHLIGHT TO THIS BOOK ALONG WITH THE NOSTALGIC MEMORIES OF WWII AND LIFE IN THE 1940'S. MANY MANY PEOPLE ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS MUST READ LIKE ART ROONEY, BERT BELL AND GREASY NEALE. A HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS.
 A delightful surprise January 19, 2008
James E. Tenuto (San Diego, CA United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
So, there's the same guys and gals in the gym in the morning. Every morning, same people, same time. Suddenly you become gym buddies. Occasionally we find ourselves discussing movies, music and books. My gym buddy Barry, who over the ten years I have seen him, has never been without Penn State logo athletic clothes, passed Matthew Algeo's Last Team Standing to me.
Despite a three foot pile of books in the "to read" section, I gravitated to this delightful, surprising book and knocked it off in three days.
While I am no longer an NFL fan, this book about the one year merger between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles in 1943 was as much a discourse on the homefront during World War II as it was a football book. Algeo does a fine job by setting the tone of the era. Here is an NFL populated with 4-F players, riddled with perforated eardrums, flat feet, bleeding ulcers. An NFL with eight teams in the league. Players earning $200 per game for a ten day season, and the Steagles (the unofficial nickname) being enjoined by their respective owners to work full time jobs in the defense industry.
Sell out crowds of 34,000. Tickets at $3.50. A disgruntled lineman returning to the game only to find out that the new rules require that he wear a helmet, war-time travel restrictions, 1943 steel pennies, limited substitutions, and 60-minute men.
As we gird ourselves for the late January/early February media assault that has become the Super Bowl it is an interesting time to read about the earlier days of the league and some truly tough players.
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