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When the Game Stands Tall, Special Movie Edition: The Story of the De La Salle Spartans and Football's Longest Winning Streak Paperback – July 29, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Some guys are just coaches. Bob is one of those guys. He's like John Wooden, Joe Torre, or Bill Walsh. They can coach any sport at any level."
—John Madden, broadcaster and Hall of Fame coach
“Neil Hayes has given us a riveting chronicle of the greatest high school football program in history. Emotional, inspiring, dramatic, and action-packed.”
—Thomas Carter, director of When The Game Stands Tall
“Exceptional. A story about brotherhood and the endless fight to achieve greatness in all aspects of life.”
—Alexander Ludwig
"Coach Bob Ladouceur's ability to communicate, teach, relate is unparalleled. He strikes a nerve with me every time I hear him speak."
—Jon Gruden, Monday Night Football analyst and former coach of the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
"A timeless and universal story about character, hard work, and love.”
—Steve Bersch, President, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions
“Neil Hayes beautifully captures the essence of Bob Ladouceur and his style of coaching ... As a parent, I learned more from this than any other book, especially in the areas of listening and compassion.”
—Laura Dern
"I've never seen a better coached team at any level. I watch De La Salle play and I can't believe it's a high school football game. Bob is as fine a coach as the game has ever seen.”
—Bill Walsh, Hall of Famer and former coach of the San Francisco 49ers
"Winning was merely a byproduct of Bob Ladouceur's teachings and philosophy, and his team won more games in a row than any other team, in any sport...ever. Clearly Bob has something to teach us all."
—Michael Chiklis
“Human vulnerability gets equal time with athletic invincibility throughout Hayes’s book.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
"This book will be extremely useful to anybody who coaches young men or women. Bob's an amazing man. De La Salle is an amazing program. A story we need to read."
—Tony La Russa, former manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals
“A road map for developing great teams and great young men. A must read for any coach or parent who wants to help kids reach their true potential.”—David Zelon, producer of When the Game Stands Tall
“Remarkable.”
—Pro Football Weekly
"De La Salle is the ultimate high school football program in this country, there's no doubt about that. It's unbelievable how they keep winning."
—Steve Mariucci, NFL network analyst and former coach of the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers
—John Madden, broadcaster and Hall of Fame coach
“Neil Hayes has given us a riveting chronicle of the greatest high school football program in history. Emotional, inspiring, dramatic, and action-packed.”
—Thomas Carter, director of When The Game Stands Tall
“Exceptional. A story about brotherhood and the endless fight to achieve greatness in all aspects of life.”
—Alexander Ludwig
"Coach Bob Ladouceur's ability to communicate, teach, relate is unparalleled. He strikes a nerve with me every time I hear him speak."
—Jon Gruden, Monday Night Football analyst and former coach of the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
"A timeless and universal story about character, hard work, and love.”
—Steve Bersch, President, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions
“Neil Hayes beautifully captures the essence of Bob Ladouceur and his style of coaching ... As a parent, I learned more from this than any other book, especially in the areas of listening and compassion.”
—Laura Dern
"I've never seen a better coached team at any level. I watch De La Salle play and I can't believe it's a high school football game. Bob is as fine a coach as the game has ever seen.”
—Bill Walsh, Hall of Famer and former coach of the San Francisco 49ers
"Winning was merely a byproduct of Bob Ladouceur's teachings and philosophy, and his team won more games in a row than any other team, in any sport...ever. Clearly Bob has something to teach us all."
—Michael Chiklis
“Human vulnerability gets equal time with athletic invincibility throughout Hayes’s book.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
"This book will be extremely useful to anybody who coaches young men or women. Bob's an amazing man. De La Salle is an amazing program. A story we need to read."
—Tony La Russa, former manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals
“A road map for developing great teams and great young men. A must read for any coach or parent who wants to help kids reach their true potential.”—David Zelon, producer of When the Game Stands Tall
“Remarkable.”
—Pro Football Weekly
"De La Salle is the ultimate high school football program in this country, there's no doubt about that. It's unbelievable how they keep winning."
—Steve Mariucci, NFL network analyst and former coach of the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers
About the Author
NEIL HAYES was a sportswriter at the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, California, and the Chicago Sun-Times during a 26-year newspaper career. He wrote the script for the ESPN documentary 151: The Greatest Streak, which was inspired by this book. He was also part of the creative team and an on-set consultant during the filming of the major motion picture based on this book.
More About the Author
NEIL HAYES is an award-winning columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and the author of the acclaimed When the Game Stands Tall.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By
Thomas M. Loarie
TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on July 29, 2014
Format: Paperback
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"When the Game Stands Tall" by sports reporter and author Neil Hayes traces the storied football program at De LaSalle (DLS) High School (Concord, CA) from its roots to becoming one of today's most highly regarded in the U.S. Hayes interweaves three stories - the school's football program which won 151 consecutive games ("The Streak") over twelve seasons, the life and maturation of DLS's head football coach Bob Ladouceur, and an intimate view of the 2002 game-by-game preparation and execution which led to the 11th consecutive undefeated season.
Ladouceur, who played college football at Utah State then San Jose State, was an unlikely candidate for establishing himself as one of the premier high school coaches in the U.S. He left college football with a sour taste for football, feeling that it "used him up then spit him out."
He played high school football under the legendary Fred Houston at Danville, CA.'s San Ramon High. Houston was a blood and guts coach that forced players to make a choice..."those who remained were dedicated and believed in what they were doing." Houston taught discipline, fundamentals, and that the game was hard and had to be played agressively - attributes that would become hallmarks of Ladouceur's programs.
Ladouceur's arrival at the Christian Brother's De LaSalle High School in Concord, CA. (35 miles northeast of San Francisco) at the age 25 with of one year of coaching experience was not popular. Nevertheless, the school's principal who wanted a teacher first and someone who put the students first, and Ladouceur who worked part-time as a probation officer and wanted to help troubled kids, found one another...and the building of a legacy was underway.Read more ›
Ladouceur, who played college football at Utah State then San Jose State, was an unlikely candidate for establishing himself as one of the premier high school coaches in the U.S. He left college football with a sour taste for football, feeling that it "used him up then spit him out."
He played high school football under the legendary Fred Houston at Danville, CA.'s San Ramon High. Houston was a blood and guts coach that forced players to make a choice..."those who remained were dedicated and believed in what they were doing." Houston taught discipline, fundamentals, and that the game was hard and had to be played agressively - attributes that would become hallmarks of Ladouceur's programs.
Ladouceur's arrival at the Christian Brother's De LaSalle High School in Concord, CA. (35 miles northeast of San Francisco) at the age 25 with of one year of coaching experience was not popular. Nevertheless, the school's principal who wanted a teacher first and someone who put the students first, and Ladouceur who worked part-time as a probation officer and wanted to help troubled kids, found one another...and the building of a legacy was underway.Read more ›
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By
Aletheia Knights
on August 9, 2014
Format: Paperback
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"Win some, lose some." Right? Not if you're De La Salle High School of Concord, California. From 1992 to 2004, the football team from this parochial boys' school won every single game they played - 151 games in all. Not only is that the longest streak on record for a high school team (and more than twice the length of the previous record-holder), it's the longest streak on record for any team, playing any sport, at any level, ever. By the early 2000s, head coach Bob Ladouceur had a standard answer ready for the question people never stopped asking: How do you do it? "Spend a year with us," he'd say.
Sportswriter Neil Hayes decided to take him up on it.
Hayes joined the De La Salle Spartans at practice, in the locker room, and at team meetings over the course of the 2002 season, and he came to understand - at least as well as anyone can who's never suited up in Spartan green himself - exactly how they do it. The secret? Dedication, accountability, a hardcore off-season training regime - and a solid bond of brotherhood.
As a writer, Hayes came in at just the right time to capture the De La Salle experience at its most dramatic. Most of the school's strongest players had graduated with the class of 2002, and no obvious student leaders had yet emerged among the incoming seniors. After ten undefeated years, it was perhaps inevitable that players would come to think of victory as an entitlement, a foregone conclusion, and start to slack off a bit. With De La Salle scheduled to play some of the highest-ranked teams in the country over the next few weeks, Ladouceur and his assistant coaches knew their celebrated Streak was in jeopardy unless these kids could pull it together - fast.Read more ›
Sportswriter Neil Hayes decided to take him up on it.
Hayes joined the De La Salle Spartans at practice, in the locker room, and at team meetings over the course of the 2002 season, and he came to understand - at least as well as anyone can who's never suited up in Spartan green himself - exactly how they do it. The secret? Dedication, accountability, a hardcore off-season training regime - and a solid bond of brotherhood.
As a writer, Hayes came in at just the right time to capture the De La Salle experience at its most dramatic. Most of the school's strongest players had graduated with the class of 2002, and no obvious student leaders had yet emerged among the incoming seniors. After ten undefeated years, it was perhaps inevitable that players would come to think of victory as an entitlement, a foregone conclusion, and start to slack off a bit. With De La Salle scheduled to play some of the highest-ranked teams in the country over the next few weeks, Ladouceur and his assistant coaches knew their celebrated Streak was in jeopardy unless these kids could pull it together - fast.Read more ›
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By
Skipper
on August 13, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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A uniquely remarkable story of commitment, endurance, fellowship with a perfect strategy for excellence led by a modest genius and his inspired staff. We readers are fortunate to get the inside-scoop relayed by this excellent and experienced author who was actually "embedded" within the team during the streak.
This is much more than a compelling sports story of young men and their mentor being the best they can be for their teammates. It is a story of honesty, friendship, love and loyalty being triumphant! All leaders of men should learn this.
The formula for success evolved and perpetuated year after year, as players graduated and rookies replacing them gathering experience and contributing industriously in practice, fitness drills and hard fought games.. Their opponents were frequently larger and heavier but none were ever stronger or fitter pound-for-pound.
This is much more than a compelling sports story of young men and their mentor being the best they can be for their teammates. It is a story of honesty, friendship, love and loyalty being triumphant! All leaders of men should learn this.
The formula for success evolved and perpetuated year after year, as players graduated and rookies replacing them gathering experience and contributing industriously in practice, fitness drills and hard fought games.. Their opponents were frequently larger and heavier but none were ever stronger or fitter pound-for-pound.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
Wolfe Moffat
on August 19, 2014
Format: Paperback
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As a family, we were preparing to watching the movie, "Heaven Is For Real," and I was venturing to the kitchen to prepare a snack for all of us. I've got to humbly admit, I'm not into previews when I'm watching a DVD at my house. I'd prefer to skip all of the previews, and get to the main attraction. Afterwards? MAYBE a preview will be ok. But before I could get out of the family room, a preview did catch my eye. That preview happened to be for "When the Game Stands Tall," and quite frankly, my jaw dropped in awe. THIS preview could be repeated, because it is a movie that I just can't wait to see!!!
Then, at a store, I found this book, the Special Movie Edition, and I had to pick it up. What is so special about De La Salle High School and their football? 151 straight games without a loss, that's what! Coaching legend Bob Ladouceur is what makes this special! The fact that his players care about each other more than the game itself is something special! The discipline and determination that drives the lives of this entire team is indeed special. Coach Lad's (Bob Ladouceaur) demeanor while the game is being played is practically a poker face, and he isn't too much on trash talking and being harsh spoken.
Without going into spoilers, I'm going to put it in very simple terms. If John Madden writes a forward of a football book, and says within that forward, "There's a lot more to it than X's and O's. Maybe that's what makes it so special." After reading that? The time has come, Monday Night Football and gridiron fans around the world, for us to shut up, and just read the book. Or just watch the movie. We can play Madden Football on our XBox whenever we please. I say, lets take notice about something that makes John Madden's jaw truly drop! I can't wait to see this movie!!!
Then, at a store, I found this book, the Special Movie Edition, and I had to pick it up. What is so special about De La Salle High School and their football? 151 straight games without a loss, that's what! Coaching legend Bob Ladouceur is what makes this special! The fact that his players care about each other more than the game itself is something special! The discipline and determination that drives the lives of this entire team is indeed special. Coach Lad's (Bob Ladouceaur) demeanor while the game is being played is practically a poker face, and he isn't too much on trash talking and being harsh spoken.
Without going into spoilers, I'm going to put it in very simple terms. If John Madden writes a forward of a football book, and says within that forward, "There's a lot more to it than X's and O's. Maybe that's what makes it so special." After reading that? The time has come, Monday Night Football and gridiron fans around the world, for us to shut up, and just read the book. Or just watch the movie. We can play Madden Football on our XBox whenever we please. I say, lets take notice about something that makes John Madden's jaw truly drop! I can't wait to see this movie!!!
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