Wearing borrowed uniforms, practicing on obscure college campuses, and led by a former Marine Corps W.W. II fighter ace as commissioner, the American Football League (AFL) debuted in the Fall of 1960 to challenge the monopoly of the well-established National Football League. Within ten years it had won two Super Bowls and had forced a merger with its rival, splitting the NFL into the National and American Football Conferences. This colorful history of the AFL and its unforgettable cast of characters, from Billy Cannon to Joe Namath to its "Foolish Club" of team owners, arrives on the 50th anniversary of the AFL's first season to recount the startling success of an upstart league that prevailed against long odds.

About the Author
Ken Rappoport has covered every major sport out of New York for thirty years and was the AP's national hockey writer for thirteen years. He lives in Old Bridge, New Jersey.

Reviews
Ken Rappoport's The Little League That Could, written from the perspective that time now allows, shows the undeniable influence the American Football League had on Professional Football in America. It is the masterful analysis of the AFL that its fans have long awaited. This book is filled with stories and memories of the likes of Billy Cannon, Lance Alworth, Elbert Dubenion and a host of other AFL stars. Every AFL fan should have it. -- Ange Coniglio, www.remembertheafl.com
[The Little League That Could] is a nice product and a valuable piece of sports history. -- Ron Mix, nine-time AFL All-Star and AFL All-Time First Team
Fifty years after the birth of the American Football League and 40 years after its absorption in a merger, the AFL's influence on the older NFL remains indelible, from the style of offenses to the two-point conversion rule, to the Super Bowl, to the names on the backs of jerseys, and more. Ken Rappoport brings it all to life in a vivid history, must reading for those who remember the AFL or simply want to know how the NFL got to where it is. -- Ira Miller, award-winning sportswriter, has covered the NFL for more than three decades and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Sel
...[A] vivid retelling of the upstart league's story. * Library Journal *



Book Information
ISBN 9781589794627
Author Ken Rappoport
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint Taylor Trade Publishing
Publisher Taylor Trade Publishing
Weight(grams) 474g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 161mm * 22mm