Football Books That Really Should Be Written

I noticed that someone finally decided to write a book about Bill Dudley. "Bullet Bill" might have been an inaugural Pro Football Hall of Famer in 1963 if World War II hadn't hacked up his football career. Instead he went into Canton in 1966. He was great. One of football's best. A stroke took Dudley from his mortal days in 2010. A book about those days is coming out this month. Steve Stinson is the author and I'm looking forward to it.

It's often been said that there aren't enough football books out there. I agree and disagree. There are a lot of great football books. There's just a lot more that need to be written.

In 2012 I had the opportunity to visit NFL Films as a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association. Our meeting was held there that year and it was an unbelievable opportunity. The NFL Films facilities are more incredible than you can possibly imagine. Ed and Steve Sabol created something truly great. Their work continues with the people that remain. During this visit I met NFL Films employee and author Chris Willis. I had already read his excellent books on the Columbus Panhandles and Joe Carr. I was thrilled to learn that weekend that he had written a book about Dutch Clark. After having read his passionate interest in Carr, the Nessler family, Columbus, and the early NFL I couldn't wait to read his look into the life of Clark. It's an arguable title but Clark might have been the most decent man to have ever played in the NFL. Great guy. Great football player. Dutch Clark was a member of the first Pro Football Hall of Fame Class in 1963. 17 men were part of that class. 11 made it on their football-playing ability. The other six Hall of Famers were NFL backbone people. Commissioners, presidents and coaches. Men like George Halas, Curly Lambeau, Joe Carr, Bert Bell, George Preston Marshall, and Tim Mara. Great books have been written about Thorpe, Halas, Grange, Nagurski, Bell, Carr, and now Clark. It's stunning that Mel Hein and Ernie Nevers don't have in-depth biographies about their football deeds. Don Hutson? Are you kidding me? Where's that Hutson book?

I'm thrilled that Bill Dudley is the subject of a big-time book. I can't wait to read it. I just can't believe that no one has found the time to write about Joe Guyon or Guy Chamberlin. George Trafton? That would be a fun read. Ace Parker, Marion Motley, Clarke Hinkle, Shorty Ray, Steve Van Buren, Bill Willis, Charley Trippi, Ollie Matson. My goodness, the life of Jimmy Conzelman would be a fantastic read. I would love to read a book about the football collisions between Nagurski and Hinkle. The way that those two played the game has always been my image of the first two decades of professional football.

There are so many football stories that have been told. There are a lot of great football books out there. There are so many more that aren't.