1: Good overview but I prefer "Cowboys Essential" by Frank Luksa
Review: "100 Things Cowboys Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die"
Housewright, Ed. 100 Things Cowboys Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Chicago, IL: Triumph Books. 2008 210p, illus., bibliography 14.95 (list) ISBN 978-1-60078-080-6
The book cover claims this is the "Ultimate Resource Guide for True Cowboys Fans". I don't know if I'd go quite that far because the "ultimate resource guide" has a few mistakes in it.
E.g., on page 4, Housewright refers to Eddie LeBaron (the Cowboys first quarterback) as "Little Eddie", in reference to his small stature (5' 7"). In fact, LeBaron's nickname was "the Little General", a reference both to his small stature and to his service as an officer in the Korean War. On p9, Housewright says Tom Landry was a fighter pilot in World War II; every "true Cowboys fan" (the audience for this book) knows Landry was a bomber co-pilot.
On p40, he says expansion team Seattle had the worst record in 1976 (their first year in the NFL); in fact, Tampa Bay had the worst record (0-14) and the resulting first draft pick in the '77 college draft. Seattle actually tied for the second worst record (2-12) and thus had the second overall draft pick, which they eventually traded to the Cowboys, and with which the Cowboys selected the '76 Heisman Trophy winner, Pitt TB Tony Dorsett.
On p109, in reference to the Cowboys 35-34 win over the Redskins in the '79 regular season finale, Housewright says the Redskins scored three 4Q TDs to take the lead, 34-21 after the Cowboys came from behind, 21-17. If the Redskins had 17 points entering the 4Q, Housewright doesn't explain how adding 21 more points results in their final tally of 34. In fact, the Redskins scored only 17 points in the 4Q. These may be minor points, but they are reflective of sloppy research, or sloppy editing, or both.
More significant is his claim on p164 that Tom Landry disagreed with QB Don Meredith's decision to retire after the '68 season. Housewright actually quotes Landry as saying of Meredith, "I believed he had some great years left in him". But everything I've ever read about Meredith's retirement said the opposite, that Landry made no effort to talk Meredith out of his retirement, and that in fact, Landry thought it was the right decision (e.g., see Golenbock's "Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes", page 370, quoting Pete Gent, or Gary Cartwright's "Turn Out the Lights" in the Aug '97 issue of Texas Monthly, quoting Meredith himself). Of course, Coach Landry has passed on and Meredith isn't talking to the press, so we may never know exactly what happened when he quit.
Minor (or major) mistakes aside, one thing about the book I really didn't care for was its organization: there isn't any. Housewright doesn't take a chronological approach to his 100 topics, nor does he group them by category, as far as I can tell. In one chapter, he talks about Super Bowl XXVII; the next is about Bob Lilly. Another chapter is about twin safeties Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters; the next is about Super Bowl XXVIII. He follows a chapter on Walt Garrison with another about Darren Woodson.
I found it hard to follow the flow of the book because Housewright keeps jumping from era to era, first forward in time, then back. I suppose an author may organize his own book anyway he pleases, but I wish the editors at Triumph had counseled him to follow a standard chronological approach, so readers could follow how one player or team built upon the history and record of those who came before.
One good thing about the book is that it includes a bibliography. Because the book highlights the "essential information" (from the back cover blurb) that Cowboy fans need to know, it naturally invites comparison to Frank Luksa's 2006 book, "Cowboys Essential". I prefer Luksa's work, because I know he brings a long history of covering the Cowboys to the effort -- I have no idea how much experience Housewright has in covering the team. But Housewright's decision to include a bibliography is a plus compared to Luksa's book. Neither includes footnotes, but Luksa's omission of a bibliography left me wondering about his sources; not so with "100 Things".
Housewright is a reporter for the Dallas Morning News, but he's a city reporter; sports isn't his regular beat. Although he's written two sports-related books (bodybuilding and track & field), his lack of knowledge about the NFL in general, and the Dallas Cowboys in particular, may explain some of the mistakes mentioned above.
This book is one of a series of "100 Things" that various fans (Buckeyes, Crimson Tide, Longhorns, Rockies, etc.) should know and do. I haven't read the others and am not familiar with their histories, but hopefully the other authors in the series know their subjects better than Housewright knows the Cowboys.
?? Copyright Fred Goodwin, September 20, 2008
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