John U. Bacon: 'Real scholarship, original insights, page-turning stories'

Best-selling author John U. Bacon is the latest sports historian to praise Stagg vs. Yost: The Birth of Cutthroat Football.

"The best cure for nostalgia is a healthy dose of honest history," writes Bacon, author of Bo's Lasting Lessons, Three and Out, Fourth and Long and his new book due in September, End Zone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football. "[John] Kryk delivers that by the bucket in Stagg vs. Yost, where wax figures come to life, revealing themselves to be far more clever, corrupt, complex and occasionally noble than we ever could have imagined.

"Kryk provides real scholarship, original insights and page-turning stories. In the process, he shows us how it all started -- and why it still matters. If you care about college football, and especially Michigan football, you'll devour Stagg vs. Yost."

Bacon parenthetically provides this spoiler alert: "When you finish, you might conclude that [Amos Alonzo] Stagg's name should be taken off the Big Ten trophy, and [Fielding H.] Yost's should replace it."

Kryk's book from Rowman & Littlefield can be ordered online in either hardcover or electronic format.