Ain't Nothin' But a Winner
152 pages, 6 x 9
29 B&W figures
Paperback
Release Date:15 Sep 2016
ISBN:9780817358648
Ain't Nothin' But a Winner
Bear Bryant, The Goal Line Stand, and a Chance of a Lifetime
University of Alabama Press
A rollicking memoir from the linebacker at the heart of the most famous Alabama football play of all time
No university has won more football championships than Alabama, and Barry Krauss played a key role in one of them. The linebacker’s fourth down stop of Penn State’s Mike Guman in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1979, was recently named by ESPN as one of the ten most important plays of the 20th century.
The Goal Line Stand, as the play became known, immortalized Krauss among legions of fans. More than twenty-five years later, people still tell him exactly what they were doing and how they felt when he collided in mid-air with Guman that New Year’s Day—and almost never mention his twelve-year career in the NFL.
In this entertaining and well-illustrated memoir, Krauss tells of scrimmaging on front lawns with friends as a kid in Pompano Beach, Florida, and of his childhood dream to play for Don Shula. He acknowledges how Coach Bear Bryant tamed his free spirit and shaped him into the football player—and the man—he became. In addition, he emphasizes the importance of team, weaving together the personal stories of his Alabama teammates on the field during the Goal Line Stand, and acknowledges their significant roles in winning the game and the championship.
Ain’t Nothin’ But a Winner offers an insider’s look at how a team is built, tested, and becomes a national champion—and how that process sometimes calls upon an individual to rise to the challenge presented by his own personal gut check.
No university has won more football championships than Alabama, and Barry Krauss played a key role in one of them. The linebacker’s fourth down stop of Penn State’s Mike Guman in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1979, was recently named by ESPN as one of the ten most important plays of the 20th century.
The Goal Line Stand, as the play became known, immortalized Krauss among legions of fans. More than twenty-five years later, people still tell him exactly what they were doing and how they felt when he collided in mid-air with Guman that New Year’s Day—and almost never mention his twelve-year career in the NFL.
In this entertaining and well-illustrated memoir, Krauss tells of scrimmaging on front lawns with friends as a kid in Pompano Beach, Florida, and of his childhood dream to play for Don Shula. He acknowledges how Coach Bear Bryant tamed his free spirit and shaped him into the football player—and the man—he became. In addition, he emphasizes the importance of team, weaving together the personal stories of his Alabama teammates on the field during the Goal Line Stand, and acknowledges their significant roles in winning the game and the championship.
Ain’t Nothin’ But a Winner offers an insider’s look at how a team is built, tested, and becomes a national champion—and how that process sometimes calls upon an individual to rise to the challenge presented by his own personal gut check.
Ain’t Nothin’ But a Winner is at times funny, always honest, as easy a read as the sports page, and in the end, as with all good books, it’s about more than football and competition. It’s about life, ‘the journey,’ as Krauss calls it, and the ‘million little moments’ that, he says, make life truly worth living.’
—Alabama Writers Forum
‘This volume is almost entirely the story of life at the University of Alabama, life in the athletic dorm, life under coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant. [Ain’t Nothin’ But a Winner] is also fun when Krauss is reminiscing about life on campus in the ’70s.’
—The Tuscaloosa News
‘Barry always left every ounce of his being on the field; he held nothing back.’
—from the Foreword by Don Shula
‘Few people get a chance to live the American dream, and fewer still are able to write of that experience. Barry Krauss has done both with Ain’t Nothin’ But a Winner Krauss was there for the platinum years of The Bear and Crimson Tide football, and you'll feel as if you were right there with him.’
—Allen Barra, author of The Last Coach
A lot of us have immersed ourselves in the history of Alabama football. It’s a glorious story. This book lets us learn more of the history from one who actually lived it.’
—Eli Gold, the Voice of the Crimson Tide and author of Crimson Nation
‘College football fans know Barry Krauss as a marauding defender who made one of the greatest stops in the history of the game. Reading his account of that play brought back the goose bumps I felt at nine years old, watching—and eventually celebrating—with every kid in on Williamsburg Circle. We knew then that Barry Krauss was a great football player. We know now that he’s a fine writer, too.’
—Warren St. John, author of Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania
‘What Alabama fan does not instantly recognize that famous play involving the Crimson Tide? But that moment is just part of the Barry Krauss story and his immense respect for Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant.’
—Mike Shula, former Head Football Coach, The University of Alabama
Ain’t Nothin’ But a Winner lets the reader ride along with Barry Krauss as he helps win a National Championship for Coach Paul Bryant and Alabama—all of this on the way to fulfilling his boyhood dream of playing for Don Shula, the winningest coach in professional football.’
—Ken Stabler, former University of Alabama and NFL quarterback
‘I have always felt blessed to have been a part of the University of Alabama experience. As unbelievably positive as my experience was, it is hard to imagine what Barry Krauss and his teammates felt at the time and feel today about being part of a game and a play; which are both undoubtedly amongst the best ever in Alabama history. Barry does a great job telling you what it was like to get there and more importantly what it was like to be there. Great job, Barry. You are my hero. A must read if you are an Alabama fan.’
—Bob Baumhower, of Baumhower’s Wings Restaurants and former University of Alabama football player
‘The 1970s were a magical time in University of Alabama football, and Barry Krauss was one of the chief magicians. The All-American linebacker’s fascinating book delivers a focus that could be provided only by someone who was on the inside when Bear Bryant ruled.’
—Clyde Bolton, author of Stop the Presses (So I Can Get Off)
Barry Krauss was a key member of The University of Alabama’s 1978 National Championship Football Team. A first round draft choice in 1979, he played twelve years in the NFL with the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins. Today Krauss is a professional broadcaster and motivational speaker based in Carmel, Indiana.
Joe M. Moore was a freshman member of the 1975 Crimson Tide football team, alongside Barry Krauss. He is the founder of Moore Management Group, which provides management consulting, marketing, and intellectual property development services to businesses. His work for the last decade has focused on television properties, ranging from series to specials to news segments. Moore lives in Mobile, Alabama.
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