Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life

I admit that I am biased and that my husband and I are '67 graduates of Texas Tech. I also admit that we were at the BIG game between Tech and Texas that we won, and I'm STILL having trouble believing it!!! AND I admit being totally upset over what happened to Coach Leach and that I will not EVER forgive Texas Tech for their lies and defamatory actions towards Coach Leach!That aside, I couldn't wait to get the book, and I haven't been disappointed in the least. I had trouble putting it down just to fix dinner or basically just going to bed!!! What a read!!! I already knew so much about Mike Leach and I understood the kind of person he was, but the book added so much more for my understanding of just what a GREAT man/coach/father/husband he is!!! Mike is a very principled person, a rare thing that we see around today. He has been a GREAT role model to the boys on his teams at various schools/programs. He has a VERY strong work ethic and expects the same from his kids. I identify with Mike being a retired teacher. The kids learn so much more from someone who holds their standards high!!! Mike proved that with his graduation rate being the best in the country for a public institution. After all, the education is what the boys are there for!!!Be prepared when reading the book that you will have to have the time to actually sit and read and not be disturbed! When you get halfway through the book, forget about putting it down! It is a smooth easy read, one that you will enjoy! At the end of the book, you will feel honored having gotten to know and understand a great human being!!! Swing your swords, mates!!!!

I got the book upon hearing numerous eulogies following Mike Leach's death. All of the commentaries on what a "unique indivdual " he was kind of sparked my interest in him.Previous to this book I thought Mike Leach was a good interview with an "interesting " sense of humour. Upon reading this book you can see that he is very bright with an interesting viewpoint towards a wide variety of topics.It is a good football book but it is more of a philosophy book than anything. Sprinkled in with tidbits of his avant-garde humour. It is a cathartic experience along with being an excellant read.

My evaluation of this book is most likely biased in some ways. I am an alumni and a huge Red Raider fan. However, I would submit that anyone who wants a peek into one of the most innovative minds in NCAA College Football would enjoy this book.When I was at Tech ('92-'95), our football program was really pretty weak. We won a few, but we lost a few more. Games were fairly well attended and fun, but we never even came close to experiencing the kind of buzz and excitement generated in the late 2000's. (I could get a ticket for $15 in 1992. Last time I went to a game in 2005, a ticket in the same section cost $75). There's no question Leach put Tech football on the map, and there's no question he made watching Tech play exciting for anyone who loves football. I had people (non-Tech fans) tell me all the time that they enjoyed watching TTU play, and they didn't miss our games if they were on TV. I remember my father-in-law called me late one night all excited to talk to me about how the Red Raiders came back from being down 38-7 to beat Minnesota in a bowl game. He said it was the most exciting game he had ever seen, and he is a CU fan! A lot of the anti-Leach yahoos on message boards obviously didn't go to Tech before Leach arrived (and possibly never at all). If they had, they'd understand what he did for our school. He was able to make our football program respectable and as fun to watch as any team I'd ever seen. While I know that he didn't win conference championships or BCS trophies, anyone who disagrees with his success should go look at the campus. Just in the past 10 years, the place looks completely different. Academics and sports types on campus have his teams to thank for a lot of students (athletes and non-athletes) and dollars making their way to Lubbock.It's sad to think that Leach will never be back, and reading this book makes it sink in even more. However, I respect Tuberville, and I believe he is a talented coach who could really take Tech to the next level. I'm excited after a solid first season, and hopeful for future success. Yet, all of Leach's successors have him to thank for making the program what it is. That game in 2008, when Crabtree caught that amazing last second TD vs. Texas, will go down as the most exciting sports moment in my life. And, it marked the first time in my memory that every football fan I knew had watched one of our games. Outside of winning a national championship, I can't imagine anything topping that for me.The book is a quick read, and it really doesn't solely focus on the controversy. Leach tries to explain how his life experiences helped shape his career as a lawyer and a football coach. It also explains how he tinkered with offenses at each school he coached until he came up with the schemes that gave Tech success. While the last few chapters do dive into his side of the story regarding the firing, I really enjoyed the parts where he talked about lessons learned from other great coaches. Especially when he talked about what Coach Wooden taught him. I'm going to take away a lot of positive things from reading this book, even in my own non-sports related career.If you like to read biographies about college football coaches, this book will be worth it to you. Red Raider football fans will enjoy it that much more, because there are a lot of quotes from the players we enjoyed watching.As an aside: For me, it did stir up a lot of the harsh feelings towards the Tech administration. No matter which side of the isle you fall on, it's hard not to see his firing in the works long before 2009. While I'm sure he made plenty of political and tactical mistakes during his time in Lubbock, it's hard to understand how he deserved to be fired so unceremoniously. Hopefully, someday, the school will make amends, and Tech fans could pay him the respect and thanks he deserves.

Wanted to learn more about the airraid offense and philosophy behind.Found not only that but also Infos and ideas to use with my team in CH

Swing your sword is a good read, it follows the coaching journey of Mike Leach from his side of the fence. Leach shares several great stories in this book that help the reader become more aware of Mike and football at the College level. The book also includes stories from people in Mike's life, they share little things about Mike and his journey that really help set a tone for who Mike Leach really is.

Il libro ripercorre la carriera di Mike Leach (fino a Texas Tech), allenatore di football fuori dagli schemi tradizionali; scritto in un inglese di semplice comprensione, è una lettura piacevole e da alcuni spunti di riflessione sul football pur senza scendere in dettagli troppo tecnici.