George R. Mills

The college gridiron game does not get the same exposure this side of the Atlantic as the NFL does so this was a real interest piece for me. Mills is a decent but ultimately only average player at a big-shot college team in Nebraska. The story charts his attempts to make it on that team, and the rule that the game held over his college life. Probably the most notable element for me was his descriptions of Monte Kiffen, Tampa Defensive Co-ordinator who was coaching at Nebraska at the time. Kiffen is described in reasonable detail as a stern, effective, and astute reader of people and it's clear that Mills understands why Kiffen made it to the top.

Mills himself is not a stand-out as a player or a writer. He doesn't have excellence in either - his game lacked the spark that he needed to make it in the skill positions and he wasn't big enough to play the strength positions - his writing does not leap out, it's affecting and his own viewpoint is definitely interesting but it isn't the kind of work that will stay in the mind forever. Perhaps this is because it is the story of an average blue collar guy from his own perspective. It's somewhat endearing and interesting to the fan, and to those looking for more about the college lifestyle and the Americana that accompanies it.… (mehr)