The Game: Harvard, Yale, and America in 1968 Kindle Edition

A friend of mine, who cares as little about football as I do, recommended Colt's superb book. I read it with growing excitement. By the time I reached The Game, I knew all the players intimately and was as thrilled as any football fanatic by the play-by-play. Colt's vignettes (more than vignettes, really) are the product of expert, old-fashioned reporting. Just as compelling is the reporting on the state of mind prevailing at Yale and Harvard in 1968. I was a sophomore at Yale and was too radicalized to attend The Game. My forever loss. To the author: Thanks for a fine book. I'd like to meet you sometime; I'm your neighbor to the south in Norfolk, CT.

George Howe Colt has done a really splendid job weaving the story of this famous clash between rival gridiron squads in the setting of the tumultuous times of the late 1960's. I was worried about the execution of the author before settling in for the read as I found his previous acclaimed work, "The Big House," difficult for me to gain traction. For "The Game," I was intrigued from the first paragraph. Colt is an excellent writer and really adeptly condensed the narrative, characters and events into a compelling tale that I could follow.Some of the best parts were getting a glimpse at a slew of people during their college years that would go on to shape American pop culture and politics in the decades to follow (Tommy Lee Jones, Al Gore, Meryl Streep, Garry Trudeau, etc). Plus, there were many other unsung players of the past that were impactful on their squads and in The Game itself that are given light in these pages. Howe was able to craft a feeling of what it means to be on a team and the qualities that make it special and worth doing at the college level. His cultural scope was broad, but he managed it with finesse and made it easily readable. Not an easy task.This book should be enjoyable to a wide range of people from Ivy Leaguers, sports fans, history buffs to folks interested in the culture and times of the period.

This book is a great read! It reminds the reader that it is possible for people from widely divergent points of view to work together for a common cause. The late 60's were as turbulent as today. The lessons in the book about compromise, self sacrifice and trying to make a difference are all reminders that things change over time but also remain the same.

I was so sad to finish this book that I started reading it a second time. Let's see do you love football? check Do you love historical events? check Do you love personal stories of individuals before they became famous? check. Do you love reading about culturally important issues? check. This book has all of the above--And "The Game" itself is only one chapter! One very hard to believe chapter- you couldn't invent a more unlikely football game and outcome. I loved it.

Often it's 'the book was better than the movie' or vice versa. In this case (the movie is 'Harvard Beats Yale 29-29' from Kevin Rafferty) the book came AFTER the movie, so expands nicely on just about all of the players who sat for the film - and beyond. It digs deeply into their backgrounds: high school careers, home lives, and what the experience of being at Harvard or Yale that year in particular meant to them at that time and in the years to come. The film was a great piece of documentary film making - ironically, it made you interested in the men you saw and the circumstances they came from and, to some degree, how life turned out for them in the aftermath. It left as many questions open as it answered. Colt does an excellent job of answering many of those questions.Colt also does a great job of helping explain how two institutions widely perceived as the apotheosis of elitist actually were more reflective of American society at the time - including its shortcomings - than almost anyone would realize. And how a football game that had no bearing on anything other than the two teams it featured was a kind of final transition point for college football as it was before that point and what college football fans have come to recognize as the game they know from the last 50 years.A hugely enjoyable read for any college football fan but also anyone who lived through that time or wants a better understanding of one of the most turbulent years in American history.

Like Harvard’s Pat Conway, I saw the 1968 Tet Offensive from inside the Republic of Vietnam and got home in time for college football season. Conway’s story kept me anchored in this book, as did the author’s research into the lives of many other players on both sides of the Harvard-Yale rivalry. Frank Champi’s story stood out because it is not your typical tale of a football hero.The war loomed over everything in 1968. But sports could pull us away from the tragedy for a few hours each week. This book balances war and football, teaching us there is no similarity between combat and any form of sporting competition.I gave this book to a friend of mine who played linebacker for Penn State from 1968-71. He had been recruited by Princeton and would appreciate how the author humanized the football players of his era. I appreciated the respect paid to Pat Conway in this book. He had a helluva year in 1968! — Terry Nau

The Game is, of course, the centerpiece but the cultural swirl is well documented. For those not around in the 60s it is a primer of the times. Fir those of us there, a poignant reminder.

I remember listening to this live on the radio. It brought me back to the point where it was easy to recollect the excitement and drama of this game. I think the author did a great job retelling the game. There are also great stories of the individuals and the two universities. This is good for sports fans and those who seek Ivy league comparison of the elite.