My Book 10-Year Anniversary (NFL in the 1970s)

In 2008, I decided to write a book. I wanted this book to be about a subject that was dear to my heart, pro football. And I wanted it to be about the 1970s. That was the decade that I grew up watching and falling in love with the sport. I had a specific outline in my mind for this book. I wanted to devote one individual chapter on each year of the decade of the 1970s.

In effect, I wanted it to be an all-encompassing reference style of book. Why? Because although previous books have been written about the NFL in the 1970s, no other book on that subject was comprehensive enough to explore every individual year of the 1970s. So, that’s the direction that I wanted my book to take.

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MY FIRST BOOK PROCESS

Now keep in mind, I did not have any publisher when I first started writing this book. But I had the hope that someday, someone would want to publish it. In the meantime, I kept writing. I did a lot of online research, and I spent numerous days at the Pro Football’s Hall of Fame Research Library conducting more research.

Then in 2014, the Pro Football Researchers Association held a conference in Cleveland, Ohio. I attended it, and while I was there, I got a chance to meet a couple of representatives from McFarland and Company, Inc. They published several sports-related books, and I told them what I was working on.

They were interested, as they stated that they had recently published a book about Major League Baseball in the 1970s, and they were looking for a pro football book on the 1970s. They asked me to send them my manuscript.

Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Within a few weeks, they contacted me and informed me that they wanted to publish my book! I was very happy, but I was also in for a learning experience.

There was a lot that I didn’t know about the publishing world back in 2014, and unbeknownst to me at that time, I would be in for a crash course on the wonderful world of book publishing. In fact, I’m still learning about it all these years later.

I quickly learned that I, as the author, would have to pay for the rights to all the photos that I used in the book. That can become a very pricey thing, depending on how many photos you want in your book. Next, I learned that many former players were not willing to be interviewed, mainly because I did not at that time have any kind of clout or notoriety.

In some cases, some of the players that I interviewed for the book wanted a fee for their time. That happens. I guess it all depends on how much you want their quotes in your book. In my case, I did not know back then if I would ever get another chance to write a second book.

THE BEST BOOK I COULD MUSTER

So, I had to make sure that this book that eventually got the title The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football’s Most Important Decade, would be my best effort. I failed in that effort, because even today, when I glance over it, I still notice some errors in it.

But I suppose that’s probably par for the course for anyone who undertakes writing a 444-page book. Heck, I bet even Leo Tolstoy had some misgivings about his epic novel, War and Peace.

IN SEARCH OF A FOREWORD AUTHOR

Because I was a very unknown author, I needed someone to write the foreword for the book. That would lend a bunch of credence to any potential consumer. My goal was to find someone who played in the NFL during most of the 1970s, and someone who could actually write a foreword, and someone who most fans would consider a well-known former player.

I first asked Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach if he would write the foreword, but his secretary told me that he was too busy. Undaunted, I asked Hall of Fame Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton if he would write the foreword. Again, his secretary told me that he was too busy. But I wasn’t going to give up.

I asked former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rocky Bleier if he would do it, and he said yes. Whew! One big hurdle conquered. I knew that because he was willing to write the foreword, I had to put a photo of Rocky Bleier on the front cover.

It’s important to note that I proofread and revised portions of the book 17 times before I finally sent it to the publishers. It actually should have had more revisions in reality. But finally, on July 8, 2016, my first book got published. I wanted it to be a reference book for fans of pro football in the 1970s to refer to if they ever had specific questions about the NFL between 1970 and 1979.

My hope was that it would be as comprehensive as possible. Yes, there were some topics in retrospect that I forgot to include in the book. But on the whole, I feel that even today, it still stands out as the most comprehensive book about the players, coaches, teams, games, and occurrences in the NFL during the 1970s than has ever been written before or since.

RECAP AND THANK YOU

The book opened up new doors for me, and it continues to do so. Whenever I want to interview any former NFL player, I will typically mail him a copy of the book, so he knows that I at least have some credentials and credibility. As of last month, The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football’s Most Important Decade, has sold a total of 2,306 copies in its 10 years of publication.

I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who has purchased the book. I would also like to mention that you can still buy it, through the Amazon website and the Barnes and Noble website. Ten years and still going strong!

Trivia Question:

Which NFL player from the 1970s had the most articles written about him during his pro career, according to the staff at the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

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Host of Pro Football in the 1970s - Joe Zagorski

Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s. Joe is also a proud member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

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