I thoroughly enjoyed this fast pased look at two coaching giants, their battles on the field, and what life was like on the respective campuses during their reigns. Terrific job by author Michael Rosenberg in reporting the bullying tactics of the Ohio State legend Woody Hayes as well as the charisma that was Bo Schembechler in his tenure at Michigan. Both coaches are legends of their profession, though the book portrays Bo in a much more flattering light. Woody was a man who was unable to admit a mistake and was a simply terrible loser, both faults caming back to bite him after he swung and hit an opposing player during a game in his final season.

In the end, Bo comes off a the smarter and more noble of the two. Woody is seen as kind of sad and outdated. Regardless, I would heartily recommend this book to any fan of college football, especially those who weren't around to witness the incredible battles between the two schools during "The Ten Year War!"

There is no rivalry in all of sport greater than the Michigan - Ohio State rivalry. Mr. Rosenberg has written a superb chronicle of the 10 greatest years of that great rivalry. Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes were two legendary coaches, great friends and fierce competitors. Mr. Rosenberg examines the "10 year war" against the back drop of the social upheaval of those turbulent years. This book works on many levels. It is a great character study of two larger than life figures. It is an excellent historical piece. And most of all it is a GREAT football book!!!

First and foremost, It would be unfair of me to fail to mention that I am a Buckeye- born of two proud graduates of THE Ohio State University. That said, I want to say that this book is a heart warming and sometimes heart stopping must read for anyone familiar with this cherished rivalry between two very worthy opponents. The times were turbulent and a fitting backdrop for the tales told here of two venerable teams and the legendary coaches that made them so very great. At this time,with "the GAME" as both sides prefer to call it coming up this weekend, I know Ohio State fans will join me in saying that despite U.of M.'s rebuilding right now which hasn't resulted in their traditional strength and record of Big 10 dominance,they are a formidable presence in every sense of the word and will be back, fighting for the champinship one day soon. (The WAR continues you see and history continues to be made between these two teams)We look forward to that day- but pray it won't be this weekend! Michigan and Ohio State never play a better game than they do against eachother, and the book will tell you why! This is the game to win this weekend and for the season, for both teams. War As They Knew It will explain it all to of those who can't grasp the intensity of feeling between these archrivals. Some just cannot fathom that either team would rather win this game than a bowl game. This book will give the reader the history and background of the men behind this rivalry and their many on and off the field connections. Truly a holiday gift that a student, new grad. or many of the greatest generation, whether they shout Go Bucks! or Go Blue!, will really treasure. If this is available on tape or CD, please buy an extra copy of this book in audio format as a gift to a retirement home in Ohio or Michigan. You'll give them the gift of priceless memories brought to life again!

The story of sports is not in a vacuum and Michael Rosenberg does an outstanding job in delving into a pair of coaches in one of the college gridiron's most bitter rivalries during a tumultuous time in American history.

Woody Hayes of Ohio State - who was a student of military history - and Bo Schembechler - once an assistant to Hayes at OSU - started the "10-Year War" in 1968, with both teams so dominant in the Big 10, that the conference earned the moniker, "Big Two, Little Eight," during this decade.

But with the excellence on the field was the unrest that was growing on college campuses nationwide and on Main Street, USA, as such issues as the Viet Nam War, the rise of the New Left and the push of counter-culturalism against societal norms were dividing the nation. Rosenberg successfully juxtaposes the times outside the stadium with the game inside the vast edifices.

Hayes and Schembechler were successful in a time when it appeared - at least on the surface - that the times were changing rapidly and their form of leadership and teaching was quickly fading away. That they became iconic figures largely for what they accomplished during this time period is a story that Rosenberg succinctly tells, as if carrying the pigskin for a classic "three yards and a cloud of dust."

This is an awesome book about Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. Good from the beginning to the end. Lots of inside stuff I never heard or read about! Hard to put it down with Ohio State-Michigan game coming up soon. A must read for any fan of either school!

That quotation, attributed to one of Woody Hayes' military heroes (William Tecumseh Sherman), sums up the 10 year rivalry in which Ohio State and Michigan players, coaches and fans went to the Gates of Hell and back in their battles against each other, virtually every of which determined in whole or part the Big Ten and National Championship. Fast paced, competently written, this book will appeal to those (this reviewer included) who lived through that decade of hope and fear (which marks every war). Much of the ground covered about head coaches Hayes and Bo Schembechler will be familiar to Buckeye and Wolverine fans, and the effort to provide a new angle, via the cultural backdrop of the late 60's and 1970s, feels forced and collateral to the main story. But the descriptions of the games -- their prelude, playing and aftermath -- will immediately revive memories for fans on both sides that they will carry to their graves.

I gave this book to a huge Michigan fan. I had heard the author interviewed and the book sounded very interesting. He had over 200 people tell him anecdotes about Bo and Woody, telling them not to worry about whether it fit his book or not. He then culled what he could use and put them in order.

Unlike most sports books, the author jucstaposed the football programs at the two schools with the events occurring on the campuses at the time. Remember, the ten year long Bo-Woody War started in 1969. The military precision demanded by the coaches was at odds with the campus demonstrations and drug use prevalent at the time.

Many of the anecdotes in this book were unknown to my friend and me, as well as others who have read it. My friend raved about the book, calling it an "incredible" work. He even grew to understand and grudgingly admire Woody Hayes, the commanding general of the hated Buckeyes!

The title "War as They Knew It" is a take off of the title of the George Patton memoir, "War as I Knew It." Patton was Woody Hayes' military hero, and Michael Rosenberg crafts a brilliant narrative that details Hayes and his great disciple, Bo Schembechler, marshalling their football teams during the era of the Vietnam war. Regarding football, both demanded precision, toughness and execution. Their teams were mirror images of each other and they respected each other greatly. Regarding politics, they were quite different. Hayes was politically engaged and an active participant; Schembechler was politically indifferent and eager to stay on the sidelines.

But, Rosenberg's genius is not limited to comparing and contrasting the coaches. He also contrasts the cities, Columbus and Ann Arbor, the players, and the school administrations. Rosenberg's admiration for innovative UM AD Don Canham makes him the third leading figure of the book.

Also quite admirable is the way that Rosenberg paints the picture of Hayes. Much more complex than realized by the Eastern media, Hayes had a passion for Ralph Waldo Emerson, history, and education in general. Revealing is the exasperation of Hayes' assistants when he refused to call passing plays. Also revealing is the change of the players from being respectful and attentive in the late 60s to the "Old Man" to the non-respectful, irreverent, even drug taking players of the late 70s.

Wonderful book, great narrative. An incredible read.

The title "War as They Knew It" is a take off of the title of the George Patton memoir, "War as I Knew It." Patton was Woody Hayes' military hero, and Michael Rosenberg crafts a brilliant narrative that details Hayes and his great disciple, Bo Schembechler, marshalling their football teams in the midst of the Vietnam war. Regarding football, both demanded precision, toughness and execution. Their teams were mirror images of each other. Regarding politics, they were quite different. Hayes was politically engaged and an active participant; Schembechler was politically indifferent and eager to stay on the sidelines.

But, Rosenberg's genius is not limited to comparing and contrasting the coaches. He also contrasts the cities, Columbus and Ann Arbor, the players, and the school administrations. Rosenberg's admiration for innovative UM AD Don Canham makes him the third leading figure on the book.

Also quite admirable is the way that Rosenberg paints the picture of Hayes. Much more complex than realized by the Eastern media, Hayes had a passion for Ralph Waldo Emerson, history, and education in general. Revealing is the exasperation of Hayes' assistants when he refused to pass frequently. Also revealing is the change of the players from being respectful and attentive in the late 60s to the "Old Man" to the non-respectful, irreverent, even drug taking players of the late 70s.

Wonderful book, great narrative. An incredible read.

This is a detailed account of the rivelry of Woody and Bo. They hated each other on the field but loved each other in their hearts. A book that people who followed Michigan and Ohio State football should read.

An excellent chronicle of an intense athletic rivalry set against the background of one of the most politically and socially tumultuous eras in modern American history. Rosenberg's in depth research and behind-the-scenes insights offer a glimpse of how two genuine titans in collegiate sports met the period's unique challenges of impacting young men...all the while establishing winning football programs in the traditional sense. Most deninitely "a story worth telling." Very well done!

One of the finest books on football, and a turbulent era in American history, to come along in years. Like a great novelist, Michael Rosenberg deftly weaves together multiple stories and complex characters, while making all of the original connections and conclusions of a fine historian.

Michael Rosenberg did a superb job illuminating the larger than life personalities of coaches Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. How do I know Rosenberg did a superb job? I know nothing about football except that two teams, wearing two different uniforms come together on a large field. Yes, I am a woman almost totally ignorant of testosterone-soaked sports. Yet I have to admit I was completely enthralled by "War." My family is from Ohio and though my husband isn't, he attended OSU during Woody's early era. So, I had some familiarity with the Ohio coach and wanted to learn more about him. Though the author is grounded in Michigan, I never felt that he treated one rival at the expense of the other. Rosenberg was completely fair and even-handed in his appraisal of the two men.

Those in the know about football (which is probably almost everyone else in the world), will enjoy the specifics of the plays. Though I could not because of my lack of experience, I will confess I raced to the end of the description to find out how the games turned out. What made the book compelling to me, though, was how the author reveals the depth of character of the two coaches. Through thoroughly researched primary sources, Rosenberg authentically sets each scene. The reader comes to know the two coaches as if one had known them firsthand. And, in doing so, one both loves and loathes them at the same time. At times I found I wanted to grab them by the neck, shake them and discipline them like children. But then I had to remind myself that the very quality I was reacting to was what made them the competitive fighting animals they were. And how they played off each other. Their antipathy compounded at the same time by their respect for and understanding of each other, was exquisite. Place all of this in the context of the tumultuous times of the 60's and 70's and you're in for a great ride. I especially loved learning about Don Canham, an ancillary character, whose luck, pluck and instinct, propelled him to success.

I highly recommend this book to people interested in sports, in football, in life. How Hayes and Schembechler chose to live their lives in their time in history has relevance for us today. If we could take away with us, the best of them, we would not do poorly.