Best Sports Biographies

blue note

I just finished IT and am going to pop into town later to pick up a sports biography or something. Any recommendations? At the moment Agassi's is going to be my choice. I Like the sound of Christy O'Connor's The Club as well.

Ciaran_B

Open and The Club are both great reads. Come What May is another great GAA book.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Not a 'real' sport, but Mick Foleys book, 'have a nice day' is a must read, hes a former pro wrestler , but tells some epic stories in his own words, from his time starting out jumping off the roof of his own house, to the time his ear got ripped off in a match in germany.

Genuinely funny, and a real honest look at the behind the scenes side of the business.

Hector Savage

blue note wrote: »

I just finished IT and am going to pop into town later to pick up a sports biography or something. Any recommendations? At the moment Agassi's is going to be my choice. I Like the sound of Christy O'Connor's The Club as well.

Agassis one is superb, but John McEnroes one "Serious" is just as good - amazing read.

Mickeroo

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby is a good read, told from the perspective of a fan rather than an actual athlete though.

Krispie

Bruce Edwards "Caddy for life" was a brilliant book imo.
I am not a golfer but the book was recommended to me. About his life on tour and then dealing with ALS "Lou Gerhigs Disease" to his final demise.

PlaneSpeeking

A Life Too Short - it's the story of Robert Enke the German keeper.

Mostly it's his autobiography but he committed suicide and the end was completed by his ghostwriter.

It's so well written and poignant, cannot recommend it highly enough.

PlaneSpeeking

Krispie wrote: »

Bruce Edwards "Caddy for life" was a brilliant book imo.
I am not a golfer but the book was recommended to me. About his life on tour and then dealing with ALS "Lou Gerhigs Disease" to his final demise.

Thanks - I'll order that, sounds an interesting story.

umop episdn

Kimmage's Rough Ride was a great read imo

PlaneSpeeking

Keith Gillespie and Joey Barton's bios are decent if you're a footy fan.

wijam

Crashed and Byrned - biography on Irish Race Car Driver Tommy Byrne - not that big into racing or biographies, but thought this was a good read

umop episdn

Weepsie wrote: »

Laurent Fignon (cyclist) book is good. David Millars is awful

Also cycling. Lanterns Rouge is good. It goes through the cyclists who finished dead last in the tour dear France. Some of the stories are funny. Finishing it was tough enough for some, but it's a different take on the typical success tales

I wonder if Phillipa (Robert Millar) has released a book since her gender reassignment?

Say Your Number

Boys Will Be Boys by Jeff Pearlman about the nineties Dallas Cowboys, they behaved like degenerates from a rock band while being a dominant team for a few years.

DEFTLEFTHAND

I read a John Daly biography (golfer) years ago but i can't recall the exact name.

It's a crazy story, you wouldn't need to have any interest in golf to enjoy it.

More a tale of excess and addiction and the consequences of such.

blue note

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I read a John Daly biography (golfer) years ago but i can't recall the exact name.

It's a crazy story, you wouldn't need to have any interest in golf to enjoy it.

More a tale of excess and addiction and the consequences of such.

Think it's called my life in and out of the rough or something. I was thinking of agassi or that and I'm leaning towards Andre. I wouldn't mind reading the mick Foley one too tough!

recyclops

Friday night lights, the original book that the movie then the tv show is based on is easily one of the greatest sports books written, probably due to the fact that its about grass roots level and the whole town was involved it what was a rollercoaster season for the school team

How lucky the writer got when choosing that school in that season should not be understated.

amazing insight into what is basically a secondary school competition

MAJJ

I'm not a horse racing fan, although I like horseriding, but this was an incredible story "Declan Murphy’s remarkable survival captured in ‘Centaur’"

redmgar

Jim Stynes - My story

DEFTLEFTHAND

recyclops wrote: »

Friday night lights, the original book that the movie then the tv show is based on is easily one of the greatest sports books written, probably due to the fact that its about grass roots level and the whole town was involved it what was a rollercoaster season for the school team

How lucky the writer got when choosing that school in that season should not be understated.

amazing insight into what is basically a secondary school competition

Something similar to this but on the flip side is a book called Stamping Grounds.

It chronicles the Liechtenstein men's soccer team 2002 World Cup qualification campaign.

It's an amazing insight into a how a tiny country operates in international football. I found it really inspiring, even though they were losing every game heavily they were all so proud to be representing their home, Liechtenstein.

maximo31

The Miracle Of Castel Di Sangro by Joe McGinniss. American journalist following a small Italian football team over the course of a season. A brilliant read.
Also loved Sea Biscuit. An incredible story and is so well written.

Love to read sports books , would agree with a lot of the suggestions on here but the above two really stood out for me.

Say Your Number

League of Denial about the issue of head injuries in American Football, it's not the most uplifting or enjoyable read but it's very interesting in a grim way, it may be the book that brings down the NFL.

I mentioned Jeff Pearlman earlier his books on Waltor Payton, Brett Favre and the 1980s LA Lakers team are also excellent.

I've never bought a sports autobiography or biography but somebody posted a long extract from Jackie Tyrrell's autobiography on the Boards.ie GAA forum that I read in the past year and it was a great, great read. It really gave an insight into how Brian Cody operates and what he expects.

Clare in Exile

Good to see that many of my top picks are on this list. Definitely try Agassi's one ("Open"), brilliant read, well written. Kimmage's "Rough Ride", as well as his Cascarino book are worth a read as well. "The Miracle of Castel do Sangro" was a delight to catch also. "Friday Night Lights" will keep you entertained. A left field choice is "The Damned Utd" by David Peace, focusing on Clough's tenure at Elland Road. "Engage" (again by Paul Kimmage) is superbly written. Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch" is a must, top drawer writing. Finally, given the day that's in it, Dunphy's "Only a Game?" will draw you in. He has/had a fine writing style, this book brilliantly captures a season in the seventies playing for Millwall.

That should be enough to keep you going for the next while!

blue note

I probably should have broadened this to sports books rather than just biographies. If anyone else is clicking in here looking for a recommendation, one of the best sports books I ever read was Working on a Dream. It followed the Waterford footballers for a year. It was at a time when we were getting competitive - we had gone from being a Kilkenny like team to one vying for promotion from Division 4. The book gave some great perspective of the intercounty life of a lot of Gaelic players. We might hear of the like of the Dublin players getting free cars or I heard of another intercounty GAA player who left a teaching job to go to work in a bank where he could get more time off. These guys get none of those sorts of perks.

valoren

A favourite of mine was 'Ben Hogan - An American Life' about the Texan golfer.

From depression era poverty in Dublin, Texas, watching his father shoot himself at age 9, from the rough and tumble early days of caddying as a scrawny kid, to turning pro aged 19 and struggling emotionally and financially with a deeply flawed swing, to resolving to fix that flaw and as a consequence inventing the notion of practice, to modernizing the golf swing by 'digging it out of the dirt', from initially being deeply unpopular with the galleries due to his taciturn nature, the charismatic players instead receiving the plaudits, to almost getting killed in a car crash which stalled his career but his comeback both endearing him to the galleries and going on to win his majors despite some debilitating injuries, including 3 in a single year in 1953. It's a great read about an enigmatic, shy man who was painfully introverted because of his upbringing, who was misunderstood as a man and was only saying hello when he should have been saying goodbye.

padd b1975

Tiger Woods by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian is full of gossipy anecdotes but contains a frightening undercurrent of how destructive pushy parents can be.

maxximus

Another vote for tiger woods , up there with the best I've read, tyson's undisputed truth is another great read.

Collie D

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Something similar to this but on the flip side is a book called Stamping Grounds.

It chronicles the Liechtenstein men's soccer team 2002 World Cup qualification campaign.

It's an amazing insight into a how a tiny country operates in international football. I found it really inspiring, even though they were losing every game heavily they were all so proud to be representing their home, Liechtenstein.

Really enjoyable read. No idea how I came across it but very inspirational and I watched their results for a few years afterwards hoping they got their win. I think they got four points against Iceland in WC 2010 qualifying, which probably shows how far Iceland has come in a short space of time.

Would highly recommend Seven Deadly Sins by David Walsh. I've very little interest or knowledge of cycling but I think this would interest even someone who's not that into sport in general. Lance Armstrong really comes out of it badly.

Mike Tyson's autobiography is quite good too. I like to read rock n roll bios filled with tales of excess and this is up there with them.

Edgware

The Boy on the Shed by Paul Ferris.
Excellent book telling the story of a young Catholic lad from Lisburn who left in the 80s to join Newcastle United. I dont want to give the story away but it is worth checking out.

A lot of the soccer biographies are ****e but that one and the Sean Fallon story are good

Giraffe Box

John Giles: A Football Man - My Autobiography

prinzeugen

While this may not be 100% sport, One Good Run - The Legend of Burt Munro is brilliant. The guys life story is as mad as Forest Gumps.

Still holds a few motorbike land speed records to this day that he set in the 60s/70s.

The last one was when he was 68 riding a 47 year old motorbike!

griffin100

Two cycling ones.

- Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage. You don't have to be a cycling fan to appreciate it. Great read about his struggles with the sport and the drugs.

- Domestique by Charlie Wegulus. Probably more for cycling fans but a really interesting. It's about his career, a career in which like most cyclists he never won a pro race despite being a top amateur. He spent his career looking after his team leaders.

ablelocks

andy lee's book is supposed to be very good, and currently reduced on amazon kindle to £1.49

JohnnyFlash

Dunphy’s ‘Only a Game’ is a great book. Not just about soccer, but his life an as Irishman in England in the 60’s and 70’s. Very well written by the man himself.

whiskeyman

Another nod to the Agassi book.
Engrossing read.

Benny Biscotti

Andre Agassi biography is brilliant. Not even a tennis fan but it's fascinating.

edit- Didn't read the above post before writing.

smilerf

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Not a 'real' sport, but Mick Foleys book, 'have a nice day' is a must read, hes a former pro wrestler , but tells some epic stories in his own words, from his time starting out jumping off the roof of his own house, to the time his ear got ripped off in a match in germany.

Genuinely funny, and a real honest look at the behind the scenes side of the business.

have you read Bob Holly's and Kamalas. Really good too. I recently read Bret harts. It was diabolical.
The whole book was about how he was better than everyone else and how many women he shagged

Doc07

‘The Death of Marco Pantani’ by Matt Randell.
I’ve read over 100 sports biographies, this the only one I’ve read twice and will read again I’m sure. Brilliant

Niall Quinn’s is actually not bad

Beasty

Not written mine yet, but I reckon it will be a blockbuster when I spill the beans on the Irish cycling scene....


:pac:

DEFTLEFTHAND

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Dunphy’s ‘Only a Game’ is a great book. Not just about soccer, but his life an as Irishman in England in the 60’s and 70’s. Very well written by the man himself.

His latest one, 'The Rocky Road' is also very good.

Pauliedragon

Peter Crouchs book while its not a biography is a very funny light hearted read. I read Jason Mcateers book recently. There's nothing in there that's mind blowing but there's a few interesting bits about the ins and outs about professional soccer players. The chapter on Hillsborough is well worth a read. It really shows how technology has changed our lives when it comes to disasters.

smilerf

smilerf wrote: »

have you read Bob Holly's and Kamalas. Really good too. I recently read Bret harts. It was diabolical.
The whole book was about how he was better than everyone else and how many women he shagged

I like Bret, but he did come off as a whingy Bytch, but that's seemingly how he is now, and I kinda feel sorry for all the tragedy's in his life in the last 20 or so years

Bob Holly's is very good imho and JR's too (a 2nd one is on the way too)

Stay away from Justin Roberts as its one whinge fest and he seems to have an inflated opinion of himself, Simlar to Chris Jericho (but at least he's done something in the business)

On the soccer front, Paul Lake is a very good read, Keegan's was enjoyable and seems honest, Peter Crouch was good, and Gazza's was a fascinating read and his childhood seemed Fecked up...Keano's two were good imho

dirtyden

ablelocks wrote: »

andy lee's book is supposed to be very good, and currently reduced on amazon kindle to £1.49

Read it, and it is very good.

JohnnyFlash

Another nod for Paul McGrath’s book. I follow the gentleman on twitter, and it’s extraordinary to see how rich and fulfilling a simple life can be once a person has found long-term sobriety. The book shows how much his addiction consumed him, so it’s a good news story, and genuinely couldn’t happen to a nicer person.

Ciaran_B

I reread Tony Cascarinos book Full Time last week and it's really good. I'd not read it since it came out. It's really honest and open about his life as a footballer and how boring that existence can be.

weldoninhio

Alessia Bewildered Stagehand wrote: »

I like Bret, but he did come off as a whingy Bytch, but that's seemingly how he is now, and I kinda feel sorry for all the tragedy's in his life in the last 20 or so years

Bob Holly's is very good imho and JR's too (a 2nd one is on the way too)

Stay away from Justin Roberts as its one whinge fest and he seems to have an inflated opinion of himself, Simlar to Chris Jericho (but at least he's done something in the business)

On the soccer front, Paul Lake is a very good read, Keegan's was enjoyable and seems honest, Peter Crouch was good, and Gazza's was a fascinating read and his childhood seemed Fecked up...Keano's two were good imho

This is a brilliant book. Think it's called "I'm not really here".

I'll also add "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. About ultra-running, but not as boring as it sounds.

ToBeFrank123

Cantona: The Rebel who would be King by Philippe Auclair.

Regardless of what team you support its a great book.

smilerf

Paul Merson and Ray Parlour books are good. Ian wright's is not great but still decent

branie2

Dalo by Anthony Daly

Mysterypunter

The Rest of the Iceberg, about former NFL running back Robert Smith. He retired early as he was concerned about the prospect of physical and mental injuries. Looks like he was right, a brilliant read.