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 R.K. "Bob" Speights, Literary Agent
Spread the Field
Making the Spread Offense Work at
Any Level
By H. Neal Hamrick and Todd Allen
"Spread the Field" is a book that
coaches across the nation have been waiting for: a book
that explores the fundamentals of running the "Fun
'N Gun", the explosive spread offense. For years the
sole property of NFL and college teams, the spread is
coming to be used more and more by high school coaches
wanting to tap into its limitless potential for a high
scoring offense. It is truly the "hot" topic at
any coaching clinic or passing camp;
it is the offense that everyone who's anyone is
incorporating into their package.
The spread, or 4-Wide, offense is
being seen more and more at the high school levels as
coaches realize that it can be run with exciting results
without college-caliber athletes; all it takes is a firm
understanding of the basic principles of the "Fun 'N
Gun". "Spread the Field" is truly a book
for coaches and offensive enthusiasts: incorporating
essays and
diagrams from coaches* at all levels, masters of the
Spread, this is a handbook for making the "Fun 'N
Gun" work.at any level.
All too often a book about
football focuses on philosophy, not fundamentals: "Spread
the Field" strives to be a book which can be
used, a book of fundamental X's and O's. It is also for
coaches at all classifications: from D1 college powers to
the smallest Class A squad, "Spread the
Field" addresses the fundamental assignments,
routes, blocks, and plays which makes the spread work at
all levels.
As high school squads running the
Spread continue to rack up the big numbers on Friday
nights, "Spread the Field" will find a
larger and larger base of interest: with coaches of all
levels and with football enthusiasts and arm-chair
quarterbacks of all shapes and sizes.
Book Outline
Spread the Field: Making the
Spread Offense Work at Any Level.
Foreword: Mike :Leach, head
football coach, Texas Tech University
Chapter One: The Toolbox
A look at the general history,
premise, and essential offensive philosophy of the
Spread, and what it demands of athletes and coaches at
the most basic levels.
Section One: Running Out of the
Spread
Essays and Diagrams regarding
fundamental and successful running plays out of the
spread.
Section Two: Passing Out of the
Spread
Essays and Diagrams regarding fundamental and successful
passing plays out of the spread.
Section Three: The Spread at
Every Level
Looks at the most successful coaches running the spread
at every level, D1 down to Class A, and ask them to
address how they make the Spread work at each level.
Running the spread at a Class AA school is very different
then running a spread at a D1 college and in these essays
coaches of all classifications will be able to see how
fellow coaches at their own levels address the problems
unique to their situation in running the Fun 'N Gun.
*The bulk of the book will
consist of one to two page essays by notable coaches on a
successfully play out of the Spread Offense. The coaches
contributeing will include Art Briles (head football
coach, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, Mike Leach
(head football coach, Texas Tech University, Lubbock,
Texas), Steve Mohr (head football coach Trinity
University, San Antonio, Texas), Jimmie Keeling (head
football coach, Hardin Simmons University), Bob McQueen
(former head football, Temple High School, Temple,
Texas), Todd Dodge (head football coach Southlake Carrol
High School),Joey Florence (Denton Ryan High School,
Texas), Randy Allen (Highland Park High School, Texas),
Lee Fedora (Robinson High School, Robinson, Texas,
formerly of Rogers High School, Rogers, Texas, and the
"Black Gun" Offense), Lucky Gamble (Chilton
High School, Chilton, Texas),
Sam Harrell (Ennis High School, Ennis, Texas Ennis0,
Jerry "Slugger" Hamrick (Bremond High School,
Bremond, Texas),Joe Willis (Iraan High School, Iraan
Texas), and others as the events of the coming 2004
season reveal more and more successful coaches using the
Spread.
Photos:
A gallery of diagrams relating to
each essay and the play described therein.
Book Support
Articles in the Texas Coaches
Association Magazine, Dave Campbell’s Texas
Foottball Magazine, American Football Monthly,
Scholastic Coach pre-empting the release of the
book.
Appearances on radio sports talk
shows: WBAP Dallas/Ft. Worth, Dallas, Texas; KTBB
Tyler, Texas, Sports Talk is the longest running radio
sports talk show in the nation hosted by David Smoak; Ticket760
KTKR, San Antonio, Texas; Fox Sports Radio,
Dallas, Texas,;NewsRadio, Houston, Texas; Southern
Sports Tonight: The South’s most listened to
sports talk show hosted by Scott McKinney, heard in over
300 cities in the south; WWL, New Orleans, :Louisiana,
syndicated in 40 states; Mighty 1090, San Diego,
California, the most listened to high school football in
California, hosted by Coach John Kentera.
Brief Author Bios
H. Neal Hamrick was born in
Pasadena, Texas, into a third generation coaching family.
He grew up on the sidelines as his father, Slugger
Hamrick, coached at places ranging from Central Texas to
the Rio Grande Valley and back again. He has never seen a
high school game from the grandstands, preferring to
stand on the sidelines, as he did as a player and as he
does now as a coach. He has been the recipient of an
award in playwrighting in the state of Texas for two
consecutive years, as well as being the founder
and creative drive behind the only film program at his
alma mater, Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He
is happily married and now coaches football for the Saint
Jo Panthers, Saint Jo, Texas..
Todd Allen came to Trinity University San Antonio,
Texas, with a background in West Texas football, almost a
classification unto itself. While he was playing for the
DIII powerhouse Tigers, he kept himself busy by running a
highly popular student newspaper and writing with his
friend, H. Neal Hamrick. After obtaining a degree in
Political Science, he felt his blood call him home, and
he now coaches football at The Colony in Lewisville,
Texas, where the Friday night lights burn as brightly as
they do in west Texas.
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