Tropic of Football: The Long and Perilous Journey of Samoans to the NFL

Football fans know the names—Junior Seau, perennial all-pro and hall of famer; Troy Polamalu, Super Bowl champion and NFL defensive player of the year; and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. The small island of Samoa continues to have an impact on football, both at the college and professional level. Although the total Samoan population is only 235,000, the country represents a disproportional number of college and professional football players. Ruck (history, Univ. of Pittsburgh) traces the Samoan tradition of football and the "warrior" image of Samoan culture. In the same manner he wrote of baseball players in the major league from the Dominican Republic (The Republic of Baseball), Ruck details here a unique path of Samoans in football. As much cultural history as football story, this book shines a new light on football's past and present. Featured are American college coaches such as Duffy Daugherty and Dick Tomey. Ruck also delves into the "warrior" nature of Samoans that led to several head and brain injuries—like those that led to the death of Seau in 2012.