By Cameron Ramos
January 11, 2016
Today I am starting a new feature on the blog called the Book Report. If I read a book that is sports related, I’ll be sure to write a little review about it if I think it’s worthwhile to read. Some of these books may be outdated and published many years ago but oh well, I’m reading them now. To kick off the series we’re going to talk about a really great read if you are a Pats fan or just a fan of NFL history in general.
From Darkness to Dynasty: The First 40 Years of the New England Patriots was written by former WEEI personality, and now Barstool Sports writer, Jerry Thornton. I’ve been a huge fan of Jerry’s work since I first read his columns in his first stint with Barstool Sports before moving over to WEEI. At WEEI Jerry was a co-host on the Dale and Holley with Thornton show and he wrote a blog for the WEEI’s website. He’s had a pretty good career, which is cool to see since I will be graduating from his alma mater, Bridgewater State, this May. His knowledge of the game of football, mixed with his humor, always makes for a good read and From Darkness to Dynasty was no different. The book came out in September of last year, and I was able to finally sit down and read it during my winter break and the Pats first round bye week in this year’s playoffs.
The book takes readers through the first 40 years of the Patriots existence. It covers how Billy Sullivan established the team back in 1960 and the few highs and many lows the organization had gone through, all the way up until Tom Brady lead them to their first Super Bowl victory in 2001. I think this is such an important book for Pats fans who are in their 20s, like me, to read. Most dedicated Pats fans know how much the Pats struggled throughout most of their early history. Speaking for myself though, I never really comprehended just how much of a joke my beloved organization was until I read Jerry’s book. It’s kind of sad actually. The Pats won their first Super Bowl when I was 6 years old and since then I have seen them go on to be one of the most dominate franchises in NFL history. I have never really seen a bad Patriots team before but there have been plenty of them.
Before I was born, this was a team that drafted a player who they didn’t know was in a hospital. They even almost drafted a dead guy. This was the team that almost ended because of Michael Jackson. This is the team who couldn’t find a stable stadium situation for years, and when they finally had a home to call their own it was a piece of garbage with toilettes that couldn’t flush down waste. This book tells all of these amazing stories of my beloved football team’s dark past before we became the dynasty we are today. It was awesome to read about these stories of historically bizarre moments for the team. Through the stories told the reader is also able to get Jerry’s perspective of these moments from the view of a diehard fan growing up cheering for the team before their four Super Bowl banners were hung in a beautiful stadium.
If you are a Pats fan you need to get your hands on this book. For the older folks the book is a great chance for you to walk down memory lane. For the millennials like myself, this book will give you a great perspective on how lucky we are to have been able to live in the golden age of Patriots football. Take my word for it and read From Darkness to Dynasty. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.
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