Breaker Boys: The NFL's Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship

From ESPN’s David Fleming, the epic tale of the Pottsville Maroons, the NFL’s greatest team and the stolen 1925 championship. Born in the heart of Pennsylvania coal country, built by an eccentric owner, molded by a visionary coach, and led by hardscrabble miners like legendary running back Tony “The Human Howitzer” Latone (pictured on cover), the Maroons took the NFL by storm. Even after Pottsville defeated the Chicago Cardinals in what was viewed as the 1925 NFL championship game, fans wanted more. In an epic battle described as “The Greatest Football Game Ever Seen” the Maroons challenged a team of all-stars from the University of Notre Dame, featuring the legendary Four Horsemen. At a time when college ball was still king, the underdog Maroons turned the football world upside down, defeating Notre Dame 9-7 on a last-second field goal. Pottsville’s stunning victory legitimized the fledgling NFL, but it also destroyed the town and team that made it all possible. Claiming the Maroons had violated league rules by playing Notre Dame, the NFL suspended Pottsville and awarded the 1925 championship to the Cardinals. For 90 years, fans of the Pottsville Maroons — the team Red Grange said was “the most ferocious” he ever faced — have fought to correct the worst injustice in NFL history and return the 1925 title to its rightful owners. With Breaker Boys, the Maroons’ remarkable story is told at last.