Mike Leach’s New Book Looks To Challenge College Football’s Conventional Wisdom

Co-editors Mike Leach and Ferhat Guven speak to fans looking for more out of college football in their new book “Sports for Dorks: College Football”

Key West, FL, — “What do you get when you combine an astrophysicist, a world champion backgammon player, some respected economists and a few other brilliant minds?”

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is referring, in this case, to former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach’s latest literary undertaking, “Sports for Dorks: College Football” (ISBN 978-0615484976), in which Leach once again takes aim at college football’s conventional wisdom.

Leach, along with co-editor Ferhat Guven, came up with the idea of “Sports for Dorks” during  a “typical” telephone call in which they discussed Henry VIII, US fiscal policy, Sub Saharan Africa real estate, and of course college football. 

The two come from different walks of life; Leach is the still wildly popular former head football coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and author of New York Times bestselling autobiography Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and in Life, while Guven, based in London, is an executive in a global real estate investment firm and avid college football fan.

Leach views the world of college football as a crucible of innovation, yet despite the enormous media coverage enjoyed by the sport, he notes that little if any of that side of the game is exposed to the public. Guven, out of his own interest, follows a number of talented academics, writers and bloggers who cover many of the sport’s more unique aspects, but do so in what he describes as relative obscurity.

The two wondered if there was an audience that wanted to better understand the game in a manner that went beyond what was being offered by conventional media.

Leach and Guven set out to collect essays and articles from a wide range of thinkers who were examining the game in an unusual way. “We were focused on identifying well-formulated ideas which challenge a sport dominated by conventional wisdom,” said Guven. “The book’s contributors include coaches, journalists, bloggers, academics, economists and yes, even an astrophysicist.”

Leach and Guven examine college football, both on and off the field, through disciplines such as economics, psychology, statistics and sociology. Their book also provides readers with unique insights into Leach’s coaching influences and philosophies, offers a formula that would make the BCS ranking process more rational, and examines what they describe as the meteoric rise of American football in Great Britain.

“We are trying to bring innovative content to readers,” Guven says. “We want to provide a unique perspective to readers who are looking for more than just box scores, cliches and lukewarm paeans to their favorite teams’ greatness. We hope our readers will be informed and entertained. There is plenty of opportunity for both throughout the book which come from a variety of perspectives.”

“Sports for Dorks: College Football” is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.

About the Editors
Mike Leach is the former all-time winning football coach at Texas Tech and author of the bestselling autobiography, Swing Your Sword:  Leading the Charge in Football and Life. Leach is a graduate of BYU and Pepperdine University School of Law. Ferhat Guven is a real estate investment professional who graduated from Texas Tech University before earning his graduate business degree from the London Business School.  For more information, see www.sportsfordorks.com.

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TIP SHEET:

Rex Ryan, Head Football Coach, NY Jets: “What do you get when you combine an astrophysicist, a world champion backgammon player, some respected economists and a few other brilliant minds?  This fascinating book and the reason I’m hoping to watch Mike Leach on Saturdays instead of coach against him on Sundays.” 

Gil Brandt, former VP Dallas Cowboys: “Sports for Dorks is an exciting collection of ideas and trends shaping the world of college football.  Mike Leach proves, once again, that he is a step ahead of the rest.”

Austin Murphy, Sr. Writer, Sports Illustrated: “One man’s dork is another man’s intellectually curious, envelope pushing pioneer.  Mike Leach is the most original thinker I’ve met in three decades as a sportswriter.  With this provocative, nourishing, all-you-can-eat buffet of intriguing ideas, Leach reminds us why football needs him more than he needs football.”