Backyard Brawl: Inside the Blood Feud Between Texas and Texas A & M

by W.K. Stratton

Book Overview

It happens once a year, creating a seismic divide throughout the country. It pits brother against brother. It breaks up business deals. It ruins relationships. And once it's finished, all both sides want is for another year to pass by so they can do it again. It is the Texas/Texas A& M football game. And in the football-obsessed state that is Texas, no single game resonates more. Every year during the Thanksgiving holidays, the two teams meet for...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609610538
• ISBN13: 9780609610534
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

history lesson

great book for anyone wanting to know the hate that builds between texas A & M and tu.

About much more than a football game

A tremendous look into not just a football rivalry, but the two clashing cultures of Texas and A & M. This book is about much more than simply a football game. It's about rural v. urban. It's about conservative v. liberal. It's about all the things that make Texas v. A & M one of the best rivalries in college athletics. As a native of Austin, I understand the fervor created by the annual game between the Horns and the Ags. This book does a remarkable job of capturing that spirit. You don't have to be from Texas to enjoy this book. The real-life characters which encompass the Texas/A & M rivalry are on full display and make for a great read.

Backyard Brawl

If you have ever been involved in the on-going rivalry between Texas A & M and the University of Texas, than this is a great book to read. Backyard Brawl written by W.K. Stratton is about the rivalry starting at its roots. Most peoples view of the rivalry is skewed because of the biased views people have depending on their school of choice, but this book is an unbiased view of the great rivalry. Even though the rivalry is based on a football game held every year, the traditions go far beyond the football field. The game between A & M and UT has become one of the biggest if not the biggest rivalries in the nation. Both schools have many traditions leading up to the big game every Thanksgiving weekend that have been intact since the first couple of years. Backyard Brawl is a great book to read if you have any affiliation with either school.

Texas vs. Texas A & M. What the hell else do you want?

My disclaimer - I graduated from Texas some 10 years ago.Does't really matter because this book is fair to both sides and I learned something about the history of this storied rivalry. I was also surprised at how fun this book turned out even with the cloud of 9/11 and lingering effects of the tragic A & M Bonfire accident. Stratton acknowledges both respectfully, but keeps things moving. Make no mistake, Texas and A & M football are center stage here, but the culture and image both carry almost upstage them.Stratton, an admitted transplanted "Okie", takes you through a season the tumult each team sees (at different times) and leaves the reader on the other side having experienced and learned what this whole damn thing is all about. Must read for Longhorns, Aggies, and any fan of football and good writing.

More than just a football book

I'll be honest...I bought this book because a friend of mine wrote it. I don't usually buy sports books. I think the only other one I've read is "Seabiscuit". Granted, "Seabsiscuit" was a terrific book. It's just that I tend towards fiction most of the time. That said, this was a really fun book to read. I grew up 20 miles from the UT campus and have never lived more than 90 miles from UT or A & M. Kip's done a great job capturing the spirit of both schools and explaining just why people get so rabid about a football game. There are also some very moving descriptions of the '99 Bonfire disaster and the amazing red, white and blue-out of Kyle Field the first game following 9/11.If you are a native Texan, buy this book because you'll love reading about all the familiar sights and sounds. If you're not a native Texan, buy this book...maybe you'll understand why we love this place so much. (By the way, the author was born an Okie, but seems to really know what Texas is all about).