The Water Boy: From the Sidelines to the Owner's Box: Inside the CFL, the XFL, and the NFL

By Bob Ackles

Book Overview

When Bobby Ackles became the B.C. Lions original water boy, he probably never dreamed that he would lead the team to a Grey Cup victory over 50 years later. From his earliest days with the team to becoming its general manager and now president, Ackles has demonstrated a commitment and dedication to football in the CFL, NFL and XFL. After leaving the Lions in 1986, Ackles joined the Dallas Cowboys as Vice-President and served six seasons with them before moving onto the Phoenix Cardinals and later the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2000, Ackles was named Vice- President and General Manager of the XFLs Las Vegas Outlaws. With this achievement, Ackles became the first and only man to hold executive positions in all three football leagues. Finally, in 2002, Ackles returned to the home of his first football triumph, and brought the struggling B.C. Lions back to the top of the CFL by 2006. In this engaging personal memoir, Ackles takes the reader through the growing and changing world of football, both from a Canadian and an American perspective, where he lays down the differences between the two sport cultures, and reveals the dynamics of creating a winning team. Its the story of his passion and his drive, and his rise from a humble beginning to becoming one of footballs most respected executives.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470155914
• ISBN13: 9780470155912
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 271 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Great entertaining read!

I'm just finishing this book as I write this. a must read for any football fan, especially those who follow the CFL or NFL.I live in Vancouver where the BC Lions and Bobby Ackles got their start in 1954. Even NFL fans less familiar with the Canadian League will appreciate the many great memories and hilarious stories Bobby has to tell about our storied leagues history, and there is still a lot of NFL in the book as well. I was at many of the games he mentions, some of the best, worst, and funniest momments from the great era of BC Lion and CFL football from the early 70's through to the present. The vintage stuff from 1954 through the 60's is great as well. Sadly Bobby Ackles passed away from a heart attack suddenly on Bowen Island BC in the summer of 2008 just as the football season had began.He was doing what he loved as President and CEO of the team he started with, responsible for its re-birth, and out on a weekend boating trip. Football in Canada will never be the same with out him but the BC Lions will continue to play many more games in their history thanks to Bobby Ackles passion and commitment to this great game of football.

Very good book by the late Bob Ackles, former insider and front office wonk of three different Pro F

Bob Ackles is not well known by the gerneral football watching publc but held one of the most unique perspec- tives in Football history by work- ing his way up, starting in 1954 as first British Columbia Lions waterboy, then equipment manager to the position of one of Pro Football's alltime great General Managers. The list of Pro teams he worked in the front office for is: B.C. Lions (CFL - 2 x), Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL), Dallas, Phoenix Cardinals, Philadelphia and Miami of the NFL. The other reviewer's review was excellent as well. If you love the CFL or NFL you'll really like this book, especially the first person accounts of nuts like Jerry (facelift) Jones and Jimmy (plastic-hair) Johnson!

Great Football Treasure

Being an avid collector of books on pro football and a bit of a football historian, I found "The Waterboy" to be a rare read. Having never heard of Bob Ackles, I was intrigued by the premise of his book. He was the GM of the BC Lions of the CFL for over 30 years. He devoted 16 years as an executive with the NFL Dallas Cowboys, Phoenix Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. He was in on the ground floor of the zany XFL to top it off. Forty years as a top football executive in both Canada and the U.S. gave him a unique vantage point to observe and comment on the state of the game. He was never acerbic but always pointed in his observations. He arrived with the Cowboys just before the transition from the Tom Landry era to the Jerry Jones-Jimmy Johnson regime. He left just before the first Cowboys Super Bowl, having helped to obtain some of the key talent. Moving to the Phoenix Cardinals, the contrast from the Jones-Johnson Cowboys to the Bidwell family was an eye openner. His observations on why teams thrive or fail is fascinating. In Jerry Jones Cowboys organization, scouts and front office personnel didn't get playoff shares yet in Vince McMahon's XFL everyone got paid. If you enjoy pro football and wonder how it really works this book is a gem.