Keep off My Turf by Bill Gilbert, Mike Curtis (1972, Book, Illustrated)

This is a great insight into a time long past, when players played for the name on the front of their jersey, not the back. This is really written by Mike Curtis, who played the game the way it was meant to be played: with ferocity, intelligence, and heart. This is an extremely open and honest book about what it was like to play in the NFL during the 1971 season with my beloved Baltimore Colts. He pulls no punches in his brutally honest assesments of himself, the league, other teams, and his own teammates. It didn't receive any accolades because he had no deep dark secrets to expose about the game. If you're not tearing something down, it just doesn't sell. I loved this book, and Mike Curtis will always be a hero of mine for the person he is and the way that he played the game. We were lucky to have him in Baltimore for 10 years.