Coach's bookshelf
9 shelves of well-known football coaching books, grouped by role. Links go to Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores.
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Head coach & leadership
The Score Takes Care of Itself ↗
Bill Walsh with Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh. Walsh's leadership philosophy and Standard of Performance.
Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court ↗
John Wooden with Steve Jamison. Short lessons on teaching and team culture.
Legacy ↗
James Kerr. Leadership lessons drawn from the New Zealand All Blacks.
Gridiron Genius ↗
Michael Lombardi. How great NFL staffs and organizations are built.
Finding the Winning Edge ↗
Bill Walsh. Walsh's manual on running a football organization.
Program building & culture
Win Forever ↗
Pete Carroll. Carroll's philosophy for building a competitive culture.
Burn Your Goals ↗
Joshua Medcalf and Jamie Gilbert. Process over outcomes, aimed at coaches.
The Energy Bus ↗
Jon Gordon. A fable about positive leadership and team energy.
Training Camp ↗
Jon Gordon. A fable about what separates the best from the rest.
InSideOut Coaching ↗
Joe Ehrmann with Paula Ehrmann and Gregory Jordan. Coaching aimed at character, not just wins.
Season of Life ↗
Jeffrey Marx. A season with Joe Ehrmann's high school program.
Offense
Developing an Offensive Game Plan ↗
Brian Billick. Sizing an offense, situational packages and weekly installation.
The Art of Smart Football ↗
Chris B. Brown. Essays on modern schemes and strategy.
The Essential Smart Football ↗
Chris B. Brown. Concepts, history and why plays work.
Offensive Football Strategies ↗
American Football Coaches Association. Offensive systems explained by college coaches.
The Perfect Pass ↗
S. C. Gwynne. How Hal Mumme and Mike Leach built the Air Raid at small colleges.
Defense
Defensive Football Strategies ↗
American Football Coaches Association. Fronts, coverages and pressure from college staffs.
Blood, Sweat and Chalk ↗
Tim Layden. The origins of football's great schemes.
Football Scouting Methods ↗
Steve Belichick. The classic on scouting opponents.
Offensive line & position coaching
Coaching Offensive Linemen ↗
Dave Christensen. Technique and drills for the O-line.
Coaching the Offensive Line ↗
Earl Browning. O-line blocking schemes and fundamentals.
Coaching Quarterback Passing Mechanics ↗
Steve Axman. Throwing mechanics for QB coaches.
101 Defensive Back Drills ↗
Ron Dickerson. A drill book for secondary coaches.
Football Skills & Drills ↗
Tom Bass. Position-by-position fundamentals and drills.
The Football Coaching Bible ↗
American Football Coaches Association. Essays from prominent coaches on every part of the job.
Special teams
Complete Guide to Special Teams ↗
American Football Coaches Association. Special teams schemes from college coaches.
Coaching Football's Special Teams ↗
Kenny Ratledge. Organizing and coaching the kicking game.
Small-college & career path
Never Before, Never Again ↗
Eddie Robinson with Richard Lapchick. The Grambling coach's life and career.
The Education of a Coach ↗
David Halberstam. Bill Belichick's path from film-room assistant to head coach.
Friday Night Lights ↗
Buzz Bissinger. A season with Odessa Permian High School.
Mental game
With Winning in Mind ↗
Lanny Bassham. Mental management from an Olympic champion.
The Inner Game of Tennis ↗
W. Timothy Gallwey. The classic on focus and performance.
Relentless ↗
Tim S. Grover with Shari Wenk. The mentality of elite competitors.
Strength & conditioning
Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning ↗
NSCA; G. Gregory Haff and N. Travis Triplett, eds.. The CSCS textbook.
Science and Practice of Strength Training ↗
Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, William J. Kraemer and Andrew C. Fry. The theory behind periodization and loading.
Bigger Faster Stronger ↗
Greg Shepard. The BFS program used by many high schools.
Triphasic Training ↗
Cal Dietz and Ben Peterson. Eccentric, isometric and concentric training for speed and power.
Titles and authors checked against Open Library records. Know a book that belongs here? Tell us.