Kluck, T: Upside Down Football

The long snapper is perhaps the most overlooked and underappreciated position in football. He spends a great deal of his career bent over a football, with a guy either kneeling seven yards behind him or standing back at 15 yards. In a sense, the long snapper has one job-to go unnoticed. If he is noticed, it probably means he's flubbed a snap-and for a long snapper, a single mistake can mean instant unemployment.In Upside Down Football: An Inside Look at Long Snapping in the NFL, Ted Kluck shares the unique stories of these often-unseen high-pressure athletes. To fully explore the art of long snapping, Kluck attempts to perfect his own long-snapping technique, enlisting NFL snapping super-agent Kevin Gold and former longtime NFL snapper Justin Snow to help him. He also learns from elite NFL special teams coach Gary Zauner, experiences the camp circuit via snapping guru Chris Rubio, trains with snapping coach Nolan Owen, and talks with Green Beret and college snapper Nate Boyer. Upside Down Football features in-depth interviews with players, coaches, agents, and scouts, introducing the reader to men who have snapped at the game's highest level and to those who helped them get there. NFL and college football fans, along with long snappers of all levels, will enjoy this entertaining and enlightening perspective on the most underappreciated position in football.

The long snapper is perhaps the most underappreciated position in football. In this book, Ted Kluck shares the unique stories of these often-unseen high-pressure athletes. He speaks with NFL snapping agent Kevin Gold, former NFL snapper Justin Snow, NFL special teams coach Gary Zauner, and others in order to fully explore the art of long snapping.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Fully Grown Up (Today)Chapter 1: Walking on Broken GlassChapter 2: Kevin Gold: Agent to the AnonymousChapter 3: Rob Davis: A King's Ransom to Play a Kid's GameChapter 4: The Cautionary Tale: Trey Junkin and the Danger of Living One Dream Too ManyChapter 5: The Rubio ZoneChapter 6: Bryan Pittman: The Security ManChapter 7: Trever Kruzel: The Minicamp BodyChapter 8: Nolan Owen: The Would-Be RubioChapter 9: Perfect Laces: NFL Coach Gary ZanerChapter 10: The Private Lesson: Nolan Owen Part 2Chapter 11: The Rubio CampChapter 12: Transition: Tennessee, Glenn Pakulak, and Jon Akemon Chapter 13: The Soldier: Nate BoyerChapter 14: Silverdome and the Onward March of TimeChapter 15: Where'd Everyone Go?: The Photographer: Tyler SchmittChapter 16: Mobile and the Nature of EmbarrassmentChapter 17: Bloomington, Illinois: Satisfaction versus EuphoriaEpilogue: Major LeagueNotesAbout the Author