Overview
An elite football player’s perspective of his time on and off the turf
This revealing, introspective look at an athlete’s intense drive to succeed in football also explores the adjustment to life after the final whistle. John “Hog” Hannah was a two-time All-American for the Crimson Tide under Bear Bryant. Hannah starred for the Patriots from 1973 to 1985 and was one of the most beloved New England Patriots players of all time. In his autobiography, the greatest offensive lineman in the history of the sport candidly discusses the price of dominating the trenches. Hannah also recounts his battles on the field against the Raiders and Dolphins and off the field with Patriots management. An introspective man who found religion later in life, Hannah describes the forces that shaped his drive to succeed and his addiction to control anything that threatened to separate him from perpetuating the “glory of greatness.” Reflecting on how this mind-set proved detrimental beyond his playing days—leading to the breakup of his first marriage, his estrangement from his children, and an egomaniacal approach in the business world, he shares how he ultimately found God. Offensive Conduct is both an inside look at the world of college and pro football in the 1970s and 1980s and a chronicle of the ups and downs of a driven, successful athlete.
Author Biography
John “Hog” Hannah is a former left guard with the New England Patriots in the National Football League. He was named an “All-Pro” 10 times and won the NFL Players Association’s Offensive Lineman of the Year award over four consecutive years. He has been named the “Best Offensive Lineman of All Time” by Sports Illustrated and was more recently listed in the top 20 on the Sporting News list of “The 100 Greatest Football Players.” He is an inductee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He lives in Decatur, Alabama. Tom Hale is an attorney who received his secondary preparatory education at the Baylor School in Chattanooga—a school John Hannah earlier attended. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama. A New England Patriots linebacker from 1982 to 1993, Andre Tippett made five Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He resides in Sharon, Massachusetts.
Press Releases
Offensive Conduct: My Life on the Line
By John "Hog" Hannah with Tom Hale
CONTACT: Bill Ames ∙ Triumph Book ∙ 312.676.4256 ∙ b.ames@triumphbooks.com
During the 12 years he played for the New England Patriots, John "Hog" Hannah came off the line like a cannonball and delivered monstrous bulldozer hits on opponents. New York Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko, who frequently faced off against the Hog, called him "one of the hardest hitting offensive linemen to ever play the game."
Dubbed "The Best Offensive Lineman of All Time" by Sports Illustrated in August, 1981, Hannah's superhuman abilities helped lead the Patriots to their first AFC title and Super Bowl appearance. Among other accolades, Hannah was named "Outstanding Lineman of the Year" four years in a row, and All-AFC 11 times, played in 9 Pro Bowls, was one of the few players to have been named to the NFL All-Decade Team twice, and was the first Patriot to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hannah was also the first Pro Hall of Fame inductee to be introduced by his father, Herb Hannah, a former pro player with the New York Giants.
With brutal, self-deprecating honesty, John Hannah painfully bares who the real "man inside the helmet" was for the first time in his autobiography, Offensive Conduct (Triumph Books, October 2013). With help from Tom Hale and a foreword by former New England Patriot and fellow Hall of Famer Andre Tippett, Hannah speaks freely about his life, his struggles with Faith and includes such behind-the-scenes stories as:
- The breach of discipline that earned him the nickname, "Hog"
- His loyalty to fellow teammate, Leon Gray, and a contentious and distrustful relationship with New England Patriots' administration throughout his entire career, including the infamous "holdout" the two staged at the start of the 1977 season
- Playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide under the legendary Head Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant-and some shocking, up close one on one encounters with "The Bear" that were pivotal tuning points in both the success of the Crimson Tide's switch to 'The Wishbone" offense, and Hannah's rise into the ranks of the most elite athletes to ever play professional football
- Working through personal troubles, including an inflated ego, a difficult divorce and a well earned but grossly inflated sense of self that resulted from childhood bullying he overcame through the development of superhuman athletic abilities, all of which culminated in an addictive, myopic mission to become the "Best"
- Memorable battles and hard lessons learned playing against and with some of the game's toughest, most storied players such as Dick Butkus, Leroy Jordan, Randy White and Buck Buchanan; Steve Grogan, Sam "Bam" Cunningham, Russ Francis, and the tremendous motivation he got from Coaches Chuck Fairbanks and offensive line Coach Jim Ringo
- Being declared "The Best Offensive Lineman of All Time" by Sports Illustrated and the huge bullseye the accolade carved across his jersey for the rest of his career
- A lifelong struggle to reconcile his strong Faith with the infatuation of his own greatness, and the omnipotence of The Almighty to offer correction and forgiveness at any age
Hannah's "no holds barred" autobiography is a gripping and intense 'revelation' of the deepest inner workings of the mind and soul of a human being so incredibly powerful and talented that he believed all his life he could make things happen, and achieve greatness, only by developing and relying strictly on his own guts and ego, and trusting very few others with his myopic goal to be "The Best," no matter what the cost. His heartfelt, honest journey through both triumphs and devastating losses to a fulfilling life in submission and service to His Lord will stand as testimony to every reader of the 'cost-benefit' analysis of exhausting all of one's talents and resources in the fleeting "here and now" against investing those same gifts in the "hereafter." A must have for the upcoming fall 2013 season, Offensive Conduct is the memoir of a man whose legend still looms large both on and off the field, and whose inspiration to others will endure in perpetuity.
About the Authors:
John "Hog" Hannah is a former left offensive guard who was molded at The University of Alabama's Crimson Tide football powerhouse under legendary Head Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and who, as a first round draft pick, played 12 seasons with the NFL's New England Patriots. He was named an "All-Pro" 10 times and won the NFL Players Association's Offensive Lineman of the Year award four consecutive years running. He was named "The Best Offensive Lineman of All Time" by Sports Illustrated and was more recently listed in the top 20 on the Sporting News list of "The 100 Greatest Pro Football Players." He is a 1991 inductee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tom Hale is a Litigation attorney in Birmingham, Alabama who spent countless hours one on one with Hannah coaxing out details of the superstar's innermost thoughts and memories of his meteoric rise through the Crimson Tide program and into the New England Patriots years. Hale is a graduate of Baylor School, Vanderbilt University and Cumberland School of Law, and live in Birmingham with Jennie, his wife of 32 years. They are the parents of 3 grown children.
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