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The Chase
The Chase

The Chase

How Ohio State Captured the First College Football Playoff
By Bill Rabinowitz, Foreword by Kirk Herbstreit

SPORTS & RECREATION

288 Pages, 6 x 9

Formats: Cloth, EPUB, Mobipocket, PDF

Cloth, $24.95 (US $24.95) (CA $27.95)

ISBN 9781629371771

Rights: WOR

Triumph Books (Sep 2015)

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Overview

This inside look at an unprecedented season follows Ohio State’s road to the inaugural College Football Playoff and the national championship
 
In The Chase, Bill Rabinowitz takes readers inside Ohio State’s improbable championship season, from the final moments of their 2014 Orange Bowl loss to Clemson to the championship celebration in Arizona a year later. Fans will learn how Ohio State overcame the loss of not one but two quarterbacks—gaining inside perspective behind the dynamic between Miller, J. T. Barrett, and Cardale Jones. Rabinowitz captures the mood of the team in late November following the tragic death of Kosta Karageorge, and profiles other Ohio State stars, including Joey Bosa, Michael Bennett, Ezekiel Elliott, and more.

Reviews

“Ohio State's 2014 national title shocked the college football world, but those who read The Chase will understand that it was less a miracle run and more a methodical build that culminated at the sport's pinnacle. There obviously was a little magic sprinkled in, too, but Bill's book explains perfectly that the title run owes mostly to a special group of players and coaches who came together to create a team for the ages." —Andy Staples, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated
 
 
 


“Born and bred in Michigan I was prepared to dislike The Chase on basic principle. That notion was quickly disabused -- replaced by rich reporting, surprising detail and the kind of insight only a talent the likes of Bill can provide. It’s a gift that every Buckeyes fan will treasure. One of those rare post-season books that actually delivers – taking you deep inside the offices, meetings and minds of those who brought the first College Football Playoff trophy back to Columbus. Want to know how the path to a national title was paved? The Chase lays it out brick by championship brick.” —Armen Keteyian, lead correspondent, 60 Minutes Sports
 
 
 
 


“Bill Rabinowitz is the insider's insider at Ohio State. He chronicles the amazing 2014 championship season down to the smallest detail. A fantastic read.” —Dennis Dodd, CBSSports.com
 
 
 


“Ohio State in 2014 overcame more setbacks on and off the field than any national champion in recent memory. The Chase takes us behind the curtain to learn how the Buckeyes pulled it off with new details straight from the coaches and players' mouths.” —Stewart Mandel, Fox Sports 
 
 
 


“If you love American football, you should read this book. If you sort of love American football, you should read this book. If you dislike American football, you probably still should read this book. Its richness of reporting and detail make it both a football story and one of those curious human stories about improvisation and collaboration.” —Chuck Culpepper, Washington Post

Author Biography

Bill Rabinowitz
See Author
Bill Rabinowitz is a sports writer who has written for the Columbus Dispatch since 1999 and has been on the Ohio State football beat since 2011. He was awarded first place in sports reporting for large newspapers in 2012 from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. He is the author of Buckeye Rebirth. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Book Signings

Past Events

Dec
12
Bill Rabinowitz - The Chase ›
Columbus, OH
2:00pm
Oct
31
Bill Rabinowitz - The Chase ›
Columbus, OH
12:00pm
Oct
17
Bill Rabinowitz - The Chase ›
Columbus, OH
4:00pm
Oct
11
Bill Rabinowitz - The Chase ›
Columbus, OH
3:30pm
Sep
17
Bill Rabinowitz - The Chase ›
Columbus, OH
6:00pm
Sep
11
Bill Rabinowitz - The Chase ›
Columbus, OH
6:00pm

Press Releases

The Chase:

How Ohio State Captured the First College Football Playoff

By Bill Rabinowitz / Foreword by Kirk Herbstreit

Contact: Samantha Frontera, Triumph Books, 312.676.4224, s.frontera@triumphbooks.com

 

Ohio State’s 2014 national championship season was the stuff of fiction. The Buckeyes lost two quarterbacks to injury, were upset early at home by mediocre Virginia Tech and suffered through the suicide of a teammate. These obstacles could have derailed their season. Instead, they provided the backdrop to one of the most magical stories in college football history. Bill Rabinowitz, Ohio State beat writer for the Columbus Dispatch, details the story of the 2014 Buckeyes in The Chase: How Ohio State Captured the First College Football Playoff (Triumph Books, 2015). Drawing on more than 50 in-depth interviews including coach Urban Meyer, Rabinowitz tells the story of Ohio State’s season from the inside out. Rabinowitz explains how the culture and leadership instilled and exemplified by his players enabled Ohio State to reach the top of the collegefootball world.

 

“Want to know how the path to a national title was paved?” said Armen Keteyian, lead sports correspondent for 60 Minutes. “The Chase lays it out brick by championship brick. One of those rare post-season books that actually delivers – taking you deep inside the offices, meetings and minds of those who brought the first College Football Playoff trophy back to Columbus. Rich in detail and packed with powerful insight, The Chase is a gift that every Buckeyes fan will treasure.”

 

The book weaves in the stories of the coaches and players along with the games. One chapter is devoted to quarterback Cardale Jones, who had perhaps the greatest three-game starting debut in football history. Jones’ performance was all the more remarkable Rabinowitz shows, in light of his difficult upbringing in Cleveland and bumpy early career at Ohio State. Jones was so discouraged after losing the job to Barrett that he planned to transfer after the 2014 season. That is one of many revelations in “The Chase.” Among others:

 

  • An obscure author from Indiana paved the way for Meyer to return to coaching with a roadmap that would prevent him from repeating the mistakes that caused him to burn out at Florida.

 

  • Meyer considered firing defensive coordinator Luke Fickell after the 2013 season but chose to keep the longtime assistant, a decision that would pay off as the Ohio State reclaimed the “Silver Bullets” nickname.

 

  • College Football Playoff selection committee head Jeff Long details the process of picking the four teams in the playoff and reveals that Ohio State was not the only team in the four-team field that came “very close” to not getting a bid.

 

“The Chase” covers in detail the strategy and key plays in the Buckeyes’ biggest victories. But the book is not only for the hard-core football fan. Rabinowitz writes about players and coaches as people first, describing the struggles they eventually transformed into triumph.

 

About the Author:

Bill Rabinowitz is an award-winning writer who has written for the Columbus Dispatch since 1999 and has been on Ohio State football beat since 2011. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.

 

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