Rand, Jonathan 1947-

PERSONAL: Born 1947. Education: University of Missouri, master’s degree.

CAREER: Journalist and writer. Former sportswriter and columnist in Kansas City, MO, and at the Miami News, Miami, FL; also former staff member of the Columbian Missouri.

WRITINGS

So Ditka Says to Buddy—: The Greatest Football Stories Ever Told, Chamberlain Bros. (New York, NY), 2005.

300 Pounds of Attitude: The Wildest Stories and Craziest Characters the NFL Has Ever Seen, Lyons Press (Guilford, CT), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: A longtime sports writer and columnist, Jonathan Rand has also written books about the National Football League and its players and coaches. In 300 Pounds of Attitude: The Wildest Stories and Craziest Characters the NFL Has Ever Seen, Rand relates numerous anecdotes about some of the National Football League’s most well-known and, in some cases, most outrageous players and personalities. For example, he relates the exploits of Tim Rossovich, a 1960s’ NFL player who was known to eat almost everything, from glass to cigarettes, and tells of the many pranks that former NFL quarterback Steve De-Berg liked to play on his teammates and coaches. The author also includes stories about more recent players, such as the trash talking that goes on between quarterback Bret Favre and defensive lineman Warren Sapp whenever their teams play each other. In addition to the NFL, the author includes anecdotes from other leagues past and present, such as the XFL and World Football League. In his review of 300 Pounds of Attitude, John Maxymuk wrote in the Library Journal that “profiled characters fall into several categories, including the mouthy and obnoxious . . . the overly intense . . . and the fun-loving flakes.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that Rand “does present a number of amusing and interesting tales.” A reviewer writing in the Herald Standard commented: “Reading this book is like having a series of replays on paper, and it’s fantastic for football fans.”

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July 1, 2006, Wes Lukowsky, review of 300 Pounds of Attitude: The Wildest Stories and Craziest Characters the NFL Has Ever Seen, p. 20.

Herald Standard (PA), January 4, 2007, review of 300 Pounds of Attitude.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2006, review of 300 Pounds of Attitude, p. 624.

Library Journal, July 1, 2006, John Maxymuk, review of 300 Pounds of Attitude, p. 86.

ONLINE

Kansas City Chiefs News Web site, http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/ (January 20, 2004), “Jonathan Rand FAQ,” interview with author.*