When the good folks at Blooming Twig Books in NY first contacted me to do a review of Jeffrey Hickey’s sports themed book titled The Coach’s Son, I’ll have to admit I was hesitant.

The premise of the story is about young Mark O’Bern the son of an NFL coach who some believe can alter the course of football games with a series of superstitious movements and gestures.  My first thought was that this story would be filled with a bunch of old sports clichés leading the reader through a series of football games with predictable outcomes.

Was I in for a surprise!  Instead, Hickey took us on a wild, unpredictable journey with the O’Bern family as they travelled from San Francisco, to Dallas and back to Santa Monica California following Mr. O’ Bern’s employment trail. The reader gets an inside look at the somewhat neurotic O’Bern family.  Although we were introduced to Mark’s father Chester, mother Anna and his two brothers John and Paul, the story mainly focuses on young Mark.

When the tale begins in the year 1963, Mark’s Dad Chester is the head coach of the National Football League’s San Francisco 49’ers.  After being let go by the team, the family moves to Texas where Chester takes on the role of assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys.  It is here that we are taken through all the experiences of a young boy (Mark) who longs for his old home.  Everything from religion, racism, Mark’s own rebelliousness, sexual tension and the political climate of the times are touched on. 

That’s not to say that there isn’t a lot to do with football in this book. Hickey does a masterful job of walking the reader through a series of games as the Dallas Cowboys go from their early years of futility right through to their first Super Bowl victory.  Hickey’s description of the plays make the reader feel as though he is watching the events unfold before his eyes.

All the while young Mark displays what appears to be a gift for determining the outcome of games through a series of movements and the touching of “pressure points.”  So much so, that Chester started to consult his son when it came to making important decisions pertaining to the team.  In some cases after a loss, Chester would be angry at his son implying that Mark had done something wrong causing the team to lose.

Just when you think you have it figured out as to what is going to happen next, Hickey throws another curve ball. 

Son of former National Football head coach Howard Hickey, author Jeff gives the reader some great insight into what it must have been like to be part of an NFL family throughout the sixties.  That in itself makes the story much more intriguing.

For anyone who is a serious sports fan or just loves a great adventure, this is the book for you.

Rating: 4 footballs out of 5

You can purchase this book by visiting the author’s website at www.jeffreyhickey.com.

-Brian van Vliet

www.offthegoalpost.com