THIS IS B1G

A history of the Big Ten athletic conference of Midwestern schools.

The Big Ten, the subject of Sherman’s lavishly illustrated volume, is an intramural sports conference that includes the universities of Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and Maryland; Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan State; and Purdue, Northwestern, and Rutgers University. Since its founding in 1896, it’s provided entertainment to generations of fans. In words and plentiful photos, the author—who also wrote Babe Ruth’s Big Shot: The Myth and Mystery of Baseball’s Greatest Home Run (2014), among other works—takes readers through the Big Ten’s centurylong history of achievements, which included several firsts both on and off the playing field. The giants of Big Ten history each get their time in the spotlight, including such figures as University of Illinois halfback Red Grange, University of Iowa halfback Nile Kinnick, or former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany. Sherman also includes lovingly detailed features on trailblazers such as Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first Black athlete to compete in the conference, back in 1882; and Phyllis Howlett, who became the Big Ten’s first female assistant commissioner in 1982 and helped “to give thousands of young women the chance to be athletes at the college level.” Famous alumni, such as golf superstar and Ohio State grad Jack Nicklaus and President Gerald Ford—shown here during his time as a scowling University of Michigan football player—appear alongside the University of Iowa’s famously ruthless wrestling coach Dan Gable: “He came up with the ‘Iowa style’ of wrestling,” Sherman writes. “The Hawkeyes didn't want to just beat opponents. They wanted them to give up completely.” The author also mentions University of Indiana swim coach Doc Counsilman and his motto, “Hurt, pain, agony.”

As might be expected from a volume like this, the author’s emphasis is on boosterism; it’s a work for Big Ten fans by a Big Ten fan. At one point, Sherman writes, “That’s the Big Ten. Exceptional student-athletes, renowned universities and academic pursuit that knows no bounds,” and it’s true that, as the author points out, “As leading research universities, the Big Ten schools have changed the course of medicine, science, business and social studies.” However, quotes such as these paper over some less appealing facts. Some of these teams bring in millions of dollars to their universities, which has, in turn, been a factor in scandals that have occurred over the past few years, including some that involve allegations of player abuse. Instead, it’s quite clear that the author intends his book as an uncritical celebration of the Big Ten—and as this, it succeeds completely. The author has an impressive talent for providing the perfect quote, the perfect scenario, and the perfect statistic to illustrate his various points. As a result, any reader who’s even been a small part of Big 10 history—by streaming into a big stadium on a beautiful autumn afternoon to cheer on their champions and razz their rivals—is likely to treasure this celebratory volume.

A well-constructed but hagiographic account of the Big Ten.