Rites of Autumn - The Story of College Football

Gator chomp!


Rites of Autumn(History of Modern College Football)   February 1, 2003
Nick Cummins (Birmingham, AL United States)
College Football is fast becoming America's newest pastime. There are always those who will argue baseball is better, but college football is always talked about from July through February with a childlike zeal. "Rites of Autumn" attempts to give a history of the coaches and players that shaped the sport into the NCAA and NFL we know today. The series is ten episodes narrated by Burt Reynolds and each one has themes similiar to a Ken Burns' documentary. The only holes in the show are the lack of information on teams other than Alabama,any Big Ten teams, Notre Dame, USC,Oklahoma, and Miami. There are many teams that really helped shape the sport that were totally looked over. Perhaps time did not permit, but this is a very entertaining view of sports history. Overall I would recommend anyone at least renting it or borrowing from a friend because if you love football...you will love "Rites of Autumn".


A mesmerizing look at the history of America's best sport   August 25, 2002
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Since this ten-part documentary first aired on ESPN last fall, the only way to purchase it for home viewing had been to go directly through the production company. I did it that way, and the incovenience and delays were monumental. College football fans now able to purchase this amazing series more easily should celebrate.

Narrated by Burt Reynolds (who, as an actor and a Florida State alumnus, is not my favorite person), "Rites of Autumn" reviews this history of college football from its earliest days to the present, focusing on individual elements of the sport. Reynolds's voice-over, to his credit, smoothly introduces the viewer to each subject and character, with an engaging objectivity an interest in each. From individual players to specific matches and long-time dynasties, the topics covered reflect the characters and events of the sport while investigating the social and even political influences exercised and experienced by America's first gridiron love--the college game.

Using interviews and vintage footage, the story involves the viewer and conveys the historical scope and grandeur of the college football story in a way worthy of the game's great legacy. Fans of smaller programs will be glad to note that, while the series gives its greatest emphasis to the "biggest" schools, it also acknowledges the importance and influence of teams from lesser divisions. While it would be simple for any intimate fan of the game, let alone a fervent devotee of a specific school, to detect prominent persons and events left unaddressed, the ten, hour-long episodes encompass everything that might reasonably be included, without any glaring exclusions.

If you cannot travel to the College Football Hall-of-Fame in South Bend, envelope yourself in the sites and sounds, the history and pagentry, of America's greatest sport through this collection. You'll not regret having a bridge over the long eight-month gap from the last College Gameday broadcast of the old season to the first broadcast of the next.