Description: Earnel Durden's extraordinary memoir of more than three decades in football covers all elements of the game, from playing at the college level with Oregon State to coaching multiple NFL teams.
Brief description: Born in Jefferson, Texas in 1937, Earnel Durden spent most of his formative years in Los Angeles during a time when the city itself was growing and changing in exciting ways. As a young man, Durden attended Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, California, where he advanced in his football playing career, and upon graduation, was recruited to play for the Oregon State Beavers, and he successfully led them to the 1957 Rose Bowl. However, a game against Washington State changed his life forever-a sudden injury forced him to rethink his future. Playing football professionally could no longer be on the forefront. It was then that Durden began to pursue athletic coaching as a career, and he has since gone on to coach at high school and college level, and professional teams like the Houston Oilers the Los Angeles Rams, and the San Diego Chargers. Retired from coaching now, Earnel is a real estate entrepreneur and a small-business owner. He lives in San Diego with his wife (and high school sweetheart!), June, and his large extended family.