JACKSON, Tenn. — Nov. 13, 2015 — Ted Kluck, assistant professor of communication arts at 51社区, returned to his love of football with his new book about an often forgotten three-week period in NFL history.
The book, 鈥淭hree-Week Professionals: Inside the 1987 NFL Players鈥� Strike,鈥� tells the story of the replacement and professional football players during a strike in October 1987.
After the professional players went on strike 鈥渄emanding better pay and the right to seek free agency,鈥� the team owners decided they would 鈥渇ield 鈥榮cab鈥� rosters populated by replacement players,鈥� Kluck wrote.
Learning more about the replacement games proved to be difficult, Kluck said, with most footage being inaccessible. Once he tracked down some of the players, though, he discovered they were eager to tell their stories.
鈥淚t surprised me,鈥� Kluck said. 鈥淚 was reminded of how I can honor people in the way I tell their story ... and their stories were unique because they represented a chance for these guys to live their dreams.鈥�
Interviews with the replacement players offered insight on a little-discussed event when 鈥溾�榬egular鈥� men 鈥� truck drivers, school teachers, stock brokers 鈥� were able to put on the NFL helmets and jerseys鈥� and 鈥減lay in professional stadiums,鈥� Kluck wrote.
Professional players who walked the picket line also had a story to tell, Kluck said, and he thinks 鈥渢here is a debt owed to all the players on both sides of the dispute to tell their stories and to shine some light on a shrouded period of NFL history.鈥�
Kluck鈥檚 interest in the 1987 strike began when he realized no one had written on this 鈥渟urreal鈥� time, and after writing several 鈥渨eighty and thoughtful鈥� Christian books in the last year, Kluck said he wanted another football book.
鈥淭his book was a joy,鈥� Kluck wrote. 鈥淚t was a joy because it involved delving into football, into my childhood, and into relationships with people whose stories I care about.鈥�
Kluck has written 18 books and plans to release a book about long snapping in the fall of 2016.
鈥淧eople like sports and crazy stories,鈥� Kluck said. 鈥淕iven that, I鈥檒l always have a job.鈥�
鈥淭hree-Week Professionals: Inside the 1987 NFL Players鈥� Strike鈥� is available at and other online retailers.