"What does it take to succeed with honor in America? Soldiers First answers that vital question in a compelling and entertaining way." -- Bill O'Reilly, Anchor, Fox News Channel "As a college head football coach for fifty-seven years, and as an avid fan of military history and the men and women who serve our country, I've always had a ton of respect and admiration for the United States Military Academy and its football program. In Soldiers First , Joe Drape does a great job of documenting the stories of the men who play football at West Point and then go on to protect all of us, becoming America's heroes." -- Bobby Bowden, former head football coach, Florida State University "Joe Drape, the master of living the story, then writing it with style and vision, has provided the leaders of college football a blueprint for change. Soldiers First is the story of how football was once played, and should be today. Most of the elite players in college football would not last two weeks at West Point - marching before dawn, competing academically on an Ivy League level, and sleepwalking to football practice. A tremendous story." -- Jim Dent, author of The Junction Boys and Courage Beyond the Game "West Point is a special place, one that tests cadets in all aspects of life and teaches character and leadership around the clock.

Soldiers First captures its rigors as well as its rewards for a group of Army football players whose hearts are bigger than their talents but together find sheer joy in competition." -- Mike Krzyzewski, head basketball coach, Duke University, West Point class of 1969 "If you are growing cynical about college football - and who isn't? - this book is your antidote. Joe Drape delivers first-class reportage into a Division I football program, West Point, and the military itself. His vivid scenes and stories will not allow you to look at any of those the same way again. Soldiers First is a revelation - and it is unforgettable." -- John U. Bacon, bestselling author of Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the Crucible of College Football.