Subtitled: How a Small-Town Athlete Benefited From Ohio State Football to Build a Life

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I used to collect football cards back in the 1970s. My baseball card collection is much larger because the stores in the small town where I grew up didn’t always get enough inventory of cards for non-baseball sports after the first half of the decade. Anyway, one of the player cards I remember from back in those days was for a cornerback with the Colts, who at that time hadn’t left Baltimore for Indianapolis yet. When I saw the listing on Net Galley for a book written by Kern, I couldn’t pass it up.


My normal expectations for a sports biography include a short section about the player’s childhood, a year-by-year detail of their career and stories about the players they played with and against, and some details about their life after retirement. This biography/memoir deviates from that model. Kern intends it as a compendium of advice for future generations of Kerns and a tribute to his family, his coaches and teammates, and others who have mentored him throughout his life.

Rex Kern is about twelve years older than I am, so although we didn’t grow up at exactly the same time, there are enough similarities between his childhood years and my own that I could identify with what he had to say about growing up in a small town. I recall several of his college teammates and opposing players from by football card collection as well. Kern had a lot to say about his relationship with long-time Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, faith, and other topics that were important enough to him to want to share with readers.

I gave The Road to the Horseshoe and Beyond four stars on Goodreads. It made me think about the advice I’d want to give my own descendants, even if it didn’t fit the normal structure of a sports biography.

Ohio State legend, Dr. Rex Kern recalls the defining eras of his storied life with thoughtful insight and much gratitude. His take on his Woody Hayes years is something fans of both men should not miss. And his discussions on the equally legendary Rose Bowl games of the late 1960s could be considered required reading for any past, present, or future Buckeye. For readers searching for football non-fiction, a sports history of The Ohio State University, or American Midwest nostalgia will find it in Kern's genuinely heartfelt memoir