“Field of play” is now available!
For the past 60 years, Michael Zagaris has taken his camera behind the scenes of the NFL, capturing the moments that define America’s game. With unparalleled access—42 Super Bowls, 49 seasons as team photographer for the San Francisco 49ers, and a behind-the-scenes passport to the rest of the NFL—Zagaris takes his aim beyond the field and to the locker room, the bench, the practices, and the training camps. His intimate portraits convey the nerves, the tension, the pain, and the elation with emotional depth and the clarity of a longtime insider.
With contributions from celebrated Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, and Fred Biletnikoff, as well as text from renowned sportswriter Steve Cassady and sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards, Field of Play highlights Zagaris’s storied career as a photographer, showcasing the irresistible force of football and celebrates its enduring presence.
INSIDE THE BOOK
VIEW SAMPLE PAGES AND PHOTOGRAPHS FROM “FIELD OF PLAY”
“When you are in the same room with Michael, you know it. The best place to be is within listening distance to hear his endless stream of wild tales from his firsthand experiences in sports and rock ’n’ roll.”
— Joe Montana
BOOK EVENTS
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR BOOK EVENTS, BEGINNING IN october
“It was a great era for Bay Area sports and a great time to be an Oakland Raider. If I could relive those times, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Michael Zagaris’s photos and the stories in Field of Play might be the next best thing. They bring it back like it was yesterday.”
— Fred Biletnikoff
NEWS
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“This book preserves the joy, love, pain, and accomplishments of greatness of the men who gave their all on the field for American football.”
— Ronnie Lott
behind the scenes
see pictures from the making of “Field of play”
“The NFL team photographer with unfettered access is the gatekeeper of the legacies of NFL football. Words are inadequate. Only a camera in the hands of an artist who understands the power of the still photo—the light, the scene, the faces, the eyes, the unguarded truth— can reveal the unpretentious honesty of the football moment, fleeting and short-lived.”
— Dr. Harry Edwards
About the authors
“This book is the culmination of a journey that began for me in the mid-1950s. It reflects my own journey in the game—my vision and its evolution . . . and the game as seen through the prism of the players who play the game.”
— Michael Zagaris