Ben Isaacs

I recently rediscovered the charming Bootlegs, Blitzes and Bombs (read more here) and it made me want to track down the person who drew the evocative illustrations. Luckily he was easy to find because he’s an active member of the Britball scene. Rory from the BAFA comms team put me in touch with Dave so I could ask him about the genesis of the book. When did you first become interested in American football? I first became interested and involved in 1984 as a founder member of the Nottingham Hoods.

When the first International Series game was played in 2007 the NFL practically had to go round asking British journalists to cover it. There were people in the press box who had no professional connection to sport but simply worked in the media and loved the NFL. It was commonplace to see people leave the press box and return 10 minutes later with 2 pints of beer.

I moved house recently - something that has taken over my life through much of 2024 - and this meant sorting out some old boxes. This is not a job I enjoy. It usually means discovering piles of paperwork or tat my wife wants in the bin (which I then pack in a fresh new box ready for the loft). One of the boxes had some real treats in though and I wanted to share them with you, starting with ‘Bootlegs, Blitzes and Bombs’, a book I adored as a child.