I always wondered how Krazy George Henderson could ever make a career from cheer-leading. After all, I had read he used to make just a few bucks per game, and got free food, when he used to cheer for the California Golden Seals. By the end of the book, however, I got it; Krazy George worked his butt off. The Seals’ legendary cheerleader has cheered for just about every professional, college, and high school team that has existed over the last 45 years. At least, it seemed this way reading his book. He started off small, cheering for high school and college teams, but as his reputation grew, he latched on to the Seals, before finding his way to other hockey teams such as the Colorado Rockies, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks. As a Seals fan, I would have liked to hear more about his interactions with some of their players, coaches, and fans, but he does tell a couple of good stories about when the Boston Bruins’ Terry O’Reilly threatened to kick the crap out of him, and how he earned the respect of Philadelphia Flyers goon Dave “The Hammer” Schultz. Luckily for George, he needn’t worry much about getting beat up by angry hockey players; he has a black-belt in judo.

Krazy George also famously cheered for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Houston Oilers, and Minnesota Vikings, among other NFL teams, not to mention the San Jose Earthquakes and Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer League, a slew of minor-league baseball teams, as well as baseball’s Oakland A’s. It was while he was cheering for the A’s, back in 1981, that he invented the Wave. While there has been much debate as to whether or not Krazy George actually invented the stadium standard, he puts forth a completely convincing argument that he is its originator. The history of the wave is, in itself, worth the price of the book, and you will be convinced too that George is it’s originator.

Krazy George does not focus much attention on himself in the book, other than the fact he is by nature, a shy, introverted individual. In fact, I had no idea he was in a romantic relationship until the final few pages of the book. The book’s co-author, Pat Timberg, is George’s better half. Rather than going into great detail about his childhood, his family, and his upbringing, he writes about his experiences riling up crowds all across North America, his techniques, and why you had better stand up and cheer when he is in your section. He writes about all the crazy ways he has entered stadiums in order to begin his day of cheerleading. Needless to say, he is creative and his entrances have involved helicopters and ambulances. In a way, the book is not really about Krazy George at all, but rather about, like title suggests, the art of being a one-man cheer-leading squad.

You can find out more about Krazy George and his book in an interview he did with Tim Hanlon at Good Seats Still Available.