The Journey of Sports’ Greatest Groundskeeper
- Read about dire warnings to the league before the ultimate clash between Philadelphia and Kansas City in 2023, and how Toma butted heads with those in charge before the Big Game.
- Learn how Toma’s insistence on safe turf caused conflicts with those in charge of the league.
- Discover how The Sodfather earned his nickname and how his commitment changed the game.
The details behind Toma’s meticulous work, stories about sports’ biggest superstars and his unwavering commitment to player safety are just a few of the highlights that make this book a must-read.
The Journey of Sports’ Greatest Groundskeeper
- Read about dire warnings to the league before the ultimate clash between Philadelphia and Kansas City in 2023, and how Toma butted heads with those in charge before the Big Game.
- Learn how Toma’s insistence on safe turf caused conflicts with those in charge of the league.
- Discover how The Sodfather earned his nickname and how his commitment changed the game.
The details behind Toma’s meticulous work, stories about sports’ biggest superstars and his unwavering commitment to player safety are just a few of the highlights that make this book a must-read.
Sports Experts are Raving
“This is a must read.”
If you know anything about Kansas City or the NFL, this is a must read. It also is the story of a man who worked and worked to get ahead and is not afraid to speak out.
Bill Beck, Major League Baseball Executive
“It hits close to the heart.”
It hits close to the heart. It’s a story that needs to be told. George gives such detail to things.
Nelson Thomas
Meet the Author and Co-author
Co-authored by George Toma and Craig Handel, The Sodfather takes readers through Toma’s journey from his time in charge of the professional football turf and baseball fields in Kansas City to his later years as a world-class groundskeeping consultant.
George Toma
In his career spanning more than 80 years, George Toma became renowned for shaping sports’ greatest fields. Toma got his first taste of big-league groundskeeping in 1957 in Kansas City and quickly became an essential, behind-the-scenes figure. Committed to creating safe fields, he helped ensure that every patch of green grass and artificial turf he worked on was fit for champions. Unsurprisingly, his professional reputation for unparalleled groundskeeping artistry positioned him to work on the turf for the first 57 iterations of football’s biggest game.
Craig Handel
is an author and journalist who has written for newspapers in Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Massachusetts and Florida. He has also collaborated on six other books focused on diverse topics, ranging from tales from an Irish storyteller to a female entrepreneur who mastered buying real estate in Southwest Florida. As a writer, Craig feels there’s a strong correlation between a great story and great quotes while there’s also a correlation between great quotes and the questions that are asked. And that’s evident in the pages of The Sodfather.