The rise of gridiron university higher educations uneasy alliance with big time football brian m ingrassia lawrence university press of kansas 2012. Brian m ingrassia has written an important book about the development of a symbiotic relationship between institutions of higher learning and big time football we use cookies to enhance your experience on our websiteby continuing to use our website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. The rise of gridiron university shows us where and how it all began highlighting college footballs essential role in shaping the modern university and by extension american intellectual culture it should have wide appeal among students of american studies and sports history as well as fans of college football curious to learn how their game became a cultural force in a matter of a few decades. The rise of gridiron university higher educations uneasy alliance with big time football brian m ingrassia lawrence university press of kansas 2012. The rise of gridiron universityshows us where and how it all began highlighting college footballs essential role in shaping the modern university and by extension american intellectual culture it should have wide appeal among students of american studies and sports history as well as fans of college football curious to learn how their game became a cultural force in a matter of a few decades