“In the East, college football is a cultural exercise. In the West, it is a tourist attraction. In the Midwest, it is cannibalism. But in the South, it is religion. And Saturday is the Holy Day.”This quote from former Southern University coach Marino Casem begins Richard Scott’s new book, “SEC Football: 75 Years of Pride and Passion.”Written in honor of the Southeastern Conference’s 75th anniversary, the book serves as a 240-page, full-color shrine to the lifeblood of the South—SEC football. Scott begins with the introduction of football itself into Southern culture at a time when legends like John Heisman and Glenn ‘Pop’ Warner were actual coaches, and not just names  associated with the sport. It was an era when Georgia Tech outscored an opponent 222-0, and Sewanee University was the most feared team in the nation.Scott paints a portrait of every decade of the SEC’s existence        starting with the conference’s creation in 1933. Going from the 1930s, when Kentucky defeated Sewanee, 7-0, in the SEC’s first game, to 2007 when LSU hoisted the conference’s fourth BCS title. Each chapter covers the evolution of Southern football while contrasting it with the ever-changing issues of the outside world.The topics are as diverse as they are interesting. Scott recounts the big issues surrounding the conference, as well as the entire sport in great detail, from the war-torn 1940s to the birth of college football as big business in the 1980s. And that’s not even including the BCS. The SEC’s influence even steps outside the confines of the gridiron as college football teams found themselves at the forefront of the integration debate in the 1960s.In the midst of every chapter is a series of essays where Scott highlights the legends and characters of lore — names like Namath, Jackson, Walker, Cannon, Spurrier and each SEC team’s respective culture.You will learn all you ever wanted to know about Tennessee’s Robert Neyland, Alabama’s dominance under Paul “Bear” Bryant and Ole Miss legend Johnny Vaught.If this wasn’t enough, the book is visually stunning. Scott has compiled high quality, glossy photographs from every     conceivable era of SEC history. You can see the transformation of SEC football players from 6-foot farm boys to super-sized behemoths.There are tributes to the championship teams of the 21st century, and photos from the 1892 edition of Georgia vs. Auburn, the South’s oldest rivalry.To cap it off, there is an extensive appendix at the back, compiling lists of statistical leaders and award winners spanning from 1933 to 2007.Perhaps one thing missing from “SEC Football” is a bit more detail on the SEC’s colorful rivalries and traditions. In a conference that features the Iron Bowl, the Third Saturday in October and the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, where is the history and data on these blood feuds? And what about mascots like Uga, Albert, Mike the Tiger and Smokey the Hound? Information on the SEC’s band of mascots is nowhere to be found.But that is merely nitpicking. “SEC Football” is worth picking up just for its beautiful photography, but its contents will delight SEC diehards and casual football fans alike.—-   Contact David Helman at [email protected]