Synopses & Reviews
Lost in the annals of boxing is the sport's true Cinderella story. James J. Braddock, dubbed "Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyon, was a once promising light heavyweight for whom a string of losses in the ring and a broken right hand happened to coincide with the Great Crash of 1929. With one good hand, Braddock was forced to labor on the docks of Hoboken. Only his manager, Joe Gould, still believed in him, finding fights for Braddock to help feed his wife and children. The diminutive, loquacious Jew and the burly, quiet Irishman made one of boxing's oddest couples, but together they staged the greatest comeback in fighting history. In twelve months Braddock went from the relief rolls to face heavyweight champion Max Baer, the Livermore Butcher Boy, renowned for having allegedly killed two men in the ring. A charismatic, natural talent and in every way Braddock's foil, Baer was a towering opponent, a Jew from the West Coast who was famously brash and made great copy both in and out of the ring. A ten-to-one underdog, Braddock carried the hopes and dreams of the working class on his shoulders. And when boxing was the biggest sport in the world, when the heavyweight champion was the biggest star in the world, his unlikely upset made Braddock the most popular champion boxing had ever seen.
Against the gritty backdrop of the Depression, Cinderella Man brings this dramatic all-American story to life, evoking a time when the sport of boxing resonated with a country trying desperately to get back on its feet. Schaap paints a vivid picture of the fight world in its golden age, populated by men of every class and ethnic background and covered voluminously by writers who elevated sports writing to art. Rich in anecdote and color, steeped in history, and full of human interest, Cinderellla Man is a classic David and Goliath tale that transcends the sport.
Synopsis
Including a decadeand#8217;s worth of interviews with surviving players and coaches, Randy Roberts describes how the resurgent Army football team captured the national championship from Navy in the midst of World War Two. One of the greatest stories in American sports history, A Team for America shows how two historic rivals built up their teams in trying times and inspired a nation at war.
Synopsis
Each year the Army and Navy football teams meet for one epic game. Across the nation, fans tune in to see who will emerge victorious. But no game will ever match the one that was played on December 2, 1944. America was in the midst of World War II: soldiers and sailors were dying in around the globe, and the homefront suffered through shortages. But for one day, all that was forgotten. Navys team was ranked number 2, Army, number 1 and on the verge of becoming national champions. Everywhere, the war stopped as soldiers listened to the broadcast. Randy Roberts has interviewed the surviving players and coaches, bringing their stories to life. For three years, military upperclassmen graduated and joined the fight. For three hours, their alma mater gave them back one unforgettable performance.
Synopsis
andquot;A rousing celebration of a moment in history when college football was more than metaphor and entertainment, it was a gritty sidebar to real war.andrdquo; andmdash; Robert Lipsyte, author of An Accidental Sportswriter Each year the Army and Navy football teams meet for one epic game. Across the nation, fans tune in to see who will emerge victorious. But no game will ever match the one that was played on December 2, 1944. America was in the midst of World War II: soldiers and sailors were dying around the globe, and the home front suffered through shortages. But for one day, all that was forgotten.
Navyandrsquo;s team was ranked number two, Armyandrsquo;s number one and on the verge of becoming national champions. Everywhere, the war stopped as soldiers listened to the broadcast. Randy Roberts has interviewed the surviving players and coaches, bringing their stories to life. For three years, military upperclassmen graduated and joined the fight. For three hours, their alma mater gave them back one unforgettable performance.
andldquo;The story of Armyandrsquo;s celebrated 1944 national championship team is a fascinating one, and its victory over Navy that year is remembered as one of college footballandrsquo;s greatest games. But Randy Robertsandrsquo;s A Team for America tells an even greater story. It is a story of our country. Of a time when college football andmdash; and this remarkable Army team andmdash; helped rekindle hope and confidence throughout the land.andrdquo; andmdash; Brigadier General Peter M. Dawkins, U.S. Army (Ret.), 1958 Heisman Trophy winner, West Point
andquot;Roberts brings a historianandrsquo;s thoroughness to the subject . . . A fascinating time in American collegiate sports history.andquot; andmdash; Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
The untold story of Vince Lombardi's first season as coach of the 1959 Green Bay Packers.
Synopsis
John Eisenberg's That First Season is the seldom-studied prequel to a phenomenal football career for Vince Lombardi and the Packers, drawing on exhaustive new research and interviews to tell an incredible ensemble tale of a team, a town, and their leader. and#160;
The once-vaunted Green Bay Packers were a laughing stock by the late 1950s. They hadn't fielded a winning team in more than a decade and were close to losing their franchise to another city. They were in desperate need of a savior, and he arrived in a wood-paneled station wagon in the dead of winter from New York City. In a single year, Vince Lombardiand#8212;the grizzled coach who took no bulland#8212;transformed a team of underachievers into winners and resurrected a city known for its passion for sport.
About the Author
RANDY ROBERTS is a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University.andnbsp;His previous books include John Wayne:andnbsp;American (coauthored with James Olson), Joe Louis:andnbsp;Hard Times Man, and Papa Jack:andnbsp;Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes among others.andnbsp;He is married to Marjie Traylor Roberts and father to twin daughters, Alison and Kelly.
Table of Contents
Prologueand#8195;ix
and#160;1.and#160;A Week in Novemberand#8195;1
and#160;2.and#160;Where the Most Football Games Are Lostand#8195;20
and#160;3.and#160;A Few Good Boysand#8195;43
and#160;4.and#160;Lost Teeth and Lost Chancesand#8195;63
and#160;5.and#160;and#8220;God Gave Me Thatand#8221;and#8195;82
and#160;6.and#160;Making the Gradeand#8195;98
and#160;7.and#160;Historic Hoursand#8195;113
and#160;8.and#160;and#8220;Iand#8217;ve Just Seen Supermanand#8221;and#8195;127
and#160;9.and#160;Warm-Upand#8195;151
and#160;10.and#160;Paybackand#8195;176
and#160;11.and#160;Cause for Thanksgivingand#8195;198
and#160;12.and#160;A Game for Americaand#8195;216
Epilogueand#8195;233
After the 1944 Seasonand#8195;236
Acknowledgmentsand#8195;241
Notes and Abbreviationsand#8195;245
Indexand#8195;258