Synopses & Reviews
After fifteen years as a
Sports Illustrated writer, pleading for interviews with large men in possession of larger egos, Austin Murphy decides to bail out. The time has come, he concludes, to fly beneath the radar of big-league sports, to while away a season with the Johnnies. So, he moves his family to the middle of Minnesota to chronicle a season at St. John's, a Division III program that has reached unparalleled success under the unorthodox guidance of John "Gags" Gagliardi.
The Sweet Season is an account of what happens when a family pulls up stakes and spends months in a strange and wonderful place. It is also, not incidentally, the story of the most incredible football program in the country, run by a smiling sage who has forgotten more about the game than most of his peers will ever know.
Review
Fun to read, enlivened by Murphys penchant for humor and knack for dead-on descriptions Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Review
“A sweet read for anyone with an interest in football, faith or family life.” Minneapolis Star Tribune
About the Author
Sports Illustratedsenior writer Austin Murphy has been with that magazine since 1984. He lives in northern California with his wife, Laura Hilgers, their two young children, Willa and Devin, and his bicycles: a Cannondale 82000 (road), and a Trek 8000SL (mountain). His first book, The Super Bowl, a brief history of the same, was released in 1998.