The world-champion freestyle skateboarder and the man who brought the ollie - the trick that revolutionised the sport by taking it from the ground to the air - to street skating shares the history of skateboarding, as he tells the dramatic story of his life.

At the age of 13, Rodney took the freestyle skating world by storm. He won 35 world titles in less than five years. But through it all, his father looked down on his son's love for skating and pressured him to walk away from the sport and leave behind his fans and status as the most famous skateboarder of his era. After years of stress and conflict, Rodney gave in and promised his father he'd quit for good. But by the time he finally broke free from his suffocating and abusive home life, the popularity of freestyle had waned and given way to vert and street styles. So Rodney picked up his board and started from scratch. With the help of mentor Mike Ternansky, Rodney used his freestyle background to usher in a whole new era of street skating.

Today Rodney is more popular than ever. The videos in his series Rodney Versus Daewon are among the most popular skateboard videos ever produced. He won the 2002 Transworld Skateboarding readers' choice award for favourite street skater and is the most popular character on the top-selling Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video games.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Crammed full of funny stories, below-the-belt banter and amusing observations, it's gold' Rugby World Once described as rugby's answer to Ant & Dec, David Flatman and Mark Durden-Smith are the oddest of odd couples. Now this hugely popular rugby broadcasting double act have turned to dissecting and celebrating rugby union in book form. And, as you'd expect, it's a brilliant combination of in-depth knowledge and hilarious stories. Flats and Durders Offload covers every facet of the game, from surviving the front row, what it takes to be a leader, referees both good and bad, mind games, tournaments and, of course, what really happens on a rugby tour. They talk about the highs, including Flats not missing a tackle in his 90-second Six Nations appearance, and the lows, including Flats not making a tackle in his 90-second Six Nations appearance. Familiar to millions of fans through their television work, they provide fascinating and entertaining insight into the sport they love. They reveal the hardest players, the greatest characters and the intimate secrets of the front row. They address key issues facing the sport, such as injury, retirement and the future of the game. Nothing is off limits and no quarter is given - to anyone. With insightful analysis, unforgettable stories and the occasional food reference, Flats and Durders Offload is an unmissable read for all rugby fans.

With a foreword by Eddy Merckx The world of professional cycling is fraught with fierce competition, fervent dedication and unerring ambition, and only a handful of competitors reach iconic status. Among them is Sir Bradley Wiggins - a man uniquely placed to reflect on the history of this remarkable sport and its unforgettable titans. In Icons, Wiggins takes the reader on an extraordinarily intimate journey through the sport, presenting key pieces from his never-before-seen collection of memorabilia. Over the course of his illustrious career, he amassed hundreds of items - often gifts from its greatest and most controversial figures. Each reflects an icon, a race or a moment that fundamentally influenced Wiggins on both a personal and professional level. By exploring the lives and achievements of 21 of the sport's key figures - among them Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Indurain and Tom Simpson - Wiggins sheds new light on what professional cycling demands of its best competitors. Icons lauds their triumphs, elucidates their demons and sheds light on the philosophy and psychology that comprise the unique mindset of a cycling champion.

In this in-depth biography, an award-winning sports journalist assesses the life and career of Steve Kerr, the championship-winning basketball player and head coach of the record-breaking Golden State Warriors. Few individuals have had a career as storied--and improbable--as Steve Kerr. He's been part of eight NBA titles, General Manager of a franchise, and a respected broadcaster. Playing under three Hall of Fame coaches, including Phil Jackson, and a fourth destined for enshrinement, Gregg Popovich, Kerr was on five championship teams before winning three more as one of the most accomplished coaches in the NBA, with three NBA titles. Kerr's teammates have included the greatest of the greatest: Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and Dennis Rodman. In this fascinating biography, Scott Howard-Cooper looks at the man and the facets of his unusual life that have made him a legend, from his childhood growing up in the Middle East as the son of academics, to the tragedy of his father's murder by terrorists; the inauspicious years of his early career at the University of Arizona and in the NBA; his championship-winning seasons with the Chicago Bulls and the Antonio Spurs; his success as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, leading the team to the NBA title in his first year, and adding two more championships in the next four seasons. The only NBA coach other than Red Auerbach to lead a team to the Finals five consecutive seasons, Kerr seems destined for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Steve Kerr is his incredible story, offering insights into the man, the game he personifies, and what it takes to be--and make--a champion. Steve Kerr includes 24 photos.

When barefoot running guru Christopher McDougall takes in a neglected donkey, his aim is to get Sherman back to reasonable health. But Sherman is ill-tempered, obstinate and uncooperative - and it's clear his poor treatment has made him deeply fearful of humans. Christopher knows that donkeys need a purpose - they are working, pack animals - and so when he learns of the sport of Burro Racing or running with donkeys, he sets out to give Sherman something worth living for. With the aid of Christopher's menagerie on his farm in rural Pennsylvania, his wife Mika and their friends and neighbours including the local Amish population, Sherman begins to build trust in Christopher. To give him a purpose, they start to run together. But what Sherman gains in confidence and meaning is something we all need: a connection with nature, the outdoors, with movement. And as Christopher learns, the side benefits of exercise and animal contact are surprising, helping with mental and physical health in unexpected ways.

'This terrific biography...well-researched, well written' David Winner 'Deeply researched...nicely written, and manages to get inside Cruyff's very bizarre head' Simon Kuper Argumentative, brilliant, arrogant, visionary. Johan Cruyff was one of the greatest footballers of all time, a worldwide phenomenon and arguably the most famous Dutchman of the twentieth century. Both on the pitch and from the sidelines as a coach, with his brand of Total Football he changed how the game was played and left a lasting legacy. Although Cruyff led a large part of his illustrious career and life in the spotlight, in many ways Cruyff the man and sportsman is still a complete mystery. Based on years of extensive research, this biography the first to cover all aspects of Cruyff's life and work, from his key influence in the great Ajax and Netherlands sides of the 1970s to his role in creating the modern footballing phenomenon that is Barcelona. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with friends from his childhood and school, coaches, teammates, on-pitch opponents, business associates and family members, Auke Kok has written the definitive biography of the skinny impish street footballer that became the genius player, inspirational manager, football philosopher and commercial pioneer that was Johan Cruyff.

'A band of stubborn pioneers rose from the embers of Britain's cities after the war and created the finest automobiles the world had ever seen... High Performance tells the exhilarating tale of their journey' Ben Collins, bestselling author of How To Drive 'High Performance is a cracking read and an adrenaline-packed tribute to the time when British mavericks "blew the bloody doors off" the competition' Sunday Times In January 1964, a team of tiny red and white Mini Coopers stunned the world by winning the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. It was a stellar year for British cars that culminated in Goldfinger breaking box office records and making James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 the world's most famous sports car. By the sixties, on road, track and silver screen the Brits were the ones to beat, winning Formula One championships and capturing hearts. Designers like John Cooper, and Colin Chapman of Lotus, dismissed as mere 'garagisti' by Enzo Ferrari, grabbed all the prizes, while Alex Issigonis won a knighthood for his revolutionary Mini. The E Type Jaguar was feted as the world's sexiest car and Land Rover the most durable. But before the war only one British car had triumphed in a Grand Prix; Britain's car builders were fiercely risk-averse. So what changed? To find out, Peter Grimsdale has gone in search of a generation of rebel creative spirits who emerged from railway arches and Nissen huts to tear up the rulebook with their revolutionary machines. Like the serial fugitives from the POW camps, they thrived on adversity, improvisation and sheer obstinate determination. High Performance celebrates Britain's automotive golden age and the mavericks who sketched them on the back of envelopes and garage floors, who fettled, bolted and welded them together and hammered the competition in the showroom, on the road and on the track - fuelled by contempt for convention.

This is a fascinating biography of Aston Villa hero, Jackie Sewell. Based on hours of indepth interviews with Jackie, this title tells the story of the footballer who was 'worth his weight in gold'. Aston Villa Football Club is steeped in football history and many books have been written on the successes of 'The Villans'. Alongside their achievements on the field, they have produced a number of star players who have made significant contributions to football history. One such player is the unsung hero, Jackie Sewell. Jackie Sewell enjoyed his most successful period as a professional footballer at Villa Park but he also graced the fields of English football with Notts County and Sheffield Wednesday. In 1950, he was transferred from Nottingham to Sheffield for a world record fee and was known as the footballer who was 'worth his weight in gold'. This biography is based on in-depth interviews with Jackie in his Nottingham home and delving through his massive collection of football memorabilia - the book includes photographs of previously never seen personal memorabilia that Jackie has stored meticulously and kept private until now. Jackie pioneered soccer in three African Countries, establishing the coaching programmes which have now resulted in virtually every current Premier League side having an African contingent of players. In 1953 the England International side were acknowledged as being the 'world champions' until one fateful day at Wembley when they were crushed 6-3 by the then Olympic champions, Hungary. Jackie talks openly about his memories of that game and the reasons why England were so heavily defeated. Without doubt, 87-year-old Jackie has some fascinating recollections of football in the 50s and is not afraid to tell his explosive story. This book is a must for all football fans but particularly supporters of Notts County, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Hull City (where Jackie ended his career) as it will transport you to a time when the game was bigger than the players and when success was not measured purely in monetary terms.

Written by a New York Times bestselling author and reporter who “knows the world of professional golf…like few others” (The Wall Street Journal) comes “the most insightful and evenhanded book written yet about one of the signature athletes of the last twenty-five years” (Booklist, starred review) detailing Tiger Woods’s remarkable comeback and his journey back into winner’s circle.

Tiger Woods’s long descent into a personal and professional hell reached bottom in the early hours of Memorial Day in 2017. Woods’s DUI arrest that night came on the heels of a desperate spinal surgery, just weeks after he told close friends he might never play tournament golf again. His mug shot and alarming arrest video were painful to look at and, for Woods, a deep humiliation. The former paragon of discipline now found himself hopelessly lost and out of control, exposed for all the world to see. That episode could have marked the beginning of Tiger’s end. It proved to be the opposite.

Instead of sinking beneath the public disgrace of drug abuse and the private despair of a battered and ailing body, Woods embarked on the long road to redeeming himself. In The Second Life of Tiger Woods, Michael Bamberger, who has covered Woods since the golfer was an amateur, draws upon his deep network of sources inside locker rooms, caddie yards, clubhouses, fitness trailers, and back offices to tell the true and inspiring story of the legend’s return. Packed with new information and graced by insight, Bamberger’s story reveals how this iconic athlete clawed his way back to the top.

This is a “gripping” (Kirkus Reviews) and intimate portrait of a man who has spent his life in front of the camera but has done his best to make sure he was never really known. Here is Tiger, barefoot, in handcuffs, showing a police officer a witty and self-deprecating side of himself that the public never sees. Here is Tiger on the verge of tears with his children at the British Open. Here is Tiger trying to express his gratitude to his mother at a ceremony at the Rose Garden. In these pages, Tiger is funny, cold, generous, self-absorbed, inspiring—and real.

The Second Life of Tiger Woods is not only the saga of an exceptional man but also a celebration of second chances. Bamberger’s bracingly honest book is about what Tiger Woods did, and about what any of us can do, when we face our demons head-on.

In 1953 Hermann Buhl made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat - the ninth-highest mountain in the world, and the third 8,000-metre peak to be climbed, following Annapurna and Everest. It was one of the most incredible and committed climbs ever made. Continuing alone and without supplementary oxygen, Buhl made a dash for the summit after his partners turned back. On a mountain that had claimed thirty-one lives, an exhausted Buhl waded through deep snow and climbed over technical ground to reach the summit, driven on by an 'irresistible urge'. After a night spent standing on a small ledge at over 8,000 metres, Buhl returned forty-one hours later, exhausted and at the very limit of his endurance.Written shortly after Buhl's return from the mountain, Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage is a classic of mountaineering literature that has inspired thousands of climbers. It follows Buhl's inexorable rise from rock climber to alpinist to mountaineer, until, almost inevitably, he makes his phenomenal Nanga Parbat climb. Buhl's book, and ascent, reminded everyone that, while the mountains could never be conquered, they could be climbed with sufficient enthusiasm, spirit and dedication.

Women have made significant strides in the sports world over the past 30 years, one of which has been moving into the ranks of coaching on both the collegiate and professional levels. Readers will meet 42 of these outstanding women, contemporary coaches in the world of sports today, some of whom had to overcome major obstacles to get where they are today in this male-dominated profession. Entries, uniquely based on interviews with the coaches themselves, bring to life the commitment to excellence, hard work, and service which these women have portrayed in wide-ranging sports from basketball to soccer to lacrosse.

Each entry in this unique reference resource provides the following information: Personal Data, Formative Years, Sports History, Playing Career, Decision to Coach, Coaching, Philosophy of Coaching, Changes in Athletes, Memorable Moments, Role Models, Favorite Books and Authors, Hobbies, Favorite Movies, Future Plans, and Recognitions and Achievement, Photographs of the coaches round out the entries to provide complete portraits of these women and their successes.

In 2016, Doddie Weir's life - as much-loved sporting hero and Borders farmer - switched direction with the same speed and power this indefatigable No. 5 once displayed on the rugby pitch. Reeling from his own MND diagnosis, Doddie became a standard-bearer for all those valiantly seeking to halt Motor Neuron Disease in its tracks. It's a platform Doddie has unhesitatingly used to the max. 'I never set out to take the lead,' he says. 'It just happened - like MND itself. But we are making a fight of it.' And so he continues to live life at full tilt: as a tireless fundraiser for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and as a family man with a debilitating, unpredictable and incurable disease. During these unprecedented times, Doddie has received an OBE, celebrated his 50th birthday, helped pledge close to GBP10 million for MND research and his fellow sufferers - all amid a whirl of golfing challenges, charity cycle rides, book festivals and awards ceremonies . . . Now DODDIE'S DIARY lifts the lid on the highs, the lows, the laughter and the tears of the last few years. Each day shows an astonishing, inspirational man who simply refuses to give in as he brings his down-to-earth positivity and legendary sense of humour to the battle against MND. Just as on the pitch, it's a battle he's determined to win.

When author Joe Sinclair turned sixty-two years old, he began his quest to run as many marathons as possible. Less than five years later, he has logged more than four thousand miles, participating in more than 150 marathons. In his memoir, Putting Life on the Finish Line, he tells his life story from his early years through his late sixties and details how he achieved his running goals.

Sinclair shares running's rewards and challenges-crossing the finish line at the toughest marathon in America run entirely on asphalt; completing three marathons in three days in the hot July weather; fighting off attacks by vicious dogs during a lonely, rural, mountain marathon; and helping a struggling young marathoner achieve his very first marathon finish.

Offering personal secrets for success, tips and tricks, nutritional and fitness plans, pre-race plans, and inspiring stories, Putting Life on the Finish Line provides encouragement for those who believe they are too old to accomplish a dream. It shows that personal health and fitness is attainable at any age.

Robert Mads Anderson is an elite mountaineer with a solitary goal: to conquer Everest. After nearly getting killed on his first expedition, he led a team up a new route on the Kangshung Face without oxygen or Sherpa support, climbed solo on the remote North Face, and finally guided a team to the top of the world. Incorporating a who's who of internationally recognised climbers, including Stephen Venables, Reinhold Messner and Chris Bonington, Nine Lives traces the story of Everest, from the big, nationally supported expeditions of the 1980s; through the small teams forging new routes and climbing solo; to the commercially guided expeditions of today. Set against the majestic backdrop of the world's tallest peak, Anderson's nine Everest expeditions over eighteen years define what truly drives a human being to the greatest of heights. With a foreword by Peter Hillary and 32 pages of colour photography, in Nine Lives Robert Mads Anderson offers his personal account of the world's highest mountain.

As a young girl, Sylvia Hatchell longed to play little league baseball and, later, high-school basketball, but both were closed to her because she was a girl. In college, her world shifted when she discovered a passion for coaching that would lead her to become a Naismith Hall of Fame coach of women's basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In this book, Coach Hatchell's life story unfolds against the backdrop of Title IX and women's struggle for equal opportunities in athletics. She celebrates triumphs (such as winning the 1994 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament) and weathers sadness and failure (such as the loss of her parents, surviving cancer, and being forced to resign from her dream job in 2019).

BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR. SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2017. SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR. WINNER OF THE PEN/ESPN AWARD FOR LITERARY SPORTS WRITING. THE TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR. The most comprehensive and definitive biography of Muhammad Ali that has ever been published, based on more than 500 interviews with those who knew him best, with many dramatic new discoveries about his life and career. When the frail, trembling figure of Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta in 1996, a TV audience of up to 3 billion people was once again gripped by the story of the world's most famous sporting icon. The man who had once been reviled for his refusal to fight for his country and for his fast-talking denunciation of his opponents was now almost universally adored, the true cost of his astonishing boxing career clear to see. In Jonathan Eig's ground-breaking biography, backed up with much detailed new research specially commissioned for this book, we get a stunning portrait of one of the most significant personalities of the second half of the twentieth century. We are not only taken inside the ring for some of the most famous bouts in boxing history, we also learn about his personal life, his finances, his faith and the moments when the first signs of his physical decline began to show. Ali was a symbol of freedom and courage, a hero to many, but this is also a very personal story of a warrior who vanquished every opponent but was finally brought down by his own stubborn refusal to quit. An epic tale of a fighter who became the world's most famous pacifist, Ali: A Life does full justice to an extraordinary man. 'Ali: A Life is the business - 640 pages of patient scholarship and intelligent reassessment written in crackly prose' Giles Smith, The Times '[A] richly researched, sympathetic yet unsparing portrait ... Ali: A Life is an epic of a biography' Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times

Bart Starr was the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971, the most meaningful and successful era of one of football's most storied franchises. Starr was named MVP of the first two Super Bowls and to the Pro Bowl four times. He threw for more than 24,000 yards in his career and holds the Packer record for most games played. But the awards and impressive statistics are not what fans remember most about Bart Starr. As his legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, once said, "Bart Starr stands for what the game of football stands for: courage, stamina and coordinated efficiency. You instill desire by creating a superlative example. The noblest form of leadership is by example and that is what Bart Starr is about." Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered shows with clarity and stunning insight just how true Lombardi's compliment was. Drafted in the seventeenth round out of the University of Alabama after a checkered collegiate career, Starr was just hoping to catch the eye of an NFL team. As the 199th selection in the 1956 draft, his expectations and those of the team and fans were limited. But Bart Starr rose above everyone's expectations to will his way to the starting job, aided by the encouragement of Lombardi, who became Packer head coach in 1959. This book reveals all the details of Starr's improbable rise to stardom. It explores his relationship with Lombardi and his guidance of the Packers from a downtrodden franchise to five-time World Champions to two-time Super Bowl winners. His epic battles with rivals such as the Bears and Lions and the famous Ice Bowl are also recalled in unforgettable fashion. But most of all, Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered is about a modestly talented football player who with uncommon intelligence, grit, and leadership elevated his play and that of his teammates. The Packers would not have been the Packers without Bart Starr.

The One And Only, is the story of Chic Harley, a quiet, bashful, unassuming man whose heroics during the early years of the 20th century transformed both college and professional football and set the stage for Ohio State s propulsion into high stakes athletics and academics. The 314-page full length biography, authored by Chic Harley's great nephew Todd Wessell, walks the reader through a three-century journey describing how the Harley family emigrated from Ireland to Virginia, to Ohio and finally to Chicago. Woven within the book's pages are never-before-seen family photos, and personal accounts of Chic by his teammates, coaches, opponents, admirers and family members---all of whom knew him well and some of whom are still alive today. The story delves into his nearly lifelong struggle with mental illness, his close relationship with his youngest sister Ruth, his abbreviated career as owner and player with the Decatur Staleys (now named the Chicago Bears), and his triumphant return to the scene of his amazing college sports career, Columbus. The One And Only ends by suggesting the need for a fitting tribute to Chic Harley for the many contributions he made to Ohio State and professional football, for his courage, and for the many pleasures he provided those who knew and loved him. Editorial Review: Chic Harley - America's Great Athlete "On Thanksgiving Day, 1973, Charles William Harley, then seventy-nine years old, played his last football game... So begins Chapter 1 of The One and Only, the biography of Chic Harley written by his great nephew Todd Wessell. My copy recently arrived. I opened it to that sentence and four chapters later put it down. An engrossing read, it traces Chic's life beginning with the immigration of his ancestors to this country and ending the day he was laid to rest just northwest of the stadium he helped build. For Buckeyes, this story is obviously our heritage, our football roots. More than football though, this book is a work of history. It is an American Era, it is the coming of age of a national sport, and the role Chic Harley played in that. It is how schizophrenia changed everything in the life of this great athlete. Most importantly, it is the family that loved him and their tireless work to keep the memory alive. As I gaze up at my Ohio State bookshelf, I count more than 20 books. All are good in their own way, but several stand out as timeless and classics. Jack Park's Ohio State Football Encyclopedia, Alan Natali's Woody's Boys, John Lombardo's A Fire to Win (life and times of Woody Hayes), Triumph, Jeremy Schaap's story of Jesse Owens and the '36 Olympics, and of course Jesse Owens - An American Life, William Baker's biography of Jesse. I expect father time will judge this book worthy to stand with those works. Be a part of history...read something great. Steve Davis, author, Columbus, Ohio

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR 'Engage!' was the last word Matt Hampson heard before dislocating his neck while in rugby training with other young England hopefuls. On a cold, grey, overcast day in 2005, the cream of young English rugby gathered at a Northampton training ground. Matt Hampson, 'Hambo' to his mates, was one of them. He had dreamt of playing rugby for England ever since he had picked up a rugby ball at school. His skill, conviction and dedication had brought him to the cusp of realising that dream, in an England U21 team that included Olly Morgan, Toby Flood, Ben Foden and James Haskell. But as the two sets of forwards engaged for a scrum on the training field, the scrum collapsed and Matt, who played tight-head prop, took the full force of two opposing sides. In that moment his life changed forever. Paul Kimmage went to visit Matt as he recuperated, and wrote a piece for the Sunday Times which won him his third successive SJA sports interviewer of the year award. They struck up a friendship and here, Paul tells Matt's whole story, in all its intimate detail. From the build-up to the dreadful day, to Matt's recuperation, to his struggle to adjust to normal life again, to his family and friends, to other tragic incidents on the rugby field, to the response of the RFU, this is a story of terrible sadness yet unadorned triumph and joy, of anger yet of reconciliation and peace . . . of a boy who became a man.

WITH A NEW AFTERWORD "Baseball fans of all loyalties will enjoy learning about [Ortiz's] unique experiences in and out of the game." --Library Journal David "Big Papi" Ortiz is a baseball icon and one of the most popular figures ever to play the game. A key part of the Boston Red Sox for fifteen years, Ortiz helped to win three World Series, bringing back a storied franchise from "never wins" to "always wins." He helped upend the doubters, the naysayers, and the nonbelievers, and, as he launched balls into the stands again and again and again, he captured the imagination of millions of fans. Ortiz made Boston and the Red Sox his home, his place of work, and his legacy. As he put it: This is our f*&#ing city. In Papi, his ultimate memoir, Ortiz opens up as never before. The result is a revelatory, fly-on-the-wall story of a career by a player with a lot to say at the end of his time in the game to which he gave so much and which gave so much to him. "The rise of Ortiz from scrap-heap bench player to Hall of Famer is an unlikely and entertaining story, and engagingly told . . . The memoir lives up to its 'no-holds-barred' billing." --Washington Post

At the end of World War II, the top ten college football teams were largely the same as they are today-with one exception: Oklahoma. In 1947, Bud Wilkinson was named OU's head football coach and became the architect of Oklahoma's meteoric rise from mediocrity to its present status as a perennial powerhouse. Based on interviews with Wilkinson, former OU president George L. Cross, and numerous former players, author John Scott gives us the behind-the-scenes story of Wilkinson's years at the University of Oklahoma. Scott takes us through the teams Wilkinson directed from 1947 to 1963, revealing the philosophies and tactics Wilkinson used to turn OU into one of college football's elite programs. A close-up view of games-from strategy to execution-brings OU football and its cast of colorful characters to life. Scott details the Sooners' 47-game winning streak as well as thrilling games against Notre Dame, Army, USC, and others. He also provides details of Wilkinson's breaking of the color line in OU athletics and the infamous food-poisoning incident in Chicago in 1959. Before his death in 1994, Wilkinson reviewed the first draft of the book and wrote in a letter to the author, "The explanations of football strategies are concise and clear. They rank among the best I have ever read." Including vignettes of Wilkinson's closest coaching friends (Royal, Bryant, Leahy, Sanders, Blaik, Tatum), Bud Wilkinson and the Rise of Oklahoma Football captures all the drama of Oklahoma's ascendance and serves as an authoritative and entertaining history of the sport that will appeal to all college football fans.