An unforgettable British underdog story from one of our greatest narrative nonfiction writers, John Preston, and the international musical icon and bestselling author, Sir Elton John.

Britain in the 1970s was beset by unrest and unemployment, as inflation soared, fuel was scarce, and hooliganism was on the rise. And for Watford FC, the outlook was even gloomier. Rundown and rat-infested, Watford were an ailing side with holes in their kit and barely enough fans to fill a stand. Of the 92 clubs in the Football League, spread across four divisions, Watford were in 92nd place.

Meanwhile, Elton John was the most successful rockstar in the world. With six-inch platforms, spangled jumpsuits, and peroxide hair, he was glamorous, gay, and seemingly a world away from the semi-detached house in Pinner where he had supported Watford FC as a child. Many assumed he would move to America. Instead, he bought the football club.

Watford Forever is the remarkable story of Elton John's ownership of Watford FC and its transformational journey to the top of the First Division under iconic manager Graham Taylor. Perhaps most remarkably, four of the same players who had been written off as has-beens went with them all the way from the bottom to the top. Inspiring and infectiously funny, this is a tribute to football's unlikeliest friendship as Elton John and Taylor, a straight-talking former fullback with a love of Vera Lynn, beat the odds and their personal demons to save a club and a community.

Immersed in the grime and glamour of '70s Britain, Watford Forever is one of sport's great underdog stories and a love letter to the beautiful game.

This first biography of W. Glenn Killinger highlights his tenure as a nine-time varsity letterman at Penn State, where he emerged as one of the best football, basketball and baseball players in the U.S. Situating Killinger in his time and place, the author explores the ways in which home-front culture during World War I-focused on heroism, masculinity and sporting culture-created the demand for sports and sports icons and drove the ascent college athletics in the first quarter of the 20th century.

This is the story of Graham Warner and his plucky London-based dealership/race team, the Chequered Flag, which bested all-comers in most major motorsport disciplines. A former RAF man, Warner competed at international level as a sports car driver, created the Gemini brand of Formula Juniors as a manufacturer, fielded cars on behalf of Lotus, Brabham and McLaren as an entrant, and as a talent spotter, he gave Jim Clark his maiden start in a single-seater, later running drivers such as Jackie Stewart, Jackie Ickx, Piers Courage and many more on motorsport's nursery slope. Having reached the pinnacle of Formula One with a privateer Brabham, Warner changed tack and fielded the fearsome Lancia Stratos with memorable success in rallying, before returning to his first love of aviation. Here for the first time is the full history of one of the unsung heroes of motorsport.

In 1963, 17 charter members were inducted into the newly established Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joining the likes of Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, George Halas, and Sammy Baugh was Detroit Lions quarterback Dutch Clark. A bona fide superstar for the NFL in the 1930s, Clark led the Lions to success on the gridiron and helped establish the NFL in one of America s most passionate sports cities. Throughout his seven-year NFL career (1931 1932, 1934 1938), Clark was selected first team NFL All-Pro six times, led the league in scoring three times, was team captain of the Detroit Lions, and helped the Lions win the 1935 NFL Championship in their second season in Detroit. The triple-threat star could do everything he could run, he could pass, and he could kick. In Dutch Clark: The Life of an NFL Legend and the Birth of the Detroit Lions, Chris Willis tells the remarkable story of an athlete from a small town in Colorado who would become one of the NFL s greatest players. To recount the story of this sports pioneer, Willis had complete cooperation from the Clark family and unlimited access to personal letters, the Dutch Clark Scrapbooks, and family photos. Appendixes include Clark s football statistics and a list of his honors and awards. Supplemented with archival interviews, never-before-seen photos, newspaper quotes, and anecdotes, Dutch Clark tells the rags-to-riches story of one of the NFL s first stars."

Dick Bosman's career in Major League Baseball as a player and coach has spanned more than 50 years. He pitched eleven seasons in the American League, was the Major League pitching coach for multiple teams, and has served as a minor league pitching coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rays since 2001. Throughout his years in baseball, Bosman has developed a distinct pitching philosophy and astute insights into the cat-and-mouse game between hitter and pitcher. In Dick Bosman on Pitching: Lessons from the Life of a Major League Ballplayer and Pitching Coach, author Ted Leavengood examines Bosman's life in baseball, from his winning the ERA title in the American League in 1969 and his no-hitter in 1974 to his current coaching position with the Tampa Bay Rays. For those wanting an inside look at the essentials of pitching, Leavengood includes insights and tips from Bosman throughout the book, compiled through hours of personal interviews. Bosman has worked for and with some of the best pitchers and coaches in major league baseball, and he not only shares stories from their time together but also the many things he learned from them about the game. Dick Bosman has found enormous success working with young ballplayers at all levels and fostered innovations-such as his signature slide step-that have impacted pitching in today's game. With personal anecdotes from Bosman, his teammates, and those he coached, Dick Bosman on Pitching will entertain and inform young pitchers as well as baseball fans of all generations.

This insightful study offers a fresh perspective on the life and career of champion boxer Joe Louis. The remarkable success and global popularity of the "Brown Bomber" made him a lightning rod for debate over the role and rights of African Americans in the United States. Historian Marcy S. Sacks traces both Louis's career and the criticism and commentary his fame elicited to reveal the power of sports and popular culture in shaping American social attitudes. Supported by key contemporary documents, Joe Louis: Sports and Race in Twentieth-Century America is both a succinct introduction to a larger-than-life figure and an essential case study of the intersection of popular culture and race in the mid-century United States.

As soon as heavyweight boxer Joe Louis became a public figure in the 1930s, journalists and other social commentators began speculating about the significance of an African American man garnering popularity in a racially segregated society. Both during his lifetime and afterward, Louis noteriety extended beyond the world of sports to American popular culture. Many falsely heralded the boxer 's popularity as a sign that American racism was in sharp decline, Louis heroic status, however, did not fully reflect the complicated racial dynamics either within the sports world or in America, in general.

In Joe Louis: Sports and Race in the Twentieth Century, Marcy Sacks gives an account of the life of a man famous both for his sports career and for his race. With excerpts from newspaper clippings, radio broadcasts, poetry, and interviews, Sacks contextualizes Louis life and the legacy he left behind.

UPDATED EDITION Roger Federer's incredible 2017 comeback - which saw him winning Grand Slams in his mid-thirties and reaching new heights most had thought impossible - has confirmed his place in the history books as the greatest male tennis player of all time. In this innovative graphic biography, Federer's tennis is explored like never before: stunning graphics illustrate his serving patterns and superb footwork, detail the spin and speed of his shots, as well as showcase his astonishing records - no man has won more majors, or spent more weeks as the world number one. Drawing on Mark Hodgkinson's conversations with the Swiss and exclusive interviews with those closest to him, this is the ultimate celebration of the genius of Roger Federer.

Now a major motion picture starring Jon Voight, Nic Bishop, and C. Thomas Howell. This riveting true story of courage, strength, and football at the height of racial tension in Birmingham, Alabama tells the story of Coach Tandy Gerelds, his running back Tony Nathan, and a high school football game that healed a city.In the midst of violent, impassioned racial tensions in Birmingham, Alabama, new football coach, Tandy Gerelds, was struggling to create a winning football team at Woodlawn High School--one of the last schools in Birmingham to integrate. The team he was handed did not have the caliber of players he needed to win--until he saw Tony Nathan run. But Tony was African American and Coach Gerelds knew that putting him in as running back would be like drawing a target on his own back and the back of his soon-to-be star player. But Coach Gerelds saw something in Tony, and he knew that his decision to let him play was about more than football. It was about doing what was right for the school--and the city. And soon, the only place in the city where blacks and whites got along was on Coach Gerelds's football team. With the help of a new school chaplain, Tony learned to look beyond himself and realized that there was more at stake than winning a game. In 1974, Coach Gerelds's interracial team made Alabama history drawing 42,000 fans into the stadium to watch them play. It was this game that triggered the unity and support of the Woodlawn High School Colonels and that finally allowed a city to heal and taught its citizens how to love.

The number of athletes who have died competing in the sport of motor racing, including amateurs and professionals around the world, stretches into the thousands. Despite the danger, drivers continue to compete day in and day out for the thrill and joy of the race. In Taken by Speed: Fallen Heroes of Motor Sport and Their Legacies, Connie Ann Kirk pays tribute to professional racing drivers who died while competing in the sport they loved. Covering tragedies from 1955 to the present, Kirk carefully reflects on the legacies of the racers and the impact of the tragic events, including on safety regulations, innovations, and on society as a whole. Drivers and incidents covered in this book include the 24 Heures du Mans race of 1955 where over 80 people died; the 1964 crash at the Indianapolis 500 that stopped the race for the first time in history; and the tragic losses of racers Ayrton Senna, Dale Earnhardt, Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, Gilles Villeneuve, Francois Cevert, Dan Wheldon, Justin Wilson, and Jules Bianchi. Taken by Speed features exclusive interviews with legends of motor sport-Mario Andretti, Derek Bell, Sir Stirling Moss, Bobby Rahal, Brian Redman, and Sir Jackie Stewart-who raced in the sport's most dangerous era. It also includes timelines of safety improvements in the sport and key moments in motor sport history. Using motor sports as its lens, this book explores moving stories of what it means to pursue a life's passion with unwavering drive, commitment, and courage.

I don't think you could find, in the history of baseball, any other player who suffered as many setbacks as Roy Sievers did, and still prevail to become one of the most feared and respected hitters in 1950's baseball. After having an award winning rookie season in 1949, Roy, from 1950 to 1953, suffered through a year and a half of a slump, a devastating, near career ending injury and a major position change, only to come back in 1954 and become the Washington Senators' franchise home run leader and the biggest gate attraction since Walter Johnson. Aside from a few short on-line biographies citing dry statistics, there has never been an in-depth look into Roy Sievers, the person. In my interviews with Roy and his teammates, I came to realize there was more to him than just numbers. Here was a baseball player who fought tremendous adversity to go on to lead a decrepit baseball franchise into some semblance of propriety, all the while remaining kind, humble, and considerate. It was the character, the essence of the man that prompted the writing of this book.

Imagine living the life of your dreams. Well, imagine no longer! Jack Daly's Life By Design provides concrete methods for helping readers design and live their own best lives.

Imagine hiking the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu; flying a jet fighter plane; golfing the number one golf course in the world, and the top 100 in the USA; visiting over 80 countries; running a marathon on the Great Wall of China, and one on all seven continents and the 50 USA states; and the list goes on. Jack Daly didn't just imagine these thing's, he built the processes to enable him to experience those things he craved for. Yes, Jack has purposefully led a life of intention and along the way built the structure for others to do similarly, in effect, your path to an exceptional life.

Simon Sinek say's "What he was actually teaching us was how to be better human beings."

The autobiography of Ted Macauley, award-winning newspaper reporter, columnist, and sports journalist. A story filled with the excitement of the sports that he covered, tales of some enviable assignments, and a host of celebrity friends and sporting superstars, including Mike Hailwood, George Best, Barry Sheene, Ringo Starr and many more. Ted Macauley has written three books about the incredible career of his best friend Mike Hailwood, whose life is soon to be immortalised in a major Hollywood film. He has now turned the focus on his own life, and the glamorous lifestyle as he travelled to exotic locations, and rubbed shoulders with sporting heroes and Hollywood stars alike. With many original photos from Ted's private collection to accompany the text, this autobiography is a fascinating glimpse into the life of a top sports journalist.

In the Trenches is Reggie's own fast-paced, inspiring account of his colorful, sometimes controversial career, both in the pros and in the pulpit. It is packed with insights, observations, and war stories of his twelve years in the NFL-including his championship season. Reggie is both beloved and feared, tough and gentle, competitive and compassionate, fierce and generous.

Long-time fans of the National Pastime have known Moyer's name for more than 25 years. That's because he's been pitching in the bigs for all those years. With his trademark three pitches - slow, slower, and slowest - the left-handed Moyer is a pinpoint specialist whose won-lost record actually got better as he got older - from his 20s to his 30s and into 40s. He's only a few wins shy of 300 for his amazing career. But this is where the book takes an unusual turn. Moyer was just about finished as a big leaguer in his mid-20s until he fatefully encountered a gravel-voiced, highly confrontational sports psychologist named Harvey Dorfman. Listening to the 'in-your-face' insights of Dorfman, Moyer began to re-invent himself and reconstruct his approach to his game. Moyer went on to become an All-Star and also a World Series champion. Yogi Berra once observed that 'Half of this game is 90% mental.' And Moyer's memoir proves it.

Sprint Car Hall of Famer Kramer Williamson began his 45-year professional career as a grassroots racer from Pennsylvania and became one of the most successful and beloved professional drivers of all time. Drawing on interviews with those who knew him best, this first ever biography of Williamson covers his life and career, from his humble beginnings racing the legendary #73 Pink Panther car in 1968 to his fatal crash during qualifying rounds at Lincoln Speedway in 2013.

As a star linebacker for the Cleveland Browns in the 1940s and 1950s, Marion Motley invented the modern concept of the fullback. In 1946, he and three other players broke professional football's color barrier, helping set the stage for Jackie Robinson's desegregation of Major League baseball in 1947. Retiring with five championships and the universal respect of his peers, Motley returned to ordinary life as a black man in pre-Civil Rights Act America. Because his career pre-dated nationally televised football, Motley's name is largely unknown today, when a figure of his stature would enjoy celebrity as a coach or owner. This first ever biography tells the story of the football player Sports Illustrated's Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman described as the greatest ever to take the field.

Boxing Day 1962: Sunderland's star striker Brian Clough suffers a career-ending knee injury when he collides with an outrushing goalkeeper. After a forlorn battle to regain fitness, he retires early and sinks into deep despair. October 1965: Clough persuades ex-'Boro teammate Peter Taylor to join him in managing perennial North-East strugglers Hartlepools United, lying next to bottom of the Fourth Division. A magical football odyssey has begun. Alchemy reveals the bittersweet reality of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor's first management job together. Lower-league Hartlepools United are penniless, with a meddling chairman, a ramshackle ground and want-away players. Yet the management pair tackle every challenge head-on, forging a winning blueprint that later transforms unfashionable Derby County and Nottingham Forest into League and European Cup champions. Exploiting a wealth of archive newspapers, plus interviews with those present at the creation, Alchemy exposes the humble origins of Clough & Taylor's meteoric rise to the top of the football tree.

Tommy Johnston was voted Leyton Orient's greatest ever player by fans of the club in a poll to mark the Millennium, gaining 20 percent of all votes cast. Born in Loanhead, Tommy holds the club record for the most goals scored in a single season, and the most goals scored on aggregate throughout his career. During his long career, Tommy played in every class of football, from juvenile football in Scotland with Loanhead Mayflower and Peebles Rovers, to professional with one Scottish League club (Kilmarnock), one Welsh club (Newport County) and seven English clubs: Darlington, Oldham Athletic, Norwich City, Leyton Orient (twice), Blackburn Rovers and Gillingham. In this new book about his life and times as a footballer, Neilson Kaufman and Alan Ravenhill chart the ups and downs of Tommy Johnston's career, telling his story for the legions of fans up and down the country who remember his special talents. The text is embellished with many previously unpublished photographs from the Johnston family archive, and there are full statistical records to give a complete picture of the career of one of the greatest players ever to pull on a Leyton Orient shirt. The book is an essential addition to the bookshelves of any fan with an interest in the men who shaped the history of our national game, and is sure to have wide appeal.

Up-close, behind-the-scenes biography of the winningest coach in college basketball history.

Meet Marc 'Elvis' Priestley: the former number-one McLaren mechanic, and the brains behind some of Formula One's greatest ever drivers. Revealing the most outrageous secrets and fiercest rivalries, The Mechanic follows Priestley as he travels the world working in the high-octane atmosphere of the F1 pit lane. While the spotlight is most often on the superstar drivers, the mechanics are the guys who make every World Champion, and any mistakes can have critical consequences. However, these highly skilled engineers don't just fine-tune machinery and crunch data through high-spec computers. These boys can seriously let their hair down. Whether it's partying on luxury yachts or photo opportunites aboard gravity-defying aeroplanes, this is a world which thrills on and off the track. This is Formula One, but not like you've seen it before.