The 68 year existence of Indianapolis Washington High School is described in a decade-by-decade history with an emphasis on people and athletics as well as focusing on individuals from the World War II and Vietnam eras. The varied lists of both a factual and subjective nature will be of interest to many in central Indiana.

This is the story of the lineage of Boxing's World Heavyweight Championship from 1882-1915 and how it explains a cultural attitude toward race and identity in that era.The first true national and international sports celebrities were boxers in the late 1800s. Soon after the abolishment of slavery in the United States the first World Champions of the sport were crowned. As the Champion of the World these boxing heavyweights were held on a pedestal of athletic dominance, and in the e...

William Louis "Bill" Veeck, Jr. (1914-1986) is legendary in many ways-baseball impresario and innovator, independent spirit, champion of civil rights in a time of great change. Paul Dickson has written the first full biography of this towering figure, in the process rewriting many aspects of his life and bringing alive the history of America's pastime. In his late 20s, Veeck bought into his first team, the American Association Milwaukee Brewers. After serving and losing a leg in WWII, he b...

Today basketball is played above the rim” by athletes of all backgrounds and colors. But 50 years ago it was a floor-bound game, and the opportunities it offered for African-Americans were severely limited.A key turning point was 1963, when the Loyola Ramblers of Chicago took the NCAA men’s basketball title from Cincinnati, the two-time defending champions. It was one of Chicago’s most memorable sports victories, but Ramblers reveals it was also a game for the history boo...

Close your eyes and picture theHeisman Trophy. The form is easyto conjure, a graceful, fluid posethat is football past and football presentin one dignified figure ...The story of the Heisman Trophyis an american epic.-- from the PrefaceNo sport in America can match the pageantry, raw emotion, and thrilling tradition of college football. It is a world in which a twenty-year-old kid can become a national sensation overnight, in which c...

The history of basketball spans more than a century, from its humble origin as a simple diversion during the harsh winters in America to today's perennial, rim-rattling show of international renown. Throughout the last 60 years, Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of the sports evolution, supplying the world with a steady stream of stars, from Wilt Chamberlain to Kobe Bryant, who have proven to be some of the best to ever play the game.In Heads of State: Pennsylvanias Greate...

Boots Poffenberger spent only parts of three seasons in the major leagues, but is unquestionably among the wildest figures of his era--one that included Dizzy Dean, Bobo Newsom, and Van Lingle Mungo. Boots was every bit as much an all-star character as the others. He enraged management by playing by his own set of rules; delighted sport writers with an endless stream of crazy missteps and one-liners; and frustrated teammates who in the end always forgave him because of his warmth and genui...

A Fire to Win is an honest and revealing biography of Woody Hayes, a man who ranks in the pantheon of football coaches.Woody Hayes is one of the greatest football coaches in history—and one of the most fascinating. More than a brilliant coach, he was a complicated, contradictory man. The former history teacher would tout the ideals of democracy yet run his football empire as an absolute monarchy. But he had a surprisingly altruistic side, hidden from the p...

The early years of the Chicago ballpark: “The cast of characters (crooked politicians, ballplayers, officials) richly enliven this nuts-and-bolts tale.” —Library JournalIt was built in just fifty days, with a rectangular shape in the style of New York’s Polo Grounds, designed to fit the odd dimensions of the lot that formerly housed a seminary school. The lot had been bought by the owner of the Federal League’s Chicago team, the Whales, “Lucky” Charley Wee...

"Charley Rosen has undertaken the challenge of documenting the latest and greatest history of the game professionally--and has done so to great success. . . . . When I finished the book it seemed as if I had gone through another season, injuries and all. . . . Rosen skillfully leads readers through the NBA's first steps along its journey toward what it has become today.”--Phil Jackson, from the Foreword"Rosen, a wonderful sportswriter . . . had forgotten mor...

The extraordinary story of how Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and Joe Namath, his star quarterback at the University of Alabama, led the Crimson Tide to victory and transformed football into a truly national pastime.During the bloodiest years of the civil rights movement, Bear Bryant and Joe Namath-two of the most iconic and controversial figures in American sports-changed the game of college football forever. Brilliantly and urgently drawn, this is the gripping account ...

South Carolina has a proud tradition of high school football stretching back to the 1890s, making the sport one of the most celebrated in the state. Discover how Florence High School-- sometimes dubbed the Yellow Jackets or the Golden Tornados--won the first four state titles, a record that has been tied but never broken. And learn about the aftermath of a 1922 game between Columbia and Charleston, when violent Columbia fans hurled eggs at the Charleston train as the players left for home....