The state of Iowa is just as well known for prominent wrestlers as it is acres of corn and beans. That gives the state the mighty distinction of feeding the world and defeating it on the mat. Men like Dan Gable, Tom Brands, Harold Nichols, Jim Miller, Nick Mitchell and Chuck Patten led Iowa colleges to forty-four of an astounding sixty-nine national team championships. In 1954, Simon Roberts of Davenport was the first African American to win a state wrestling title and later the first Afri...

Wrestling is as much a part of winter in Iowa as is snow and cold. Dreams of state championships begin in elementary school and, since 1972, come to fruition - or heart-breakingly fall short - at an arena in Des Moines in February or March. In 2011, the tournament finals sold out for the 24th consecutive year. Individuals and teams carve their names on the sports history tree each year. Some champions were blind, some were deaf, some were amputees but all earn the respect of thousands for ...

Wrestling is as much a part of winter in Iowa as is snow and cold. Dreams of state championships begin in elementary school and, since 1972, come to fruitionor heartbreakingly fall shortat an arena in Des Moines in February or March. The tournament finals sell out, and individuals and teams carve their names on the sports history tree each year. Some champions were deaf, some were amputees, but all earn the respect of thousands for their work ethica hallmark of the states populace. Is this...

The legendary good guys worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fameAt its core, professional wrestling has always been about the forces of evil trying to undermine everything good — and a red hot heel needs a valiant hero to battle against, someone fans can root for, identify with, and look up to.Wrestling heroes like Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, The Rock, and Andre the Giant are celebrated worldwide. In Heroes & Icons, Oliver and Johnson inclu...

The Rider e-Book of Lists: iPad & e-Reader Edition is the first ever ‘e-book’ on the Saskatchewan Roughriders Canadian Football League (CFL) team. This e-book expands on The Rider Book of Lists published in print form in 2010 by the same authors: Sheldon Green and Rod Nasewich.  It provides a different and sometimes off-beat look at Rider players and coaches and at the Riders as a team, organization, a pop...

When Bobby Ackles became the B.C. Lions' original water boy, he probably never dreamed that he would lead the team to a Grey Cup victory over 50 years later. From his earliest days with the team to becoming its general manager and now president, Ackles has demonstrated a commitment and dedication to football in the CFL, NFL and XFL. In this engaging personal memoir, Ackles takes the reader through the growing and changing world of football, both from a Canadian and an American perspective,...

Bruce Boudreau is living a hockey Cinderella story. After more than three decades in the minor leagues as a player and coach, he was promoted to head coach of the Washington Capitals in 2007. Boudreau revived the Caps, written off as dead, to a division championship and received the Jack Adams award as the National Hockey LeagueÆs Coach of the Year in June 2008.His story is an entertaining odyssey of triumph, disappointment, and perseverance, stretching from Toronto to Washington....

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...

A look at the football players and games that cemented a spot in the sports lore of the City of Brotherly Love—from the renowned sportswriter.Even in their worst of seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles maintained their tradition of toughness, thanks to great players—legends like Chuck Bednarik and Steve Van Buren to modern-day heroes such as Reggie White and Donovan McNabb. In Tales from the Philadelphia Eagles Sideline, veteran football writer Gordon Forbes p...

What does it take to be an Olympic gold medalist and to coach a collegiate team to fifteen NCAA titles? In A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable, famed wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable tells engaging and inspiring stories of his childhood in Waterloo, Iowa; overcoming the murder of his sister as a teenager; his sports career from swimming as a young boy, to his earliest wrestling matches, through the 1972 Olympics; coaching at the University of Iowa from the B...

A few samples: 1) The father of Boston Celtics great Bill Russell didn't want money from his son, even though Bill was making good money as a star for the Boston Celtics. Whenever Bill wanted to give him money, he would say, "I got a job. I got my own d*mn money." Bill would then say, "But that's a terrible job. You work in a foundry. All your pants have holes in them from the sparks. There's dust and metal particles in the air. And you're by furnaces and then you go outside and it's freez...

Missouri and Kansas went from unranked at the start of the 2007 college football season to playing for No. 1 in the country on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so no wonder Brent Musburger chose his words carefully as he addressed a national television audience moments before kickoff of the rivals’ historic meeting. “Let this sink in,” Musburger, the long-time broadcaster, said. “If either Kansas or Missouri wins their next two games, they will play for the national championship.” Kansas a...