What started with a bunch of gangly teens playing ball on a plowed wheat field has become one of the most exciting powerhouses in college football history. Fans of this raucous and indomitable team get to relive all the great moments with this revised edition of Tales from the Virginia Tech Sideline. Virginia Tech alum and former editor of the Hokie Huddler Chris Colston shares the school's greatest football stories and anecdotes. From the days of Miles Stadium to Beamerball, fans will recapture all the excitement of the most well known games.
In this reissue of Tales from the Georgia Tech Sideline, former quarterback Kim King shares stories from his unique half-century involvement with Yellow Jackets football. As a child growing up in Atlanta, King watched Coach Bobby Dodd’s great Tech teams of the 1950s play in historic Grant Field. A highly recruited high school quarterback, King went to Tech and became the star quarterback from 1965–67. “The Young Left-Hander,” as late Tech radio announcer Al Ciraldo called King, led the Jackets to two bowl games and was Bobby Dodd’s last quarterback before he retired after the 1966 season. King’s involvement with Tech football did not end with his graduation. In 1974 he joined Ciraldo in the radio booth as Tech’s color commentator. In the book, he details Tech’s struggles after Dodd’s retirement; the colorful and turbulent Pepper Rodgers years; Bill Curry’s painful first coaching steps back at his alma mater before restoring Tech to prominence in the mid-’80s; and the two awful seasons Bobby Ross endured before the historic 1990 breakthrough, culminating in Georgia Tech’s fourth national championship. Following Bill Lewis’s disastrous tenure in the early ’90s, George O’Leary revived Tech football yet again before his controversial departure for Notre Dame led to Chan Gailey’s arrival on The Flats. Kim King saw many of the Jackets’ bowl victories and nearly 50 years of Tech football before his death in 2004. He shares those memories, along with his personal reminiscences of Tech players and coaches, triumphs and travails, in Tales from the Georgia Tech Sideline. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
For thirty-three years, Bobby Bowden was the heart and soul of Florida State football. Now Seminoles fans of every generation will get to relive the glory and passion of Florida’s winningest coach in this edition of Tales from the Florida State Seminoles Sideline. In this gripping narrative, Bobby Bowden and Steve Ellis bring readers right up to the sideline to experience pivotal moments in Florida’s football history. From Bowden’s first winning season to the national championship victories in 1993 and 1999, into the new millennium and beyond, Tales from the Florida State Seminoles Sideline has it all. Bowden relives the pride and competition he felt as he faced his son in the famous Bowden Bowls, and shares his innermost thoughts as he revolutionized collegiate sports. Without a doubt, this is a must-have for any Seminoles fan.
Many people may not know that Boston College’s most embarrassing football defeat may have saved the lives of hundreds of Eagles fans. They also may not know that Doug Flutie failed to see a wide-open receiver and instead heaved the ball to an apparently well-covered Gerard Phelan to complete the “Miracle in Miami.” The stories behind those little-known facts and many more are contained in Tales from the Boston College Sideline, an anecdotal history of Boston College football. Author Reid Oslin, who served as Boston College’s sports information director for nearly a quarter of a century, has collected scores of stories about the many accomplishments—and occasional downfalls—of the Boston College Eagles. Material from the University Archives, dozens of personal interviews, and the author’s own up-close recollections will make the newly revised Tales from the Boston College Sideline a valuable resource—as well as enjoyable history—for any BC fan.
One of the oldest teams in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers have carved one of the most exciting legacies in professional football. Founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates by Art Rooney in 1933 with winnings from a single day at the racetrack, the Steelers spent the next 40 years as the NFL’s “Lovable Losers.” All that changed in the early ’70s, as savvy draft choices and a smashmouth style of play transformed the Steelers into the most dominant team of the decade. In Tales from the Pittsburgh Steelers Sideline, veteran journalist Dale Grdnic captures the essence of the Steelers teams across the decades. Grdnic highlights many of the squad’s most memorable moments, including Franco Harris’s Immaculate Reception and their eight Super Bowl appearances. He covers the team’s greatest rivalries, including the epic battles with the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. And he profiles the memorable players who’ve worn the Black and Gold over the decades, including Byron White, Johnny “Blood” McNally, Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, Mean Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jerome Bettis, and “Big Ben” Roethlisberger. The latest addition to the Tales series, this is a must-have book for any member of Steelers Nation.
Through all the pain, all the glory, and all the moments of absurdity, fans of the Atlanta Falcons have always had one thing in common—passion. Now those stalwart supporters will get to relive all the history of their favorite franchise in this newly updated edition of Tales from the Atlanta Falcons Sideline. Since their inauspicious beginnings in 1966, the Atlanta Falcons have risen to become one of the powerhouse teams of the NFC South. In this riveting collection of misbegotten woes and tireless efforts, Matt Winkeljohn captures an epic journey of athletic redemption. From the team’s miserable, mosquito-infested first training camp, to the shocking defeat of the Minnesota Vikings in the 1999 NFC Championship game, and up through their recent success, Tales from the Atlanta Falcons Sideline has it all.
Virginia Tech's Shayne Graham trots onto the field at West Virginia on November 6, 1999, with two thoughts in his mind. One is a missed field goal that would have beaten Miami a year earlier. The other is the 44-yard field goal he is about to try against the Mountaineers, a kick he must make if the Hokies are to stay unbeaten and on track for a national championship. Head down, he focuses on his mark as the ball is snapped. He steps forward, the dream of an entire team resting with his leg.Now, hear Graham's memory of that kick in his own words, for the first time. Game of My Life: Virginia Tech celebrates the extraordinary football and basketball moments that have shaped the college's rich athletic heritage. Through interviews with some of the school's most prestigious athletes, Hokies fans can relive the big games that defined the school's winning tradition.Carroll Dale, later a fixture with the Green Bay Packers, dove-arms outstretched-to haul in a crucial two-point conversion in a 1957 game against the University of Richmond. Les Henson shot from the baseline-the other baseline-as the clock neared zero against Florida State in 1980. Chris Smith went well beyond the "double-double" standard for points and rebounds. How about 30 and 31 against Marshall in 1959? Corey Moore made life miserable for Clemson quarterback Brandon Streeter one night in 1999. Bruce Smith did the same for Duke quarterback Ben Bennett in 1983. The Hokies' Jim Pyne, meanwhile, made sure Syracuse's Kevin Mitchell didn't do the same to Tech quarterback Maurice DeShazo in 1993.Carlos Dixon, Mike Imoh, Andre Davis, Dell Curry, Bryan Still, Don Strock, Bryan Randall-all the Tech greats from the gridiron and hardwoodare in these pages, including coach Frank Beamer. Join thousands of Virginia Tech fans in remembering these cherished stories. For the athletes within, these truly were the games of their lives.
Though boasting a smaller student body than most other Southeastern Conference schools, Vanderbilt University’s spirit and passion is without bounds—and with good reason. This book highlights several Vandy sports programs whose teams have shined over the course of the school’s athletic history and the players and coaches who have been a part of them. Much of Vandy’s recent athletic success has come from the football team. Under coach James Franklin, the Commodores had their first sold-out season opener since 1999. In 2012, the squad tied the school record for most wins and finished in the top 25 poll, en route to a bowl game for the second straight year, and followed that with another bowl game in 2013. The men’s basketball team has also offered a lot of excitement of late. In 2011–2012, the squad boasted the top two scorers in the conference in John Jenkins and Jeffrey Taylor, both of whom were drafted to the NBA. The team won the SEC Tournament title that season, beating conference rival Kentucky. On the women’s side, the team made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013, marking the 11th time in as many seasons that coach Melanie Balcomb has led the team to at least 20 wins and an NCAA berth. The Commodores have also had something to cheer about on the baseball field, winning or sharing three SEC titles since 2007. In 2012, alumnus David Price received the American League Cy Young Award. Pedro Álvarez, also an alumnus and an infielder on the Pittsburgh Pirates, was a member of the 2013 National League All-Star team. In this latest addition to the Tales From series, Chris Lee highlights these athletes and coaches and so many others who have become part of Commodore lore. It’s perfect for the fan of the black and gold! Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
