From the best-selling author of The Painted House, Skipping Christmas, and The Firm comes a nostalgic novel about high school football in a small Texas town, a place in which football has become a religion. High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who...

"The heart of Friday Night Lights meets the emotional resonance and nostalgia of My So-Called Life in this moving debut novel about tradition, family, love, and football. As the high school football coach in his small, rural Maryland town, Dean is a hero who reorganized the athletic program and brought the state championship to the community. When he married Nicole, the beloved town sweetheart, he seemed to have it all--until his troubled wife committed...

When Tony Dungy led the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI-- the first African American coach to win the big game--millions wondered, amazed by the success of his quiet, authoritative leadership style: how does he get it done? In this memoir, Dungy reveals the secrets to his success--principles, practices, and priorities that have kept him on track despite overwhelming personal and professional obstacles, including firings, stereotypes,...

Athens City, Alabama, is a town that lost its heart the day the high school football team lost the state championship & suffered a tragedy. Since that night, the town that once enjoyed superstar status has fallen on hard times. Now, years later, the former coach returns to head up one final season aided by a local who tells the story with a fresh voice. Together, they fight Goliath & learn that love & reconciliation are more important than winning...

"Winning the state championship in football-crazed Texas is the holy grail for high school coaches. Newton, Texas, is a sleepy little town nestled in the piney woods of southeastern Texas where the residents live for what they lovingly call "Friday night church." In December 2018 a video of the Newton Eagle coach went viral on sports and non-sports platforms as millions of people watched. In his emotional postgame interview, W.T. Johnston recounted...

Explains how Paul "Bear" Bryant used unconventional methods to help turn the losing Texas A&M football team of 1954 into a winning team.

"In Marjorie Herrera Lewis's debut historical novel the inspiring true story of high school teacher Tylene Wilson--a woman who surprises everyone as she breaks with tradition to become the first high school football coach in Texas--comes to life. Football is the heartbeat of Brownwood, Texas. Every Friday night for as long as assistant principal Tylene Wilson can remember, the entire town has gathered in the stands, cheering their boys on. Each September...

A biography focusing on the childhood of the legendary football coach at Notre Dame, who won fame for his insistence on good sportsmanship and his football strategy.