The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told, 50th Anniversary Edition

The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told, 50th Anniversary Edition
Author: Greg Guffey
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2003-08-21
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9780253216311

"Nothing in basketball beats Hoosier Hysteria, and this true-life Cinderella story of the 1954 Milan Indians has it all--courage, heart, suspense, and triumph. Greg Guffey brings the team and its championship odyssey to life again in this action-packed book. A great read " --Digger Phelps With the release of the movie Hoosiers starring Gene Hackman, the whole world discovered the "Milan Miracle." The true story of the Milan miracle is even better, and Greg Guffey tells it here in graphic and gripping detail. Here we get to know the real Coach Marvin Wood and the remarkable group of high school players who defeated mighty Muncie Central. In his new introduction, Guffey talks about the switch to class basketball in Indiana and the legacy of this story for the town and for the legendary team.

Echoes of Kansas Basketball

Echoes of Kansas Basketball
Author: Triumph Books
Publisher: Triumph Books
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2006-09
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1617490431

Spanning decades with great columns from renowned writers, this time capsule recounts the greatest moments in Kansas lore and tracks the chronological progression of sports writing styles from the esoteric to the ultra-modern. The account details the Jayhawks from their roots of glory to their modern-day triumphs.

Tales from the Syracuse Orange Locker Room

Tales from the Syracuse Orange Locker Room
Author: Bud Poliquin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2017-11-07
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1683580559

Orange is a state of mind for fans of Syracuse University basketball. Think Orange and images of greatness appear, from Vic Hanson in the Roaring ’20s through Carmelo Anthony in the 21st century. Think Orange and the sounds of glory are heard, from old Archbold Gym to the gleaming Carrier Dome. Think Orange and the memories of 1,607 victories are stirred, from SU’s first win in 1901 over Cornell to its 2003 triumph over Kansas that brought home the national championship. Many of the stories that have contributed to the phenomenon known as Orangemen basketball now come to life in Bud Poliquin’s updated edition of Tales from the Syracuse Orange's Locker Room. Dave Bing, Jim Boeheim, Jim Brown (yes, he played hoops, too), Bouie and Louie, Leo Rautins, Pearl Washington, and Derrick Coleman—all of them and numerous other SU legends join Hanson and Anthony in the pages of this anecdotal anthology of Syracuse University basketball, certain to complete the bookshelf of any Orange fan. This book looks at the team’s infamous 27-game losing streak in the early 1960s; Roy’s Runts; the Pearl’s stunning half-court buzzer-beater that knocked off Boston College in 1984; the fabulous Final Four runs of 1975, 1996, 2003, 2013, and 2016; and Anthony’s freshman brilliance that delivered the school’s first-ever NCAA tournament title in 2006.

A History of American Sports in 100 Objects

A History of American Sports in 100 Objects
Author: Cait Murphy
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2016-10-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0465097758

Beautifully designed and carefully curated, a fascinating collection of the things that shaped the way we live and play in America What artifact best captures the spirit of American sports? The bat Babe Ruth used to hit his allegedly called shot, or the ball on which Pete Rose wrote, "I'm sorry I bet on baseball"? Could it be Lance Armstrong's red-white-and-blue bike, now tarnished by doping and hubris? Or perhaps its ancestor, the nineteenth-century safety bicycle that opened an avenue of previously unknown freedom to women? The jerseys of rivals Larry Bird and Magic Johnson? Or the handball that Abraham Lincoln threw against a wall as he waited for news of his presidential nomination? From nearly forgotten heroes like Tad Lucas (rodeo) and Tommy Kono (weightlifting) to celebrities like Amelia Earhart, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Phelps, Cait Murphy tells the stories of the people, events, and things that have forged the epic of American sports, in both its splendor and its squalor. Stories of heroism and triumph rub up against tales of discrimination and cheating. These objects tell much more than just stories about great games-they tell the story of the nation. Eye-opening and exuberant, A History of American Sports in 100 Objects shows how the games Americans play are woven into the gloriously infuriating fabric of America itself.

Bobby Plump

Bobby Plump
Author: Marty Ford Pieratt
Publisher:
Total Pages: 392
Release: 1997
Genre: Basketball players
ISBN: 9780963687395

Tales from the Detroit Pistons Locker Room

Tales from the Detroit Pistons Locker Room
Author: Perry A. Farrell
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1683580699

Some call them the Bad Boys, others just call them bad news—either way, few teams carry the passion, power, and determination exuded by the Detroit Pistons. A collection of incredible basketball talent revered in Detroit and despised throughout the rest of the NBA, the Pistons are anything and everything but boring. Now Perry A. Farrell will take fans into the locker room and onto the Pistons court in this newly revised edition of Tales from the Detroit Pistons Locker Room. With help from Pistons legends Rick Mahorn and Joe Dumars, Farrell shares stories that cover all the key characters, including Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, John Salley, Vinny Johnson, Dennis Rodman, and coach Chuck Daly. Mahorn discusses the wars with the Bulls, Celtics, and Knicks, and championship battles with the Lakers and Blazers. The book also examines the sorry state of the franchise before the two titles, their attempts to recapture their NBA magic with Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse, and the recent run of success that Dumars is having as the team’s general manager. Mahorn’s role as color analyst for Pistons radio broadcasts has kept him in the loop as Dumars has added players like Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Darko Milicic, along with coach Larry Brown, over the past few seasons. Sharing stories from his playing and announcing days is a part of what makes Tales from the Detroit Pistons Locker Room a must-have for any Pistons fan.

Tales from Augusta's Fairways

Tales from Augusta's Fairways
Author: Jim Hawkins
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2012-04-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1613212828

In Tales from Augusta’s Fairways, Jim Hawkins, who covered his first Masters in 1968, takes readers behind the high, thick hedges of Augusta National Golf Club for an intimate, entertaining glimpse of the classic cathedral that is home to golf’s most enchanting event. Tales from Augusta’s Fairways takes an inside look at the greats, the amateurs, and the underdogs who have made the Masters the most revered, prestigious golf tournament in the world.

Dream Team

Dream Team
Author: Jack McCallum
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2012-07-10
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0345520505

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. As a writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona. Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird debated the finer points of basketball. And he narrates a riveting account of the legendary intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game in history. In the twenty years since the Dream Team first captivated the world, its mystique has only grown. Dream Team vividly re-creates the moment when a once-in-a-millennium group of athletes came together and changed the future of sports—one perfectly executed fast break at a time. With a new Afterword by the author. “The absolute definitive work on the subject, a perfectly wonderful once-you-pick-it-up-you-won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down book.”—The Boston Globe “An Olympic hoops dream.”—Newsday “What makes this volume a must-read for nostalgic hoopsters are the robust portraits of the outsize personalities of the participants, all of whom were remarkably open with McCallum, both then and now.”—Booklist (starred review)

The Milan Miracle

The Milan Miracle
Author: Bill Riley
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2016-08-29
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0253020956

Will lightning ever strike twice? Can David beat Goliath a second time? These questions haunt everyone in the small town of Milan, Indiana, whose basketball team inspired Hoosiers, the greatest underdog sports movie ever made. From a town of just 1,816 residents, the team remains forever an underdog, but one with a storied past that has them eternally frozen in their 1954 moment of glory. Every ten years or so, Milan has a winning season, but for the most part, they only manage a win or two each year. And still, perhaps because it's the only option for Milan, the town believes that the Indians can rise again. Bill Riley follows the modern day Indians for a season and explores how the Milan myth still permeates the town, the residents, and their high level of expectations of the team. Riley deftly captures the camaraderie between the players and their coach and their school pride in being Indians. In the end, there are few wins or causes for celebration—there is only the little town where basketball is king and nearly the whole town shows up to watch each game. The legend of Milan and Hoosiers is both a blessing and a curse.