A Tide of Dreams

When the U.S. declared war on Japan after Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941, the dreams of young men and women across the nation were sidelined. So, too, were the plans Coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant, Carney Laslie, and Frank Moseley, a dream team of coaching talent and three friends and ex-football players from the University of Alabama, who had plans to coach football together. Their plans upended, these three friends and ex-teammates from the University of Alabama, instead join the Navy, among an elite group of 800 coaches, selected out of 20,000 who applied from around the country, to be part of a contingent of ace coaches trained in a fast-tracked officer training program at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Known as a "90-Day Wonder", these coaches turned naval officers implemented a merciless military-style team conditioning at the newly installed Navy Pre-Flight Training Centers. The revolutionary new training regimen used sports to prepare WWII aviators and was credited for US fighting forces being known as the toughest in the world.
Post-war, the three reunite in their first coaching job together, bringing their brand of coaching to collegiate teams and transforming them into national champions. Spanning the 1920s until 1961, A TIDE OF DREAMS is not so much about the game of college football as it is about friendship and loyalty, aspirations and dreams, and the intriguing blend of three personalities who loved the game, told against the backdrop of the history of the sport and the nation. Author Carey Henry Keefe, granddaughter of Carney Laslie, weaves this poignant and personal account from a treasure trove of personal letters, diaries, interviews, and newspaper and University archival research, creating an inside and fascinating look at the sport and what it cost for those who became the face of its success.