Sportbiographien

BILLY PAPKE: Boxings Enfant Terrible. . . Without a doubt Billy Papke is one of the legends of the boxing ring. He was finally recognized for his talent in the ring, and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001. Though there has never been a book published on Papke, he has name recognition with boxing fans all over the world who still discuss on the internet details of his four classic fights with Stanley Ketchel, which were regarded as the first great rivalry between fighters in the history of boxing. Papke's story is ripe with a blend of violence, tragedy, and mystery. For one hundred years the name of Billy Papke has been associated with treachery in the ring. Did Papke really deserve this reputation? The Billy Papke story is long overdue, and the boxing public and public at large can now read about the true story and not just the myth of Billy Papke.

This book looks at the 100 greatest swimmers in history and features such icons and rising stars as Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and Mark Spitz. Each chapter includes biographical information, accomplishments, records, and finest performances. This edition has been updated to include two additional World Championships and the 2016 Olympics.

Abraham Washington Attell (1883-1970) was among the cleverest, most scientific professional boxers ever to enter the ring. The native San Franciscan fought 172 times in his career, scoring 127 wins, and successfully defended his World Featherweight Champion title 18 times between. This first ever biography covers Attell's life and career.

This book is about the extraordinary life of Lew Jenkins, a lightweight boxing champion. Raised in poverty during the Great Depression, Jenkins became a celebrated prizefighter in the late 1930s. After he squandered his winnings, Jenkins found purpose during World War II and the Korean War, earning the Silver Star for his bravery.

In this long-awaited autobiography, the legendary Bill Elliott details his childhood in rural North Georgia, building cars from scratch, struggling on the anonymous small-time tracks of the South to his against-the-odds rise to the pinnacle of NASCAR stardom: Winston Cup Champion. From Daytona to Talladega, from Bristol to Sonoma, ride shoulder to shoulder with Elliott as he battles Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, and Alan Kulwicki for NASCAR's ultimate prize. Through Elliott's eyes we meet the colorful cast of old-school characters who built NASCAR: Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, the Allisons, Carl Kiekhaefer, and, of course, the France family. We join Bill in the car (and under it) as he sets the all-time record for the fastest official speed ever recorded in a stock car (a record he still holds today). Learn the secret?revealed for the first time?behind the Elliott family's unquestioned mastery of the sport's super speedways. Watch NASCAR grow from a southern diversion into a national phenomenon, and see Bill Elliott grow with it, ultimately becoming one of the sport's most popular heroes. In 1985 Elliott captured the inaugural Winston Million and became the first NASCAR driver ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Three years later he captured the Winston Cup Championship. He went on to be voted NASCAR Driver of the Decade for the 1980s by NASCAR fans. He was also voted Most Popular Driver sixteen times. Elliott also shares his thoughts on the dark side of the racing life: the stresses it can place on relationships, the ever-present physical risks, and the weight of fame. He addresses the racing-related deaths of competitors and friends. He is candid and critical in discussing the intense rivalry between him and the late Dale Earnhardt, and he sheds new light on their storied relationship as well as on Earnhardt's shocking death. Elliott discusses the future of NASCAR with critiques of its management and restrictor plates, and he takes on the controversial issues of track and driver safety. A window into the compelling personality of Bill Elliott, as well as a primer on the ascent of America's fastestgrowing sport, this is the definitive insider's view of the rising NASCAR nation.

Recognizing that our society has a great need for role models, and few individuals successfully rise to the challenge, The Homefield Advantage assures readers that "Yes, you are a role model...whether you own up to it or not. You are being watched. You are touching lives. You are shaping young lives for good or for incalculable harm." Filled with the stories of everyday heroes who may never make the pages of Sports Illustrated-but who may very well find their way into heaven''s highlight clips-The Homefield Advantage offers powerful advice for men who want to maximize their influence for generations to come.

After four decades with four baseball teams, Nolan Ryan hasn't lost one mile-per-hour from his legendary fastball--nor one ounce of respect from his fans. Despite his athletic accomplishments, Nolan's real story is even more striking, for his is the testimony of a man who has paid an enormous price for a successful career--without leaving his family behind.

Superstar Deion Sanders tells his powerful life story and reveals how power, money and sex could not satisfy the void in his life-a void ultimately satisfied by his relationship with Christ. A photo section included in this national best-seller.

In Holding Serve readers get a unique glimpse at Team Chang, Michael's powerful family unit that he credits with much of his success. Michael also shares the story of how he became a Christian and the central role his faith has played in his achievements.

In the Trenches delves into the heart of an amazing athlete who balances an array of extremes.

Interwoven with Bob 'Bull' Watson's life story is an informative and entertaining discussion of all things baseball, how a hitter thinks, how to manage the personalities and egos in the game, and how the game has changed over the years.

''The 2009 season brought my club to a new low. Heed the warning: "Adandon all hope, ye who enter here."''Second City,'' is the follow up to Neal Horgan''s critically acclaimed account of Cork City FC''s 2008 season, entitled ''Death of a Football Club?''This book chronicles Cork City FC''s infamous 2009 season. Horgan brings you into the dressing room as club chairman, Tom Coughlan, attempts to explain to the players just why it is that the Revenue Commissioners are seeking to wind up Cork City FC in the High Court.  Horgan mixes contemporaneous diary entries together with retrospective commentary. In the latter he concludes that the absence of a plan by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) for professional football in Ireland was the root cause for the ''annus horribilis'' experienced by Cork City FC in 2009 as bounced cheques, delayed payments, evictions, pay cuts and a return to part-time football become the issues that dominate the players'' lives.  In the unfolding drama, that quickly turns from comedy to tragedy, there are fleeting appearances from Roy Keane and Ipswich Town, Dermot Desmond and Glasgow Celtic, and Christiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid in a sporting story which wil have a deep resonance for Irish football fans.

In 1933 Johann Trollmann won Germany's light-heavyweight boxing title. The Nazis would not accept him as the winner because he was Sinto. Many Sinti and Roma (or "Gypsies") had long been involved in the sport, but Nazi ideology demanded that only Aryans excel as fighters.Trollmann used his visibility in the ring for shocking and aggressive protest, turning boxing into politically charged performance art. He fought for his country, and against its prejudice.Roma and Sinti were victims of fascism, but they also were soldiers, activists, and underground resistors. Since World War II, there has been a struggle to obtain greater recognition of this past.From underground fight nights to Madison Square Garden, from secret partisan meetings to concentration camp uprisings, across several continents, this is a hard-hitting look at forgotten history.

The definitive collection of trout fishing adventure and advice, lore and legend   Spanning almost a century of American angling, here is a book that you will read and reread, whatever your mood, for adventure, for humor, for the sheer joy of it. This veritable who’s who of trout fishing, drawn from the pages of Field & Stream, describes the joy and pain, the camaraderie and solitude, the strategy, the patience, and the triumph of one of the great sporting challenges of the Great Outdoors.   Emlyn Gill on smuggling the dry fly technique from England; Zane Grey on skill, luck, and the Rogue River’s fresh-run steelhead; G. M. L. LaBranche on the still-deadly “curved” cast technique; Nick Lyons on catching his first trout—and telling his first lie; Peter Kaminsky on finding brook-trout paradise in Labrador; and more than forty of fishing’s greatest men, moments, and memories.   The best of Field & Stream. The best the sport has to offer. A book for all those days you’d rather be fishing.

Much has been written about the legendary players and managers of baseball''s Deadball Era (1901-1919). Far less attention has been given to the club owners, like Charles Ebbets. In 1898, after a 15 year apprenticeship, he became president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, taking over a chronic second division team in poor financial condition. Over the next 25 years, he organized four pennant-winning clubs and developed one of the most profitable franchises in the game--while building two state-of-the-art ballparks in Brooklyn. Ebbets was also an effective steward of the national pastime, working tirelessly on innovations that would help all teams, not just his own. Despite his success, his personal weaknesses ultimately undermined much of what he had so painstakingly built. This first full length biography provides an in-depth view of his life and career, filling a critical gap in the history of the Deadball Era and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Rafer Johnson''s story is the classic American dream: hard work leading to success, honor, and glory.  Here, he openly writes about his humble beginnings in an obscure African American Texas ghetto, his growing up in the all-white, sun-drenched Californian town of Kingsburg, and his time at UCLA as the president of the student body and an acclaimed athlete.  His talents brought him to dramatic athletic duels in Moscow, Melbourne, and Rome, and to the glamour of acting, broadcasting, and politics in Hollywood, Washington, D.C., and the rest of the nation.Structured around the ten events of the decathlon, Rafer''s memoir vividly describes an exceptional life.  It introduces remarkable people, both unknown and celebrated (the Kennedy family; Gloria Steinem; Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade; Tom Brokaw; and others), who befriended Rafer and affected his life.  It tells of obstacles and tragedies--crippling injuries, an alcoholic father, the assassination of his close friend Robert F.  Kennedy--and what it takes to overcome them.  With tact, integrity, and acute observation, Rafer Johnson shares the intimate moments that have shaped his life and the lives of others.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A revealing biography of the Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps that includes exclusive interviews with his family, teammates, and friends and never-before-revealed details about his life.Michael Phelps is an American sports hero, perhaps the greatest Olympic athlete the world has ever known. His unprecedented eight gold medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics have made him a superstar. But his journey to Olympic immortality is every bit as compelling as his achievements in the pool. From learning to cope with ADHD to the story of how Phelps became the greatest swimmer ever, Phelps' tale is told in full detail here for the first time.The author, Bob Schaller, has known Phelps and his coach for more than eight years, and has extensively interviewed him, along with his mother, sisters, coach, and teammates. Filled with revelations, career statistics, and insightful analysis of how Phelps achieved the seemingly impossible, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn the complete story behind the legend.

ESPN''s Tim Kurkjian has spent more than twenty-five years covering almost three thousand major league baseball games and interviewing about that many players, coaches, managers, and executives.In Is This a Great Game, or What?, Kurkjian combines his years of experience, uncanny knowledge, and deep love of the game, to create a book filled with some of the most fascinating insight into Major League Baseball this side of Jim Bouton''s bestseller, Ball Four. Whether he''s explaining what goes through a ballplayer''s mind when he faces a fastball in the chapter "My Face Was Crushed by a Bowling Ball Going 90 MPH," detailing bizarre rituals and superstitions performed by baseball''s greatest players, or taking us into the locker room to see what transpires in the clubhouse of a major league team, Kurkjian''s tales are at times hilarious, other times horrifying, yet always entertaining.Kurkjian has spoken to some of the greatest ballplayers ever over the years, and they have revealed details about themselves and the game they love with a candor that readers won''t find anywhere else. Filled with anecdotes and fascinating insights, this is an essential book for baseball fans or anyone curious about America''s pastime.

A Season on the BrinkΓÇöa book about Bob KnightΓÇöis the bestselling sports book of all time. Here is the only book that can surpass itΓÇöa book about Bob Knight by Bob Knight.In college basketball, the name Bob Knight is synonymous with greatness and winning. Just take a glance at the Knight file. The numbers and achievements that prove what he has done, not only for Indiana University, but for the game itself, are there in black and white. In this riveting memoir, Coach Knight talks about his extraordinary basketball career, addressing both the public triumphs and the highly publicized controversies, often providing his side of the story for the first time.His story begins with the most public and painful event in his life: his front-page dismissal as Indiana University''s basketball coach after 29 years in that position. But the story of Bob Knight is so much more than that. Above all, it is a story about one man''s tremendous success. How did he become the head coach at Army at the age of 24? How did he build a dynasty at Indiana? What principles has he lived byΓÇöand coached byΓÇöthat kept the best players coming to Indiana to play for him?Knight: My Story reveals a very personal and until now unseen part of Bob Knight''s life. His legions of fans will all line up to learn more about him.Bob Knight has shown time and again that he is the most well-known coach in college basketball:ΓÇó He has won over 700 games (618 with Indiana University)ΓÇó He has been National Coach of the Year four timesΓÇó He coached ten Big Ten MVPsΓÇó He is the only coach who can boast an NCAA Championship, NIT Title, the Pan American Gold, and the Olympic gold medalΓÇó He was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991ΓÇó He graduated 98% of his playersΓÇó He retired with a remarkable .709 winning record

Imagine that you're lying down, completely immobile-you can't move a muscle. The only part of your body that you can control is your face. Consider, if you're able, that you are forever frozen in this position. Now, with your body paralyzed, there's only one thing left to do-smile. Smile? If you're wondering how anyone could smile in that situation, let me introduce you to Chucky Mullins.

Dirk Dunbar's Confessions of a Basketball Junkie is a compelling read that offers a personal glimpse into the archetypal journey that we are all destined to navigate-from the call, departure, and tribulations to the return to the place and person we are meant to be. Filled with poetry and athletic anecdotes, mystical and humorous experiences, and truth-seeking explorations into our local and planetary purpose, this masterful memoir affirms the grandeur of being at home in the universe. While evoking the wonders of childhood, memories of growing up, and the joys of parenting, Dunbar reveals the challenge and value of a living a well-examined life. He takes us through remarkably relatable experiences that traverse the culture and "feel" of his small Northern Michigan birthplace to people and places in Iceland, Germany, Greece, and Egypt. The voyage ends with his post-basketball life as a teacher, parent, and author/activist in Maine and Florida, highlighting how we are all the sum of our experiences and relationships. In ways that stimulate tolerance and spiritual growth, this delightful account of the human spirit captures the passion of Jesus and Buddha and the wisdom of Native Americans and Daoists as well as offering unique insights into literature, film, and music. All this while recapping a phenomenal, yet injury filled basketball career that is captivating, painful, and inspiring. The ideas are big, but simply and profoundly expressed. This book is sure to touch athletes, incite seekers, and enthrall human-interest readers worldwide. "A walk in the woods never lies," Dirk Dunbar says upfront in Confessions of a Basketball Junkie, and this autobiography by the pro athlete, humanities professor, musician and sometime mystic demonstrates the point. In easygoing, familiar language that belies the depth of his knowledge, Dunbar here retraces the many paths of his life as a promising NBA star, a finely tuned philosopher, and a devoted friend and family m