All Titles

Building the Tradition/

Most University of Michigan basketball fans know about the school's success during the Cazzie Russell era, and how the Wolverines built on that foundation, rising ever higher until they reached the pinnacle with their 1989 NCAA championship. But few know the stories behind the headlines. For example, how did Michigan coach Dave Strack, who admitted that U-M basketball was 'bad' when he became the coach, land a player of Russell's caliber? And how did Michigan find Russell's perfect complement, a future All-American who was virtually unknown?

Using fresh interviews with dozens of coaches and players – including Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich, Johnny Orr, Bill Frieder, Glen Rice and many others – author Mike Rosenbaum digs behind the scenes to reveal the fascinating stories behind Michigan's basketball successes from 1960 to 1989.

The rise of the crimson and gray.

In 1987, Dennis Erickson arrived in Pullman, Washington to take over the struggling Washington State University football program. Under his leadership, the Cougars ended 1988 with a 9-3 record and a victory in the Aloha Bowl. In just two years, the team had transformed, and Erickson’s lifelong friend, Mike Price, took over in 1989 to build on that legacy. By the end of Price’s tenure, WSU had appeared in five bowl games including two Rose Bowls, eclipsing the four bowl games in the entire program’s history. The coaches also produced a number of high-profile NFL quarterbacks, including Drew Bledsoe and Ryan Leaf.

Join author Ben Donahue as he explores how the Washington State University Cougars went from doormats to perpetual contenders.

Emerald Bay sparkles as a diamond within the jeweled landscape known as Lake Tahoe. Designated a California State Park in 1953 and a National Natural Landmark in 1968, Emerald Bay is one of the most photographed landscapes in the Sierra, featuring California's first underwater park, dramatic Eagle Falls, and Lake Tahoe's only boat-in camp. Vikingsholm, nestled within the southwestern edge of the bay, is a 38-room mansion that is a dramatic example of historic Scandinavian architecture. A small stone teahouse steeped in fanciful lore is perched atop Emerald Bay's Fannette Island. The Desolation Wilderness, established in 1969, is one of the most popular wilderness-designated areas in the United States. The geographic area of the wilderness is just less than 100 square miles, includes 130 lakes scattered throughout the alpine topography, and contains countless waterfalls and streams intersecting the hiking trails and granite landscapes.

The number 21 may be lucky in cards, but it is very unlucky for Western Pennsylvania sports fans. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers allow a player to wear this sacred number, while to the rest of the region's franchises the number means heartbreak. The Penguins retired it after budding superstar Michel Briere died in 1971 following an automobile accident. Hall of Fame Pirate shortstop Arky Vaughan, who drowned in 1952 while trying to save a friend, also wore unlucky 21. The tragic story of Roberto Clemente is well known and caused the team to retire the cursed number. A diverse group of Pittsburgh writers and sports lovers present those stories and more in twenty-one tales of Western Pennsylvania sports sorrow.

Many things compose the Boston Marathon-Olympians, record holders, Greek gold-dipped wreaths, running hamburgers and fries, statues, snow, trailblazers, and Heartbreak Hill. Paul C. Clerici's Images of Modern America: The Boston Marathon tells the expansive story of the oldest continuously run marathon and showcases over 165 images that span the decades. From Clarence DeMar, both Johnny Kelleys, Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb, and John Hancock to Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Ibrahim Hussein, Bob Hall, and Ernst van Dyk; from Kathrine Switzer's literal run-in with Jock Semple to the 1970s running boom, the centennial celebration, and Meb Keflezighi's restoration victory, this global footrace and gathering of community is presented in a display of vibrant, historical, and exciting images, some of which from private collections rarely seen and some never-before published.

Sandwiched between New York and Boston, Connecticut has produced some of the fight game's most prominent pugilists, including Jack Delaney, Louis "Kid" Kaplan, Christopher "Bat" Battalino, Willie Pep and Marlon Starling. The state also has hosted a long list of legendary fighters that includes Lou Ambers, James J. Braddock, George Dixon, Joe Gans, Rocky Graziano, Harry Greb, Beau Jack, Sugar Ray Robinson, Tommy Ryan and Joe Walcott. And some of the finest boxing matches ever seen happened here, such as Micky Ward's stunning victory over Arturo Gatti at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort. So, pull up your ringside seat and join boxing historian Mark Allen Baker as he details the history behind the headlines.

One crazy year on the California coast—in 1975 a hippie skunkworks, bred in garages and shacks, launched the modern skater movement. Strap in for a wild ride replete with two car chases, two plane crashes, a massive truck bomb, Colombian narcos, the Mafia, senior White House staff, a gypsy fortuneteller, three straight-up miracles, Jacques Cousteau, big piles of cocaine and naked hippie chicks. Author John O’Malley was in the thick of it all, and he retraces the trip that starts with a bang and races to a melt-in-your-mouth ending.

The Mexican American boxer is one who leaves it all in the ring. They have been described as devastating punchers, fearless fighters, and tough competitors by boxing fans, sportswriters, and commentators alike. Mexican American boxers have long carried a reputation in boxing circles as being the ultimate crowd-pleasers. In continuing that tradition, the dramatic testimonies of seven distinct, valiant, and dashing warriors from the Golden State of California are presented here in intricate detail: Aurelio Herrera, Art Aragon, Mando Ramos, Bobby Chacon, “Yaqui” Lopez, Arturo Frias, and Oscar Muniz. By exposing new generations to their action-packed stories, new life is breathed into these talented and gifted boxers, ensuring their fighting spirit and heartfelt memories will never die. This volume salutes these pioneers of Mexican American boxing for opening the doors for today’s boxers.