The History Press

Celebrate fifty defining moments in Pennsylvania sports history.

Few states in the nation can boast as vibrant and fascinating a sports heritage as Pennsylvania. With the Immaculate Reception, Franco Harris transformed a struggling Steelers franchise into a legendary one. On the other side of the state, the Philadelphia Flyers once struck a symbolic blow during the Cold War by overwhelming CSKA Moscow. The origins of pro football possibly lie in Greensburg, and an NFL title was “stolen” in Pottsville. The greatest college football team no one’s ever heard of hails from Carlisle, and college football’s oldest rivalry still rages between Lafayette and Lehigh. The most dominant performance ever in professional basketball took place in Hershey, where the great Wilt Chamberlain poured in one hundred points in a single game.

Historians David Finoli and Tom Rooney bring these stories—and many more—to life in this thrilling ride through all things sports in the Keystone State. 

The arena that pitted the east side against the west side.

Portland, Oregon in the 1950s was a city at a crossroads. Would it retain the status quo of the first half of the twentieth century or rush headlong into the future?

Pitting east side upstarts against downtown traditionalists, the battle over where to build the Memorial Coliseum was at times exciting, controversial, and long-winded. Three very different locations set off a storm of subterfuge and political posturing that included the indictment of a commissioner originally tasked with choosing the site, and the rise of an east side used car dealer determined to prevent the city from building the arena downtown.

With the future of sports and recreation in the Rose City at stake, city leaders and private citizens sparred in public hearings and Portland’s first ever televised debates.

Author Michael A. Orr provides a behind-the-scenes look at the drama and machinations in the battle to build Portland a space for future generations.

Mayhem on the Mat in Memphis

For most of the twentieth century, professional wrestling was the most popular sport in Memphis. It not only had great entertainment value but also reflected the city’s culture of cruelty, kindness and violence. The vibrant professional wrestling culture that developed in Memphis—with its emphasis on elaborate promotions, strong characters and wild performances—transformed the sport and made the Bluff City one of the most significant wrestling centers in the United States. Join author G. Wayne Dowdy as he chronicles Sputnik Monroe’s successful battle against segregation and the Jerry Lawler/Andy Kaufman feud and introduces wrestling legends like Jackie Fargo, Tojo Yamamoto, Bill Dundee, Handsome Jimmy Valiant, Kamala the Ugandan Giant and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Explore forgotten pieces of Pinehurst's past.

Pinehurst is called the “cradle of American golf,” yet its origin story has nothing to do with tees, greens, or driving irons. Read about founder James Walker Tufts, who intended to use his fortune to build a health resort for people of modest means. Meet the famous caddies, respected for their knowledge of the tough Pinehurst courses and discover the movers and shakers of the Sandhills Women’s Exchange. Learn about Annie Oakley, who taught thousands of women to shoot at the Pinehurst Gun Club. Enjoy profiles of women golfers like Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Peggy Kirk Bell, and step back into the bygone era of rogue tournaments and zany gymkhanas.

Author Julia Hans recounts lesser-known stories of Pinehurst’s multifaceted past. 

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.

Sports in the Steel City has never reached the highs and lows that fans in Pittsburgh experienced in the 1970s. Most remembered may be the multiple championships celebrated in city during the era, including two World Series titles, four Super Bowl victories and a NCAA football championship. Despite those successes, fans still recall major tragedies such as the deaths of Bob Moose, Roberto Clemente and others. Local authors present essays on the triumphs, tragedies and championships that defined the 1970s for the city of Pittsburgh and Steel City sports. 

Untold tidbits of equine history is revealed by historian and seventh generation Kentuckian Foster Ockerman Jr.

Horse racing and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are synonymous. The equine industry in the state dates as far back as the eighteenth century, and some of that history remains untold. The Seventeenth Earl of Derby made the trip from England to Louisville for the famed Kentucky Derby. Many famous African American jockeys grew up in the area but fled to Europe during the Jim Crow era. Gambling on races is a popular pastime, but betting in the early days caused significant changes in the sport. Hidden History of Horse Racing in Kentucky details the rich and the lesser-known history at the tracks in the Bluegrass State.

Author and sports historian David Finoli's inside look at the 50 greatest male and female athletes in Pittsburgh history.

Greatness in sport is both undefinable and immediately recognizable. Though it is rare, Western Pennsylvania has been graced with a long history of athletes who embody the essence of greatness. They have proudly represented the region in sports such as boxing, golf and track; carried their collegiate teams to victory; and worn the black and gold of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. Pittsburghers still recall how Mario Lemieux glided effortlessly through an opposing defense before befuddling the goalie or Arnold Palmer’s unique swing that made the everyday duffer feel like he was one of them. Fans debate whether Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger is the better quarterback and what the legacy of Barry Bonds is, while keeping Roberto Clemente among their most cherished icons. Take a deep dive into all of that and more and re-discover the best of the best in Pittsburgh sports history.

“Any true Nets fan should have this book on their list.” - Ian Eagle

Relive the Ups and Downs of the Storied Saga of the Nomadic Nets

The Nets have led a wandering existence spanning over five decades. The team has been known as the New Jersey Americans, New York Nets, New Jersey Nets and now Brooklyn Nets, while constantly relocating throughout the New York metropolitan area. Though often plagued by instability and futility, the franchise has celebrated iconic moments in the course of ABA and NBA history. Julius Erving’s legendary play led the team to a pair of ABA titles in 1974 and 1976. The meteoric rise of European superstar Dražen Petrović followed by his tragic death in 1993 is etched into basketball fans’ hearts worldwide. Jason Kidd’s uncommon will steered New Jersey to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. An enlightening phone call from NBA commissioner David Stern in 1997 paved the way for the team’s move to Brooklyn in 2012.

Author Rick Laughland charts the brutal lows and exuberant highs throughout the history of the Nets.

Montana State's Golden Bobcats celebrates a storied history from the hardwood

Ashworth "Cat" Thompson and brothers Frank and Orland Ward didn't know what to expect when they left southern Utah in the Fall of 1926. They arrived in Bozeman to play on the Montana State College basketball team under charismatic coach and fellow Utah native Ott Romney and Assistant Coach Schubert Dyche. Teamed with Montana products Brick Breeden and Max Worthington the following season, the core formed one of the best teams in the country. Despite Romney returning to Provo at the end of 1928, the Bobcats persevered in '29 under Schubert to win the consensus college national basketball championship, with Cat and Frank Ward earning All-American honors.

Author Paul R. Wylie recounts the on and off court challenges and triumphs of the Bobcats' Golden team

Walk in the footsteps of Virginia’s earliest hikers.

For more than two decades hikers on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia walked through some of the most beautiful landscapes of the southern mountains. Then, in 1952, the Appalachian Trail Conference moved the trail more than 50 miles to the west. Lost in that move were opportunities to scramble over the Pinnacles of Dan, to sit on Fisher’s Peak and gaze out over the North Carolina Piedmont, or to cross the New River on a flat-bottomed boat called Redbud for a nickel.

Historian and lifelong hiker Mills Kelly tells the story of a 300-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that is all but forgotten by hikers, but not by the residents of the Southwestern Virginia counties that the trail used to cross.

Twin Cities sports fans are well-versed in disappointment, but the last 120 years of Minneapolis and St. Paul sports have also produced forgotten milestones.

Most know of the Vikings’ Super Bowl woes and the Twins’ record-setting postseason losing streak. Few know that the first full-time college basketball coach originated here and that a Babe Ruth home run record supplanted a local player’s achievement. Fewer still know about near misses like John Wooden almost becoming the University of Minnesota basketball coach in 1948 and Billie Jean King turning down an offer to join the Twin Cities’ World Team Tennis franchise.

Longtime Twin Cities journalist Joel Rippel documents these subjects and other forgotten or unheralded stories.

Explore the hidden gems of Cleveland sports

Cleveland sports history goes well beyond The Shot, The Fumble, The Drive and so many other ignoble moments. Many of the city's most illustrious sports tales are long-forgotten chapters of tribulations and tragedy, of fleeting fame and enduring milestones. There are forgotten firsts, such as football's first pass and the invention of baseball's slider having ties to Cleveland. There are overshadowed tragedies like a fatal crash involving an Indians pitcher occurring the same year two of the team's hurlers were killed in a high-profile boating accident. And then there are the near misses--like George Steinbrenner coming within seconds of owning the Indians and a famous musician who almost became a Cleveland Brown.

From basketball to boxing, hockey to Heisman, journalist Marc Bona chronicles more than a century of unremembered tales.

A chronicle of Minnesota’s hockey excellence in the world’s top hockey league—the NHL

The years 1960 to 1982 were a watershed moment for Minnesota hockey, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes has enjoyed hockey success ever since. In that time, pioneering homegrown players like Bill Nyrop, Dave Langevin, Reed Larson, Mike Ramsey, Dave Christian, Neal Broten, Paul Holmgren, and Phil Housley established themselves as bona fide stars at the games’ highest and most competitive level. More recently, another remarkable group of native sons—including Zach Parise, Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglein, and T. J. Oshie—left their mark on the league.

Profiling more than seventy players and compiling Minnesota NHL records gathered nowhere else, Jeff Olson celebrates the brilliant achievements of Minnesotans in the National Hockey League.

Go inside the astounding and, at times, appalling stories of the mid-1970s University of Georgia football teams like you've never seen, or heard, before.

In the mid-'70s, the University of Georgia football team caused quite a stir off the field. Several players had encounters with the manipulative Godfather of Pro Wrestling and his money-for-sex scheme. A careless prank aboard a team-chartered airplane resulted in a bomb scare and an FBI inquiry. The mysterious death of a standout teammate in 1976 remained unsolved for decades. Despite it all, a valiant and tenacious head coach and his acclaimed Junkyard Dogs defied the odds and developed a celebrated championship team. UGA football writer and historian Patrick Garbin, using extensive interviews with former players and coaches, delivers a true tale of sex, drugs and wild debauchery in college football.

Read the remarkable story of one of the most unique and picturesque places in the Adirondacks, written by Sagamore's director, Beverly Bridger.

Great Camp Sagamore was built by renowned American architect William West Durant and bought by Alfred Vanderbilt in 1901 to be his family's Adirondack retreat. Vanderbilt and his wife, Margaret, welcomed family and friends, who enjoyed its sprawling grounds and elegant yet rustic buildings for decades. After Margaret's death, the camp changed hands and began to decline until it was rescued by preservationists, finally became a National Historic Landmark in 2000 after attentive restoration efforts. Today, visitors to the camp participate in maintaining its grandeur, learning about and preserving the past.