It was Atlanta's Titanic.On December 7, 1946 at 3:42 a.m. the first alarm came into Atlanta Fire Department headquarters:"The Winecoff Hotel is on fire!"Twenty minutes later the fourth, final and "general alarm" - the one reserved for a citywide conflagration - went out.For the next two hours everything good, bad, improbable and certain about the human experience played out. Few events in history can match the Winecoff fire for extremes.No one who wa...

After the freedom rides ended, after the bus boycotts and sit-ins, the marches and protests, and long after the TV cameras and federal marshals packed up and went home, Henry Harris enrolled at Auburn University, alone in a dormitory of one hundred and fifty white southern males high on testosterone. Harris was the first African American on athletic scholarship at Auburn and, more importantly, the first black athlete at any SEC school in the Deep South. An exceptional basketball player, he...

In 1969, James Owens (1951–2016) made sports history as the first Black football player at Auburn University—a significant milestone that marked the beginning of the end of segregation in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Owens, a running back, was an exemplary athlete who battled racism and immense scrutiny during his time at Auburn. Yet his strength, his faith, and his family's support emboldened him to persevere and break the color barrier, which ultimately opened the door for other Bl...

Legendary University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith tells the full story of his fabled career, and shares the life lessons taught and learned over forty years of unparalleled success as a coach and mentor.For almost forty years, Dean Smith coached the University of North Carolina men's basketball program with unsurpassed success- on the court and in shaping young men's lives. In his long-awaited memoir, he reflects on the great games, teams, players, strategies, and ...

“A superior account of one of American sports’ most compelling, complicated figures . . . by turns, smart, beautifully reported, well-written and psychologically shrewd.”—Los Angeles TimesWhen in 1969 the NBA sought an emblem for the league, one man was chosen above all as the icon of his sport: Jerry West. Silhouetted in white against a red-and-blue backdrop, West’s signature gait and left-handed dribble are still the NBA logo, seen on merchandise around ...

"Hardcore hoop fans will dig this behind-the-scenes look at the 1984 draft" —from the New York Times –bestselling sportswriter and author of The Pine Tar Game ( Maxim ).The 1984 NBA draft is most remembered as the one where Michael Jordan slipped to third behind number-one pick Hakeem Olajuwon . . . and the immortal Sam Bowie. You coul...

Lebron James and Kevin Durant are international superstars. This book follows both men's lives from their humble beginnings to becoming two of the best basketball players in the world.LeBron James, The Chosen One, is one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. He is an eight-time NBA All-Star, a three-time league MVP, and an NBA champion. Most fans are aware of his amazing accomplishments on the court and of his controversial "Decision" to leave Cleveland for Sout...

**#1 New York Times bestselling author John Feinstein returns to his first love--college basketball--with a fascinating and compelling journey through a landscape of unsung, unpublicized and often unknown heroes of Division-1 college hoops."Uplifting...[A] heartfelt missive to college basketball." —The Wall Street Journal**John Feinstein pulls back the curtain on college basketball's lesser-known Cinderella stories--the smaller programs who no one expects ...

The definitive biography of the basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, from the highly respected, career sportswriter and author of Michael Jordan: The Life.Magic Johnson is one of the most beloved, and at times controversial, athletes in history. His iconic smile lifted the dowdy sport of American professional basketball from a second-tier sport with low ratings into the global spotlight—a transformation driven by Magic’s ability to eviscerate opponent...

New York Times bestselling author Yaeger tells the electrifying story of the game that broke down the last racial division in college football.

Ty Cobb was one of the most famous baseball players who every lived. The author puts Cobb into the context of his times, describing the very different game on the field then, and successfully probes Cobb's complex personality.

Discover the untold story of the NBA's fight for financial freedom.Hard Labor unearths the incredible story of how Oscar Robertson and a team of NBA stars battled for player's rights, forever changing the league. Sam Smith, author of The Jordan Rules, dives into the fight for financial equity and free agency, examining the massive repercussions for the NBA and sports in the United States. Learn how "The 14" paved the way for today's record-setting...