In Dick Vitale's Fabulous 50 Players and Moments in College Basketball: From the Best Seat in the House During My 30 Years at ESPN, America's self-confessed number one college basketball junkie will go on the record, ranking his players and moments from 1 to 50. His personal pantheon might surprise you. The legends are here, of course. And they deserve to be. Consensus is that these are the greatest of the great. But some of his rankings may be unexpected. Kansas guard Mario Chalmers' three-point shot to force overtime against Memphis in the 2008 national championship game. Ralph Sampson of Virginia vs. Patrick Ewing of Georgetown in a 1983 reprise of the great showdown between Lew Alcindor and Elvin Hayes in the '60s. UCLA guard Tyus Edney's length-of-the-floor dash to glory against Missouri in the 1995 tournament. Michael Jordan's game winning shot against Georgetown in 1982 during his freshman year at North Carolina. Kentucky's 31point comeback against LSU in 1994. Cinderella George Mason upsetting Connecticut to make the Final Four in 2006. Every basketball fan has his or her favorites: the perfect player, the magical moments. But only Dick Vitale will go on the record, ranking them 1 through 50, and he'll do it as much as a fan as a commentator. This is from his heart, naming the top 50 players and moments in the wonderful world of college hoops. It's awesome, baby.

Dick Vitale's Fabulous 50 Players and Moments in College Basketball: From the Best Seat in the House During My 30 Years at ESPN

Dick Vitale with Dick Weiss

Biographies & Memoirs

Ascend Books

The 2007-2008 Kansas Jayhawks capped off one of the program's most storied seasons by winning its fifth national championship, and first in 20 years. The Jayhawks success in 2007-2008 has been credited to total team effort and the inspiring leadership of head coach Bill Self. During his relatively short head coaching career, Self has established himself as one of college basketball's best by leading Oral Roberts to new frontiers, guiding Tulsa to its best season in school history, turning Illinois into a Big Ten powerhouse and now taking Kansas from a perennially great program to the best in the nation. In Bill Self's first authorized book: BILL SELF: At Home in the Phog, Self and those who know him best offer an inside look at his journey into becoming one of the game's most respected and most sought-after coaches. Self explains how he is living a dream - not only is he a head coach, but he was selected to be the steward of what James Naismith and Phog Allen created. He describes the excitement of reaching the pinnacle - leading the Jayhawks to a national title. He gives minute-by-minute details of the contest that sent KU to the national title game. Self has achieved his dream of becoming a head coach. That much is evident. Even though he never dreamed of being the head coach at the University of Kansas, he did aspire to lead a college basketball team to greatness, which is exactly what he is doing. Self's journey proves that even though dreams may change, they can come true.

BILL SELF: At Home in the Phog

Sports & Outdoors

Bill Self

with John Rohde

Basketball

When the 65-team field is announced for the NCAA tournament in March, all the schools are lumped into one bracket. But, with the fact that no number-16 seed has ever beaten a number-1 seed serving as evidence, there is a group of schools in the bracket that are worlds apart from the BCS schools. Some of the schools, labeled the mid-majors make it into the Sweet 16, practically their version of making it to The Final Four. Rarely these days does a team go so far as George Mason University from the Colonial Athletic Conference did in 2006 when the Patriots played their way into The Final Four. Or Davidson, a little liberal arts school from Charlotte, taking Kansas all the way to the final seconds in the 2008 Midwest Regional final. The mid-majors have a better shot at knocking off the big boys. The low majors the schools from The Summit Conference, the Ivy League et al most often have no shot. Yet coaches from the low majors stake their careers and reputations at getting into the NCAA tournament field. Rich Zvosec was one of those coaches. Zvosec takes you into the world of low majors that s never been revealed before in detail. It s a world that involves less coaching. More on the time demands centered around fund-raising, commuting and handling off-the-court affairs. It wasn t unusual for Zvosec or any other coach on the low major level to be doing the team laundry, searching for housing on behalf of his players or finding themselves as make-shift mechanics when the commuter vehicles broke down. Such as filling a hole in the roof a van with a female hygiene product. Zvosec takes you into the world of coaching that makes you ask, Why do you do it? And most often the answer is, Because they love it.

Birds, Dogs and Kangaroos: Life on the Back Roads of College Basketball

Rich Zvosec

From Joe Namath's MVP performance in the 1965 game to the dominant Nebraska teams of the 1990s, the Orange Bowl and its native city have hosted national champions, Hall of Fame coaches, all-Americans, an unparalleled halftime extravaganza and the magnificent King Orange Parade. This one-of-a-kind official commemorative book of the Orange Bowl and the Orange Bowl Committee details the rich history and traditions of the Orange Bowl game itself, the venerable stadium it called home for much of 75 years, conference relationships, its eventual move into the prestigious Bowl Championship Series and the community events surrounding the New Year's tradition.

Touchdowns & Traditions: Celebrating 75 Years of the Orange Bowl

Orange Bowl Committee Publications Staff

Football (American)

Hi, everybody, and welcome .... Those signature sign-on words from Hall of Fame broadcaster Denny Matthews have signaled the start of summer for Kansas City Royals baseball fans for five decades. Since the first day of the club s inception in 1969, Matthews has been there on the call for Royals history. For anyone who has grown up with the Royals, Matthews has been the one constant, painting vivid portraits of the game he loves with the sights and sounds of the ballpark as his canvas.

Hi, Anybody! Why I Love Baseball and What I'd Do to Fix It

History

Denny Matthews

Matt Fulks

Americas

Your heart is pounding and your palms are sweaty. Your adrenaline is pumping. Kickoff is hours away, but you are going through your game-day preparations with a routine that has stood the test of time season after season. You are a pro at this. It's game day! But you won't take your place on the line alongside the other big uglies. You aren't the starting quarterback or even the back-up punter. No. You are a Kansas City Chiefs football fan. Your passion is unbridled. Your love of the game knows no boundaries. You've got your face paint and your lucky jersey. Seconds seem like hours. The hated Raiders are coming to town, or maybe the despised Denver Broncos. Doesn't really matter. It's Sunday. And you are ready for some football. A Super Bowl title. Lamar Hunt. Lenny the Cool. Contact. The X-Factor. Marcus and Joe. DT and Tony G. Mr. Music and Warpaint. All have combined to make up the moments, memories and milestones that endeared this team to thousands of fans throughout its history. For 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs have taken the field to the roar of the crowd, both in Dallas and Kansas City, as part of the American Football League and later the National Football League. From the days of playing in battered stadiums with no showers to the gorgeous new digs at Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs have a legacy like few other teams. They appeared in the first Super Bowl, became the last AFL team to win a game when they upset Minnesota in Super Bowl IV and produced a list of Hall of Fame greats that roll off the tongues of fans of the Red and Gold. For Chiefs Fans Only! captures the important moments in team history, the legendary players on the field and the personalities off the field in addition to the ever-present, always-vocal Kansas City Chiefs fans touted across the league as the NFL's best fan base.

For Chiefs Fans Only! Moments, Memories and Milestones That Made Us Love Our Team

RICH WOLFE

Bill Althaus

You're a Kansas Jayhawks fan. So, you know the stories of the triumphs and disappointments in KU's sports history - the 1952 NCAA Championship, the '57 triple-overtime loss, the '69 Orange Bowl, "Danny and the Miracles" of '88, and, of course, the incredible football and basketball season of 2007-08. You know about the Hall of Famers including Clyde Lovellette, Wilt Chamberlain, Gale Sayers, JoJo White, John Riggins, Lynette Woodard, Don Fambrough, and, of course, Max Falkenstien. 
You know about all of it because you're a Kansas Jayhawks fan. But, as wide as your fandom might be, you've never seen a book like For Kansas Jayhawks Fans Only before. 
It's fellow Kansas Jayhawks fans sharing their funniest stories, saddest memories, happiest times and craziest moments about, well, being KU fans. You'll go through their close encounters with the KU athletic greats, the lengths fellow fans have gone through to see the Jayhawks play, as well as touching anecdotes of Chamberlain's return to Kansas and listening to Max on the radio. 
The remembrances are all here in For Kansas Jayhawks Fans Only - the joy, the jokes, the pranks, the games - told by a Hall of Fame team of fans. It's like sitting on the hill on a Saturday afternoon, listening to your buddies reminisce about their experiences of being fans of the Kansas Jayhawks.

For Jayhawks Fans Only! Wonderful Stories Celebrating the Incredible Fans of the Kansas Jayhawks

with Rich Wolfe

When does the End Zone Justify the Means?The Los Angeles Leopards and the Portland Pioneers are on a collision course toward the Super Bowl Championship. One team is led by a take-no-prisoners head coach; the other by a cerebral, slow-and-steady coach who has been trust into the spotlight because of a tragedy. A tense showdown is about to unfold before the world's football fans.But along the way to the championship game, something bad happens: the very integrity of the game comes within a yard of ruin!In this thrilling new work of fiction -- Between the Lies -- Hall of Fame Coach and New York Times best-selling author Marv Levy takes us on a journey through the NFL like we've never seen before. Through the eyes of a memorable cast of characters, many of whom are based on real football players, coaches, general managers, and owners, we get to see professional football from the inside.And we get to see the game's underbelly, where rules are bent or broken, lies are used as promises, and the integrity of the game hangs in the balance.Between the Lies is filled with the kind of intimate knowledge that only a Hall of Fame coach could possess.It is a must-read for fans of the NFL and for all of us who ever wondered what goes on inside the sanctity of the locker room.This book, of Sports Fiction, follows Coach Levy's New York Times Best-Selling autobiography -- Where Else Would You Rather Be?Marv's infectious personality shines through every page. You will laugh out loud, curse out loud, and cheer out loud!

Between the Lies

Literature & Fiction

Marv Levy

Genre Fiction

Richard Dent, a cornerstone of the Bears overwhelming defense during their Super Bowl run, and a 2011 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was an 8th-round draft pick out of tiny Tennessee State in 1983. The tall and skinny rookie would become a 4-time Pro Bowl selection who also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, and Philadelphia Eagles. Dent wound up his brilliant 15-year career with 137.5 sacks, eight interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns. But Dents fascinating story told for the first time in Blood, Sweat, &amp; Bears is more about a young man beating the odds than about a football player racking up statistics. Coming out of a small college with less fanfare than many of his high-profile peers, Dent talks about the inherent disrespect he received, especially early in his career, even though his production rivaled that of most other players at his position. The book, written with veteran Chicago Tribune sportswriter Fred Mitchell, takes the reader behind the scenes, into the huddle and inside the locker room of one of the fiercest, most dominant defenses in NFL history. Playing in the NFL during a time before violent helmet-to-helmet tackles were not forbidden, Dent discusses the direction of the current game in this candid book. Fans want to see hard hits and collisions, says Dent. If the NFL wanted to make the game perfectly safe, they would have the players wearing leather helmets and soft shoulder pads. But who would want to spend their money to come out and watch that? Dent also discusses Hall of Fame teammates, such as Walter Payton, and his at-times turbulent relationship with Coach Mike Ditka. He also adds his opinions on the bounty system and NFL Players struggle with concussion issues. A quarter of a century after the brash Bears filmed The Super Bowl Shuffle music video before winning the championship game, Dent is ready to tell his personal saga, as well as the rest of the intriguing story behind the 1985 Bears. Blood, Sweat, &amp; Bears hits hardjust like its Hall of Fame author!

Blood, Sweat, & Bears: Putting a Dent in the Game I Love

Richard Dent

(with) Fred Mitchell

Of all the wonderful players who have worn the crimson and blue for the University of Kansas basketball program through the years, only one can claim to be the "winningest" Jayhawk of all -- Tyrel Reed.
Reed, who concluded his playing career in March 2011, has written a new book that chronicles his time with the Jayhawks -- Reed All About It: Driven to Be a Jayhawk. The book published by Ascend Books of Overland Park, Kansas, is co-written by long-time Topeka Capital Journal Sports Columnist Tully Corcoran.
Reed was a champion on the court -- as part of the Jayhawks' National Championship in 2008 -- and in the classroom, as a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team member. He was part of more wins than any other player in the storied history of the Kansas program.
The son of a coach from Burlington, Kansas, Reed developed into an important leader and "glue guy" for the Jayhawks. He was an excellent outside shooter, sinking 170 three-point field goals in his career, and a clutch free throw shooter, with an .810 success rate.
In his book, Reed describes what it was like to play for Coach Bill Self, how the game has changed with "one-and-done" freshmen players, and how he was able to excel academically despite the demands of basketball practice and road trips.
Told with heart and good humor, Reed All About It: Driven to Be a Jayhawk, is a must-read for any fan of college basketball.

Reed All About It: Driven to be a Jayhawk

Tyrel Reed

Tully Corcoran

Cole Aldrich

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