"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
This is the story of that team, that coach, the 10 days that shook their world, and the seasons they played together. "We lost alot (sic) of games," recalls Gene Stallings, who endured those days as a player and eventually followed Bryant as head coach both at A&M and Alabama, "but Coach Bryant knew what he was doing. Out of the yellow dust and the broiling heat of Junction, he forged a team of champions." Jim Dent's evocative recounting is so real and immediate you'll feel your throat getting scratchy as you read. You'll also feel remarkable respect for the players who toughed it out--and for Bryant, who begins as a man possessed, but, day after day, as he breaks the backs of some and helps instill true grit in others, transforms into a human being. --Jeff Silverman
In August of fifty-four, the town of Junction was a flyspeck on the map of Texas. The Texas Hill Country was in the grip of a five-year drought that had fried most of central and West Texas. On a day late in the month, two Greyhound buses weaved through a twisting and narrow two-lane highway. The Texas A&M football team aboard, 111 strong, would soon arrive in a tiny town with no stoplights, one service station, and precious little else; just outside town, they would find an unforgiving patch of land littered with spartan Quonset huts, rocks, sandspurs, cactus, yellow dust and gnarled mesquite trees.
As Texas suffered from the devastating drought, so to did Texas A&M football suffer from a drought of heart and talent. To the rescue came Bear Bryant, already a legend in the making, who was in no mood for a picnic. It was in Junction that he would make his stand, and it was here that he would drive home an extreme brand of blood-and-thunder discipline. In a calculated move that many consider the salvation of Texas A&M football, Bryant put his players through the most grueling workouts ever imagined. Beneath a broiling Texas sun, practicing on a drought-scorched field, only a handful would survive the ten-day Aggie Death Camp. The ones who braved the torch-like heat and the burning passion of their coach helped turn a floundering team into one of the nation's best.
The Junction Boys recounts this training camp and the rebuilding program that culminated in an undefeated season just three years later. But this is more than just a story of tough practices without water breaks. An extraordinary fellowship was forged from the mind-numbing pain. The thirty-five survivors bonded together like no other team in America. They profited from the Junction experience; the knowledge they took back with them to College Station, about themselves and what they were capable of, would be used for the rest of their lives. Among the Junction survivors who would have a powerful influence on the game of football were Gene Stallings and Jack Pardee.
In vivid and powerful images reminiscent of Friday Night Lights, Hoosiers, and The Last Picture Show, these young men and their driven coach come to life. The Junction Boys contains all the hallmarks of a classic sports story, and it combines America's love of college football with an extraordinary story of perseverance and triumph.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0312192932
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Buy for Great customer experience. Seller Inventory # GoldenDragon0312192932
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0312192932
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # Hafa_fresh_0312192932
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0312192932
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0312192932
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 1.35. Seller Inventory # Q-0312192932
Book Description Condition: new. 1st. Book is in NEW condition. Satisfaction Guaranteed! Fast Customer Service!!. Seller Inventory # PSN0312192932