Tales from the Team Series

Though boasting a smaller student body than most other Southeastern Conference schools, Vanderbilt University’s spirit and passion is without boundsand with good reason. This book highlights several Vandy sports programs whose teams have shined over the course of the school’s athletic history and the players and coaches who have been a part of them. Much of Vandy’s recent athletic success has come from the football team. Under coach James Franklin, the Commodores had their first sold-out season opener since 1999. In 2012, the squad tied the school record for most wins and finished in the top 25 poll, en route to a bowl game for the second straight year, and followed that with another bowl game in 2013. The men’s basketball team has also offered a lot of excitement of late. In 20112012, the squad boasted the top two scorers in the conference in John Jenkins and Jeffrey Taylor, both of whom were drafted to the NBA. The team won the SEC Tournament title that season, beating conference rival Kentucky. On the women’s side, the team made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013, marking the 11th time in as many seasons that coach Melanie Balcomb has led the team to at least 20 wins and an NCAA berth. The Commodores have also had something to cheer about on the baseball field, winning or sharing three SEC titles since 2007. In 2012, alumnus David Price received the American League Cy Young Award. Pedro Álvarez, also an alumnus and an infielder on the Pittsburgh Pirates, was a member of the 2013 National League All-Star team. In this latest addition to the Tales From series, Chris Lee highlights these athletes and coaches and so many others who have become part of Commodore lore. It’s perfect for the fan of the black and gold! Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

One of the most exciting teams in the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks have taken the sports world by storm. Now readers and fans will finally get the chance to hear the stories and witness the action that defines the powerhouse team that captured the 2011 NBA title. In this newly updated edition of Tales from the Dallas Mavericks Locker Room, Jaime Aron brings all the power and passion of the Dallas Mavericks recent glory years to life. Readers will relive all the adrenaline of the Mavericks-Spurs rivalry, get the inside scoop on life under head coach Rick Carlisle, and of course, revel in the glory of the Mavericks NBA championships! This treasure trove of team history includes stories about some of the best Mavs players to grace the court including: Dirk Nowitzki, Mark Aguirre, Jason Kidd, Seth Curry, and more. Tales from the Dallas Mavericks Locker Room is more than just a team history—it’s a chance to get to know the legendary players, coaches, and executives of the Dallas Mavericks like never before.

The images are forever etched in the minds of Arizona basketball fans, from Miles Simon falling to the court clutching the basketball as Arizona won its first and only NCAA title in 1997, to Lute Olson’s hair being mussed in the process, to Jason Terry sleeping in his uniform for four consecutive games in the middle of all the madness. All are indelible in Wildcats history as Arizona calmly drove the winding and bumpy road to the Final Four and beyond. Before Simon, Terry, and Olson, however, there were the likes of Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Fred Enke, and Pop McKale—all pivotal figures in Arizona’s hoops history. There were also Fred Snowden, Mo and Stewart Udall, and a host of others who helped bring prominence to a school looking for respect first in the Southwest, and then in the rest of the nation. Arizona’s rise has made them one of television’s must-see teams and one of the country’s top winning programs over the past 25 years. In Tales from the Arizona Wildcats Locker Room, author Steve Rivera takes readers back to the time when James Pierce wanted to be more of a movie idol than a coach. They will learn about the troubled times of the 1950s and ’60s, when racial tensions were high, and how Arizona’s first black player, Hadie Redd, dealt with them. Rivera also details Arizona’s participation in the Border Conference, its switch to the Western Athletic Conference, and its current dominance of the Pacific-10 Conference. This book is sure to be a must-have for any true Arizona fan.

The Sixers won 65 games and an NBA championship in 1982–83, still one of the finest seasons in NBA history. It was Moses Malone who, in the days before the playoffs, gave the team its battle cry. Asked by coach Billy Cunningham how he thought things would go in the playoffs, Moses said, "Fo’, fo’, fo’,”— meaning, in Moses's shorthand, that he expected the Sixers to sweep each of the three series they would need to play in order to win a championship. In this newly revised edition of Tales from the Philadelphia '76ers Locker Room, sports maverick Pat Williams teams up with writer Gordon Jones to capture a behind-the-scenes look at this legendary season. With wit and candor, Williams and Jones relive the unforgettable victories as well as the wrenching disappointments and painstaking efforts to rebuild that preceded that season. Readers are reintroduced to Julius “Dr. J” Erving, the beloved but unfulfilled superstar; Billy Cunningham, the hard-driven coach; Harold Katz, the relentless owner; and Moses Malone, the final piece of the title puzzle. Joined by a star-studded cast of players, they rampaged through the league, leaving a trail of devastated teams in their wake. With a thirty-year legacy that has yet to be surpassed by any '76ers team, Tales from the Philadelphia '76ers Locker Room is both a celebration of past glory and a promise of future victory to the loyal fans of the '76ers nation.

In 1998, the Predators joined the NHL as an expansion team, marking the start of what’s been a wild ride ever since! Tales from the Nashville Predators Locker Room covers all the stories, from the adventures around the inaugural season, to Nashville’s storied rivalry against the Detroit Red Wings, road reports from players competing abroad during the 2004 lockout, the heartbreak of the 2010 playoff loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the jubilation of winning a playoff series in 2011, the Matt Duchene offside goal controversy in 2013 that in turn helped to prompt official reviews, the art of the trade and how General Manager David Poile has helped land some of the biggest superstars on the roster, and of course the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals. In this insider’s account, the Predators’ greatest players and coaches—past and present—come to life. From P.K. Subban and Shea Weber, to Jason Arnott, Pekka Rinne, Filip Forsberg, Mike Fisher, and everyone in between, Fox Sports Tennessee correspondent Kristopher Martel covers it all. The perfect gift for any fan of Nashville hockey!

In this fascinating collection of Bruins tales, Kerry Keene brings readers behind the scenes and captures the stories that have defined the franchise throughout its storied history. From the team’s inception in 1924 up through their 2011 championship run, Tales from the Boston Bruins Locker Room has it all. This treasure trove of Bruins lore brings Boston’s best hockey players to life with stories about Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Phil Esposito, Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas, and other Bruins legends. Learn what Bruins jersey number was retired twice, who started the tradition of painting stitches on hockey masks, how the 1977 Bruins team inspired author George Plimpton to write the book Open Net, and relive the greatest moments of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

Readers have the chance to meet the Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the wildest, wackiest, most wonderful sports franchises that ever waddled its way across North America. If Penguins fans are not shedding tears of sadness, they are crying for joy or simply laughing so hard they cannot stop. No franchise has survived more near-death experiences than this one, which twice went bankrupt and many times escaped the threat of relocation. In 1975, things were so tough that players had their postgame oranges taken away. Nevertheless, they have persevered. Known across the league as lovable losers for its first 24 years, the team began the climb to the top in the 1990s, winning the Stanley Cup twice in that decade and again in 2009 and 2016. In Tales from the Pittsburgh Penguins Locker Room, sportswriter Joe Starkey takes fans inside the locker rooms, onto the team buses (including the one defenseman Bryan Bugsy” Watson hijacked), and behind the personalities that have shaped Penguins hockey since 1967.

In this action-packed collection of stories, Hoosier alum John Laskowski and veteran sportswriter Stan Sutton take readers onto the court and up to the basket with some of the greatest IU players to ever grace the hardwood. Fans will relive all the excitement, the disappointment, the laughter, and the celebration that has turned IU basketball into a statewide religion. The history of the Indiana program is revealed through the memories of the school’s hundreds of lettermen—from the days of the two-handed set shot and low-scoring games through World War II, to Bobby Knight’s perfect 1976 season, to the Cinderella Hoosiers of 2002, who advanced to the NCAA Finals under Mike Davis, and the winning season of 2012–2013, when the Hoosiers spent an incredible ten weeks ranked #1 in the nation. Tales from the Indiana Hoosiers Locker Room delivers the passion that has carried the program to five NCAA championships and beyond and is a must-have for any Hoosier fan.

It’s often said that while Dr. James Naismith invented basketball in Massachusetts, the sport was raised and ultimately came of age in the high schools of Indiana, the state where politics, religion, and sweet corn fall in line behind the game played with the round orange ball. Tales from the Indiana High School Basketball Locker Room

Peer beyond the high, thick hedges of Augusta National Golf Club for an intimate, entertaining glimpse of the classic cathedral that is home to golf's most venerable, unique event. In this newly-revised edition of Tales from Augusta’s Fairways, Jim Hawkins and Robert Hartman capture all the power and passion that have inspired golfers to flock to Georgia for generations. From Gene Sarazen's 1935 double-eagle that put Augusta National on the map, to Tiger Woods's Grand Slam victory in 2001, from the tragic collapses of Greg Norman and Jordan Spieth to the heart-warming story of Jose Maria Olazabal, Tales from Augusta’s Fairways takes an inside look at a course that has changed the game. Readers will share the dream with Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, walk the green with Jack Nicklaus, take a swing with Arnold Palmer, and putt with thousands of hopefuls who have made the Masters the most revered, most prestigious golf tournament in the world. Without a doubt, this is a must-have for any golf fan.

Since the moment that young men began modifying and personalizing their automobiles back in the 1940s and ’50s, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits was squarely in the thick of this intoxicating pursuit. Tales from the Drag Strip with “Big Daddy” Don Garlits is a first-person account of the many memorable experiences this drag racing icon has lived through in his half-century of nitromethane-fueled exploits. The many races, racers, race fans, and race tracks that have touched his colorful career are recounted as only Big Daddy can, painting a vivid picture of his life at speed and the triumphs and tragedies that came along the way. Insightful, ironic, humorous, and touching—but all true—Big Daddy’s remembrances are the next best thing to reliving the glory days of America’s quickest and fastest motorsports through the eyes of an American institution.

In Tales from the Minnesota Gophers Sideline, Ray Christensen tells nearly 200 tales from all 11 men’s sports at the University of Minnesota. The emphasis is largely on the last half of the 20th century, during which time Christensen did the radio play-by-play of Golden Gopher football for 50 consecutive seasons, 510 games, and U of M basketball for 45 straight seasons, 1,309 games. Christensen, a broadcasting award member of the College Football Hall of Fame, tells stories ranging from dramatic victories to more lighthearted, humorous events that combine to form a Big Ten tapestry, with the University of Minnesota at its core. From the Minnesota wrestlers’ incredible comeback for a 2001 NCAA championship to the Gophers’ game-ending field goals that led to remarkable upsets to the golf team’s string of birdies that enabled the squad to make the cut and James McLean to capture the NCAA individual crown, the book covers it all. Perfect for the bookshelf of any fan of Gophers athletics!

Readers have the chance to meet the Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the wildest, wackiest, most wonderful sports franchises that ever waddled its way across North America. If Penguins fans are not shedding tears of sadness, they are crying for joy or simply laughing so hard they cannot stop. No franchise has survived more near-death experiences than this one, which twice went bankrupt and many times escaped the threat of relocation. In 1975, things were so tough that players had their postgame oranges taken away. Nevertheless, they have persevered. Known across the league as lovable losers for its first 24 years, the team began the climb to the top in the 1990s, winning the Stanley Cup twice in that decade and once more in 2009. In Tales from the Pittsburgh Penguins Locker Room, sportswriter Joe Starkey takes fans inside the locker rooms, onto the team buses (including the one defenseman Bryan “Bugsy” Watson hijacked), and behind the personalities that have shaped Penguins hockey since 1967.

It’s the mom-and-pop store that has become a national franchise. The most renowned player in school history grew up three blocks from the cozy campus, yet the program has grown into a perennial top 25 power with a coast-to-coast followingeven if those casual fans still mangle the name. It’s Gonzaga University"Gon-zag-a"as in "Zags," the endearment that has overtaken "Bulldogs" as the school’s athletic ID. There are many Bulldogs, but only a few Zags. There are many Zags stories, however, and fans will find the essence of this college basketball phenomenon in Tales from the Gonzaga Bulldogs Locker Room. For readers who only know Gonzaga as the school that launched John Stockton toward the Basketball Hall of Fame and later rewrote the concept of being an NCAA Tournament Cinderella, this anecdotal anthology will fill in the blanks. The book focuses on a variety of names and events, like the "Tall Gaul"seven-foot-three Frenchman Jean Claude Lefebvre; the year the Zags actually pulled their "sixth man" out of the stands; and Frank Burgess, the future judge who led the nation in scoring. These stories are all a part of the little-known legacy that led to the modern-day heroics of Dan Dickau, Richie Frahm, Blake Stepp, and many others. Fans will meet them all, along with numerous other unforgettable characters, in this reissue of Tales from the Gonzaga Bulldogs Locker Room. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Tales From the Indiana Hoosier Locker Room covers over a century of Indiana University basketball. Current and former Hoosiers talk of the excitement, the disappointment, and the celebration that has turned IU basketball into a statewide religion. The history of the Indiana program is revealed through the memories of the school’s hundreds of lettermen. Without a doubt, this is a must-read for every March Madness and college basketball fan.

As one of the NHL’s original six teams, the Chicago Blackhawks have given their fans millions of heart-stopping memories, thousands of unforgettable stories, and five Stanley Cup Championships. Now fans of this indomitable team get to relive it all in this newly updated edition of Tales from the Chicago Blackhawks Locker Room. With all the charm and wit of a sportscaster who has been covering the Blackhawks for over sixty years, Harvey Wittenberg shares the greatest Hawks stories, including their 2010 Stanley Cup title.

Chicago Bulls fans thought they had it so good. From 1991 through 1993 the Bulls won three consecutive NBA titles behind the talents of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. When Jordan retired in the fall of 1993, those fans thought the good times were over. In the fall of 1995, however, Jordan was ready to make a full return to NBA action, Pippen was still the best number-two man in basketball, and then bad-boy Dennis Rodman was signed to join the franchise that had grown to hate him. Suddenly, the Bulls had the greatest team in NBA history. Tales from the Chicago Bulls Locker Room tells some of the inside stories from that team, the one that won three more NBA titles from 1996 through 1998. Seen from the eyes of three-time NBA champion center Bill Wennington, the Bulls come to life from an insider’s point of view. Followed everywhere and talked about endlessly, the 1995-96 Bulls captured a national and international audience and continued to keep all eyes upon them for three seasons. Fans will read about some of the most famous names in basketball history. Jordan, the demanding team leader; Pippen, the true teammate; Rodman, the reckless rebounder; Toni Kukoc, the outsider; Ron Harper, the former star-turned-role player; Luc Longley, the affable Aussie; Steve Kerr, the John Paxson sequel; all playing for Phil Jackson, the Zen master coach. These are stories fans have not heard before, but it’s not their fault. They just weren’t there the way Bill Wennington was. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Former ESPN basketball commentator Digger Phelps is regarded as one of the most charismatic and opinionated analysts in the profession. And he was the same personality during his twenty years as the head coach at the University of Notre Dame. In this book, first published in 2004, Phelps teams up with Tim Bourret and recalls the most successful period in Notre Dame basketball history. In his twenty seasons, seventeen of Phelps’s teams advanced to postseason play, including fourteen NCAA Tournament teams. In the book, Phelps recalls his initial expression of interest in Notre Dame through a 1965 letter he wrote to football coach Ara Parseghian. It recounts the scenes of his seven wins over number one-ranked teams, including the landmark game in 1974 when the Irish ended UCLA’s eighty-eight-game winning streak. Two chapters concentrate on the coach’s former Notre Dame players, concluding with the selection of his All-Digger teams. He also recalls the twenty Hall of Fame coaches he competed against, including Bobby Knight, Al McGuire, Ray Meyer, and John Wooden. Tales from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Locker Room also contains a chapter entitled Domers,” which documents Phelps’s relationships with Notre Dame coaches, administrators, and student-athletes, including Father Theodore Hesburgh, the man who made Notre Dame what it is today. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

In this newly updated edition of Tales from the Dallas Mavericks Locker Room, Jaime Aron brings all the power and passion of the Dallas Mavericks recent glory years to life. Readers will relive all the adrenaline of the Mavericks-Spurs rivalry, get the inside scoop on life under head coach Rick Carlisle, and of course, revel in the glory of the Mavericks redemption from 2006 as they finally overtook the Heat and won their first NBA title! This treasure trove of team history includes stories about some of the best Mavs players to grace the court including: Dirk Nowitzki, Mark Aguirre, Jason Kidd, Rolando Blackman, and more. Tales from the Dallas Mavericks Locker Room is more than just a team historyit’s a chance to get to know the legendary players, coaches, and executives of the Dallas Mavericks like never before.

When most sports fans hear the stat 3,000, they immediately turn to baseball. But for those fans whose breath comes out in frosty puffs, and who bleed ice and snow, 3,000 can only mean one thing—the glory of Montreal Canadiens hockey. The “Original One” of the “Original Six,” the Montreal Canadiens hockey team is practically synonymous with superlative: The most Stanley Cup championship victories, with 24? The Montreal Canadiens. The highest number of regular-season wins? The Montreal Canadiens. The oldest active franchise in the NHL? The Montreal Canadiens. Now the hundred-plus years of Canadiens triumphs, tragedies, and times like no other are captured in Robert Lefebvre’s Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room. In this unique compendium, Lefebvre brings to life both the history and the anecdotes of this incredible franchise. Stories of Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s incredible skills on the ice are paired side by side with locker room yarns and off-the-ice tales of Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Patrick Roy, and more. With humor, wit, and a lot of adrenaline, Robert Lefebvre has compiled a collection of Montreal Canadiens stories sure to please any hockey fan.

Based on the gold-standard currency of tradition and success, few college basketball programs are richer in history than Wake Forest University’s. This reissue of Tales from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Locker Room, first published in 2004, traces that vibrant history from the birth of the league to the growing successes of the team today. An original member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have provided the acclaimed league with much of its color and characternot to mention many of its colorful characters. Author Dan Collins provides stories about legendary players like Muggsy Bogues, the 5’3” guard who defied the description of basketball as a big man’s game, and the glory days of Tim Duncan, the onetime aspiring Olympic swimmer who grew up to become a five-time NBA champion and one of the greatest players in the game. The book looks at great coaches like Richard Crozier, the director of the university gymnasium who introduced basketball to Wake Forest; coach Murray Greason, whose love for the game of basketball was second only to his love for his beagle hounds; and coach Bones McKinney, the hyperactive Baptist minister whose dual, and at times dueling, religions were based on the Bible and basketball. Tales from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Locker Room chronicles how Wake Forest basketball survived the university’s relocation from the quaint town of Wake Forest to the city of Winston-Salem, and how the university has thrived with the support of its devoted fans. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Long before “The Decision,” four MVP awards, and back-to-back NBA championships with the Miami Heat, LeBron James opened the 2003–04 season as an untested rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In Tales from the Cleveland Cavaliers Locker Room: The Rookie Season of LeBron James, first published in 2004, readers will find anecdotes about this extraordinary rookie who grew up a stone’s throw away in Akron. Fans will read about the rest of the Cavaliers, from celebrations on the day lottery luck shone upon the team and the anticipation of LeBron’s debut to disappointments like the season-opening five-game losing streak and 6–19 start; from the excitement of a young team maturing under the guidance of head coach Paul Silas to the shrewd moves of general manager Jim Paxson. There were also the moments bordering on the absurd, like the near-riot on LeBron James Bobblehead Night. And there was the heartbreaking late-season injury to a key player that likely cost the Cavs a playoff berth. Through the eyes and ears of the media, coaches, players, fans, and more, this book is a must-read for any Cavs or NBA fan. It is a whimsical reflection on the rebirth of a forlorn franchise that was quite possibly a Ping-Pong ball away from relocating to another state. It is a look back at how a team led by a teenage kid with remarkable skills, awesome strength, and incredible poise went from being the laughingstock of the NBA to becoming a true playoff contender. In 2014, LeBron James decided to come home, where he remained through 2018. In this newly updated edition, Tales from the Cleveland Cavaliers Locker Room will make Cavs fans feel as if he never left.

Some call them the Bad Boys, others just call them bad news—either way, few teams carry the passion, power, and determination exuded by the Detroit Pistons. A collection of incredible basketball talent revered in Detroit and despised throughout the rest of the NBA, the Pistons are anything and everything but boring. Now Perry A. Farrell will take fans into the locker room and onto the Pistons court in this newly revised edition of Tales from the Detroit Pistons Locker Room. With help from Pistons legends Rick Mahorn and Joe Dumars, Farrell shares stories that cover all the key characters, including Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, John Salley, Vinny Johnson, Dennis Rodman, and coach Chuck Daly. Mahorn discusses the wars with the Bulls, Celtics, and Knicks, and championship battles with the Lakers and Blazers. The book also examines the sorry state of the franchise before the two titles, their attempts to recapture their NBA magic with Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse, and the recent run of success that Dumars is having as the team’s general manager. Mahorn’s role as color analyst for Pistons radio broadcasts has kept him in the loop as Dumars has added players like Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Darko Milicic, along with coach Larry Brown, over the past few seasons. Sharing stories from his playing and announcing days is a part of what makes Tales from the Detroit Pistons Locker Room a must-have for any Pistons fan.

The Duke Blue Devils have a long and glorious history of success, and that history comes alive in this newly revised edition of Tales from the Duke Blue Devils Locker Room. The Blue Devils’ storied past includes forty NCAA tournament appearances, sixteen trips to the final four, and five national titles. In this treasure trove of Duke history, Jim Sumner recalls the most legendary games and unique players that have come to define this championship team. Read about the 1968 ACC Tournament, North Carolina’s scoreless half at Duke in 1979, Duke’s upset win over UNLV in the 1991 Final Four, and the 1992 Duke-Kentucky Eastern Regional classic. Duke University has been home to thirty-six All-American basketball players. Nine of them have been named national player of the year: Dick Groat, Art Heyman, Johnny Dawkins, Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, and J. J. Redick. Their tales are included here along with stories from Duke coaching legends Eddie Cameron, Vic Bubas, Bill Foster, and Mike Krzyzewski. This is a must-read for any fan of Duke basketball. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

From the moment Dr. John McMullen brought professional hockey to New Jersey to the moment Scott Stevens lifted the Stanley Cup over his head for the third time, the Garden State has been in love with its New Jersey Devils. In Tales from the New Jersey Devils Locker Room, former New Jersey goalie Chico Resch and co-author Mike Kerwick bring readers along for a wild ride from the lean early seasons to the three Stanley Cup championships and beyond. The book has it all, including details about John MacLean’s game winner against Chicago, the goal that propelled the Devils into the playoffs for the first time in 1988; Ken Daneyko’s emotional curtain call in Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals; Martin Brodeur’s yearly playoff dominance and today’s Eastern Conference contenders. Tales From the New Jersey Devils Locker Room is an easy skate through Devils history, revealing insights behind the stories fans have heard and many others they have not heard until now. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Ken Rappoport’s Tales from the North Carolina Tar Heels Locker Room is a compilation of the best notes, quotes, and anecdotes from North Carolina lore. Meet a coach nicknamed Bloody Neck,” a player called The Blind Bomber,” and a team known as the White Phantoms.” And, of course, there is the extraordinary Michael Jordan. Tales from the North Carolina Tar Heels Locker Room captures the anecdotes and memories that have defined this team from the early twentieth century up through their incredible success in the 2000s. A must-have for any Tar Heels fan!

Shirley Muldowney not only broke the gender barrier in the National Hot Rod Association in the 1970s, but she also completely rewrote the record books in Top Fuel Eliminator, drag racing’s quickest and fastest category. She was the first woman to receive a Top Fuel license from the NHRA. Between 1977 and 1982, Muldowney won three NHRA Top Fuel championships—the first female ever to win a title in any professional motorsport. She won the prestigious NHRA US Nationals in 1982 and was recently inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. By the time she retired at the end of the 2003 season, Muldowney had become one of the most recognized and celebrated race car drivers in history. Tales from a Top-Fuel Dragster is an unabashed collection of stories, anecdotes, and opinions in Muldowney’s own unvarnished style of storytelling, laced with her straightforward, take-no-prisoners approach. She has spent her entire lifetime telling it like it is, standing up to the establishment, and refusing to do anything other than in her own way. Politically correct? Hardly. Readers are encouraged to strap themselves in when she shares her many tales. It’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth according to the legendary Shirley Muldowney.

Pinehurst, a pinpoint on the map of North Carolina, is a 100-year-old course beloved by all true golf fans. In Pinehurst, golf is more than a game; it’s a way of life. In Tales From Pinehurst, readers will experience historical tales and lore from those that have witnessed the growth of one of golf’s most endearing playing ?eldsfrom the infamous Donald Ross creation No. 2 course, which has baffled professional golfers for decades, to the US Opens it has hosted.

Nobody bleeds Blue like Bob Plager, considered one of the funniest men in hockey. This rollicking book details Plager’s romance with the Bluenotes from day one in 1967 to the present day. He was an original Blues player, a rugged defenseman whose specialty was the hip check. He remains an original personality and a good-humored man whose specialty is now the quick quip. As a master storyteller, Plager packs Tales from the St. Louis Blues Locker Room with insights from every level of the hockey rink. He chronicles the puzzling mind games of a young Scotty Bowman, the quirky coach whose legend began with the original Blues. In those old-school days, Plager learned memorable lessons from veterans like Al Arbour, Doug Harvey, Glenn Hall, Dickie Moore, and Jacques Plante, all future Hall of Famers. The early years also brought the three Plager brothers—Bob, Barclay, and Billy—together in St. Louis. Bob played long enough to help break in two Western Canadian kids, future captain Brian Sutter and future Hall of Famer Bernie Federko. Plager later coached a new generation of stars in St. Louis, players like Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, and Curtis Joseph. The tears and the cheers, the fun and the frustration—it is all found in Tales from the St. Louis Blues Locker Room.

In the late 1960s the New York Rangers transformed from NHL also-rans to Stanley Cup contenders. Gilles Villemure was part of that transformation. The little goaltender had a long wait to make it to the National Hockey League, which had only six teams until after the middle of the decade. Eventually Villemure joined Eddie Giacomin to give the Rangers a strong 1-2 goaltending tandem. The Vezina Trophywinning twosome was a fixture for the Rangers, threatening to end the franchise’s long Stanley Cup drought, only to come up short. Now, forty years later, Villemure writes about his days with the Rangers in the newly updated Tales from the Rangers Locker Room. Villemure tells stories about old pals like Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield, Brad Park, Jean Ratelleand his boss, Emile The Cat” Francis. The Rangers finally won that Stanley Cup in 1994, ending over fifty years of frustration, but it was those Francis-led teamsthe ones with Villemure and Giacomin in the goalthat brought New York’s Blueshirts, Madison Square Garden’s finest, to the top of the NHL. It is their influence that has continued to propel the Rangers forward even today, with a conference championship win in 2014 and the President’s Trophy in 2015. Fans young and old will want to hear Villemure’s stories come to life. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.