"The story of Mickey Mantle's magnificent 1956 season Mickey Mantle was the ideal batter for the atomic age, capable of hitting a baseball harder and farther than any other player in history. He was also the perfect idol for postwar America, a wholesome hero from the heartland. In A Season in the Sun, acclaimed historians Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith recount the defining moment of Mantle's legendary career: 1956, when he overcame a host of injuries...

The first book to bring to life the influential friendship between Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. In 1962, no one believed that the obnoxious Cassius Clay would ever become the heavyweight champion of the world. But Malcolm X saw the potential in Clay, not just for boxing greatness, but as a means of spreading the Nation of Islam's radical message. Malcolm secretly molded Clay into Muhammad Ali--a patriotic boxing star in public, and a radical reformer...

In 1962, boxing writers and fans considered Cassius Clay an obnoxious self-promoter, and few believed that he would become the heavyweight champion of the world. But Malcolm X, the most famous minister in the Nation of Islam--a sect many white Americans deemed a hate cult--saw the potential in Clay, not just for boxing greatness, but as a means of spreading the Nation s message. The two became fast friends, keeping their interactions secret from the...

Describes how Joe Namath and Bear Bryant led the Crimson Tide to an Orange Bowl championship in 1965, amidst bloody fights in the civil rights movement and a pair of ethics scandals, to change football's culture and economics.

"One of the greatest stories in American sports history: how the 1944 Army team beat Navy, captured a championship, and inspired a nation at war"--Jacket.

"Freshly adapted for young readers, this in-depth portrait showcases the complex bond between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, revealing how Malcolm aided in molding Cassius Clay into Muhammad Ali and helped him become an international symbol of Black pride and Black independence"--