{"product_id":"striking-gridiron-paperback","title":"Striking Gridiron - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGreg Nichols\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the midst of a strike and economic uncertainty, a football team from an iconic steel town just outside Pittsburgh set out to capture its sixth straight season without a loss, uniting a region and inspiring the nation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the summer of 1959, most of the town of Braddock, Pennsylvania--along with half a million steel workers around the country--went on strike in the longest labor stoppage in American history. With no paychecks coming in, the families of Braddock looked to its football team for inspiration. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Braddock Tigers had played for five amazing seasons, a total of 45 games, without a single loss. Heading into the fall of '59, this team from just outside Pittsburgh, whose games members of the Steelers would drop by to watch, needed just eight victories to break the national record for consecutive wins. \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e and other media descended upon the banks of the Monongahela River to profile the team and its revered head coach, future Hall of Famer Chuck Klausing, who molded his boys into winners while helping to effect the racial integration of his squad. While the townspeople bet their last dollars on the Tigers, young black players like Ray Henderson hoped that the record would be a ticket to college and spare them from life in the mills alongside their fathers. In \u003ci\u003eStriking Gridiron\u003c\/i\u003e, author Greg Nichols recounts every detail of Braddock's incredible sixth, undefeated season--from the brutal weeks of summer training camp to the season's final play that defined the team's legacy. In the words of Klausing himself, Greg Nichols couldn't have written it better if he'd been on the sidelines with us. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut even more than the story of a triumphant season, Nichols's narrative is an intimate chronicle of small-town America during the hardest of times. \u003ci\u003eStriking Gridiron\u003c\/i\u003e takes us from the sidelines and stands on game day into the school hallways, onto the street corners, and into the very homes of Braddock to reveal a beleaguered blue-collar town from a bygone era--and the striking workers whose strength was mirrored by the football heroics of steel-town boys on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAward-winning author and journalist \u003cb\u003eGreg Nichols\u003c\/b\u003e has followed his penchant for place-based reporting from the \u003ci\u003ebarrios\u003c\/i\u003e of South America to the steel towns of western Pennsylvania. In richly-told narratives, he writes about people who confront harrowing odds that test their strength and challenge their humanity. Nichols holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College. His books include \u003ci\u003eStriking Gridiron\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives with his wife in Los Angeles, where he likes to spend his free time reading, cooking, and traveling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 8.2 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 22, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAccelerated Reader:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQuiz Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Striking Gridiron: A Town's Pride and a Team's Shot at Glory During the Biggest Strike in American H\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e Upper Grades, 9-12\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7.6\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/strong\u003e 16\u003c\/div\u003e\n                ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42720292274239,"sku":"9781250074614","price":26.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/f59113fa12b55320d5102ad92f63b7a2.webp?v=1765088670","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/striking-gridiron-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}