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The Rebounders: A Division I Basketball Journey
by Amanda OttawayUnlike the stories of most visible Division I college athletes, Amanda Ottaway’s story has more in common with those of the 80 percent of college athletes who are never seen on TV. The Rebounders follows the college career of an average NCAA Division I women’s basketball player in the twenty-first century, beginning with the recruiting process when Ottaway is an eager, naive teenager and ending when she’s a more contemplative twentysomething alumna. Ottaway’s story, along with the journeys of her dynamic Wildcat teammates at Davidson College in North Carolina, covers in engaging detail the life of a mid-major athlete: recruitment, the preseason, body image and eating disorders, schoolwork, family relationships, practice, love life, team travel, game day, injuries, drug and alcohol use, coaching changes, and what comes after the very last game. In addition to the everyday issues of being a student athlete, The Rebounders also covers the objectification of female athletes, race, sexuality, and self-expression. Most college athletes, famous or not, play hard, get hurt, fail, and triumph together in a profound love of their sport and one another, and then their careers end and they figure out how to move on. From concussions and minor injuries to classrooms, parties, and relationships, Ottaway understands the experience of a Division I women’s basketball player firsthand. The Rebounders is, at its core, a feminist coming-of-age story, an exploration of what it means to be a young woman who loves a sport and is on a course of self-discovery through that medium.
The Official American Youth Soccer Organization Handbo
by John Ouelette Vincent FortanasceThe first book endorsed by AYSO -- the organization that soccer moms and dads trust most -- that presents all the basics of youth soccer If you are a soccer parent, coach, or referee, or just a youth soccer enthusiast, The Official American Youth Soccer Organization Handbook is for you. Dr. Vincent Fortanasce, Lawrence Robinson, and John Ouellette, the National AYSO coach, have written the book that will help everyone to better understand the rules, regulations, and skills that are essential to the game and a rewarding soccer experience for the children who play. In a straightforward, easy-to-follow style, The Official AYSO Handbook covers:the five philosophies of AYSO: everyone plays, balanced teams, open registration, positive coaching, and good sportsmanship the responsibilities of each positionthe complete rules of youth soccer, including offside, throw-ins, and penalty kicksskills such as ball control, goalkeeping, heading, and shooting short-sided soccer rules for children between the ages of six and twelve information for the prevention and treatment of the most common soccer injuriesAYSO is the best and most trusted youth soccer authority. And now, Fortanasce, Robinson, and Ouellette have collected AYSO's expertise in this indispensable book -- a must-have for anyone who embraces the important role that youth soccer can play in a child's life.
A Game of Golf: A Book of Reminiscence (The\sportstown Ser.)
by Francis OuimetFrancis Ouimet (1893-1967) was an unknown twenty-year-old amateur when he upset famed British golfers Harry Vardon and Ted Ray to win the 1913 U.S. Open. That spectacular victory at The Country Club (TCC) made him America’s first golf hero, drew new fans to the sport, and forever altered the image of golf as a stuffy, rich man’s game dominated by British and Scottish players.In this engaging memoir, first published in 1932, Ouimet reminisces about his life in golf and gives sage advice on playing the game. He vividly chronicles the boyhood he spent at his modest home across the street from The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. With charm and wit he recalls how he scavenged for golf balls and clubs, learned to play on a homemade, three-hole course in his backyard, and sneaked onto The Country Club’s fairways to practice in the early morning hours. He recounts his caddying years, starting at age nine, the early amateur competitions, and the momentous 1913 U.S. Open tournament on his neighborhood course.Legendary is the story of Ouimet and his caddy, Eddie Lowery. Ouimet refused an experienced TCC member’s offer to carry his clubs during the 1913 playoff in favor of the ten-year-old boy.Ouimet’s illustrious amateur career journeys across the fairways of Hoylake, St. Andrews, Garden City, and Pebble Beach, and concludes with his victory in the 1931 U.S. National Amateur at Beverly Hills in Chicago.Brimming with exciting matches and great players such as Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, these humble reminiscences of the working-class kid who changed the game of golf will inspire golf enthusiasts and general readers alike.
Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning
by Dorothy OursDorothy Ours's Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning tells the fascinating true story of one of the greatest racehorses who ever lived.His trainer said that managing him was like holding a tiger by the tail. His owner compared him to "chain lightning." His jockeys found their lives transformed by him, in triumphant and distressing ways. All of them became caught in a battle for honesty.Born in 1917, Man o' War grew from a rebellious youngster into perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time. He set such astonishing speed records that The New York Times called him a "Speed Miracle." Often he won with so much energy in reserve that experts wondered how much faster he could have gone. Over the years, this and other mysteries would envelop the great Man o' War.The truth remained problematic. Even as Man o' War--known as "Big Red"--came to power, attracting record crowds and rave publicity, the colorful sport of Thoroughbred racing struggled for integrity. His lone defeat, suffered a few weeks before gamblers fixed the 1919 World Series, spawned lasting rumors that he, too, had been the victim of a fix.Tackling old beliefs with newly uncovered evidence, Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning shows how human pressures collided with a natural phenomenon and brings new life to an American icon. The genuine courage of Man o' War, tribulations of his archrival, Sir Barton (America's first Triple Crown winner), and temptations of their Hall of Fame jockeys and trainers reveal a long-hidden tale of grace, disgrace, and elusive redemption.
Osteotomy About the Knee: A Comprehensive Guide
by Sam Oussedik Sebastien LustigDegenerative conditions of the knee place an increasing burden on health economies and lead to pain and functional loss for sufferers. Although arthroplasty may not offer a level of functional restoration that meets all patients’ expectations, joint preservation through osteotomy is a viable option in younger, more physically active patients. This volume is a comprehensive technical guide to performing knee-preserving surgery to treat degenerative conditions and malalignment-associated knee instability. Drawing on their extensive experience of these procedures, the authors provide valuable insights into identifying patients who may benefit, as well as planning and performing the procedures with a high degree of precision, and explaining the results that can be achieved. This book both initiates novices and provides technical tips for experienced surgeons, and as such is an indispensible resource for all clinicians who treat patients with knee conditions.
Dare to Do: Taking on the planet by bike and boat
by Sarah OutenSHORTLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANFORD ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAROn 1 April 2011, rower and adventurer Sarah Outen set off in her kayak from Tower Bridge for France. Her aim was simple: to circle the globe entirely under her own steam - cycling, kayaking and rowing across Europe, Asia, the Pacific, North America, the Atlantic and eventually home. A year later, Sarah was plucked from the Pacific ocean amid tropical storm Mawar, her boat broken, her spirit even more so. But that wasn't the end. Despite ill health and depression, giving up was not an option. So Sarah set off once more to finish what she had started, becoming the first woman to row solo from Japan to Alaska, as well as the first woman to row the mid-Pacific from West to East. She kayaked the treacherous Aleutian chain and cycled North America, before setting out on the Atlantic, despite the risk of another row-ending storm...Dare to Do is more than an adventure story. It is a story of the kindness of strangers and the spirit of travel; a story of the raw power of nature, of finding love in unexpected places, and of discovering your inner strength. It is about trying and failing, and trying again, and about how, even when all seems lost, you can find yourself.
Dare to Do: Taking on the planet by bike and boat
by Sarah OutenOn April 1, 2011, rower and adventurer Sarah Outen set off in her kayak from Tower Bridge for France. Her aim was simple: to circle the globe entirely under her own steam - cycling, kayaking and rowing across Europe, Asia, the Pacific, North America, the Atlantic and eventually home. A year later, Sarah was plucked from the Pacific ocean amid tropical storm Mawar, her boat broken, her spirit even more so.But that wasn't the end. Despite ill health and depression, giving up was not an option. So Sarah set off once more to finish what she had started, becoming the first woman to row solo from Japan to Alaska, as well as the first woman to row the mid-Pacific from West to East. She kayaked the treacherous Aleutian chain and cycled North America, before setting out on the Atlantic, despite the risk of another row-ending storm...Dare to Do is more than an adventure story. It is a story of the kindness of strangers and the spirit of travel; a story of the raw power of nature, of finding love in unexpected places, and of discovering your inner strength. It is about trying and failing, and trying again, and about how, even when all seems lost, you can find yourself.
Dare to Do: Taking on the planet by bike and boat
by Sarah OutenSHORTLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANFORD ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAROn 1 April 2011, rower and adventurer Sarah Outen set off in her kayak from Tower Bridge for France. Her aim was simple: to circle the globe entirely under her own steam - cycling, kayaking and rowing across Europe, Asia, the Pacific, North America, the Atlantic and eventually home. A year later, Sarah was plucked from the Pacific ocean amid tropical storm Mawar, her boat broken, her spirit even more so. But that wasn't the end. Despite ill health and depression, giving up was not an option. So Sarah set off once more to finish what she had started, becoming the first woman to row solo from Japan to Alaska, as well as the first woman to row the mid-Pacific from West to East. She kayaked the treacherous Aleutian chain and cycled North America, before setting out on the Atlantic, despite the risk of another row-ending storm...Dare to Do is more than an adventure story. It is a story of the kindness of strangers and the spirit of travel; a story of the raw power of nature, of finding love in unexpected places, and of discovering your inner strength. It is about trying and failing, and trying again, and about how, even when all seems lost, you can find yourself.
A Dip in the Ocean: Rowing Solo Across the Indian
by Sarah OutenPowered by the grief of the sudden loss of her father and the determination to live life to the full, in 2009 Sarah became the first woman and the youngest person to row solo across the Indian Ocean. Life-affirming, funny and poignant, Sarah’s salty tale of courage and endurance will inspire the taste of adventure in everyone.
Self-Study in Physical Education Teacher Education
by Alan Ovens Tim FletcherIn this in-depth examination of self-study as a research methodology, an international selection of physical education scholars share their ideas and experiences and consider the value of self-study as a vector for highlighting the emerging conflicts, dilemmas, and debates currently developing in teaching and teacher education pedagogies. A vital new addition to Springer's series Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices, the volume is divided into three sections assessing the significance of the approach itself, offering detailed subject-relevant case studies, and exploring the nuances and controversies attending the evolution of the methodology. The contributors show how self-study enables reflexivity in pedagogical practice, a notable lacuna in current critical research, and at the same time they make the technique accessible to scholars of physical education wanting a practicable introduction to the subject. The analysis also explores the implications of applying self-study to pedagogy itself, to the curriculum, and to human movement and educational practice more generally. By embracing more organic, emergent notions of research practice and learning, the book achieves a broader and more inclusive survey of pedagogical work in physical education teacher education that fully acknowledges the complexities of the field.
Complexity Thinking in Physical Education: Reframing Curriculum, Pedagogy and Research (Routledge Studies in Physical Education and Youth Sport)
by Alan Ovens Tim Hopper Joy ButlerIn the past two decades, complexity thinking has emerged as an important theoretical response to the limitations of orthodox ways of understanding educational phenomena. Complexity provides ways of understanding that embrace uncertainty, non-linearity and the inevitable ‘messiness’ that is inherent in educational settings, paying attention to the ways in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is the first book to focus on complexity thinking in the context of physical education, enabling fresh ways of thinking about research, teaching, curriculum and learning. Written by a team of leading international physical education scholars, the book highlights how the considerable theoretical promise of complexity can be reflected in the actual policies, pedagogies and practices of physical education (PE). It encourages teachers, educators and researchers to embrace notions of learning that are more organic and emergent, to allow the inherent complexity of pedagogical work in PE to be examined more broadly and inclusively. In doing so, Complexity Thinking in Physical Education makes a major contribution to our understanding of pedagogy, curriculum design and development, human movement and educational practice.
Sports Crazy: How Sports Are Sabotaging American Schools
by Steven J. OvermanSports Crazy: How Sports Are Sabotaging American Schools exposes the excesses of middle and high school sports and the detrimental effects our sports obsession has on American education. Institutions are increasingly emulating college and professional sports models and losing sight of a host of educational and health goals.Steven J. Overman describes how this agenda is driven largely by partisan fans and parents of athletes who exert an inordinate influence on school priorities, and he explains how and why school administrators shockingly and consistently capitulate to these demands. The author underscores the incongruity of public schools involved in an entertainment business and the effects this diversion has on academic integrity, learning, life experience, and overall educational outcomes.Overman examines out-of-control school sports within the context of a school’s educational mission and curriculum, with telling reference to impacts on physical education. He explores as well the outsized place of interscholastic sports beyond the classroom and scrutinizes the distorted relationship between intramural or recreational sports and elitist, varsity athletics. Overman’s chapter on tackle football explains many reasons why this sport should be eliminated from the school extracurriculum and replaced by flag or touch football.Overman presents a brief history of interscholastic sports, and he compares and contrasts the American experience of school-sponsored sport to the European model of community-based clubs. Which approach better serves students? Overman recommends reforms in the context of a radical proposal to phase out interscholastic sports in favor of an intramural or club model. This approach would alleviate such problems as elitism and gender bias and reign in hypercompetitiveness while freeing schools to educate students rather than provide public entertainment.
The Chosen One
by David OwenEarl Woods, the father of young Eldrick "Tiger" Woods, was widely ridiculed in 1996 when, in an article anointing his son as Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, he likened Tiger's potential impact to that of a messiah. This unseemly proclamation appeared to embody all the worst elements of the dreaded sports-parent who seeks financial windfall and personal validation by pushing his child to excel on the diamond, the gridiron, the court, or the fairways. But in light of all we know now about Tiger Woods, David Owen asks in The Chosen One, who is to say that it wasn't Tiger's transcendent greatness all along that induced his father to guide him, rather than the father pushing the son? Not since the dawn of competitive tournament golf has anyone distanced himself from the rest of the world the way Tiger has. He is the best there is at nearly every aspect of the game: the longest driver, the strongest iron player, the most creative around the greens, and so sharp a clutch putter that when he putts well the tournament is over, and when he putts badly he often wins anyway. He is a breakthrough athlete in a sport remarkably resistant to them; in every tournament, Tiger has to beat a hundred-plus competitors, any of whom can take away a title with a four-day hot streak. When Michael Jordan won all his back-to-back championships, each night he only had to beat one team. Tiger is also a breakthrough athlete as one of the first true multicultural icons. There are African-American, Asian, Native American, and Caucasian elements to his roots; he carries with him parts of so many ethnicities that he not only shatters stereotypes but renders the whole notion of racial classification irrelevant. It is ironic that such an athlete would emerge in golf, America's most tradition-bound and racially insensitive sport. In The Chosen One, gifted essayist David Owen ponders the social, economic, and athletic implications of this amazing young man. We are only beginning to see all the ways that Tiger Woods might reshape the world. Owen's thoughtful, incisive, elegant, and provocative work examines this phenomenon unlike any the fields of play have ever seen, in a book that will stand alongside John McPhee's A Sense of Where You Are (about Princeton forward Bill Bradley) among the classic works of sports philosophy.
Hit & Hope
by David OwenThe game of golf as it is played by happy hackers and weekend warriors everywhere Most of us may dream about playing golf like Woods, Nicklaus, and Palmer, but the game they've got probably doesn't look much like the one we play. In Hit and Hope, Owen brings together entertaining essays on the mundane aspects of the game and how we approach it. Funny, candid, and thoughtful, this book offers the truest commentary on how and why the rest of us play golf, finding nobility and silliness in our endless pursuit of a little white ball over a vast (but not vast enough to contain our slices) greensward.
My Usual Game: Adventures in Golf
by David OwenPublished just in time for Father's Day, this engagingly witty discourse takes readers along on Owen's golfing adventures--playing the Masters course in Augusta, touring Ireland's greatest greens, meeting the sport's real millionaires (the equipment manufacturers), and chatting with local duffers. Line drawings.From the Hardcover edition.
The Three Kings
by Jonny Owen Leo MoynihanThree of the greatest football clubs: Celtic, Liverpool and Manchester United. Their three greatest managers: Jock Stein, Bill Shankly and Matt Busby.Three men born within a 20-mile radius of each other in the central lowlands of Scotland; forged in mining communities to subsequently shape the course of modern football. More than the sum of its parts, THREE KINGS, promises a narrative beyond any single biography of its three subjects could. The track record of Jonny Owen and his producers promises a film of critical and commercial importance - loved by all fans of the beautiful game, as well as by fans of the three greatest clubs in the UK. Together these three clubs have a combined 170,000 season-ticket holders, and social-media followings worldwide of over 200,000,000 people.
For the Love of Running: A Companion
by Paul OwenRunning is the simplest, the most natural, the most wildly liberating and gloriously exhilarating of sports. Collected here are all the most fascinating insights into the world of running – from its illustrious history to the modern-day greats – that you will ever need to inspire your next run, whether it’s a 5K or an ultramarathon.
The Joy of Running: For Those Who Love to Run (The\joy Of Ser.)
by Paul OwenThis pocket-sized miscellany, packed with fascinating facts, handy hints and captivating stories and quotes from the world of running, is perfect for anyone who knows the incomparable joy and freedom of lacing up your trainers and hitting the road.
The Joy of Running: For Those Who Love to Run (The\joy Of Ser.)
by Paul OwenThis pocket-sized miscellany, packed with fascinating facts, handy hints and captivating stories and quotes from the world of running, is perfect for anyone who knows the incomparable joy and freedom of lacing up your trainers and hitting the road.
The Pocket Guide to Essential Knots: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Most Important Knots for Everyone
by Peter Owen21 Essential Knots for Everyday Use Indoors or Outdoors! This compact little reference book includes knots for a wide range of functions, from home to work, hobby to play activities. No knot-tying jargon is used, no baffling technical terms—just simple step-by-step instructions and outstandingly clear line drawings. It's the perfectly portable knot reference for anyone—scouts, sailors, hunters, anglers, gardeners, farmers, horse riders, you name it! Among the knots in this book are: Overhand knotHeaving line knot Reef knotSheetbend Fisherman&’s knot, Figure-of-eight loop Bowline Three-part crown Sheepshank Half-hitch Clove hitch,Constrictor knot Pile hitch Highwayman&’s hitchWaggoner&’s hitch Timber hitchDouble-loop knotUni-knotBlood knotSquare lashing And more! Start learning these useful and practical knots today with The Pocket Guide to Essential Knots.
Three Dads Walking: 300 Miles of Hope
by Tim Owen Mike Palmer Andy Airey'Truly heroic' Daniel Craig'A completely brilliant thing, to benefit so many' Nicole Kidman'Powerful and deeply moving' Andy Burnham'An epic journey . . . will touch the hearts of people everywhere' Lou Macari*Foreword from Dan Walker*'We were (and are) three ordinary dads who found ourselves in a desperate place we never expected to be, engulfed by pain and suffering beyond imagining, but who chose to push back, to not allow it to overwhelm us, to build something positive from the shattered pieces of our lives. We wanted to do something ... and this is what it became: Three Dads Walking.'These three dads would rather have never met. Strangers bound by grief, they joined together to save lives and became a national inspiration - one step at a time. This is their incredible journey. In memory of their young daughters - Sophie, Beth and Emily - who took their own lives, three dads set out on a 300-mile journey across the country, from the windswept Lakeland fells and Peak District dales to the open plains of the eastern Fens. Putting one foot in front of the other in spite of their pain, they capture the hearts of millions: laughing together, crying together, fighting to be heard. With each hill climbed and story shared, they begin to rediscover their faith in humanity and are inspired by the kindness of strangers across the land. Woven around personal diary entries and their own experiences of deep grief, this book, told in three distinct parts by each dad, grows into a beacon of hope for anyone struggling. Itʼs about the power of speaking out, of friendship, laughter and courage (and blisters). The three dads bear a heavy load, but they walk on for us all, finding light on the path after the darkest times.'Awe-inspiring' Carol Vorderman
Three Dads Walking: 300 Miles of Hope
by Tim Owen Mike Palmer Andy Airey'Truly heroic' Daniel Craig'A completely brilliant thing, to benefit so many' Nicole Kidman'Powerful and deeply moving' Andy Burnham'An epic journey . . . will touch the hearts of people everywhere' Lou Macari*Foreword from Dan Walker*'We were (and are) three ordinary dads who found ourselves in a desperate place we never expected to be, engulfed by pain and suffering beyond imagining, but who chose to push back, to not allow it to overwhelm us, to build something positive from the shattered pieces of our lives. We wanted to do something ... and this is what it became: Three Dads Walking.'These three dads would rather have never met. Strangers bound by grief, they joined together to save lives and became a national inspiration - one step at a time. This is their incredible journey. In memory of their young daughters - Sophie, Beth and Emily - who took their own lives, three dads set out on a 300-mile journey across the country, from the windswept Lakeland fells and Peak District dales to the open plains of the eastern Fens. Putting one foot in front of the other in spite of their pain, they capture the hearts of millions: laughing together, crying together, fighting to be heard. With each hill climbed and story shared, they begin to rediscover their faith in humanity and are inspired by the kindness of strangers across the land. Woven around personal diary entries and their own experiences of deep grief, this book, told in three distinct parts by each dad, grows into a beacon of hope for anyone struggling. Itʼs about the power of speaking out, of friendship, laughter and courage (and blisters). The three dads bear a heavy load, but they walk on for us all, finding light on the path after the darkest times.'Awe-inspiring' Carol Vorderman
Three Dads Walking: 300 Miles of Hope
by Tim Owen Mike Palmer Andy Airey'Truly heroic' Daniel Craig'A completely brilliant thing, to benefit so many' Nicole Kidman'Powerful and deeply moving' Andy Burnham'An epic journey . . . will touch the hearts of people everywhere' Lou Macari*Foreword from Dan Walker*'We were (and are) three ordinary dads who found ourselves in a desperate place we never expected to be, engulfed by pain and suffering beyond imagining, but who chose to push back, to not allow it to overwhelm us, to build something positive from the shattered pieces of our lives. We wanted to do something ... and this is what it became: Three Dads Walking.'These three dads would rather have never met. Strangers bound by grief, they joined together to save lives and became a national inspiration - one step at a time. This is their incredible journey. In memory of their young daughters - Sophie, Beth and Emily - who took their own lives, three dads set out on a 300-mile journey across the country, from the windswept Lakeland fells and Peak District dales to the open plains of the eastern Fens. Putting one foot in front of the other in spite of their pain, they capture the hearts of millions: laughing together, crying together, fighting to be heard. With each hill climbed and story shared, they begin to rediscover their faith in humanity and are inspired by the kindness of strangers across the land. Woven around personal diary entries and their own experiences of deep grief, this book, told in three distinct parts by each dad, grows into a beacon of hope for anyone struggling. Itʼs about the power of speaking out, of friendship, laughter and courage (and blisters). The three dads bear a heavy load, but they walk on for us all, finding light on the path after the darkest times.'Awe-inspiring' Carol Vorderman
T.O.
by Terrell Owens Jason RosenhausIn this remarkably candid book, the NFL's most colorful and controversial athlete tells his own Philadelphia story. Terrell Owens joined the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2004 season hoping to help the Eagles win the Super Bowl. The Eagles almost did it, losing a close game to the New England Patriots. TO expected to have a long and productive career in Philadelphia. But less than halfway through the 2005 season it all fell apart. TO was suspended, first for a game, then for the season, as the Eagles blamed him for a variety of infractions. Now TO speaks out about what really happened in Philadelphia. He takes readers behind the scenes -- and into the huddle -- to show how he was unfairly blamed for conduct detrimental to his team. After setting an Eagles record for touchdown receptions, TO was badly injured late in the 2004 season. Most observers thought his season was over. But TO put himself through a grueling rehab, which he describes here, to recover in time to join his teammates in the Super Bowl, turning in a remarkable performance. Convinced that the Eagles could win it all in 2005, TO became only the sixth receiver in NFL history with 100 touchdown receptions. He explains in T.O. how and why his relationship with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb deteriorated. The situation worsened when TO agreed with Michael Irvin that the Eagles would be better off with Brett Favre as their quarterback. A fight in the team locker room, where an injured TO had to defend himself, caused further friction. Before long he was suspended from the team for the entire season. TO contested his suspension and took his case before an arbitrator. In this book TO brings readers into the hearing room and shows how unfair the arbitrator's precedent-setting decision really was. The decision was so wrong that even the NFL agreed to pass a rule specifically reversing it. But T.O. is a story of triumph and dedication. TO never lost his commitment to the game, and whenever he had the chance, he performed like the sensational athlete he is. He knew he would play again, and his faith was rewarded when he signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys prior to the 2006 season. Throughout his ordeal, TO remained true to himself, the same outsized personality who has rocked the NFL and become a football superstar.
Catch This!: Going Deep with the NFL's Sharpest Weapon
by Terrell Owens Stephen SingularIn a sport full of players who are larger than life, Terrell Owens towers above the crowd. It isn't just that he holds the NFL record for catches in a single game (twenty) or that he's the most feared wide receiver in the game. It's also his penchant for unique self-expression -- spiking the ball on the midfield Texas lone star in front of a hostile Dallas Cowboy crowd, pulling a Sharpie from his sock to sign a game ball after a touchdown, and dancing with a cheerleader's pom-poms after another TD. Never politically correct and always controversial and colorful on and off the field, Terrell Owens has transformed himself into "TO," the outrageous gridiron personality who has rocked the entire NFL and the sports landscape. But Owens is more than touchdowns, dancing, and celebrations. In this wickedly insightful book, he's full of sharp-eyed observations on the contentious, demanding, insane phenomenon that is pro football. In Catch This! Owens takes readers back to his hardscrabble childhood in rural Alabama, where he was raised by a stern grandmother and loving mother. By the time he won an athletic scholarship for football at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, the once small, bullied boy had transformed himself into a very large man with a super body and an iron will to succeed. He takes us behind his apprenticeship to -- and eventual eclipsing of -- the legendary 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice. He pulls no punches when it comes to his extremely public fight with San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci -- a relationship so sour that they didn't speak at all during the crucial final weeks of the 2001 season. And, finally, he lets loose on the free agent scandal that shook the NFL in 2004 -- and reveals the truth behind the NFL's attempt to deny him free agency, his fraudulent trade to the Baltimore Ravens, and his ultimate happy landing with the Philadelphia Eagles. For those who think they know both Terrell Owens and TO, catch this story.