American Decathletes


Book Description

In the 20th century, American male decathletes have won 10 Olympic medals and set 22 world decathlon records. From Dennis Adama, a world-class high jumper while at Indiana State University, to Matt Zuber, who won 8 out of his 41 career decathlons, this work summarizes the career records of 319 of the most important American decathletes of the 20th century, including Jim Thorpe, Dan O'Brien, Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, and Bruce Jenner. All Olympians, international team members, national and collegiate champions, and members of the United States National team are profiled. Each entry describes the individual athlete's accomplishments and provides a statistical record of his entire decathlon career. A section on decathlon coaches and a comprehensive list of all world and United States decathlon rankings are provided.




The Decathlon


Book Description

Zarnowski, the world's foremost authority on the event, has written a colourful and comprehensive account of the decathlon. The book traces the heritage of the decathlon and includes the results of the 1988 Summer Games. The book also includes profiles of 22 of the greatest decathletes.




Track's Greatest Women


Book Description




Mr. Was


Book Description

Jack Lund figures a good day is when his dad's too drunk to beat up his mom. For Jack, Bogg's End is the end. The end of the turbulent, see-saw years of watching his father go on the wagon and fall right back off gain. Once it took two years, but the inevitable inevitably happened. Now it's just Jack and his mom starting over in the strange old house his grandfather left them. But the ride's not over yet. Jack's father returns, full of apologies and promises, and for a little while, things are looking up. Then in one terrifying, sickening moment, everything comes crashing back down again. So Jack runs. He runs through a strange hidden door that takes him back in time to before his parents were born. Before he was born. Maybe with a second chance he can stop the inevitable. At least he's got to try. What Jack doesn't understand, though, is that he can't change his future until he faces his past.







The End of Amateurism in American Track and Field


Book Description

Combining social and institutional history and incorporating the recollections of the athletes and meet directors on the front lines, The End of Amateurism in Track and Field shows how the athletes thoroughly transformed their sport to end the amateur system in the early 1990s---changes that allowed the athletes to market their potential, drastically increase their earning possibilities, and improve their quality of life. --




Rome 1960


Book Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of Clemente and When Pride Still Mattered, the blockbuster story of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, seventeen days that helped define the modern world. Legendary athletes and stirring events are interwoven into a suspenseful narrative of sports and politics at the Rome games, where cold-war propaganda and spies, drugs and sex, money and television, civil rights and the rise of women superstars all converged to forever change the essence of the Olympics. Using the meticulous research and sweeping narrative style that have become his trademark, maraniss reveals the rich palette of character, competition, and meaning that gave rome 1960 its singular essence.







Vertical File Index


Book Description




The Little Book of Irish Athletics


Book Description

Did you know? On 6 July 1924, high jumper and legendary Gaelic footballer Larry Stanley became the first athlete to represent independent Ireland in an Olympic athletics competition. Tom Kiely, arguably Ireland's greatest athlete, won in excess of 1,000 prizes, five AAA hammer titles and fifty-three national titles between 1888 and 1908. The oldest medallist in Olympic track and field history is Irish-born Matt McGrath, who won a medal in Paris in 1924 at the age of 49 years and 195 days. In the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Ronnie Delany became Ireland's first track champion, winning the 1,500m title with a new Olympic record time of 3:41.2. The Little Book of Irish Athletics is a concise history of all the major occasions in Irish athletics, from the nineteenth century to the Morton Mile of July 2017. This new book from author Tom Hunt is a must for fans of Irish athletics all over the world. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this compendium of fascinating, obscure, strange and entertaining facts can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about Ireland's proud sporting heritage.