The Kids Got It Right, Jim Dent
The Kids Got It Right, Jim Dent
1 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
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The Kids Got It Right
How the Texas All-Stars Kicked Down Racial Walls

Author: Jim Dent

Narrator: Brian Hutchison

Unabridged: 8 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 09/27/2013


Synopsis

Jim Dent takes the reader to the heart of Texas football with the incredible story of how two young men broke the chain of racism that had existed for more than half a century. In 1965, black and white players barely mixed in Texas. That summer, Jerry LeVias and Bill Bradley came together at the Big 33 game in Hershey, Pennsylvania. When no one else would room with LeVias, Bradley stepped forward. The two became the closest of friends and the best of teammates. LeVias called Bradley " my blue-eyed soul brother.'' Big-hearted, gregarious, and free-spirited, Bradley looked out for LeVias - one of three black players on the team. The Texas team came to Hershey with a mandate to win. A year earlier, Texas had lost to the Pennsylvania all-stars 12-6 in the most significant defeat in the state' s proud history. This was considered blasphemy in a place where football outranked religion. Texas coach Bobby Layne was mad-as-hell that he was forced to play with second stringers in ' 64. So he and assistant coach Doak Walker traveled to Austin and asked Texas governor John Connally to end the scheduling conflict with the in-state all-star game so he could suit up the best players. Layne also sought permission to recruit black players. After all, Texas was flush with black stars, some of whom would mature into the most notable players in the history of the National Football League. Layne' s scheme never would have worked without Bradley and LeVias. Together-- and with Layne' s indomitable will to win-- the two led their team proudly to face down the competition at Hershey Stadium. The Kids Got It Right is a moving story, reminiscent of Remember The Titans. Jim Dent once again brings readers to cheers and tears with a truly American tale of leadership, brotherhood, and good-ol' Texas-style football.

About Jim Dent

Jim Dent, a longtime award-winning journalist who covered the Dallas Cowboys for eleven years in Fort Worth and Dallas, including a stint at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has written several books, including The Junction Boys, the New York Times bestseller that was the basis for an ESPN movie and remains a fan favorite.


Reviews

Goodreads review by John

I respected the author's main reason for writing this book, and its affect on sports in general, and specifically to sports in Texas in the 1960s. However, what brought my review down to 3 stars is his blatant bias toward the Texas football team during the Big 33 games from 1964-1967. I might, empha......more

Goodreads review by Don

This was a pretty good book about the preparation for the Big 33 football game of 1965 between the best high school football players between Texas and Pennsylvania. In 1964, Pennsylvania challenged Texas to a football game to determine which state had the best high school football team. The date tha......more

Goodreads review by Teri

My brother-in-law (BIL) went to college with Bill Bradley at the University of Texas. When Bill came to the Eagles, he roomed with my BIL in Radnor, PA. (Our family is from PA). This past month, Bill was in town for an Eagles game and he contacted my BIL to join him as his guest. Just as stated in t......more

Goodreads review by Chris

Jim Dent has done it again. In The Kids Got It Right, he tells the tale of Texas high school football and the impact it had on breaking the color barrier. For my full review, read here ---> [URL not allowed]......more