There is no college football team more zealous and competitive than the University of Tennessee VolunteersWhen Clay Travis, acclaimed author of Dixieland Delight, decided to spend the 2008 season up close and personal with UT football, heand every other college football aficionadothought he was in for a rollicking ride with one of the leading contenders for the national title. After all, when the Vols kicked off the season on September 1, the defending SEC East champions were ranked 18th in the country. As head coach Phillip Fulmer prepared for the game, he reflected upon a coaching career that included an astounding 147 victories, two SEC championships, and a national title. With 34 years at UT under his belt as both a player and coach, the Tennessee native had just signed a contract extension that projected to keep him at the university long enough to become the winningest coach in program history.But when the Volunteers lost their season opener and the losses continued to mount, it became clear that 2008 was going to be a season on the brink for UT football. By December, the team had suffered its second-worst season ever, and Fulmer, the most beloved and recognized man in Tennessee, had been fired.Based on exclusive interviews with Fulmer, UT athletic director Mike Hamilton, university boosters, team personnel, players and their families, and fans, On Rocky Top recounts in vivid detail how a season of promise tragically ended an era of college football. Enlivening the narrative is a diverse cast of supporting characters, including 65-year-old ",Good Time", Charlie Harris, who has driven the UT big rig for almost 10 years, star running back Arian Foster, a fifth-year senior striving to become the all-time leading rusher in Volunteer history, and multimillionaire booster John ",Thunder", Thornton, who defended Fulmer till the end. A lifelong Volunteer fan whose grandfather played for the team during the 1930s, Travis reports from the locker room to the sideline, and has created a fascinating and loving chronicle of an impassioned state, a celebrated football culture, a beloved coach, and the sensational collapse of a once-mighty juggernaut.
"The best book on college football I've read in a generation....If you love college football, you'll love this book." -Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys Won!
Part Season on the Brink, part Fever Pitch, On Rocky Top is a rollicking, all-access pass to the rough-and-tumble world of University of Tennessee football. The book chronicles the 2008 season, during which the team suffered its second worst record ever and Head Coach Phil Fulmer, the most beloved and recognized man in Tennessee, was fired. Author of Dixieland Delight, Clay Travis offers a fascinating inside look at the inner workings of a major college sports program, and chronicles a season of promise that went terribly wrong, ending a long, fabled era.
Autorentext
Clay Travis is one of the most listened to, read, and watched sports commentators in the country, with over a million daily listeners, readers, and viewers of his show on Fox Sports Radio, his columns for Out - kick the Coverage, and his Periscope and Facebook Live show, the largest daily online exclusive sports show in the country. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Zusammenfassung
The best book on college football Ive read in a generation.If you love college football, youll love this book.Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys Won!Part Season on the Brink, part Fever Pitch, On Rocky Top is a rollicking, all-access pass to the rough-and-tumble world of University of Tennessee football. The book chronicles the 2008 season, during which the team suffered its second worst record ever and Head Coach Phil Fulmer, the most beloved and recognized man in Tennessee, was fired. Author of Dixieland Delight, Clay Travis offers a fascinating inside look at the inner workings of a major college sports program, and chronicles a season of promise that went terribly wrong, ending a long, fabled era.
