An Almost Perfect Season: A Father and Son and a Golden Age of Small-Town High School Basketball

An Almost Perfect Season: A Father and Son and a Golden Age of Small-Town High School Basketball

Author: Randy Mills

Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company

Published: 2019-12-04

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 9781645305132

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During the 1966-1967 Illinois high school basketball season, tiny Bluford High School, having just over a hundred students, reached the lowest ebb of its basketball playing history, winning only a single game. Two years later, in the 1968-1969 season, Bluford reeled off an unbelievable winning streak of twenty-five games, the second longest in a state where over seven hundred schools competed in sports. An Almost Perfect Season: A Father and Son and a Golden Age of Small-Town High School Basketball chronicles this fascinating story of unexpected success, telling it through the eyes of one of the starting players, Randy Mills. Embedded in the book is also the deeper story of how Mills's days of playing basketball for the Bluford team drew his distant father and him closer together for that short but happy time. Rich in long lost basketball action photos and strong in the invoking of the hot, crowded small-town gymnasiums of the 1960s, An Almost Perfect Season is a deeply moving personal history of an almost-forgotten golden age of high school basketball. About the Author An Indiana and Midwest historian and author, Randy Mills is a professor at Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana. He has authored over eighty professional articles and eight books on a number of historical subjects, including military history, labor history, and the Underground Railroad. He is a 2006 recipient of the George C. Roberts Award given by the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences for excellence in academic scholarship and a 2018 recipient of the Dorothy Riker Hoosier Historian Award given by the Indiana Historical Society. More recently, Mills has begun to explore his own personal journey as a baby boomer. Mills and his wife, Roxanne, live in Oakland City, Indiana.


Book Synopsis An Almost Perfect Season: A Father and Son and a Golden Age of Small-Town High School Basketball by : Randy Mills

Download or read book An Almost Perfect Season: A Father and Son and a Golden Age of Small-Town High School Basketball written by Randy Mills and published by Dorrance Publishing Company. This book was released on 2019-12-04 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the 1966-1967 Illinois high school basketball season, tiny Bluford High School, having just over a hundred students, reached the lowest ebb of its basketball playing history, winning only a single game. Two years later, in the 1968-1969 season, Bluford reeled off an unbelievable winning streak of twenty-five games, the second longest in a state where over seven hundred schools competed in sports. An Almost Perfect Season: A Father and Son and a Golden Age of Small-Town High School Basketball chronicles this fascinating story of unexpected success, telling it through the eyes of one of the starting players, Randy Mills. Embedded in the book is also the deeper story of how Mills's days of playing basketball for the Bluford team drew his distant father and him closer together for that short but happy time. Rich in long lost basketball action photos and strong in the invoking of the hot, crowded small-town gymnasiums of the 1960s, An Almost Perfect Season is a deeply moving personal history of an almost-forgotten golden age of high school basketball. About the Author An Indiana and Midwest historian and author, Randy Mills is a professor at Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana. He has authored over eighty professional articles and eight books on a number of historical subjects, including military history, labor history, and the Underground Railroad. He is a 2006 recipient of the George C. Roberts Award given by the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences for excellence in academic scholarship and a 2018 recipient of the Dorothy Riker Hoosier Historian Award given by the Indiana Historical Society. More recently, Mills has begun to explore his own personal journey as a baby boomer. Mills and his wife, Roxanne, live in Oakland City, Indiana.


Boys' Life

Boys' Life

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1972-02

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13:

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Boys' Life is the official youth magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. Published since 1911, it contains a proven mix of news, nature, sports, history, fiction, science, comics, and Scouting.


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Download or read book Boys' Life written by and published by . This book was released on 1972-02 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Boys' Life is the official youth magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. Published since 1911, it contains a proven mix of news, nature, sports, history, fiction, science, comics, and Scouting.


Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2000-01

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13:

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Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.


Book Synopsis Popular Mechanics by :

Download or read book Popular Mechanics written by and published by . This book was released on 2000-01 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.


Boys' Life

Boys' Life

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1972

Total Pages: 1016

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Boys' Life by :

Download or read book Boys' Life written by and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 1016 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


New York Magazine

New York Magazine

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1997-06-23

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13:

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New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.


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Download or read book New York Magazine written by and published by . This book was released on 1997-06-23 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.


The Lost Continent

The Lost Continent

Author: Bill Bryson

Publisher: VNR AG

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 9780060161583

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"I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to." And, as soon as Bill Bryson was old enough, he left. Des Moines couldn't hold him, but it did lure him back. After ten years in England he returned to the land of his youth, and drove almost 14,000 miles in search of a mythical small town called Amalgam, the kind of smiling village where the movies from his youth were set. Instead he drove through a series of horrific burgs, which he renamed Smellville, Fartville, Coleslaw, Coma, and Doldrum. At best his search led him to Anywhere, USA, a lookalike strip of gas stations, motels and hamburger outlets populated by obese and slow-witted hicks with a partiality for synthetic fibres. He discovered a continent that was doubly lost: lost to itself because he found it blighted by greed, pollution, mobile homes and television; lost to him because he had become a foreigner in his own country.


Book Synopsis The Lost Continent by : Bill Bryson

Download or read book The Lost Continent written by Bill Bryson and published by VNR AG. This book was released on 1989 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to." And, as soon as Bill Bryson was old enough, he left. Des Moines couldn't hold him, but it did lure him back. After ten years in England he returned to the land of his youth, and drove almost 14,000 miles in search of a mythical small town called Amalgam, the kind of smiling village where the movies from his youth were set. Instead he drove through a series of horrific burgs, which he renamed Smellville, Fartville, Coleslaw, Coma, and Doldrum. At best his search led him to Anywhere, USA, a lookalike strip of gas stations, motels and hamburger outlets populated by obese and slow-witted hicks with a partiality for synthetic fibres. He discovered a continent that was doubly lost: lost to itself because he found it blighted by greed, pollution, mobile homes and television; lost to him because he had become a foreigner in his own country.


The Amazing Appleknockers

The Amazing Appleknockers

Author: Anne Ryman

Publisher:

Published: 2011-05-01

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 9780981938622

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In 1964, Cobden was a quiet village of 900 residents tucked in the Shawnee Hills of southern Illinois. The high school's basketball team changed that, grabbing the attention of sports fans throughout Illinois as it made a dramatic run to the finals of the Illinois state high school basketball tournament. An unusually tall and talented team with a catchy mascot, the Appleknockers, Cobden played at a time before schools were divided into classes based on enrollment. The school had just 147 students, and the Appleknockers defeated schools that were many times their size as they moved along the tournament trail.This true account traces the background of the Appleknockers' coach, Dick Ruggles, and how a young man from Boston wound up coaching in the hillside farming community. The story covers the two years that Ruggles served as Cobden's coach, the two most successful basketball seasons in the school's history. It also reveals the obstacles, tragedies, and triumphs the players faced, both on and off the basketball court. The achievements of the Appleknockers were widely covered in newspapers from Evansville, Indiana, to St. Louis, Missouri, to Chicago. Their readers were drawn to the underdog team, and the Appleknockers moved from the sports pages into Illinois folklore. People from Illinois and the surrounding states are still talking about the Appleknockers nearly a half century later, which speaks to the enduring and far-reaching appeal of this team and its story.


Book Synopsis The Amazing Appleknockers by : Anne Ryman

Download or read book The Amazing Appleknockers written by Anne Ryman and published by . This book was released on 2011-05-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1964, Cobden was a quiet village of 900 residents tucked in the Shawnee Hills of southern Illinois. The high school's basketball team changed that, grabbing the attention of sports fans throughout Illinois as it made a dramatic run to the finals of the Illinois state high school basketball tournament. An unusually tall and talented team with a catchy mascot, the Appleknockers, Cobden played at a time before schools were divided into classes based on enrollment. The school had just 147 students, and the Appleknockers defeated schools that were many times their size as they moved along the tournament trail.This true account traces the background of the Appleknockers' coach, Dick Ruggles, and how a young man from Boston wound up coaching in the hillside farming community. The story covers the two years that Ruggles served as Cobden's coach, the two most successful basketball seasons in the school's history. It also reveals the obstacles, tragedies, and triumphs the players faced, both on and off the basketball court. The achievements of the Appleknockers were widely covered in newspapers from Evansville, Indiana, to St. Louis, Missouri, to Chicago. Their readers were drawn to the underdog team, and the Appleknockers moved from the sports pages into Illinois folklore. People from Illinois and the surrounding states are still talking about the Appleknockers nearly a half century later, which speaks to the enduring and far-reaching appeal of this team and its story.


LIFE

LIFE

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1942-09-14

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13:

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LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.


Book Synopsis LIFE by :

Download or read book LIFE written by and published by . This book was released on 1942-09-14 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.


LIFE

LIFE

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1942-09-14

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.


Book Synopsis LIFE by :

Download or read book LIFE written by and published by . This book was released on 1942-09-14 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.


Indianapolis Monthly

Indianapolis Monthly

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2001-12

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13:

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Indianapolis Monthly is the Circle City’s essential chronicle and guide, an indispensable authority on what’s new and what’s news. Through coverage of politics, crime, dining, style, business, sports, and arts and entertainment, each issue offers compelling narrative stories and lively, urbane coverage of Indy’s cultural landscape.


Book Synopsis Indianapolis Monthly by :

Download or read book Indianapolis Monthly written by and published by . This book was released on 2001-12 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indianapolis Monthly is the Circle City’s essential chronicle and guide, an indispensable authority on what’s new and what’s news. Through coverage of politics, crime, dining, style, business, sports, and arts and entertainment, each issue offers compelling narrative stories and lively, urbane coverage of Indy’s cultural landscape.