Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
I want to read the book!
All characters reduced
Slam Dunk - The True Story of Basketball's First Olympic Gold Medal Team - cover

We are sorry! The publisher (or author) gave us the instruction to take down this book from our catalog. But please don't worry, you still have more than 500,000 other books you can enjoy!

Slam Dunk - The True Story of Basketball's First Olympic Gold Medal Team

Beth Fortenberry

Publisher: Hybrid Global Publishing

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

It’s a blustery December day in Springfield Massachusetts.  The year - 1891.  James Naismith, age 29 is a rare combination of violent rugby player and Presbyterian minister.  He has his dream job as an athletic coach at the Y.M.C.A. but his boss threatens to fire him if he doesn’t come up with a game to be played between the football and baseball seasons.  Determined not to fail, he prays in earnest and through logic and elimination invents “a New Game” - Basketball.  A few days later he sees a pretty Southern lady who just happened to invent the first football helmet and they fall in love.  He keeps his job and gets the girl all in the same week!  They marry and have children.   
In 1905, the family moves to Lawrence, Kansas so Naismith can head the Kansas University Athletic Department.  There he meets Phog Allen, a superb basketball coach with a foghorn voice.  Phog starts a campaign to put basketball into the Olympics.  As Naismith mentors many students (among them African- American John McLendon, who later becomes the Father of Basketball Integration), he wonders who would even want to go to the Olympics.  
Now, it’s the Depression.  1932 to be exact, and Joe Fortenberry at 21 years old, wants to play in the Olympics more than anything.  Phog Allen protege, Gene Johnson, discovers Joe and hires him to play for the Globe Refiners with the goal of going to the Hitler Olympics in 1936.  In preparation, at a Madison Square Garden game in 1936, the world sees the fast break, the zone press and for the first time Joe Fortenberry unveils his own invention - the Slam Dunk!  The Refiners join with the Hollywood Universals and they become the first U.S.A. Olympic basketball team.   
After much controversy and many obstacles, they arrive in Berlin to win.  However, the rules are changed, the ball is a balloon beach ball and the game is going to be played outdoors in rainy weather!  Their uniforms are stolen and other countries want to eliminate all players over 6’2”.  Still America perseveres.  In the thrilling last game, it’s pouring rain and even though the court is a mudpit, America wins 19-8 with Joe as the high scorer.  The next day is sunny and beautiful for the awards ceremony.  Naismith presents the first Olympic Gold Medal for Basketball to the U.S.A. team.  “The happiest day of my life”.  Indeed, James Naismith made “the world a little better than he found it”.
Available since: 12/20/2019.

Other books that might interest you

  • Inshore Navigation - cover

    Inshore Navigation

    Tom Cunliffe

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Navigation is a subject best learned outside the classroom so this book is written to get you started as soon as possible. Once you've mastered a few simple principles, it helps you to get afloat and stay out of trouble as you learn the necessities and build confidence. Using straightforward explanations and clear illustrations, Inshore Navigation goes straight to the heart of each topic. This is the definitive guide for everyone who wants to learn navigation easily, quickly and safely.
    Show book
  • Reef Smart Guides Grand Cayman - cover

    Reef Smart Guides Grand Cayman

    Peter McDougall, Ian Popple,...

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    The Definitive Guide to Scuba Diving and Snorkeling in The Grand Cayman Islands“The collection of Reef Smart Guides is a great resource for the touring diver. Incredible detailed 3D maps and up to date editorial content based on information from local dive experts, these cutting edge guidebooks are a must have for all scuba divers before they travel.” Clearly Cayman Dive Resorts#1 New Release in Scuba Travel Guides, Caving & Spelunking, and SwimmingFor Lonely Planet fans comes a unique and essential scuba, snorkel, and surf travel guide.A great Caribbean travel book. The ultimate guide for beach and marine activities in the Grand Cayman Islands. The detailed descriptions and illustrations of beaches, coral reefs, shipwrecks, and other dive spots are ideal for divers, snorkelers and surfers. Make the most of your time on the Island and in the water.Detailed descriptions and map art. Reef Smart catalogues the beaches, surf spots, and dive and snorkel sites in the Cayman Islands. With the help of Reef Smart’s unique 3D-mapping technology, learn all you need to know about the regions' top dive and snorkel sites. These maps provide useful information such as depths, currents, waves, suggested routes, potential hazards, unique structures, and species information.Don’t go diving without it. This indispensable resource will help you plan and execute dives without a hitch. Pack this guidebook with the rest of your scuba gear.Guidebook provides:The best locations for diving, snorkeling, and surfing, and how to access themDetailed 3D maps, graphics, and information to help you plan your time in and out of the waterSpecies guide to help you identify and understand the marine creatures in the Cayman Islands and its surrounding areasAnd much more!A unique and comprehensive SCUBA diving book. Also look for Reef Smart Guides Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and Deerfield Beach; Reef Smart Guides Barbados; and the best-selling Reef Smart Guides Bonaire.
    Show book
  • My Life and Rugby - The Autobiography - cover

    My Life and Rugby - The...

    Eddie Jones

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    The Sunday Times bestseller'A genuine super-coach' – Stephen Jones, Sunday TimesBrilliant, honest, combative – Eddie Jones is a gigantic yet enigmatic figure in world rugby and a true legend of the game. In My Life and Rugby he tells his story for the first time, including the full inside story of England’s 2019 World Cup campaign.Since taking over as head coach of England in 2015, Eddie Jones has orchestrated a complete revival of the national team. He has won the Six Nations Championship back-to-back, including England’s first Grand Slam in a generation and their first-ever whitewash of Australia in their own backyard, as well as taking them on their longest-ever winning streak, matching the world record held by the All Blacks.Eddie Jones is one of the most experienced and decorated coaches in Rugby Union. His career has spanned four World Cups: from the 2003 final, working with South Africa when they won in 2007, and causing the greatest upset in the history of the game in 2015 when he masterminded the Japanese victory over South Africa. Most recently, he led England on their incredible run at the 2019 World Cup, culminating in a stunning victory against the All Blacks before falling to South Africa in the final.Learning from the extreme highs and lows of his own playing career – including the numerous successes playing for Randwick and New South Wales but also the painful disappointment of never playing for Australia – he shows what it takes to be the best in the world and how everything he has learned about the game, both on and off the pitch, has gone into plotting England’s route to the top of world rugby.Written with Donald McRae, twice winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award and three-time Sports Feature Writer of the Year, My Life and Rugby is the story of one of the most compelling and singular figures in rugby. Told with unflinching honesty, this is the ultimate rugby book for all fans of the sport.
    Show book
  • The Outdoor Citizen - Get Out Give Back Get Active - cover

    The Outdoor Citizen - Get Out...

    John Judge

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    A groundbreaking volume from the president and CEO of the Appalachian Mountain Club makes the profound argument that to preserve the environment, a revolution must take place in which every person becomes a champion for nature and the outdoors. 
In The Outdoor Citizen, John Judge coins the term "the outdoor citizen" delivering his remarkably persuasive argument that we must all become citizens of the natural world, owning and instilling in the next generation a keen interest in the outdoors and reconnecting with life's most essential foundation: nature. 
Over the next quarter century more than three billion people will join the middle class in the developing world at a rate of 140 to 170 million annually. This new group of consumers will demand more goods and services and use prodigious amounts of energy. This could lead to a 10-fold increase in carbon emissions and devastating, irreversible effects on the earth. Through The Outdoor Citizen, there is, at last, an easy-to-follow plan for all people to contribute to the cause of preserving the environment. It is also a call to action to commit to an active outdoor lifestyle and make the outdoors an epicenter for our communities. It is a game-changer for saving our environment and an entry point into a world of healthier and happier people.
    Show book
  • Mountains of Tartary - Mountaineering and exploration in northern and central Asia in the 1950s - cover

    Mountains of Tartary -...

    Eric Shipton

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    In Mountains of Tartary, mountaineering and explorer Eric Shipton describes his climbs and explorations in northern and central Asia, taking the reader places that most would otherwise never go and writing with humour and self-deprecation.
During the Second World War, and up until 1951, Shipton worked as consul general in Kunming and Kashgar in China, and as a diplomat in Hungary and Persia. In Mountains of Tartary, he describes his climbs and explorations that take him from the barren steppes of central Asia, to glass-clear lakes and forested slopes. Shipton and his party enjoy varying degrees of hospitality from the local people and occasionally potentially dangerous encounters. The book details the exploits of the climbers, explorers and guides, including a hilarious drunken banquet with government officials.
Mountains of Tartary is like a postcard from history – a must-read for any keen climber, walker or explorer.
    Show book
  • The Mourne and Cooley Mountains - A Walking Guide - cover

    The Mourne and Cooley Mountains...

    Adrian Hendroff

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    The Mourne and Cooley Mountains are quite simply a hiker's paradise.
The highest and most dramatic mountain range in Northern Ireland, the Mournes hug the County Down coastline in a compact region designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Cooley Peninsula – a finger of land in County Louth bounded in the north by the spectacular Carlingford Lough – is one of Ireland's best kept secrets.
These exhilarating walks will take you to the highest point in Northern Ireland. Trek through the picturesque woodland trails of Castlewellan and Tollymore. Discover the highest passage tomb in Ireland. Walk along an old smuggler's route, tranquil reservoirs and the sand-dunes of Murlough Nature Reserve. The more ambitious will relish the Mourne Wall challenge, and some summits include optional scrambles to the top of dramatic granite tors or rocky outcrops. Each graded route is illustrated with photographs and specially drawn maps. Snippets on the rich flora, fauna, geology, history, heritage and folklore of each area are included throughout.
So, get your walking boots on and discover the impressive landscape that spawned the legend of the Táin Bó Cúailnge and inspired C. S. Lewis' magical world of Narnia.
    Show book