Lombardi Dies, Orr Flies, Marshall Cries
The Sports Legacy of 1970
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- $52.99
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- $52.99
Publisher Description
The year 1970 was grim in the United States and worldwide. Vietnam, continuing civil and political divisions, a fear of growing lawlessness, all seemed to point to a bleak future. The 70s were also a time when traditional boundaries were being challenged, from the color of skin to the length of hair. Sports events, issues, and athletes from the very first year of this tumultuous decade reflect the dramatic changes that were taking place around the country. Nowhere was this more evident than in college football, where the University of Texas became the last all-white national champion in 1970, even as a freshman still ineligible to play was standing by to bring about integration.
In Lombardi Dies, Orr Flies, Marshall Cries: The Sports Legacy of 1970, Brad Schultz covers the most significant and momentous sports stories from this single year in American history, reflecting on the deeper impact of these events both on the sporting world and on society as a whole. Integration, homosexuality, drugs, lawsuits, and tragedy all crossed the sporting landscape in 1970, including pivotal moments such as student-athlete protests against racism in college football, the debut of Monday Night Football, a challenge to baseball’s reserve clause, and the plane crash carrying Marshall University’s football team that killed everyone on board. Schultz tells these stories and more, thoughtfully placing them within the context of the political, social, and cultural events taking place across the country and around the world.
Many of the athletes from 1970 may no longer be with us, their records may have been broken, and younger athletes may have taken their place, but forty-five years later, it is time to look back and reflect on the significance of the events that took place in this unforgettable sports year. Chronicling a remarkable time in the history of American sports, this book will interest historians, sports fans, and those wanting to learn more about the impact of sports on culture and society.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the solid history, Schultz (The NFL, Year One) identifies 1970 as a defining year in sports, with major stories including Vince Lombardi's death; Bobby Orr's Stanley Cup winning goal; the tragic plane crash that killed 75 members of the Marshall football family, including 36 players; and Willis Reed playing hurt in game 7 of the NBA finals. Heavily researched and written with a clean style, the book nicely balances the big picture with the little details. Starting with the Cotton Bowl on January 1 and following chronologically through to the death of Sonny Liston in December, Schultz paints a picture of a world very different and yet no so different from ours. For instance, Schultz discusses Jerry Smith, the first openly gay retired NFL player, and wonders what life would have been like if he had come out during his playing days. Stories like these juxtapose today's issues with the nostalgia that permeates this sports history, making it feel as connected to the present as it is to the past. B&w photos.