50 People Who Fouled Up Football

Tim Baker, Mark Occhilupo

Occy: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Mark Occhilupo

Child star at 16, ranked third in the world at 17, Mark Occhilupo looked set to sweep all before him with a radical, spontaneous, irresistible brand of surfing. Yet a spiraling descent into drug abuse and depression snuffed his flame out prematurely when he quit the pro tour at just 22. Faltered comebacks, spectacular bursts of free-surfing, and manic breakdowns followed as the surfing world watched a freakish talent self-combust. After years spent immobile and overweight on the couch, Occy eventually emerged from his cocoon, reborn and ready to tackle a whole new generation of surf stars. His celebrated comeback to win the world title in 1999 is a sporting fairytale without equal. In this no-holds barred account, Occy tells the complete, remarkable story of his spectacular rise, terrifying fall, and miraculous rebirth.

Ryan Jones

King James

King James offers a fascinating, inside look at the early years of the king of the basketball court, Lebron James.LeBron is a six-foot-eight gift from the basketball heavens. In the early 2000's, at St. Vincent-St. Mary's, he was the undisputed finest high school player in America. The Chosen One NBA scouts drooled over, corporations dreamt of, event promoters begged for, and now NBA fans clamor after. With appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated and features on ESPN and in newspapers across the country, never before had a high school basketball player been so highly touted or an eighteen-year-old athlete been the subject of such fascination. In fact, no basketball player in the world experienced this level of attention. But believe the hype: there is no denying that LeBron James is a force on the basketball court, and his rags-to riches story is the stuff that dreams are made of. Author Ryan Jones has written a book that incorporates everything during the early reign of King James: the controversy, the athletic potential, the jerseys and the Humvee, the hobnobbing with the world's most famous stars, the money, and, of course, the game. This is a book for every fan of LeBron ...

Steve Bisheff

John Wooden: An American Treasure

Even today, 33 years after retiring from coaching basketball at UCLA, John Wooden remains America's coach. JOHN WOODEN: AN AMERICAN TREASURE is the definitive book on his extraordinary life, from his early years as a small-town legend from Martinsville, Indiana, and an All-American guard at Purdue to his legendary years at UCLA and the fruitful years following his retirement. In the year of the 44th anniversary from his first national championship at UCLA, and more than 35 years after his autobiography, JOHN WOODEN: AN AMERICAN TREASURE reveals why this kind, endearing, and unbelievably intelligent coaching legend, even at age 98, remains one of the more fascinating, extraordinary, yet humble men of this, or any, generation. Ultimately he has become America's Teacher as much as its most celebrated coach.