Bull in the Ring: Football and Faith, Refuge in a Troubled Time
SKU: 74796656875

Bull in the Ring: Football and Faith, Refuge in a Troubled Time

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Bull in the Ring: Football and Faith, Refuge in a Troubled TimeThe thread of the book is an account of the 1970 Missouri large schools high school state football championship my St. Louis University High team won. We were unlikely champions: undersized, not very fast, no home field, high academic standards for admission, half our games against Top 10 teams in the state. We barely qualified for the four team state playoff, we faced the heavily favored title game opponent having won our previous four games by an

The thread of the book is an account of the 1970 Missouri large schools high school state football championship my St. Louis University High team won. We were unlikely champions: undersized, not very fast, no home field, high academic standards for admission, half our games against Top 10 teams in the state. We barely qualified for the four-team state playoff, we faced the heavily favored title game opponent having won our previous four games by an average of just 4.5 points, including a 14-13 victory over our archrival in front of 18,000 people at Busch Stadium. I was a center and linebacker, and one of the team captains.

The story of the book, though, is how football and that championship season became a refuge for my classmates and me, young Baby Boomers whose great but na ve ambition was tempered by the frightening, threatening social turmoil of the late 1960s. The Vietnam War was escalating, the Civil Rights Movement was exploding, college campuses were erupting in protest, and many of us were at war with our parents' generation.

Adding to our drama, our beloved Student Council vice president and classmate was wounded in a robbery attempt on August 1 of 1970, and died two weeks later, the day before our football season workouts began. We devoted our season to him.

I tell this true story from the first person, and through the reminiscences of a handful of the key characters who were central to it, including our legendary head coach Paul Martel, who died in January 2016 at age 91. I conclude the book with reflections of what that season and accomplishment meant to us, particularly as we now face the final quarter of our lives. Educated by Jesuit priests, who challenged us to question, to commit to something, and to act, we pulled together in common purpose, at least for that season. Most of us were buoyed by our belief in each other, and by our faith in God. And, at least for me, I experienced life lessons that proved invaluable for what I was to become: a daily newspaper sportswriter and columnist, then a business executive, husband and father.

  1. true sports stories such as Remember the Titans, Hoosiers, Friday Night Lights, and One Shot at Forever (the story of the small-school Macon, Illinois baseball team that finished second in the 1971 Illinois baseball tournament), offer drama beyond the tension of high school competition on the fields and courts. This story provides plenty for an avid sports fan. But it, too, offers much more. I suspect Baby Boomers around the country, and readers of all ages, can relate to the way dreams evolve, become compromised or rationalized, and come to rest. And how hard-earned accomplishments, especially those boosted by the kind hand of an unseen power, provide meaning and comfort as we reflect on the impact we have made on the world.

Among the characters: our best player, an earnest and unselfish athlete who had his best game in the state championship; our only African-American teammate, whose parents moved him to St. Louis to distance him from the racial turmoil in central Alabama in the mid-1960s; our biggest player, a character seemingly straight from Clair Bee's Chip Hilton stories; our quarterback, a free-spirited genius who exasperated the coaches but pulled off heroic plays; an under-sized defensive end seemingly possessed by the spirit of his cherished older brother killed in Vietnam; and our Student Council secretary, an African-American who challenged us to confront society's racial issues and later revealed he is gay.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Jala Publishing
Published: 08/15/2017
ISBN: 9780999247709
Pages: 288
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.65d
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SKU: 74796656875

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Sarah A
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
oh wow
Format: Kindle
I just knew there was something about Cooper! I’m wondering if he’s about to be included but damn I’m glad he’s at least not a rapist and creepy guy, he just got called on assignment and had to go! This should be interesting! She’s gonna run and then what’s his face is gonna grab her. I’m worried! Wow that was a great book and cliffhanger! Loving this!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2025
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Ashley Morgan
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
ABSOLUTELY A MUST for Omegaverse Girls!!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Jillian West and her books!!! I’m so happy I already bought book two and now I have to buy the others for the Assurance Security series!! Not gonna lie Val kind of annoyed me at the beginning but she grew on me!! Her men are chef’s kisses!!! Holt annoys me some but I can let it slide. I already bought part two so I’m going to be reading that in between work phone calls!!!! DON’T TELL MY BOSS 😂😂😂😂
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Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2025
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Carmen Alicea
New York, US
★★★★★ 4
Baby bumps and bodyguards
Format: Kindle
Dark, emotional, and unexpectedly tender, Not Ready is an omegaverse romance that delivers found family feels, fierce protectiveness, and a very pregnant heroine who refuses to break. Vale’s on the run from a stalker, but lands in the arms of three private security alphas, cue the swoony tension, fake marriage twist, and slow-burn heat. It’s a little gritty, a little soft, and a whole lot addictive. If you love protective alphas, high stakes, and heroines with quiet strength, this one’s a must-read.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2025
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Shianne Whipple
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Strong Omegaverse Comfort and a Attention Grabbing Plot
Format: Kindle
Jillian West never misses when it comes to Omegaverse, and Not Ready is no exception. This story was the perfect blend of cozy comfort and emotional depth while still delivering a strong plot. Vale is such a powerful heroine, she is strong, capable, and determined but I love that she still allows her pack to love and take care of her. It’s that balance of independence and vulnerability that makes her so relatable. The relationship dynamics were amazing: Bishop is steadfast and completely head over heels, Mercy is skeptical but protective in his own way, and Holt is the hesitant one whose slow fall is so satisfying to watch unfold. The romance hits that sweet spot between insta-love and cautious build, keeping me hooked the entire way through. And that ending. Oh my god, the cliffhanger! I need the next book in this duet immediately.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2025
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NLB
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Interesting
Format: Kindle
So I will say I enjoyed the story, for sure had its moments where it dragged but it was a great story. I really liked that omegas picked their alphas/make the pack. Normally the Alphas make it and the omega fits in with them which is great but I enjoyed this new version where all the power basically went to the omega. It was a nice change of pace. I can admit some of the weird bedroom stuff with her being pregnant was odd, it’s really not hard to do stuff when pregnant (I know I’ve had two and it’s normal and even encouraged at the end especially if you want the baby out). But I like the story as a whole and will read the second, I do hope the next one isn’t dragged bc it stopped being action or tense after she met her alphas and I don’t think it was brought up or properly done when they tried to do it. More sweet after she left.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024

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