Book Lists

Most Popular Books by John U. Bacon

John U. Bacon is the author of Endzone, Endzone and Playing Hurt: My Journey from Despair to Hope.

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Endzone

Endzone

Endzone tells the story of how college football's most successful, richest and respected program almost lost all three in less than a decade - and entirely of its own doing. It is a story of hubris, greed, and betrayal - a tale more suited to Wall Street than the world's top public university.
Author John U. Bacon takes you inside the offices, the board rooms and the locker rooms of the University of Michigan to see what happened, and why - with countless eye-opening, head-shaking scenes of conflict and conquest.
But Endzone is also an inspiring story of redemption and revival. When those who loved Michigan football the most recognized it was being attacked from within, they rallied to reclaim the values that made it great for over a century -- values that went deeper than dollars. The list of heroes includes players, students, lettermen, fans and faculty - and the leaders who had the courage to listen to them.
Their unprecedented uprising produced a new athletic director, and a new coach - the hottest in the land - who vindicated the fans' faith when he turned down more money and fame to return to the place he loved most: Michigan.
If you love a good story, you'll want to dive into Endzone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football.

Endzone

Endzone

Endzone tells the story of how college football's most successful, richest and respected program almost lost all three in less than a decade - and entirely of its own doing. It is a story of hubris, greed, and betrayal - a tale more suited to Wall Street than the world's top public university.
Author John U. Bacon takes you inside the offices, the board rooms and the locker rooms of the University of Michigan to see what happened, and why - with countless eye-opening, head-shaking scenes of conflict and conquest.
But Endzone is also an inspiring story of redemption and revival. When those who loved Michigan football the most recognized it was being attacked from within, they rallied to reclaim the values that made it great for over a century -- values that went deeper than dollars. The list of heroes includes players, students, lettermen, fans and faculty - and the leaders who had the courage to listen to them.
Their unprecedented uprising produced a new athletic director, and a new coach - the hottest in the land - who vindicated the fans' faith when he turned down more money and fame to return to the place he loved most: Michigan.
If you love a good story, you'll want to dive into Endzone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football.

Playing Hurt: My Journey from Despair to Hope

Playing Hurt: My Journey from Despair to Hope
For the first time ever, the popular late host of ESPN's The Sports Reporters and ABC's college football openly discusses a lifelong battle with depression.

During his three decades on ESPN and ABC, John Saunders became one of the nation's most respected and beloved sportscasters. In this moving, jarring, and ultimately inspiring memoir, Saunders discusses his troubled childhood, the traumatic brain injury he suffered in 2011, and the severe depression that nearly cost him his life. As Saunders writes,

Playing Hurt is not an autobiography of a sports celebrity but a memoir of a man facing his own mental illness, and emerging better off for the effort. I will take you into the heart of my struggle with depression, including insights into some of its causes, its consequences, and its treatments.

I invite you behind the facade of my apparently "perfect" life as a sportscaster, with a wonderful wife and two healthy, happy adult daughters. I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am truly grateful. But none of these things can protect me or anyone else from the disease of depression and its potentially lethal effects.

Mine is a rare story: that of a black man in the sports industry openly grappling with depression. I will share the good, the bad, and the ugly, including the lengths I've gone to to conceal my private life from the public.

So why write a book? Because I want to end the pain and heartache that comes from leading a double life. I also want to reach out to the millions of people, especially men, who think they're alone and can't ask for help.

John Saunders died suddenly on August 10 ,2016, from an enlarged heart, diabetes, and other complications. This book is his ultimate act of generosity to help those who suffer from mental illness, and those who love them.




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