Overview

Fred Engh and his charity NAYS-The National Association For Youth Sports-has positively affected the lives of millions of children throughout the USA for decades, but chances are you have never heard of him or his group. What he has tried to do is make organised sports for kids fun. He has done this by training coaches to be fair, avoid playing favourites, bullying players and stopping fans from getting out of control. He has, also, tried to even the playing field for children of different colours and ethnicities. From baseball to soccer to golf, he has made it his mission to let children choose to play the sport they love-no matter where they live or how well they play. And yet, the story behind how he discovered his calling in life is definitely a remarkable one of transition. The year was 1961 and after hearing a college football coach being interviewed on a local radio show, Fred was inspired enough to register at Maryland State College, a then all-black college. The thing was, Fred Engh was white. He would become the first white student to attend Maryland State, a segregated college. His intention was not to break any racial barriers or make any headlines. He simply wanted a better life for himself and his family as an accredited teacher. What he learned from attending that college, however, was something he had not expected. Today, when racial disparagement has once again taken the form of marches, protesters and daily news headlines, here is a tale of discovery, understanding and personal change. A lesson still as valuable today as it was then.

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9780757005053

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SEE BELOW FOR A REVIEW QUOTE ON THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION OF MATCHSTICKS: [Narrator] Eddie Frierson gives a broadcast-worthy narration of Engh's Civil Rights-era memoir . . . Frierson's commentator tone belies the anxiety conveyed in Engh's story; his smooth narration somewhat cushions the listener from Fred's experience of being a local curiosity--a 'white matchstick' in a book of black matches . . . affix[es] listeners to the fraught '60s as experienced by Engh. Frierson's voices for Bob Taylor, Engh's Maryland State football friend, and assorted white characters who distrust any bond between races bring the unfairness of this time and place to life. -- AudioFile Magazine [A] snapshot of 1960s Maryland and an American society that was still heavily segregated . . . Through his experience as the only white student at Maryland State College, Engh not only witnessed racism and insensitivity in the culture surrounding him but was forced to confront his own ideologies and misconceptions. Engh's short yet powerful memoir highlights important moments in America's history of Civil Rights, leading up to the recent events of 2020 involving police brutality, recession, and major political milestones . . . provides more than a story of a white man learning to see beyond his own perspective, it also portrays the longevity of racial injustice by peeling back the layers of overt and implicit racism, exposing the systemic flaws within American society . . . Fred Engh presents an honest portrayal of the potential to change the hearts and minds of people subscribed or apathetic to America's systemic racism, beginning with empathy born from human connection. -- Sport Literature Association (SLA) An inherently impressive and inspiring life story, Matchsticks An Education in Black & White is timely when considering today's struggle for the end of systemic racism, and timeless when considering one man's determination to make a better life for himself, his family, and his community. -- Midwest Book Review (MBR) - The Biography Shelf Today, when racial disparagement has once again taken the form of marches, protesters, and daily news headlines, here is a tale of discovery, understanding, and personal change. A lesson still as valuable today as it was then . . . Inspired and inspiring, Matchsticks is both timely and timeless. Timely in this era of protests against structural racial injustice and the rise of white power elements in our society and governments; Timeless in that all that is necessary is for good people of all diverse backgrounds to work toward creating a non-prejudicial future for themselves and for the next generation. -- Midwest Book Review (MBR) - Michael Dunford's Bookshelf A memoir from 'the first white student to receive his diploma at an all-Black college' . . . In this intriguing, entertaining look into the past, the author shares what it was like to become fully aware of the insidious entrenchment of racism in American society . . . Interspersed with the primary narrative are sidebar timelines of major events that occurred between 1941 and 2020, which help anchor the author's personal story in a historical context . . . Given the 'rampant' division that currently plagues our social landscape, [Engh's] lesson of acceptance and intellectual growth is heartening . . . Thought-provoking memories of a civil rights-era friendship that crossed racial lines. -- Kirkus Reviews Engh (Why Johnny Hates Sports), the founder of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, shares the unusual path his life took . . . [as] 'the first white student to receive his diploma at an all-Black college in 1961' . . . Engh's experience as the school's lone white student enabled him to empathize with his Black colleagues who were routinely regarded with disgust or hostility because of their skin color . . . this fascinating fish-out-of-water account provides a unique perspective on race and culture. -- Publishers Weekly In this warmly accessible book, Fred Engh's life is related as a parallel to racial questions that continue to rise--and hopefully grow to improve . . . both a fine insight into the impact of sports, sportsmanship, and brotherhood--subjects that concern us all--as well as a thoroughly entertaining memoir. Highly recommended. -- Grady Harp, top book reviewer Inspiring . . . this isn't just a story about tapping into potential. It's about tapping into the potential of a society to fix itself -- to undo systemic racism. It's about just what it takes, person by person . . . MATCHSTICKS is filled with heartening moments, told with warmth as well as honesty . . . certainly, as we go through the process of reckoning with the fact that racism is alive and well even now, it's great to read a story like this. --Jana Martin Medium.com

A memoir from 'the first white student to receive his diploma at an all-Black college' . . . In this intriguing, entertaining look into the past, the author shares what it was like to become fully aware of the insidious entrenchment of racism in American society . . . Interspersed with the primary narrative are sidebar timelines of major events that occurred between 1941 and 2020, which help anchor the author's personal story in a historical context . . . Given the 'rampant' division that currently plagues our social landscape, [Engh's] lesson of acceptance and intellectual growth is heartening . . . Thought-provoking memories of a civil rights-era friendship that crossed racial lines. --Kirkus Reviews

Engh (Why Johnny Hates Sports), the founder of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, shares the unusual path his life took . . . [as] 'the first white student to receive his diploma at an all-Black college in 1961' . . . Engh's experience as the school's lone white student enabled him to empathize with his Black colleagues who were routinely regarded with disgust or hostility because of their skin color . . . this fascinating fish-out-of-water account provides a unique perspective on race and culture. --Publishers Weekly In this warmly accessible book, Fred Engh's life is related as a parallel to racial questions that continue to rise--and hopefully grow to improve . . . both a fine insight into the impact of sports, sportsmanship, and brotherhood--subjects that concern us all--as well as a thoroughly entertaining memoir. Highly recommended. --Grady Harp, top book reviewer Inspiring . . . this isn't just a story about tapping into potential. It's about tapping into the potential of a society to fix itself -- to undo systemic racism. It's about just what it takes, person by person . . . MATCHSTICKS is filled with heartening moments, told with warmth as well as honesty . . . certainly, as we go through the process of reckoning with the fact that racism is alive and well even now, it's great to read a story like this. --Jana Martin Medium.com A memoir from 'the first white student to receive his diploma at an all-Black college' . . . In this intriguing, entertaining look into the past, the author shares what it was like to become fully aware of the insidious entrenchment of racism in American society . . . Interspersed with the primary narrative are sidebar timelines of major events that occurred between 1941 and 2020, which help anchor the author's personal story in a historical context . . . Given the 'rampant' division that currently plagues our social landscape, [Engh's] lesson of acceptance and intellectual growth is heartening . . . Thought-provoking memories of a civil rights-era friendship that crossed racial lines. --Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

Fred Engh has been involved in youth sports for over forty years-as a coach, athletic director and sports teacher. In 1971, he became the National Director of youth sports for the Athletic Institute in Chicago. In 1981, Fred founded a national programme dedicated to the training and certification of volunteer coaches-a programme that has now trained over one million coaches.

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