Overview

One hundred years ago, Red Grange became more famous than Babe Ruth and sparked the original debate as to whether college athletes should be compensated for their name, image, and likeness. At the height of the Roaring Twenties, college football star Red Grange craved normalcy. He longed to finish his season, earn a degree, settle down, and start a business career. Ever modest and shy, Red was poised to achieve his quiet dreams until he scored four touchdowns in the first 12 minutes against undefeated Michigan (the reigning national champions), and sportswriters across the country anointed him the greatest football player of all time. Red's extraordinary feat is still regarded by Sports Illustrated as the most unforgettable single-day performance by any athlete. Catapulted to a level of fame beyond even Babe Ruth, Red didn't know where to turn. His girlfriend, coach, friends, family, boosters, and the fledgling NFL all craved a piece of him. With swaggering confidence and a silver tongue, C.C. Pyle, America's first sports agent, dangled before Red an alternate destiny. As the final game clock ticked down, Red struggled to appease those he loved without sacrificing his soul. All the while, his decision played out against the glittering, raucous backdrop of a decade of flappers, jazz, and speakeasies known as the Golden Age of Sports. ----- With appearances by Charlie Chaplin, Chicago Bears owner George Halas, New York Giants owner Tim Mara, and several other 1920s celebrities, including an eight-year-old JFK, whose father, Joe Kennedy, produced two movies starring Red Grange, The Golden Age of Red is a fast, entertaining work of immersive biographical historical fiction that will resonate with sports enthusiasts of all ages, and especially those following today's almost daily changes regarding the compensation of student-athletes.

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Doug Villhard is a writer, professor, entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. After decades of starting and selling companies, Villhard is supposed to be retired, but instead is having too much fun heading the #1 ranked entrepreneurship department at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.Doug, his wife Diane, and their four children live just outside of St. Louis in Glen Carbon, IL, where they co-founded Father McGivney Catholic High School.When Doug isn't writing, teaching, investing in startups, or serving on boards, he's perpetually working toward achieving a respectable golf score. Danielle is an experienced graphic designer and visual arts guru. Her book cover designs range from children's books to fantasy to historical fiction. She has produced commissions for the University of Dayton and the University of Notre Dame from which she holds art and education degrees. Her design and production work has been featured in children's museums, personal commissions, art centers, and schools. Her experience negotiating licensing and creating original artwork is matched only by her amazing ability to bring the written word to life with visual imagery.

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