The Color of Sundays: The Secret Strategy That Built the Steelers Dynasty - Hardcover

Conte, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1935628550 ISBN 13: 9781935628552

Publisher: Blue River Press, 2015

Synopsis

"Unlike baseball, football did not have a thunderclap moment like the arrival of Jackie Robinson at Ebbets Field. Instead, the game started out as the most egalitarian of American sports, reversed course during the Great Depression when the NFL purged its few black players and then slowly reintegrated after World War II. Even then, the sport needed another three decades before owners, coaches and fans looked at players based on their ability, rather than their complexion. The Color of Sundays tells this uniquely American story by tracing the life story of Bill Nunn Jr."--Amazon.

About this title

Review

"As a young reporter, I learned a lot of football from Bill Nunn Jr. His story, The Color of Sundays, is a must-read history lesson on how sports can overcome racism. Bill was ahead of his time in getting great players of color into the NFL." -- John Clayton "ESPN and NFL SPORTS"

"It would be hard to put into words what Bill Nunn meant to so many players, coaches, scouts and other members of the Steelers organization. Having known Bill Nunn, Jr. for literally decades, I was blessed that he shared many stories about his remarkable life experience. I am extremely pleased that Andrew Conte has captured some of the stories..." -- Art Rooney II "President, The Pittsburgh Steelers"

"There are countless untold stories tracing back through the history of racially segregated sports. Conte tells the Bill Nunn, Jr. story in a way that will leave you inspired, but also angered at the injustice ...he and millions of others had to endure. This biography will leave you with a desire to learn more about this aspect of football's past" -- Kent Stephens "Historian & Curator College Football Hall of Fame"

"By challenging convention and going where other scouts wouldn't, Bill Nunn Jr. forever changed Pittsburgh's Steelers and the National Football League... Andrew Conte expertly examines issues that remain relevant specifically race relations and cultural divisions while telling the story of Nunn, whose impact transcended a franchise..." -- Rob Rossi "Pittsburgh Tribune-Review sports columnist"

The Color of Sundays "reveals that sports was not separate from the struggle for equal rights. Nunn was a victim of racism and a triumph for humanity. ... His quiet journalism and eye on society helped to integrate much of professional sports and paved the way for open opportunities for players, coaches, and front office staff." -- Samuel W. Black "Director of African American Programs/ Senator John Heinz History Center in association with the Smithsonian Institution"

Edition details

• Publisher: Blue River Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1935628550
• ISBN 13: 9781935628552
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304