Twelve Mighty Orphans The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football, Jim Dent. (Hardcover 0312308728)

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Twelve Mighty Orphans The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football
Author: Jim Dent

Jim Dent, author of the New York Times bestselling The Junction Boys, returns with his most powerful story of human courage and determination. — More than a century ago, a school was constructed in Fort Worth, Texas, for the purpose of housing and educating the orphans of Texas Freemasons. It was a humble project that ... more »for years existed quietly on a hillside east of town. Life at the Masonic Home was about to change, though, with the arrival of a lean, bespectacled coach by the name of Rusty Russell. Here was a man who could bring rain in the midst of a drought. Here was a man who, in virtually no time at all, brought the orphans’ story into the homes of millions of Americans.

In the 1930s and 1940s, there was nothing bigger in Texas high school football than the Masonic Home Mighty Mites—a group of orphans bound together by hardship and death. These youngsters, in spite of being outweighed by at least thirty pounds per man, were the toughest football team around. They began with nothing—not even a football—yet in a few years were playing for the state championship on the highest level of Texas football. This is a winning tribute to a courageous band of underdogs from a time when America desperately needed fresh hope and big dreams.

The Mighty Mites remain a notable moment in the long history of American sports. Just as significant is the depth of the inspirational message. This is a profound lesson in fighting back and clinging to faith. The real winners in Texas high school football were not the kids from the biggest schools, or the ones wearing the most expensive uniforms. They were the scrawny kids from a tiny orphanage who wore scarred helmets and faded jerseys that did not match, kids coached by a devoted man who lived on peanuts and drove them around in a smoke-belching old truck.

In writing a story of unforgettable characters and great football, Jim Dent has come forward to reclaim his place as one of the top sports authors in America today.

A remarkable and inspirational story of an orphanage and the man who created one of the greatest football teams Texas has ever known . . . this is their story—the original Friday Night Lights. “This just might be the best sports book ever written. Jim Dent has crafted a story that will go down as one of the most artistic, one of the most unforgettable, and one of the most inspirational ever. Twelve Mighty Orphans will challenge Hoosiers as the feel-good sports story of our lifetime. Naturally, being from Texas, I am biased. Hooray for the Mighty Mites.’’

—Verne Lundquist, CBS Sports

“Coach Rusty Russell and the Mighty Mites will steal your heart as they overcome every obstacle imaginable to become a respected football team. Take an orphanage, the Depression, and mix it with Texas high school football, and Jim Dent has authored another winner, this one about the ultimate underdog.’’

—Brent Musburger, ABC Sports/ESPN

“No state has a roll call of legendary high school football stories like we do in Texas, and, admittedly, some of those stories have been ‘expanded’ over the years when it comes to the truth. But let Jim Dent tell you about the Mighty Mites of Masonic Home, the pride of Fort Worth in the dark days of the Depression. Read this book. You will think it’s fiction. You will think it’s a Hollywood script. But Twelve Mighty Orphans is the truth, and nothing but. It is powerful stuff. Some eighty years later, the Mighty Mites’ story remains so sacred, not even a Texan would dare tamper with these facts. And Jim Dent tells it like it was.”

— Randy Galloway, columnist, Fort-Worth Star Telegram

ISBN-13: 9780312308728
ISBN-10: 0312308728
Publication Date: 9/4/2007
Pages: 304
Rating:

Currently 4.5/5 Stars.

4.5 stars, based on 5 ratings

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
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Robert P. (monastic-monk) reviewed Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football on 8/3/2010 + 4 more book reviews

A real-life "Rocky" story set during the depression in a small Texas town, where 12 woefully young boys rock the football establishment. It is a great read whether you are a sports fan or not, but especially if you grew up in a small high school where football reigned supreme as I did in the early 1960's. Jim Dent's storytelling kept me mesmerized almost through the entire book.

I especially liked knowing what happened to the boys and coach afterwards. Highly recommended!

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Terri W. (txhockeymom) - , reviewed Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football on 11/6/2007 + 33 more book reviews

Great book! It's a true story that is at times heartbreaking and other times inspiring. Because it is a true story, it is not wrapped up into the ultimate happy ending. But it leaves you satisfied all the same. Living in Texas, the descriptions and the locations are very familiar. It would not surprise me if this book became a movie.

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Sam J. (samuel1543) reviewed Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football on 7/30/2010 + 2 more book reviews

This is a true account and one of the most interesting stories ever in sports history. It reads like a fictional novel and throughout it makes you wonder if this could possibly be true. Even one not interested in sports would probably like this book. After reading it I was watching NFL films about the "toughest players" and lo and behold up popped one of the characters in the book. You will enjoy it.

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