FOOTSTEPS

by Hamilton Maule ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

The story of a tough man, a mean man, a virile man, is that of Paddy O'Connor whose lack of ethics has caused the NCAA to blow the whistle on him and sent him to be football coach at Peabody, under an old enemy, K. O. Jonas, the Athletic Director there. To keep the job O'Connor must agree to Jonas' restrictions on women, liquor, under- the-table deals, payoffs, gambling, fancy recruiting, and concentrates on whipping his assistants and the team in line. With a successful season under way his personal and professional morals get slimier, he succumbs to fixing the team's score, doublecrosses his assistants, refuses to obey orders -- from the school and the doctor- about letting an injured player be in the last games, and is ridden with fear when he loses his potency. Victoriously ready to leave Peabody and his revenge on Jonas, he is the complete outcast when the injured player is hurt again and the team loses the last game. A grim portrait of a violent, unscrupulous, deluded man, this, with its accent on sex, football, sports politics, will have little attraction for a feminine audience and may be distasteful to gentlemen.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1961

Categories: FICTION