When the Game Stands Tall
The Story of the De La Salle Spartans and Football's Longest Winning Streak
By Bob Larson (Photographer); Tony La Russa (Foreword by); Neil Hayes
(Frog Books, Hardcover, 9781583940860, 416pp.)
Publication Date: October 30, 2003
Other Editions of This Title: Paperback (August 23, 2005)
Categories: Football - General, History
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De La Salle High School in Concord, California, is home to perhaps the greatest dynasty in sports history. At age 23, Coach Bob Ladouceur launched a legend, "The Streak," with no teaching or head-coaching experience, and with his teams amassed the highest winning percentage in all of football history with 138 consecutive victories. This book takes readers behind the scenes, closely following individual players, as Ladouceur guides his team through the most daunting schedule in school history, the 2002 season. Numerous interviews with major-league coaches such as Bill Walsh, Steve Mariucci, and John Gruden show the depth of respect accorded to Ladouceur and his methods and philosophies. Written with full cooperation from the coach and including dozens of photographs, this book is perfect for anyone interested in the factors behind phenomenal team success.
Neil Hayes is a sports columnist for the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, CA. He has twice won national awards for enterprise reporting. He lives in Pleasant Hill, CA, with his wife Charlee and their two children, Nicholas and Riley.
"I've never seen a better coached team at any level. I watch his teams play and can't believe it's a high school football game. He is as fine a coach as the game has ever seen."
-Former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh
"It's the ultimate high school football program in this country, there's no doubt about that. It's unbelievable how they keep winning."
-Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci
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