Full Description
At a school where basketball is king, the Villanova football team battles opponents both on and off the field. Low on cash and recruiting power, the Division I-AA Wildcats must constantly justify their existence to a prestigious academic institution and the students and alumni who bemoan the team's "minor league" status. This story of Villanova's 2005 season is an inside account of a football program wading through the political mire to bring glory to a school largely indifferent to its efforts. Through the Wildcats' experience, Tony Moss explores the inner workings of college football, particularly the chasm between Division I-A, home of the most visible, successful programs, and Division I-AA, where crowds are smaller but competition is just as intense. As alumni and faculty question the cost of funding sixty-three football scholarships and a full-time coaching staff, Moss leaves us to decide whether the struggle is worth the cost to schools outside the spotlight and whether the game has any inherent value apart from the bottom line.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Author's Note
Preface
Chapter 1 - Huddling
Chapter 2 - The Coach
Chapter 3 - Gearing Up
Chapter 4 - The Big Time
Chapter 5 - Lightning Striking Again
Chapter 6 - The Fourth Estate
Chapter 7 - Recovery
Chapter 8 - Bitten By the Spiders
Chapter 9 - Academically Speaking
Chapter 10 - Coming Home
Chapter 11 - The Prospect
Chapter 12 - Outlaw in Charm City
Chapter 13 - Reaching for the Top
Chapter 14 - The Rivalry
Chapter 15 - Endgame
