Keeping The Faith: In The Trenches With College Football's Worst Team - Hardcover

Fury, Shawn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1592287646 ISBN 13: 9781592287642

Publisher: UNKNO, 2005

Synopsis

Every loser has a story. And few teams have lost quite like the Trinity Bible College football team. Located in Ellendale, North Dakota-population 1,559-Trinity produces preachers
and missionaries, but with an enrollment of only 310 students, struggles to find quality athletes. Keeping the Faith tells the remarkable story of the 2004 Trinity Bible College Lions, the worst college team in the country-a team fighting for victory and, more importantly, dignity.

Countless sports books have been written about championship teams and grand traditions. But what about teams on the other side of the scoreboard? How do those players and coaches fight
through ridicule, adversity, and defeat? This account is told through the eyes of a colorful group of characters, including Trinity's head coach, Rusty Bentley, a native Texan and former car salesman who says he moved his family to North Dakota because it was God's will. In his first game, Trinity lost 105-0.

Assistant coach Eric Slivoskey has traveled throughout the world, but he came to Ellendale seeking answers to his spiritual questions. A former high school star, he struggles to coexist with the Scriptures-quoting Bentley, whose knowledge of the Bible seems to dwarf his knowledge of football. Trinity's players, who number fewer than thirty, include Lee Odell, an all-conference center on the offensive line who's surrounded by teammates who didn't even play high school football. Wide receiver Andy Brower is training to be a pastor, but he doesn't
think the Lions should be relying on Jesus to help them on the field. Trinity's players keep taking the field week after week, loss after loss. They keep playing, always believing the next game will bring victory. Keeping the Faith is about football, faith, and finding small victories amidst big defeats.

About this title

About the Author

Shawn Fury is an award-winning writer whose story on the Trinity Bible College football team was named the best sports feature for a daily newspaper by the Minnesota Newspaper Association, and best sports story by the North Dakota/South Dakota Associated Press Managing Editors. This is his first book. He lives in New York City with his wife, Louise. For more information, visit www.shawnfury.com.

From Publishers Weekly

Trinity Bible College, of Ellendale, N.Dak., made national headlines in fall 2003 when the school's football team lost its season opener 105–0. It would be easy to romanticize the Lions as lovable losers; many of the players, scraped together from the college's 300 students, have never played organized football before, and officially the school is more concerned with saving souls than winning games. But while this story has its share of offbeat moments—including a practice session so disorganized no one can find any footballs—Fury usually avoids the easy route. Following the team for the 2004 season, the freelance reporter winds up chronicling the mounting frustration among the players and assistant coaches with the hands-off management style of head coach Rusty Bentley, and suspense is generated not by wondering if the Lions will be able to pull out a victory, but whether the team will make it to the end of the season intact. In between games, Fury ably sets the scene around the small campus, which is so remote, people there can't even get cell phone service. By refusing to caricature or sentimentalize the players, Fury delivers a heartfelt tale. Photos.
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About this edition

• Publisher: UNKNO
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1592287646
• ISBN 13: 9781592287642
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 211