Here, Missouri Hall of Famer and sports educator Jim Aziere has crafted a remarkable true story, a classically American story, about an essential part of his youthful struggles and our own, featuring a one-of-a-kind Kansas City parochial high school called De La Salle Academy that flourished in the years between wars--1941-1959--a time of great social strife in our city. It's an eye-opening tale of the seismic shifts in America in the 1960s, about a unique group of Christian educators who managed to integrate a high school before Brown v. Board of Education--but could not keep the dream alive beyond Watergate. You're sure to find Jim's story about his years at De La Salle--where he was first a student and later faculty--highly affecting and personal as he recounts his many life lessons, survives a learning disability, and uses athletic skill and determination to excel despite everything. It's bound to touch and inspire anyone who's ever felt more at home on AstroTurf than in a classroom. Michael Pritchett, Author of The Melancholy Fate of Capt. Lewis (Unbridled Books)
During a lifetime in professional sports, Jim Finks touched nearly every rung on the ladder. As a player during the National Football League's Golden Era of the 1950's, Finks suffered a broken neck making a tackle and later survived to become a Pro Bowl quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He coached Paul Hornung to a Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame in 1956 before cutting his teeth as general manager of the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. From Canada, Finks headed south to help build Super Bowl teams as GM of the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. He even brought his winning touch to baseball as president of the Chicago Cubs in 1984 before rescuing the New Orleans Saints from pigskin purgatory and elevating them to playoff respectability. Finks spent 26 years as an NFL general manager and was a strong candidate to replace Pete Rozelle as commissioner in 1989 while earning NFL executive of the year awards in 1973 and 1987. Jim Finks was admired for his honesty and integrity in a business where the shafts and knives often fill the air. Finks was a unique individual, and "It's Been a Pleasure" will impart even more of that wisdom.
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