Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football

From “the poet laureate of Michigan football” and three-time New York Times bestselling chronicler of the Wolverines, a riveting and revealing insider’s account of the Jim Harbaugh era and a deeply reported human portrait of life within a big-time college football program.

In December 2014, the University of Michigan’s storied football program was in shambles. Over the previous eight years, the perennial Big Ten powerhouse had barely risen above the .500 mark. But on December 30, a savior was proclaimed in new head coach Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL Coach of the Year, larger-than-life personality, and a legendary former All-American Michigan quarterback.

Harbaugh quickly righted the ship, leading the Wolverines to back-to-back 10-win seasons. After a disappointing 8-5 season in 2017, Michigan returned to glory in 2018 with a 10-game winning streak that elevated U of M to #4 in the polls, but the optimism was short-lived, as they suffered two crushing defeats to end the season, including a crushing loss to arch rival Ohio State. Now, with a top-five recruiting class coming in, star quarterback Shea Patterson returning, and rumors swirling that Harbaugh could be lured back to the NFL at the right price, 2019 feels very much like a make-or-break season for Michigan and its enormous, rabid fanbase.

John U. Bacon, New York Times bestselling author and “poet laureate of Michigan football” (Joe Drape) offers a thrilling insider’s account of the Harbaugh era, based on unparalleled access, hours of exclusive one-on-one interviews, and his years of deep contacts in the Michigan community. Overtime takes readers inside one of college football’s most revered programs and its quest to return to the promised land, and into the lives of the players, families, and coaches, including Harbaugh; star quarterback Shea Patterson, who had to fight the NCAA to be allowed to play; rival Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, a lightning rod for controversy; and others. In the vein of the million-copy-bestseller A Season on the Brink (which followed Indiana basketball and its notorious overlord Bob Knight), Overtime is a window into big-time college sports, and a legendary coach, that only John U. Bacon could write.

Overtime includes approximately 25 color photos.

1130636808
Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football

From “the poet laureate of Michigan football” and three-time New York Times bestselling chronicler of the Wolverines, a riveting and revealing insider’s account of the Jim Harbaugh era and a deeply reported human portrait of life within a big-time college football program.

In December 2014, the University of Michigan’s storied football program was in shambles. Over the previous eight years, the perennial Big Ten powerhouse had barely risen above the .500 mark. But on December 30, a savior was proclaimed in new head coach Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL Coach of the Year, larger-than-life personality, and a legendary former All-American Michigan quarterback.

Harbaugh quickly righted the ship, leading the Wolverines to back-to-back 10-win seasons. After a disappointing 8-5 season in 2017, Michigan returned to glory in 2018 with a 10-game winning streak that elevated U of M to #4 in the polls, but the optimism was short-lived, as they suffered two crushing defeats to end the season, including a crushing loss to arch rival Ohio State. Now, with a top-five recruiting class coming in, star quarterback Shea Patterson returning, and rumors swirling that Harbaugh could be lured back to the NFL at the right price, 2019 feels very much like a make-or-break season for Michigan and its enormous, rabid fanbase.

John U. Bacon, New York Times bestselling author and “poet laureate of Michigan football” (Joe Drape) offers a thrilling insider’s account of the Harbaugh era, based on unparalleled access, hours of exclusive one-on-one interviews, and his years of deep contacts in the Michigan community. Overtime takes readers inside one of college football’s most revered programs and its quest to return to the promised land, and into the lives of the players, families, and coaches, including Harbaugh; star quarterback Shea Patterson, who had to fight the NCAA to be allowed to play; rival Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, a lightning rod for controversy; and others. In the vein of the million-copy-bestseller A Season on the Brink (which followed Indiana basketball and its notorious overlord Bob Knight), Overtime is a window into big-time college sports, and a legendary coach, that only John U. Bacon could write.

Overtime includes approximately 25 color photos.

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Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football

Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football

by John U. Bacon
Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football

Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football

by John U. Bacon

Paperback(Large Print)

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Overview

From “the poet laureate of Michigan football” and three-time New York Times bestselling chronicler of the Wolverines, a riveting and revealing insider’s account of the Jim Harbaugh era and a deeply reported human portrait of life within a big-time college football program.

In December 2014, the University of Michigan’s storied football program was in shambles. Over the previous eight years, the perennial Big Ten powerhouse had barely risen above the .500 mark. But on December 30, a savior was proclaimed in new head coach Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL Coach of the Year, larger-than-life personality, and a legendary former All-American Michigan quarterback.

Harbaugh quickly righted the ship, leading the Wolverines to back-to-back 10-win seasons. After a disappointing 8-5 season in 2017, Michigan returned to glory in 2018 with a 10-game winning streak that elevated U of M to #4 in the polls, but the optimism was short-lived, as they suffered two crushing defeats to end the season, including a crushing loss to arch rival Ohio State. Now, with a top-five recruiting class coming in, star quarterback Shea Patterson returning, and rumors swirling that Harbaugh could be lured back to the NFL at the right price, 2019 feels very much like a make-or-break season for Michigan and its enormous, rabid fanbase.

John U. Bacon, New York Times bestselling author and “poet laureate of Michigan football” (Joe Drape) offers a thrilling insider’s account of the Harbaugh era, based on unparalleled access, hours of exclusive one-on-one interviews, and his years of deep contacts in the Michigan community. Overtime takes readers inside one of college football’s most revered programs and its quest to return to the promised land, and into the lives of the players, families, and coaches, including Harbaugh; star quarterback Shea Patterson, who had to fight the NCAA to be allowed to play; rival Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, a lightning rod for controversy; and others. In the vein of the million-copy-bestseller A Season on the Brink (which followed Indiana basketball and its notorious overlord Bob Knight), Overtime is a window into big-time college sports, and a legendary coach, that only John U. Bacon could write.

Overtime includes approximately 25 color photos.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780062944238
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 09/17/2019
Edition description: Large Print
Pages: 640
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

John U. Bacon is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including Three and Out; Fourth and Long; and Endzone. He appears often on NPR and national television, and teaches at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and the University of Michigan. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and son.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Why This Book 1

Prologue: The Crossroads 5

Part I Preseason

Chapter 1 Looking for "The Guy" 23

Chapter 2 Big Ten Media Days 33

Chapter 3 The Harbaughs 39

Chapter 4 The Risks and Rewards-Real and Perceived 55

Chapter 5 Countdown to Kickoff 74

Part II September

Chapter 6 Drowned Out by the Echoes 91

Chapter 7 The Gambler 110

Chapter 8 Growing Up Harbaugh 125

Chapter 9 Friday Nights, No Lights 149

Chapter 10 Stopping a Losing Streak 162

Chapter 11 The Rocket Scientist 169

Chapter 12 Student-Athletes 179

Chapter 13 The Victory After the Game 205

Chapter 14 It Takes a Village 212

Chapter 15 Harbaugh in High School 232

Chapter 16 Emptying the Bench 243

Chapter 17 The Lightning Rod 259

Chapter 18 To the Brink and Back 276

Part III October

Chapter 19 The Backup 291

Chapter 20 Tragedy at Maryland 300

Chapter 21 Making a Little History 308

Chapter 22 The-Eye in the Sky Never Lies 318

Chapter 23 Michigan Man 331

Chapter 24 O-Line U 344

Chapter 25 The Anonymous O-Lineman 353

Chapter 26 The Revenge Tour Commences 363

Chapter 27 The Can't Miss Kid 378

Chapter 28 Bad Blood 386

Chapter 29 "Cavalry's Coming" 401

Part IV November

Chapter 30 "If Football Was Taken Away" 423

Chapter 31 Captain Comeback 451

Chapter 32 "Hard to Beat the Cheaters" 466

Chapter 33 Turning the Tables 490

Chapter 34 A Modest Proposal 501

Chapter 35 Business Trip 511

Chapter 36 Prodigal Son 519

Chapter 37 The Perfect Trap 532

Chapter 38 Collapse in Columbus 539

Part V Postseason

Chapter 39 Hard Choices 559

Chapter 40 What Really Matters 570

Chapter 41 Consolations 579

Epilogue: Was It Worth It? 590

Acknowledgments 615

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