The storm and the Tide : tragedy, hope and triumph in Tuscaloosa

Title:

Author:

Anderson, Lars, author.

ISBN:

9781618930972

Personal Author:

Anderson, Lars, author.

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Sports Illustrated Books, an imprint of Time Home Entertainment Inc., [2014]

Physical Description:

229 pages : map ; 24 cm

Abstract:

Describes how, in the wake of the 2011 tornado that killed fifty-three people and became the most devastating storm of its kind in Alabama history, University of Alabama athletes aided the community.

Corporate Subject:

Alabama Crimson Tide (Football team)

Subject Term:

Football players -- Alabama.

Disaster relief -- Alabama -- Tuscaloosa.

Tornadoes -- Alabama -- Tuscaloosa.

Tornado damage -- Alabama -- Tuscaloosa.

Disaster victims -- Alabama -- Tuscaloosa.

Document ID:

SD_ILS:2238456

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Collection	Collection	Call Number	Status
Searching... Auberry Branch Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Non-fiction Area	796.33263 AND	Searching... Unknown
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Searching... Sunnyside Branch Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Non-fiction Area	796.33263 AND	Searching... Unknown

THE MOVING STORY OF HOW A SHARED TRAGEDY INSPIRED A COLLEGE FOOTBALL DYNASTY

On April 27, 2011, a powerful tornado ripped through the heart of Tuscaloosa, Ala., leaving 53 dead and a path of unimaginable devastation. In the aftermath, Alabama coach Nick Saban and his football team went out into the community, sharing its grief and aiding in the recovery. Together they forged an unbreakable bond, and in a place where Saturdays are dedicated to Crimson Tide football, "Let's play for Tuscaloosa" became a rallying cry, an emotional touchstone that transcended the playing field.

Barrett Jones, a 300-pound tackle, went street by street with a chain saw clearing debris. Long snapper Carson Tinker, who endured terrible personal tragedy in the storm, emerged as the public face of Tuscaloosa's resilience. Diehard fans Bob and Dana Dowling lost their home but saw a new one raised by the muscle of Crimson Tide players. The rebuilding effort became a heartfelt crusade; the football team was now competing for a cause much greater than a national championship. In The Storm and the Tide , Lars Anderson chronicles the rise of a team, the building of a dynasty and the resurgence of a town.

Author Notes

Lars Anderson worked for Sports Illustrated for 20 years and is the author of five books, including Carlisle vs. Army and The All Americans . He is an instructor at the University of Alabama. He lives with his wife, April, in Birmingham, where the April 27, 2011, tornado passed five miles north of his house.

Reviews (3)

Kirkus Review

A longtime journalist forSports Illustratedlooks back at the tornado that devastated Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the football team that helped the town heal.On April 27, 2011, one of the deadliest [tornadoes] in the history of the South touched down in the states fifth-largest city, destroying more than 5,700 homes and businesses, taking 7,000 jobs, killing 53, injuring thousands and leaving almost no one unaffected. Anderson (The First Star: Red Grange and the Barnstorming Tour That Launched the NFL, 2009, etc.) spends the opening chapters setting the scene for that awful day, introducing most of the people whose stories unfold at greater length as he charts the next 12 months at the University of Alabama and in this tightknit town forever altered by the whirlwind. Its a two-pronged tale: the cleanup and rebuilding of T-town, including the slow recovery of some who lost loved ones, and the help and inspiration supplied by the Crimson Tide football team that went on to win the national championship. Players and coaches spent the summer working with citizens on relief efforts, reassuring victims, raising funds and rallying National Guard troops. In the process, they developed extraordinary team chemistry and the conviction that they were playing for something bigger than themselves. Readers understandably weary of the redemption-through-sports theme should know that it works spectacularly well here. First, in football-crazed Alabama, passion for the sport and respect for players and coaches run deep. Anderson supplies just enough explanatory material about the Tides history, its fabled coaches and honored traditions to demonstrate how Nick Saban and his players were perfectly poised to assume an important leadership role. Second, the author wisely touches only lightly on the games, focusing instead on the teams bond with the community and the genuine solace offered in the face of inexplicable tragedy.A deeply reported, sensitively rendered story that avoids clich and persuades us that there might indeed be such a thing as football therapy. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Sports Illustrated writer and University of Alabama professor Anderson interviews myriad people affected by the deadly tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011. Anderson begins the story just before the storm, as students and families braced themselves for what turned out to be 190-miles-per-hour winds. Soon after the storm, University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, former and current players, business owners, and other Alabama athletes rush to assist the storm victims and comfort those who lost loved ones. Within the stories of heroics and assistance, Anderson examines the early life and evolution of Coach Saban and offers short biographies of several players, including Carson Tinker, whose A Season to Remember (2014) describes his attempts to deal with grief over the loss of his girlfriend. This is a story of both a storm and a football team, with the latter part of the book weaving the city's recovery into a chronicle of Alabama's run at a BCS title in 2011. A satisfying mix of local history and sports reporting.--Clark, Craig Copyright 2014 Booklist

Library Journal Review

The book opens with the April 2011 tornado that struck Tuscaloosa, AL, taking the lives of 53 people. Included amongst the dead were six University of Alabama students, a couple of whom had close ties to the Tide's football team. Anderson (Carlisle vs. Army) perceptively examines how the devastated town and surrounding area forged a symbiotic relationship with the team to draw inspiration and sustenance from one another as Alabama rolled to national championships in both that year and the next. The book abounds with in-depth profiles of players, students, fans, and grieving parents. Most notable is the surprisingly favorable picture that emerges of Coach Nick Saban, a figure usually depicted as a gloomy, deceitful automaton, but one who took a leading role in turning the tragedy into a rallying point for all. VERDICT Should be of wide interest to nearly all readers. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Chapter 1 An Ill Wind	p. 1
Chapter 2 The Short Wait	p. 10
Chapter 3 After The Bear	p. 21
Chapter 4 Stalked By A Monster	p. 30
Chapter 5 Tinker's Tale	p. 41
Chapter 6 Dark Curly Hair	p. 52
Chapter 7 A Coach And More	p. 58
Chapter 8 Dressed In White	p. 67
Chapter 9 Diamond In The Rough	p. 72
Chapter 10 The Pull Of The Tide	p. 84
Chapter 11 The Mantra	p. 93
Chapter 12 A House Where None Stood	p. 102
Chapter 13 Encouraging Words	p. 111
Chapter 14 Kickoff	p. 119
Chapter 15 The Man With The Silver Tongue	p. 128
Chapter 16 Decisions, Decisions	p. 139
Chapter 17 Two Daughters	p. 148
Chapter 18 The Process	p. 151
Chapter 19 A Punishing Defense	p. 160
Chapter 20 Homecoming	p. 166
Chapter 21 Doomed, Redeemed	p. 172
Chapter 22 Passion And Poison	p. 179
Chapter 23 Game Ready	p. 191
Chapter 24 This One Was Different	p. 198
Chapter 25 Roll Tide	p. 207
Epilogue	p. 210

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