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Bleeding Orange: Fifty Years of Blind Referees, Screaming Fans, Beasts of the East, and Syracuse Basketball
In this candid autobiography, Syracuse head coach and long time college basketball fixture Jim Boeheim reflects on his life, his teachers, and the game he loves
Jim Boeheim walked onto the Syracuse campus as a freshman in 1963 . . . and never walked off. A man who has been written off at various stages of his career and criticized for being disagreeable, Boeheim has experienced it all—triumph, despair, redemption; controversy, heartbreak, and scandal; championships, epic disappointments, colorful personalities, NCAA investigations.
His combative personality helped ignite what was arguably the most competitive college basketball conference ever: the Big East of the 1980s, when he and Syracuse battled with Big John Thompson of Georgetown, roly-poly Rollie Massimino of Villanova, feisty Jim Calhoun of Connecticut, and beloved Looie Carneseca of St. John’s, turning the Big East into a Coaches Conference and the Best Show in College Basketball. Boheim talks about those days and the coming battles with powerhouses North Carolina and Duke, now that Syracuse has joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.
From his association with Syracuse greats Dave Bing (a college teammate), Pearl Washington and Derrick Coleman, to the Olympics—where he coached players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant—Boeheim has learned many lessons that have helped his team and continue to encourage him now as he nears seventy.
His unprecedented fifty-year career as a player, assistant, head coach and icon has given him unique insight into coaching and the college game, knowledge he now shares.
Jim Boeheim walked onto the Syracuse campus as a freshman in 1963 . . . and never walked off. A man who has been written off at various stages of his career and criticized for being disagreeable, Boeheim has experienced it all—triumph, despair, redemption; controversy, heartbreak, and scandal; championships, epic disappointments, colorful personalities, NCAA investigations.
His combative personality helped ignite what was arguably the most competitive college basketball conference ever: the Big East of the 1980s, when he and Syracuse battled with Big John Thompson of Georgetown, roly-poly Rollie Massimino of Villanova, feisty Jim Calhoun of Connecticut, and beloved Looie Carneseca of St. John’s, turning the Big East into a Coaches Conference and the Best Show in College Basketball. Boheim talks about those days and the coming battles with powerhouses North Carolina and Duke, now that Syracuse has joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.
From his association with Syracuse greats Dave Bing (a college teammate), Pearl Washington and Derrick Coleman, to the Olympics—where he coached players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant—Boeheim has learned many lessons that have helped his team and continue to encourage him now as he nears seventy.
His unprecedented fifty-year career as a player, assistant, head coach and icon has given him unique insight into coaching and the college game, knowledge he now shares.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2014
30 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
March 25, 2019
The theme is the highs and lows of Jim Boeheims career as a coach and player. he talks a lot about some of the best players he had when he was coaching. Also talked about what it was like playing with one of the best Syracuse players, Dave Bing.
December 7, 2020
I think I know more about college basketball than 99% of people I talk to. I'm a lifelong Cuse resident and an alum with two degrees. I've been a devout Syracuse fan for my entire life so I know most of the history of the program (disclaimer: possibly a biased review on my part). But, there are stories in this book that a fan would not know before reading from recruiting to stories of the old Big East. It was a different view on the games that stand out to me and in the coach's view. JB is simply an institution in college basketball, and this book provides some insight into his thought processes - such as the moment he decided to go zone full-time and how it's changed over the years. A must-read for anyone who calls them a big time Syracuse Basketball fan.
March 11, 2015
Bleeding Orange by Jim Boeheim
Sports I think this is a great book if you like learning tips for basketball and about basketball teams. you should read this book, although it isn't a typical read for 6th graders. if you like basketball then you should read it. its about coach Jim Boehiem and how a coach and a team work together. there is some stuff about him playing basketball for Syracuse. I really enjoyed this book! I'm not done reading This book yet, but its a really good
Sports I think this is a great book if you like learning tips for basketball and about basketball teams. you should read this book, although it isn't a typical read for 6th graders. if you like basketball then you should read it. its about coach Jim Boehiem and how a coach and a team work together. there is some stuff about him playing basketball for Syracuse. I really enjoyed this book! I'm not done reading This book yet, but its a really good
November 25, 2014
A must-read for every central New Yorker. Jimmy’s voice comes through loud and clear. Let’s Go ‘Cuse!
January 9, 2015
Boeheim is the best, so it should come as no surprise that his book is the best.
August 30, 2017
Bleeding Orange is the story of Jim Boeheim's career. Jim Boeheim is the longest holding job coach in NCAA history and Bleeding Orange tells his story. It starts when he played there for college basketball as a teen at Syracuse University. Little did he know he would spend several decades at the school. He starts with telling stories of Dave Bing and how he was the best player he has ever played with. The book also goes into detail in how he received the job, and how hard it is to be a coach at one of the highest levels in basketball. As he took over Syracuse they joined the Big East which evolved into one of the biggest and most famous conferences. Lastly the book shows how he became one of the best coaches in NCAA history by winning the 2003 NCAA tournament with NBA Star Carmelo Anthony. Overall the book is a solid read but not very intriguing. I would only recommend the book if you like basketball or are a Syracuse fan.
March 29, 2018
A good book on the career of Jim Boeheim, who has been at the helm for Syracuse baseketball since I was born. In this book Boeheim, who is helped by Jack McCallum, takes the reader through his entire career. Really interesting to read about the his coaching in the Big East in the 1980s and 1990s especially. He's not afraid to give the reader some junk on some other coaches as well as some of his players he's had. So you get the truth with this book. There is even some stuff on the Bernie Fine saga in this book, although he doesn't talk quite as much about that due to legal reasons. But stories on Pearl Washington, Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Billy Owens, John Wallace, Rony Seikaly and Carmelo Anthony are all here. Good stuff and a fun read during March Madness.
March 31, 2023
Open, honest, engaging, and often humorous. The reading flows conversationally as if you are sitting down with the coach at the corner bar. The only place the book drifts a bit is in the parts where Syracuse players are discussed in more detail. Unless you are a diehard Orange fan, you won't remember all the players since the book covers 40 years or so of coaching. I (a Uconn fan) remembered most of the players so this was only a minor issue during the reading.
June 7, 2017
This was a fantastic read - for Syracuse fans and basketball fans in general. Jim Boeheim has a wonderful sense of humor and an honesty that's a breath of fresh air. I love his insight into the game and how he coaches as well as his relationships with his players.
February 4, 2020
A great book. Well it was for me, I’m a Syracuse grad and Syracuse basketball fan. For me it was like visiting a part of my history from the day I started at SU in 1976 to 2014. Coach, please update from 2014 to present.
December 1, 2020
I had the pleasure of meeting Coach Boeheim personally and when I say he is a down to earth guy he truly is and an amazing basketball mind. Also shared stories with him of me playing against one of his best all time bigs Rakeem Christmas through all 4 years of high school.
March 8, 2022
i thought the book was a great biography and it has a great concept of what it is like to coach for a long period of tome for the same team and the great players you'll met the games you win and the games you lose.
December 30, 2023
Ok I love Jim Boeheim and Syracuse, but this book was terrible. The ghostwriter was bad. The chapters are choppy and nothing is really that enticing or new. Did not paint Jim out to be a great person (or coach) and this was pre-late career scandals.
March 17, 2019
Great Book...
Inside look at a long time successful coach and program.....behind the scenes look on and off the court over the past several decades.
Inside look at a long time successful coach and program.....behind the scenes look on and off the court over the past several decades.
November 14, 2021
Loved the college basketball history that was threaded throughout the story.
July 15, 2015
It's a little difficult to be personally objective for me when it comes to a book about Jim Boeheim. He's something of a last link for me to Syracuse University, since his first season as a head coach was my senior year there ... way back when.
Heck, I covered the news conference for the student newspaper when he was hired as head coach. And if Boeheim's book is any indication, I remember his first win as a head coach better than he does. The longtime coach writes that it came against the Chilean National Team in an exhibition game; it was actually against the team from Peru. (Want to read my game story? Still got it.)
Boeheim finally has gotten around to writing an autobiography, and "Bleeding Orange" works quite well as a stroll through 50 years of basketball at the Central New York school.
Boeheim has become part of the furniture at Syracuse. After growing up down the road in Lyons, he was the backcourt partner of the legendary Dave Bing in the mid-Sixties there, stayed on after graduation to work on the basketball staff, and eventually was promoted to head coach in 1976. The program has gone ever upward, more or less, since then. Boeheim is now second on the all-time list of coaching victories, and home games average almost 30,000 fans per game at the Carrier Dome.
The fun part of the book comes exactly when you'd expect - descriptions of memorable Big East battles in the Eighties. That's when almost every game seemed like an event, and great coaches with unforgettable personalities - John Thompson, Lou Carnesecca, Jim Calhoun, Rollie Massimino, Rick Pitino, etc. - roamed the sidelines. Boeheim won more games in the conference than all of them. There are stories about games from the past, and stories about relationships off the court. They all loved to win, especially against each other, whether it on the scoreboard or at the offseason league meetings.
You'd figure stories about the big moments would be here, and they are provided. Syracuse has gone to three Final Fours under Boeheim (one more with him as an assistant), winning the national title in 2003. They are well described, as are such other games as the six-overtime game in the Big East Tournament with Connecticut. Boeheim has done a lot of winning over the years considering he's only had four players with truly otherworldly talent - Dwayne Washington, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens and Carmelo Anthony. The veteran coach also gets some thoughts down on serving as an Olympic assistant basketball coach twice.
Boeheim and co-author Jack McCallum, one of the best in the business, also make some good decisions along the way. Portions of the book are something of a diary of the 2013-14 season, which are used as something of a launching point at times to discuss the state of the game and other matters.That prevents the book from getting too bogged down in the past.
More importantly, Boeheim comes across as personable, thoughtful and frequently funny. Some times his barbs are directed at opposing coaches, sometimes at his own players, and sometimes at himself. There are insights into decisions made along the way of his career, comments on his personal life, and tangents about transfer rules and age restrictions on turning professional. He may have even crossed a line once. The paragraph of the book that has received the most chatter so far was how Boeheim revealed Anthony's grades in his first semester at Syracuse; not sure that was the best idea.
By the way, the situation surrounding former assistant coach Bernie Fine, who lost his job during the 2011-12 season in something of a scandal, receives some coverage but not a great deal - probably due to pending legal matters.
"Bleeding Orange" isn't great literature, but it's one of those books that's simply a breeze to run through. I found myself picking it up at times, turning to a page and getting caught up in some anecdotes. The book should work for just about anyone who is a fan of college basketball. However, if you have some orange in your wardrobe, you probably shouldn't miss this surprisingly candid look offered by a Hall of Fame coach.
Heck, I covered the news conference for the student newspaper when he was hired as head coach. And if Boeheim's book is any indication, I remember his first win as a head coach better than he does. The longtime coach writes that it came against the Chilean National Team in an exhibition game; it was actually against the team from Peru. (Want to read my game story? Still got it.)
Boeheim finally has gotten around to writing an autobiography, and "Bleeding Orange" works quite well as a stroll through 50 years of basketball at the Central New York school.
Boeheim has become part of the furniture at Syracuse. After growing up down the road in Lyons, he was the backcourt partner of the legendary Dave Bing in the mid-Sixties there, stayed on after graduation to work on the basketball staff, and eventually was promoted to head coach in 1976. The program has gone ever upward, more or less, since then. Boeheim is now second on the all-time list of coaching victories, and home games average almost 30,000 fans per game at the Carrier Dome.
The fun part of the book comes exactly when you'd expect - descriptions of memorable Big East battles in the Eighties. That's when almost every game seemed like an event, and great coaches with unforgettable personalities - John Thompson, Lou Carnesecca, Jim Calhoun, Rollie Massimino, Rick Pitino, etc. - roamed the sidelines. Boeheim won more games in the conference than all of them. There are stories about games from the past, and stories about relationships off the court. They all loved to win, especially against each other, whether it on the scoreboard or at the offseason league meetings.
You'd figure stories about the big moments would be here, and they are provided. Syracuse has gone to three Final Fours under Boeheim (one more with him as an assistant), winning the national title in 2003. They are well described, as are such other games as the six-overtime game in the Big East Tournament with Connecticut. Boeheim has done a lot of winning over the years considering he's only had four players with truly otherworldly talent - Dwayne Washington, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens and Carmelo Anthony. The veteran coach also gets some thoughts down on serving as an Olympic assistant basketball coach twice.
Boeheim and co-author Jack McCallum, one of the best in the business, also make some good decisions along the way. Portions of the book are something of a diary of the 2013-14 season, which are used as something of a launching point at times to discuss the state of the game and other matters.That prevents the book from getting too bogged down in the past.
More importantly, Boeheim comes across as personable, thoughtful and frequently funny. Some times his barbs are directed at opposing coaches, sometimes at his own players, and sometimes at himself. There are insights into decisions made along the way of his career, comments on his personal life, and tangents about transfer rules and age restrictions on turning professional. He may have even crossed a line once. The paragraph of the book that has received the most chatter so far was how Boeheim revealed Anthony's grades in his first semester at Syracuse; not sure that was the best idea.
By the way, the situation surrounding former assistant coach Bernie Fine, who lost his job during the 2011-12 season in something of a scandal, receives some coverage but not a great deal - probably due to pending legal matters.
"Bleeding Orange" isn't great literature, but it's one of those books that's simply a breeze to run through. I found myself picking it up at times, turning to a page and getting caught up in some anecdotes. The book should work for just about anyone who is a fan of college basketball. However, if you have some orange in your wardrobe, you probably shouldn't miss this surprisingly candid look offered by a Hall of Fame coach.
November 17, 2014
While I didn't attend SU, I spent my middle and high school years in Syracuse, and most of my family still lives there, so I get back often. Additionally, both of my parents attended SU at different times in their lives (my mom earned two degrees there). So it's safe to say I'm a fan. I'm more of an NBA guy than a college ball guy, but the principals are the same and I've followed Cuse loosely since the 80s and more closely since their championship run in 2003.
This was an overall enjoyable book. I was hoping for a bit more insight into the actual mechanics of coaching, but that's not really the purpose of an autobiography, and indeed this one focuses primarily on Boeheim's life story. It's a fast, easy read, and the style's relatively pleasant. Boeheim jumps a bit too frequently between past-tense and present-tense for my liking -- we do this all the time in speech, but it's more jarring when done in writing -- but other than that it's structurally sound. The book started a bit slow for me, but picked up later it gets to the 90s and 2000s, where I recognized a lot more of the players being discussed. For SU fans who're older than me, the early chapters may be equally as interesting.
Overall, a solid read.
This was an overall enjoyable book. I was hoping for a bit more insight into the actual mechanics of coaching, but that's not really the purpose of an autobiography, and indeed this one focuses primarily on Boeheim's life story. It's a fast, easy read, and the style's relatively pleasant. Boeheim jumps a bit too frequently between past-tense and present-tense for my liking -- we do this all the time in speech, but it's more jarring when done in writing -- but other than that it's structurally sound. The book started a bit slow for me, but picked up later it gets to the 90s and 2000s, where I recognized a lot more of the players being discussed. For SU fans who're older than me, the early chapters may be equally as interesting.
Overall, a solid read.
November 8, 2014
Just What I Was Waiting For
I couldn't wait for Jim Boeheim to release this memoir. Finally, basketball in his own words. Jim is not only an amazing coach, but a former player and a man. who lives and breathes the sport. Coaches always say that every moment he is not coaching, Jim Boeheim is watching a game. He loves the sport, and it shows in this book. I loved reading his stories about his former players, the rivalry between SU and Georgetown, and the dedication of Jim Boeheim Court. The only thing I felt was left out were details pertaining to his personal life. Of course, this book was meant to be about basketball, but I still wish there were more personal details. I would have loved to have read more about his children, as well as his relationships with the other coaches. There were a few stories, but I wish that there were more. However, overall the book was a great read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only sad part is knowing that retirement may be looming. Like so many fans, I don't want to think about Syracuse Basketball without Jim Boeheim...
I couldn't wait for Jim Boeheim to release this memoir. Finally, basketball in his own words. Jim is not only an amazing coach, but a former player and a man. who lives and breathes the sport. Coaches always say that every moment he is not coaching, Jim Boeheim is watching a game. He loves the sport, and it shows in this book. I loved reading his stories about his former players, the rivalry between SU and Georgetown, and the dedication of Jim Boeheim Court. The only thing I felt was left out were details pertaining to his personal life. Of course, this book was meant to be about basketball, but I still wish there were more personal details. I would have loved to have read more about his children, as well as his relationships with the other coaches. There were a few stories, but I wish that there were more. However, overall the book was a great read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only sad part is knowing that retirement may be looming. Like so many fans, I don't want to think about Syracuse Basketball without Jim Boeheim...
April 22, 2015
A must read without a doubt for anyone who calls them a big time Syracuse Basketball fan. Growing up in Syracuse, I can assure you that the majority of us "bleed orange" like Jimmy...
This book was a great, quick read, and allowed me to experience the last 50 years of Syracuse basketball headed by Jim Boeheim. For anyone from Syracuse, you know that Boeheim is our messiah, though he is seen as rash, controversial, and a loud-mouth. I think the Syracuse program owes everything to this man, and we would be nothing without him. Boeheim takes us through his childhood, playing days, early coaching days, the Big East, and the ACC, all the while interjecting his thoughts and preparations at different points of the 2013-2014 season in the "coaches notes" chapters.
I am interested in seeing a few extra chapters or a whole new booth added that cover the recent NCAA investigation, and fallout, as this book fails to cover it as it was finished July 2014. Anyway.. great read you will not be disappointed.
This book was a great, quick read, and allowed me to experience the last 50 years of Syracuse basketball headed by Jim Boeheim. For anyone from Syracuse, you know that Boeheim is our messiah, though he is seen as rash, controversial, and a loud-mouth. I think the Syracuse program owes everything to this man, and we would be nothing without him. Boeheim takes us through his childhood, playing days, early coaching days, the Big East, and the ACC, all the while interjecting his thoughts and preparations at different points of the 2013-2014 season in the "coaches notes" chapters.
I am interested in seeing a few extra chapters or a whole new booth added that cover the recent NCAA investigation, and fallout, as this book fails to cover it as it was finished July 2014. Anyway.. great read you will not be disappointed.
January 18, 2015
Why did I pick up this book at the library? I’m not really sure I don’t like basketball and I don’t like Syracuse University Basketball but spending a lot of time in Syracuse and going to college near Syracuse during the Billy Owens and Derrick Coleman years and seeing how the city seems to live and die by this basketball team I was intrigued. It was an okay read of Boeheim’s early life and then how he made the SU team as a walk on played with Dave Bing and never left, becoming an assistant and then the head coach for the last 39 years. His stories of the making and play of the Big East and his relationships with John Thompson, Jim Calhoun etc. along with his analysis of the players that played for him over the years was interesting. He doesn't really deal a whole lot with some of the controversies around the program except for the Bernie Fine situation. OK read.
December 21, 2014
Excellent read, and a must for Syracuse Orange fans. Boeheim goes into details about growing up, becoming head coach, the forming of the Big East, and commentary on many of the coaches and players he has worked with over the years. He is very complimentary of everyone - not what you might expect given his curmudgeonly reputation - and offers realistic assessments of his career and the current state of college basketball. There are some very funny stories. It's a quick read though...
December 28, 2014
A good read. Being a fan for so many years, many of the stories and career highlights I've experienced first hand. Yet, reading them from coach's perspective had me reading during breaks from packing up Christmas ornaments ... cover to cover in two partial days. Of course, as a fan there were many players and historic games that I would have liked to hear about, but then again closing in on 1,000 wins would make for a pretty large volume. Go Orange!
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March 25, 2015I dont read autobiographies normally, but this was a gift...I have to admit that I am a Boeheim apologist..big fan, love the fact he stayed here is entire life and is so loyal to SU. as am I.
I did enjoy reading this and reading his thoughts on his entire career, he is very honest in his sharing.
I would recommend to any and ll SU loyalists...good read...no pun intended
I did enjoy reading this and reading his thoughts on his entire career, he is very honest in his sharing.
I would recommend to any and ll SU loyalists...good read...no pun intended
May 25, 2016
Bleeding Orange by Jim Boeheim Syracuse's basketball coach in incorporation with Jack McCallum a sports book writer is a 5 star book in my opinion. Bleeding Orange talks about the tough games Jim Boeheim has had against the best college basketball teams in the world. Readers who love sports or just basketball will enjoy this book very much.
June 3, 2015
As a lifetime fan of the Orange, JB is simply an institution in college basketball, and this book provides some insight into his thought processes and his career. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
January 16, 2015
I was born and raised in Syracuse, I moved away but I still bleed Orange basketball. I own an orange car. I've had my ups and downs with Syracuse hoops as well as Coach Boeheim. There are lots of things I didn't not know about him and the program. A must read for any Syracuse basketball fan.
February 9, 2015
The stories and information in this book about Syracuse Basketball is absolutely amazing to read. The organization of the paragraphs are a little weird and could use some work. But the guy is a basketball coach and not a writer, so it doesn't take away from the book.
April 7, 2015
A chapter or two in, I was going to put it down, but I gave it a chance and I'm happy I stuck it out. I'm not sure if this book would appeal to a non-Syracuse fan, but true SU fans will be pleased. Boeheim is frank and open. In the end, he's completely likeable.
November 12, 2014
Must read if you're a Cuse fan. I couldn't put it down. I loved this book. The history. Love my school.
December 23, 2014
An awesome read for the Orange Nation!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews