Victor's Victory

by Tony Franklin

Victor’s Victory is a story about the remarkable life and tragic death of fifteen year old Victor Dionte’ Hill, who died during one of my many consultations I do each summer on high school football fields throughout the country. Although his death was tragic, his life was spectacular, and in the three years following his death the stories of the life changing impact he had on an entire community were shared by many. Each reader is placed on the field with Victor’s family, coaches, and friends and share their desperation as Victor fights for his last breath. Each character battles with their own struggles, including this author, as they search for answers to make sense of the tragedy. His teammates use his inspiration to win back to back state championships in his honor, and one, Chad Jackson, wears Victor’s #8 while striving to become an All-American receiver for the Florida Gators. The National Federation of State High School Athletic Association says that from 10-25 young athletes die each year from sudden cardiac deaths. Many of those deaths could be prevented with the use of an automatic external defibrillator. Victor’s tragedy is used to expose people to the facts about sudden death and how it can easily be prevented in most cases. Parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and youth leaders throughout this country will read this emotional story and be inspired by the many stories of how one fifteen year old boy changed the lives of hundreds of people in the community of Hoover, Alabama. Each decade a tragic story becomes the inspiration for a "feel good" ending. From Brian’s Song to Remember The Titans our nation is captured by the human spirit’s ability to overcome hardship. Victor’s Victory will be remembered as the story Americans "feel good" about for the first decade of this new millennium.

182 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2005