A Sixers Odyssey: Exploring the Forgotten Players of 76ers Yesteryear

by Dave Rueter

“Dave, honey. Are you sitting down? We have to talk. Your dad and I have something to tell you.” “What is it, mom? Is everything alright? Are you getting divorced? Is it grandma?" “No, no. Grandma's fine. But – well, there’s no easy way to say this.” Mom exhaled. “The Sixers just traded Charles Barkley for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry.” That couldn’t be right, I thought. She must’ve misheard. “What about Kevin Johnson? Or Thunder Dan? And the picks? How many picks, mom?” She shook her head, like she couldn’t even believe the words that were about to come out of her mouth.
“No KJ or Majerle. No picks, sweetie.”
----- A Sixers Odyssey is a collection of 76 essays on forgotten players from the last thirty years. Why did everyone boo Kenny Payne on draft night? Where were you the night of the James Anderson Game? Wait, Tom Chambers played one game for the Sixers? Authored by a Philadelphian and former 76ers writer, A Sixers Odyssey combines personal memories with exhaustive research to highlight the other guys - the guys not named Charles Barkley or Allen Iverson. From Willie Burton's 53-point game to Jeff Ruland's run-in with a luggage cart, and countless stories in between,  A Sixers Odyssey is a humorous journey through the good, the bad, and the forgotten. 

284 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2020

Reviews

[Arsenio Franklin]

Awesome book for a Sixers fan.

[Tim Gallagher]

Great read for long time Sixers fans

I have been watching the Sixers since 1977.

Fun trip down memory lane about forgotten players over the last 30 plus years.

[Briks]

Hilarious book covering “forgotten” Sixers players since the late 80s through current. The author is almost my exact age, equally sports obsessed, and also grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, so all the ‘inside’ references he made throughout the book (and there are a lot of them) hit dead-on for me. I laughed out loud at least once on almost every entry throughout. He’s just a really funny writer and the topic was great. He’s made a similar version for the Phillies since this that I need to check out.

[Chris Heim]

Really enjoyed this book, as a lifelong Sixers fan! I would recommend it to others who have followed the team closely since the late 80's, as this focuses mostly on obscure players who played for the team from that time period until The Process began. The only knock on the book from this reviewer is the editing. Great content, though, all retold with a hilarious sense of humor that includes references to other Philly sports teams (Phillies, especially).

[John Williams]

The perfect book for sickos like me who live and die with this pathetic franchise.