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Mythmaker: Biography of a big coach in small-town Wisconsin, 1913-1956
This biography brings you straight into the world of a small-town coach coming into his own during the Great Depression and building a family during the Second World War.
James "Mick" McGuire was both ordinary and his life illuminates the ways that a man could become a larger than life figure for his athletes, his children, and the people in the sports crazed towns of Wisconsin in the first half of the 20th century. Yet his story is also a window into the ways that men coped with the complex demands of economic difficulties and wartime uncertainties. Ultimately, his story is the story of his family, tracing its roots back to immigration in the 19th century and its branches into the present.
Using wartime letters, yearbooks, small-town newspapers, school records, interviews with family and his athletes, community members, sports reports, photos, census documents and local archives stretching across a dozen little communities, one of his star athletes and his own son set out to find the man behind the myth that they remember.
The result is lively descriptions of sporting competition, realistic tales of life in the Pacific Fleet and under the command of General George S. Patton in North Africa and Italy, a portrait of romance and the tragedy of widowhood that befell so many women after the war. This is not only a book about a man and a myth, but also about the ways his family picked up the pieces after his untimely death. It's a story of one family, but also a story of the American family writ large, with tragedies, victories, illnesses mental and physical, complex relationships, and the thread of the legacy "Mick" left behind.
James "Mick" McGuire was both ordinary and his life illuminates the ways that a man could become a larger than life figure for his athletes, his children, and the people in the sports crazed towns of Wisconsin in the first half of the 20th century. Yet his story is also a window into the ways that men coped with the complex demands of economic difficulties and wartime uncertainties. Ultimately, his story is the story of his family, tracing its roots back to immigration in the 19th century and its branches into the present.
Using wartime letters, yearbooks, small-town newspapers, school records, interviews with family and his athletes, community members, sports reports, photos, census documents and local archives stretching across a dozen little communities, one of his star athletes and his own son set out to find the man behind the myth that they remember.
The result is lively descriptions of sporting competition, realistic tales of life in the Pacific Fleet and under the command of General George S. Patton in North Africa and Italy, a portrait of romance and the tragedy of widowhood that befell so many women after the war. This is not only a book about a man and a myth, but also about the ways his family picked up the pieces after his untimely death. It's a story of one family, but also a story of the American family writ large, with tragedies, victories, illnesses mental and physical, complex relationships, and the thread of the legacy "Mick" left behind.
523 pages, Hardcover
Published October 16, 2022
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March 24, 2023Tom Stanley ’60, MA’63
Coauthor
From the Coauthor:
This full biography brings you straight into the world of a small-town coach coming of age during the Great Depression and building a family during the Second World War.
James "Mick" McGuire was both ordinary and extraordinary; his life illuminates the ways that a man could become a larger than life figure for his athletes, his children, and the people in the sports-crazed towns of Wisconsin in the mid 20th century. Yet his story is also a window into the ways that men coped with the complex demands of economic difficulties and wartime uncertainties. Ultimately, his story is the story of his family, tracing its roots back to immigration in the 19th century and its branches into the present.
Using wartime letters, yearbooks, small-town newspaper, school records, interviews with family and his athletes, community members, sports reports, census documents, photographs and local archives stretching across a dozen little communities, one of his own athletes and his own son set out to find the man behind the myth they remember.
The result is lively descriptions of sporting competition; realistic tales of life in the Pacific Fleet and a heartbreaking account of combat in North Africa and Italy; and a portrait of romance and tragedy of widowhood that befell so many women after the war. This is not only a book about a man and a myth, but also about the ways his family picked up the pieces after his untimely death. It's a story of one family writ large, with tragedies, victories, illnesses mental and physical, complex relationships, and the thread of the legacy "Mick" left behind.
The book can be purchased on Amazon or read on Kindle.
Authors: Tom Stanley was one of Coach McGuire's athletes at Ashland, WI, High School and is now a retired high school teacher. Tim McGuire, the coach's son, is a retired business executive who lives in California.
Coauthor
From the Coauthor:
This full biography brings you straight into the world of a small-town coach coming of age during the Great Depression and building a family during the Second World War.
James "Mick" McGuire was both ordinary and extraordinary; his life illuminates the ways that a man could become a larger than life figure for his athletes, his children, and the people in the sports-crazed towns of Wisconsin in the mid 20th century. Yet his story is also a window into the ways that men coped with the complex demands of economic difficulties and wartime uncertainties. Ultimately, his story is the story of his family, tracing its roots back to immigration in the 19th century and its branches into the present.
Using wartime letters, yearbooks, small-town newspaper, school records, interviews with family and his athletes, community members, sports reports, census documents, photographs and local archives stretching across a dozen little communities, one of his own athletes and his own son set out to find the man behind the myth they remember.
The result is lively descriptions of sporting competition; realistic tales of life in the Pacific Fleet and a heartbreaking account of combat in North Africa and Italy; and a portrait of romance and tragedy of widowhood that befell so many women after the war. This is not only a book about a man and a myth, but also about the ways his family picked up the pieces after his untimely death. It's a story of one family writ large, with tragedies, victories, illnesses mental and physical, complex relationships, and the thread of the legacy "Mick" left behind.
The book can be purchased on Amazon or read on Kindle.
Authors: Tom Stanley was one of Coach McGuire's athletes at Ashland, WI, High School and is now a retired high school teacher. Tim McGuire, the coach's son, is a retired business executive who lives in California.
Displaying 1 of 1 review