Three and Out - Paperback

by John U. Bacon (Author)

"Like the Moneyball of college football, Three and Out blows the lid off one of the sports world's most perplexing mysteries."--Entertainment Weekly

Three and Out tells the story of how college football's most influential coach, Rich Rodriguez, took over the nation's most successful program, only to produce three of the worst seasons in the University of Michigan's celebrated history. Coach Rich Rodriguez granted author and journalist John U. Bacon unrestricted access to the Michigan Wolverines' program. Bacon saw it all, from the meals and the meetings, to the practices and the games, to the sidelines and the locker rooms. Nothing and no one was off-limits.

John U. Bacon's Three and Out is the definitive account of a football marriage seemingly made in heaven that broke up after just three years, and exposes the best and the worst of college football.

Back Jacket

Sports fans invest great hopes and dreams into their teams. College football fans invest even more, I think, because of the stronger connection they feel with the school and the players. But I've never seen any fans ask more of their teams than Michigan football fans ask of theirs. There are only two groups who are more devoted to the Wolverines, and demand more in return: the coaches and the players. They have the most to gain and the most to lose. They know the stakes. And they accept them--even embrace them. It's why all of them, from Rich Rodriguez to Tate Forcier to Denard Robinson, came to Ann Arbor. Not to be average, or even good, but "the leaders and best." Anything less would not do. This book explains how the coach and his team fell short--and what happened when they did.

Author Biography

John U. Bacon has written for Time, the New York Times, and ESPN Magazine, among other publications, earning national honors. He is the author of several books on sports and business, including Bo's Lasting Lessons (with Bo Schembechler), a New York Times and Wall Street Journal business bestseller. Bacon teaches at Northwestern University and the University of Michigan and is a popular public speaker.