First and Long: A black school, a white school and their season of dreams

Welcome To First and Long

During a normal football season, Shorewood High School and Messmer High School would be natural rivals on the football field. They're located just over a mile apart. One is public, the other private. One is suburban, the other urban. One is white, the other black.

In the fall of 2001, the two schools joined on the football field, with Shorewood hoping to boost a lagging program and Messmer looking for a return to the football field after nearly two decades without a team. It was the first ever public-private football partnership in Wisconsin and, of a few dozen like it in the nation, the only one to combine central city kids with those from an affluent suburb. In Milwaukee, one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in the country, the experiment took on an importance greater than that of high school sports.

For one tumultuous fall, for the playe

rs especially, it meant everything.

The book -- First and Long: A black school, a white school and their season of dreams -- traces the season from the first nervous practices of August, when all is promise, to the final moments of the last game, when all dreams must end. The book includes a Foreword by Vince Lombardi Jr., and is endorsed by Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated, NFL great Willie Davis and Jim Dent, author of The Junction Boys.

The book was recently named the best sports book of 2004 by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association, which covers a 12-state region. It was also one of five books to receive a "merit" designation for 2004 from the Wisconsin State Historical Society.

It has also received great reviews from many publications, including the Chicago Tribune which called it: "Compelling ... a job well done ... a worthwhile investment for anyone with an interest in high school sports -- or high school kids."

The book follows the players, from two different worlds, on the field and off, as they learn about overcoming differences, working together and staring down adversity. It is more than a book about football. It's a story about race in a divided community. It's a story about growing up in a time of turmoil. It's a story about working together and getting along.

It's a story about life.

Author Greg Borowski, an award-winning reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , was given full access to the team, from the sidelines to the locker room. His book takes you inside the huddle and inside the hearts of a team you won't soon forget.

Available NOW from Badger Books



	F&L Is Best Sports Book Of 2004, Midwest Independent Publishers Assn. In The Tradition Of Great High School Football Stories Like Remember The Titans And Friday Night Lights Comes Greg Borowski's Inspiring Story Of The Little Team That Thought It Could But Couldn't. Over The Course Of A Winless And Increasingly Hopeless Season, A Small Group Of Determined Kids Learned Valuable Lessons About Perseverance, Brotherhood, And Life--and So Does The Reader. I Can't Wait To See The Movie. -- Jim Dent, Author Of The Junction Boys
	Welcome To First and Long During a normal football season, Shorewood High School and Messmer High School would be natural rivals on the football field. They're located just over a mile apart. One is public, the other private. One is suburban, the other urban. One is white, the other black. In the fall of 2001, the two schools joined on the football field, with Shorewood hoping to boost a lagging program and Messmer looking for a return to the football field after nearly two decades without a team. It was the first ever public-private football partnership in Wisconsin and, of a few dozen like it in the nation, the only one to combine central city kids with those from an affluent suburb. In Milwaukee, one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in the country, the experiment took on an importance greater than that of high school sports. For one tumultuous fall, for the players especially, it meant everything. The book -- *First and Long: A black school, a white school and their season of dreams* -- traces the season from the first nervous practices of August, when all is promise, to the final moments of the last game, when all dreams must end. The book includes a Foreword by Vince Lombardi Jr., and is endorsed by Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated, NFL great Willie Davis and Jim Dent, author of The Junction Boys. The book was recently named the best sports book of 2004 by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association, which covers a 12-state region. It was also one of five books to receive a "merit" designation for 2004 from the Wisconsin State Historical Society. It has also received great reviews from many publications, including the Chicago Tribune which called it: "Compelling ... a job well done ... a worthwhile investment for anyone with an interest in high school sports -- or high school kids." The book follows the players, from two different worlds, on the field and off, as they learn about overcoming differences, working together and staring down adversity. It is more than a book about football. It's a story about race in a divided community. It's a story about growing up in a time of turmoil. It's a story about working together and getting along. It's a story about life. Author Greg Borowski, an award-winning reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , was given full access to the team, from the sidelines to the locker room. His book takes you inside the huddle and inside the hearts of a team you won't soon forget. Available NOW from Badger Books
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