O God of Players: The Story of the Immaculata Mighty MACs FROM THE PUBLISHER
Between 1972 and 1974, the Mighty Macs of Immaculata College -a small Catholic women's school outside Philadelphia -made history by winning the first three women's national college basketball championships ever played. A true Cinderella team, this unlikely fifteenth-seeded squad triumphed against enormous odds and four powerhouse state teams to secure the championship title and capture the imaginations of fans and sportswriters across the country. But while they were making a significant contribution to legitimizing women's sports in America, the Mighty Macs were also challenging the traditional roles and obligations that circumscribed their Catholic schoolgirl lives. In this vivid account of Immaculata basketball, Julie Byrne goes beyond the fame to explore these young women's unusual lives, their rare opportunities and pleasures, their religious culture, and the broader ideas of womanhood they inspired and helped redefine.
SYNOPSIS
Winners of the first three national women's college basketball tournaments from 1972 to 1974, the Immaculata "Mighty Macs" gave the U.S. game its first generation of female stars. Drawing upon surveys and interviews with more than 130 former Immaculata players and others associated with the program, Byrne (affiliation not cited) provides a history of the team, focusing on the particular pleasures young Catholic women said they found in the game. The text is based upon the author's dissertation. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Imagine a tiny college with 800 students winning the national championship in women's basketball. Immaculata College (IC), near Philadelphia, did that in 1972-and for the following two years as well, despite a miniscule budget and no athletic scholarships. How this was accomplished and what it meant to the players, fans, nuns, and the Catholic community in Philadelphia are the subject of this book. Perhaps it is surprising that Catholic girls played basketball so passionately and skillfully, but for many reasons sports were always big among Catholics in Philadelphia, and the church's extensive school system fed Catholic colleges like IC. The author (religion, Texas Christian Univ.) used interviews with former players to illustrate how sports and conservative Catholic womanhood were not at odds. This book occasionally uses overly academic language, but mostly it is entertaining and eyeopening, as when the author describes the four layers of uniform worn (including baggy cotton stockings with garter belts!) right up to the mid-Sixties. Students in women's studies, religion, and sociology would benefit from this well-documented book. Recommended for all academic libraries and larger sports collections.-Kathy Ruffle, Coll. of New Caledonia Lib., Prince George, BC Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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