Description

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A thrilling sports story, Men in White is the tale of the young athletes who defied the doomsayers and rescued Penn State’s football program from the horrors of the Jerry Sandusky scandal—told by the players themselves.

On November 5, 2011, the news that Jerry Sandusky had been charged with forty counts of child molestation rocked Penn State’s leafy campus, unseating the university president, the athletic director, and head coach Joe Paterno—devastating the football program he had erected and diligently maintained over half a century.

Men in White recounts the saga of the student athletes who elected to stay and rebuild the program in the face of crippling NCAA sanctions, blistering heat from the outraged media, and radio silence from the adults in the school’s administration.

With the once proud program in free fall and their personal fortunes in peril, these young men refused to back down, toiling for five long seasons to rehabilitate the program and its ideals, culminating in the thrilling defeat of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. Their story echoes that of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a cast of young men—colossal underdogs—who boldly accepted the challenge of a lifetime, achieving success while shouldering the weight of a bruising political drama.

About the Author

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CHRIS RAYMOND has covered sports, politics, and pop culture for thirty years. In addition to various longtime roles at ESPN, he has written and edited on the staff at Details, Esquire, and GQ. He lives with his wife and two sons in Westchester County, New York.

Praise For…

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"This is a riveting story that does a terrific job of showing just how Penn State rebounded from such a horrific scandal, by walking the reader through each step of the process in great detail. This is a must-read for every Nittany Lion fan." —Bruce Feldman, college football reporter, FOX Sports and The Athletic

"From the ashes of an unspeakable scandal that incinerated the career of legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, there now comes an inspirational story of rebirth. Chronicled in this comprehensive oral history by journalist Chris Raymond, himself an ardent Nittany Lions alum, Men in White details the improbable resurrection of this once-indomitable college football program from the shame that engulfed it in the backwash of the Jerry Sandusky sexual predator calamity. Within these pages is the tale of courageous young men with whom one would be proud to share a foxhole." —Mark Kram, Jr., bestselling author of Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier

“It’s a story bigger than football. We hear that cliché a lot, but it’s true. Those kids taught me about overcoming adversity. When things are tough, you find out a lot about the character of a man. And those five seasons tell you everything you need to know about Penn State football.” —Charlie Fisher, Quarterbacks Coach, Penn State 2012-2013

“So much of 21st Century America is defined by self-inflicted crises at the top, leaving those below to clean up the mess. In visceral and poignant prose, Chris Raymond shows how a group of young men tried to rebuild honor in a tarnished institution. Penn State should name the library after these players and coaches.” —Seth Wickersham, ESPN Senior Writer and author of the instant New York Times bestseller It’s Better to Be Feared