Wake Forest

Wake Forest Township got its start in 1834 when Calvin Jones sold his farmland to the North Carolina Baptist State Convention. The college began as a place for local boys to trade manual labor for a religious education. But the campus soon grew and so did the community, asurpassing any other neighborhood in refinement, good society, and wealth, a according to one 19th-century account. By 1909, the town was incorporated. Not long after, with transformers trucked in from Raleigh, residents could read newspaper headlines touting Wake Forestas fame in sports, academics, and medicine by the glow of the townas new electric lights. For a time, the town and college seemed inseparable. But by 1956, the school had moved to Winston-Salem, dealing a devastating blow to local residents. For many years afterward, they waited for the world to rediscover Wake Forest. It seems that day has come.

Tales from the Wake Forest Hardwood chronicles how Wake Forest basketball could survive the university's relocation from the quaint town of Wake Forest to the city of Winston-Salem without ever leaving behind fans and followers.

Provides a look at Wake Forest University from the students' viewpoint.

For much of its history, Wake Forest was an idyllic college town. Trains chugged past White Street, the depot hummed with activity, and citizens could shop for groceries, see a movie, and cheer the Demon Deacons without ever getting behind the wheel of a car. It was a town of visionaries. Samuel Wait, William Louis Poteat, Sophie Stephens Lanneau, and Peahead Walker made history in the fields of academics, religion, and athletics; when famous 20th-century writer and satirist H.L. Mencken reportedly called North Carolina "the most intelligent" of all Southern states, he was referring to Wake Forest. That tradition continues today. The Allen family publishes one of the region's most honored weekly newspapers; Andy Ammons recreated small-town magic in the community known as Heritage Wake Forest; and Steve Tarangelo followed his dream to prove that "food is love."

Based on the gold-standard currency of tradition and success, few college basketball programs are richer in history than Wake Forest University’s. This reissue of Tales from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Locker Room, first published in 2004, traces that vibrant history from the birth of the league to the growing successes of the team today. An original member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have provided the acclaimed league with much of its color and character—not to mention many of its colorful characters. Author Dan Collins provides stories about legendary players like Muggsy Bogues, the 5’3” guard who defied the description of basketball as a big man’s game, and the glory days of Tim Duncan, the onetime aspiring Olympic swimmer who grew up to become a five-time NBA champion and one of the greatest players in the game. The book looks at great coaches like Richard Crozier, the director of the university gymnasium who introduced basketball to Wake Forest; coach Murray Greason, whose love for the game of basketball was second only to his love for his beagle hounds; and coach Bones McKinney, the hyperactive Baptist minister whose dual, and at times dueling, religions were based on the Bible and basketball. Tales from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Locker Room chronicles how Wake Forest basketball survived the university’s relocation from the quaint town of Wake Forest to the city of Winston-Salem, and how the university has thrived with the support of its devoted fans. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.