Loading Search

• Buy this Book
• Book Creators
• Related Blog Posts
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

Until age 15, Billy Dietz thought he was the natural son of a prominent white couple in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Overhearing the woman who raised him reveal part of the secret of his birth during an argument with his father started the young athlete and artist on an oddyssey of self-discovery that took him to the St. Louis World's Fair, Carlisle Indian Industrial School, the Rose Bowl and the heights... More

Until age 15, Billy Dietz thought he was the natural son of a prominent white couple in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Overhearing the woman who raised him reveal part of the secret of his birth during an argument with his father started the young athlete and artist on an oddyssey of self-discovery that took him to the St. Louis World's Fair, Carlisle Indian Industrial School, the Rose Bowl and the heights of the football coaching profession. The secret of his birth became a principle issue in his sensational draft evasion trial after WWI. This book is the story of his rise and fall and how he kept a-goin' in spite of what had happened to him. "Lone Star Dietz was one of the most colorful and capable personalities in college football's fabled past, and Tom Benjey has made a major contribution to the game's written history with this long-overdue biography on Dietz." Ray Schmidt College Football Historical Society "Tom Benjey has written engagingly about the life and times of Lone Star Dietz, a notable football player and coach during the first half of the past century. It is a fascinating tale of a skillful player and innovative coach who made significant contributions to the game that framed his life. Benjey's work, however, is much more than an interesting ports story. It is a penetrating examination of triumphs and tragedies in the life of a man confronted with daunting social and cultural obstacles. Benjey's biography of Lone Star Dietz is full of insights about one man's search for personal identity in a complex and confounding socio-cultural context. As such, it is a memorable American story." John J. Patrick Professor Emeritus of Education Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

You must be a member of JacketFlap to add a video to this page. Please Log In or Register.