Must Win: A Season of Survival for a Town and Its Team Book

Acknowledgments ix

Prologue: What It Means Here or Thug Tears 1

1 Welcome or Your Grave Is Ready, Coach 7

2 Hand Me My Traveling Shoes or Home 21

3 A Brief, 200-Million-Year History or Beaches! Whales! Gnats! Lynchings! 32

4 The Trinity or Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Eminem 45

5 Building a Team or Anybody Eligible? 55

6 Living and Dying in Valdosta or "What's Going on Down There?" 70

7 One-Armed White Jihadi or Nub 76

8 Pick One. The White One or The Gospel of Football 94

9 The Firm or Feeding His Soul 101

10 Do It Again! or Hell 106

11 Rome the Elder and Rome the Younger or Royalty 120

12 God, Family, Football or Road-tripping to the Swamp 137

13 Getting Crunk or We Ready! 153

14 Hero Worship or Can I Google You? 169

15 Quarterbacks and Comebacks or Turn It Up a Little Higher 175

16 Saturday Night Lights or Bumpin' with the Principal 191

17 The Content of Their Character or MLK in the ATL 196

18 Thugs vs. Plowboys or Winnersville, Baby! 210

19 Boosters, 'Cruiters, Funerals or Grinding 246

20 Pretty Boys and Mohawks or Back in the ATL 261

21 Shooting Deer, Giving Thanks, Waging War, Moving On or The 229 Forever 286

Epilogue 309