A Coach's Life is the story of one of the greatest high school coaches in the history of Iowa-an extraordinary man who unflinchingly lived according to the principles he taught, even when it meant losing a game or a championship-or the job he loved. Dan Kellams, a former Hipple athlete, offers an admiring, yet tough-minded glimpse into the life of Les Hipple-a coach who imposed stern discipline on hundreds of boys and, in the process, transformed them into champions. Kellams focuses closely on chronicling the coach's years at Marion High School in Iowa, where he led his Indians to championships in football, basketball, track, and cross-country, giving the town its most glorious years in sports and many young men the unforgettable life lessons they would later pass on to others around the world. A Coach's Life is a meticulously researched autobiography that shares many poignant anecdotes about small-town America during the 1940s and 1950s when a superb athlete died on the verge of greatness, a school controversy turned brother against brother, and a changing society trapped a great coach in the vise of his own principles. "You see the rules, meet the athletes and coaches, read the stories of championship seasons, learn of the coach's demise in the midst of school politics and parental outcries." -- Dave Rasdal, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette, Aug. 25, 2010.
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