Unrivaled: Sewanee 1899 tells the story of a football team from a small college in post-Civil War Tennessee and their incredible accomplishments. What inspired you to share this story with readers? 

I was a student at Sewanee in the 1970’s.  Everyone there hears about this team.   It’s a truly amazing story.  Over the years, I kept thinking someone would do a documentary film about this team, but one never appeared.  So, my classmate, David Crews and I decided to do it ourselves.  Later, after the film came out, I realized we had a lot of original paintings and a unique music score, as well as a great deal of archival information.  We decided this should also be preserved in a high quality coffee table book.  

How much and what kind of research went into putting this book together? 

We spent almost 5 years researching this story and doing interviews.  This involved hours in the Sewanee Archives, as well as meeting with people who knew about the story, and doing research online as well.  It also involved contacting the schools Sewanee played that year to see what information they had.  Then, my co-author, Karin Fecteau, and I spent another two years creating this beautiful book to further preserve the history of this incredible accomplishment.

Did you learn anything surprising during your research process? 

Yes, we thought we knew the story, but it was far richer and more layered than we ever imagined.  We also uncovered materials and photos no one had discovered before, which was exciting.  Finally, we thought we’d mainly explore the lore of the 1899 team, but  what we learned was that the facts were even better than the lore. 

Can we look forward to more history selections from you in the future? What are you currently working on?

Would love to but right now I’m focused on selling these books. 

Author Links: Facebook | Instagram | Website

Content includes:

• Coaches and historians, including Nick Saban, Vince Dooley, Kirk Herbstreit and Jon Meacham
• Museum quality original illustrations depicting key plays from the season (also available for sale here)
• Images of original artifacts from the 1899 season such as tickets, newspaper clippings, football photos, equipment, and even an original telegram!
• Links to hear original music created to celebrate the team and Sewanee by famous musician, Bobby Horton
• Detailed retelling of the season years of meticulous research
• Engaging and integrated design by accomplished Southern designer, Karin Dupree Fecteau