A collection of essays and tales about cowboy life, emphasizing the role of Kansas in the development of the cowboy legend, and drawing from personal experience, folklore, and history to relate the details of a cowhand's daily work.

Seventeen-year-old Silver King dreams of becoming a working cowboy. His mother, however, has pushed him to be a baseball player—and King certainly has the arm to be a star pitcher. When the National League forms a team in Kansas City in 1886, both mother and son get their wishes.

A collection of essays and tales about cowboy life, emphasizing the role of Kansas in the development of the cowboy legend, and drawing from personal experience, folklore, and history to relate the details of a cowhand's daily work.

“It’s every bit as fascinating to read about the battles between the Cowboys and the Texans as it is to follow today’s never-ending NFL dramas.” —Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk In the 1960s, on the heels of the “Greatest Game Ever Played,” professional football began to flourish across the country—except in Texas, where college football was still the only game in town. But in an unlikely series of events, two young oil tycoons started their own professional football franchises in Dallas the very same year: the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and, as part of a new upstart league designed to thwart the NFL’s hold on the game, the Dallas Texans of the AFL. Almost overnight, a bitter feud was born. The team owners, Lamar Hunt and Clint Murchison, became Mad Men of the gridiron, locked in a battle for the hearts and minds of the Texas pigskin faithful. Their teams took each other to court, fought over players, undermined each other’s promotions, and rooted like hell for the other guys to fail. A true visionary, Hunt of the Texans focused on the fans, putting together a team of local legends and hiring attractive women to drive around town in red convertibles selling tickets. Meanwhile, Murchison and his Cowboys focused on the game, hiring a young star, Tom Landry, in what would be his first-ever year as a head coach, and concentrating on holding their own against the more established teams in the NFL. Ultimately, both teams won the battle, but only one got to stay in Dallas and go on to become one of sports’ most quintessential franchises—”America’s Team.” In this highly entertaining narrative, rich in colorful characters and unforgettable stunts, Eisenberg recounts the story of the birth of pro-football in Dallas—back when the game began to be part of this country’s DNA.

In this earliest known day-by-day journal of a cattle drive from Texas to Kansas, Jack Bailey, a North Texas farmer, describes what it was like to live and work as a cowboy in the southern plains just after the Civil War. We follow Bailey as the drive moves northward into Kansas and then as his party returns to Texas through eastern Kansas, southwestern Missouri, northwestern Arkansas, and Indian Territory. For readers steeped in romantic cowboy legend, the journal contains surprises. Bailey’s time on the trail was hardly lonely. We travel with him as he encounters Indians, U.S. soldiers, Mexicans, freed slaves, and cowboys working other drives. He and other crew members—including women—battle hunger, thirst, illness, discomfort, and pain. Cowboys quarrel and play practical jokes on each other and, at night, sing songs around the campfire. David Dary’s thorough introduction and footnotes place the journal in historical context.

Ever heard of the “Hail Mary”? No, we don’t mean the prayer. “The Dallas Cowboys” by Mark Stewart not only explains where the nickname for a long pass came from, but also offers young fans a look into one of the most beloved teams in the NFL while including fun facts, team spotlights such as Troy Aikman and Tony Romo, and pictures of Cowboys memorabilia. Have a young fan who likes to argue sports? Don’t miss the “Great Debates” section where readers get insight into some of the greatest debates surrounding the Cowboys and professional football! Team spirit is that deep passion shared by the players and fans when they wear the same colors, watch the same scoreboard, and cheer the same triumphs. This popular series has been completely revised and updated for the Fall 2012 release. Book updates include new team information, records, photos, and timelines as well as new features like GREAT DEBATES and GLORY DAYS. Once you finish the book, you can go to the OVERTIME WEBSITE where each football team has its very own webpage to accompany the reading material. This site will be updated throughout the season and postseason with kid-friendly news about their favorite football teams - the perfect source for up-to-date statistics and player information for young sports fans.

"Introduces readers to the Kansas City Chiefs, providing exciting details about today's stars and going deep inside the key moments of the team's history. The title also features informative "fast facts," a timeline, and a glossary."--Publisher's description.