The All Americans

On November 29, 1941 Army played Navy in front of 98,942 fans. Eight days later, the Japanese attacked Pearl harbor. This is the story of the players journey from the football field to the battlefield Lars Anderson follows four young mentwo on West Points Army football team and two on Annapolis Navy teamthrough their roles in the famous college football game to the attack on Pearl Harbor eight days later. From Hal Kauffmans struggle to stay alive in shark-infested waters in the Pacific after his ship is sunk, to Bill Busiks harrowing time on the USS Shaw; from Omaha Beach where Henry Romanek is thrust into the line of fire on the wars most decisive day, to the skies above France where ace pilot Robin Olds desperately battles the Luftwaffeall four mens suspenseful stories are told in graphic detail. Through extensive research and interviews with dozens of WWII veterans, Anderson has recreated a dramatic football tale and one of the most compelling and original true narratives of WWII.

A graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Lars Anderson earned a masters degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and is now a staff writer at Sports Illustrated. He’s also the author of the critically acclaimed Pickup Artist: Street Basketball in America and The Proving Ground: A Season on the Fringe in NFL Europe. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with his wife, Sara.