Against the Grain A Coach's Wisdom on Character, Faith, Family, and Love

Bill Courtney — entrepreneur, football coach, and subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated — shares his hard-won lessons on discipline, success, teamwork and triumph over adversity.

In Against the Grain, Bill Courtney shares his convictions on the fundamental tenets of character, commitment, service, leadership, civility, and others that, in his decades of success as an entrepreneur and educator, have proven to be the keys to a winning and meaningful life and career. Each chapter tells the story of one of these tenets through compelling anecdotes of the colorful characters in Bill's life, leading to a deeper understand of the meaning of each and how to employee these fundamentals in all aspects of one's life. Against the Grain intertwines inspiring and thought-provoking anecdotes, lessons, and amazing real life examples. Bill's passion for us all to reconsider our own approach to life and constantly improve upon it comes across on every page.

Bill Courtney is a volunteer football coach and the founder, President, and CEO of Classic American Hardwoods as well as the Sigma Nu Charity Bowl. He is a motivational speaker keynoting at Nike, Frito Lay, The Paralympics, FedEx, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Barrett School of Banking, and more. Courtney has been inducted into Bridge Builders, is the recipient of the Harry Zinn Spirit of 1776 Award, the Carnival Memphis’ King’s Award, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame – Memphis Chapter, and was inducted into the Society of Entrepreneurs. He is an Executive Producer for two feature films in production and has been the voice of Madden. Courtney was active in Sigma Nu, Psi Chi, and Sigma Tau Delta. He is the recipient of the Chi Omega Service Award, The Memphis Small Business of the Year award, and the U.S. EXIM Banks Exporter of the Year Award. A native Memphian, Courtney lives in Memphis, TN with his wife Lisa and is the proud father of four children.

Michael Arkush has written twelve books, including Rush! and The Fight of The Century. He and his wife, Pauletta Walsh, live in Oak View, California.