Sign-In
Cart
Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports
Hardcover
Biographies GeneralAthletesFootball
Publisher Price: $36.95
ISBN13: 9781496242808
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: Oct 1 2025
Pages: 360
Weight: 1.45
Height: 1.50 Width: 6.10 Depth: 8.60
Language: English
Shortlisted for the 2026 Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award
Walter Eckie Eckersall was one of the most famous people in Chicago for three decades: He was the city's first high school athlete superstar when the competitive prep athletics scene was maturing in Illinois, then quarterback of the University of Chicago Maroons, and finally a prominent sports journalist for the Chicago Tribune. As the greatest player in the University of Chicago's history, Eckersall led the Maroons to a national title in 1905 and earned a place as an All-American three times. Head coach Amos Alonzo Stagg and Eckersall helped set the Maroons on a two-decade path of excellence that made football the biggest and best game in town.
As American sports entered a golden age and journalism was revolutionized by advancements in printing technology, Eckersall entered the growing field of sports journalism. He became the lead sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune and the lens through which many Chicagoans understood sports. During his twenty-three-year career, he covered and promoted many of the greatest athletes and sporting events, including the inaugural Indianapolis 500, the Dempsey-Tunney Long Count fight, eleven Rose Bowls, and strange gambling patterns that eventually exposed the 1919 Black Sox scandal.
While Eckersall was a great player and well-known writer, he had many flaws, some unknown to the public for decades. He was expelled after his last game with the Maroons, was caught committing theft, secretly eloped in a shotgun wedding and then soon abandoned his wife and young daughter, and struggled with a drinking problem. But he was also notably generous and a vocal and consistent supporter of equal opportunity for Black athletes. Chris Serb's biography sheds new light on Eckersall's long-forgotten career in the context of Chicago's burgeoning sports scene.
Also from
Serb, Chris
Also in
Football
Why Can't This Team Just Find a Quarterback?: And Other Thoughts on Life in Browns Town
Pluto, Terry
Paperback
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Robinson, Joshua
Clegg, Jonathan
Hardcover
We Did Not Care: How the Seattle Seahawks Silenced All Doubts and Became Champions
Nemhauser, Brian
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Paperback
It's a Numbers Game! Football: The Math Behind the Perfect Punt, the Game-Changing Interception, and So Much More!
National Geographic Kids
Zweig, Eric
Hardcover
Carlisle vs. Army: Jim Thorpe, Dwight Eisenhower, Pop Warner, and the Forgotten Story of Football'sGreatest Battle
Anderson, Lars
Paperback
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Miller, Kevin
Silvia, Brent
Hardcover
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
Buckeye Brotherhood: How Ohio State Navigated a New World to Win a National Championship
Rabinowitz, Bill
Paperback
Da Bears!: How the 1985 Monsters of the Midway Became the Greatest Team in NFL History
Delsohn, Steve
Paperback
Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story: Lessons Learned from a Celebrated Coach's Journey As Told to Steve Sullivan
Sullivan, Steve
Paperback
Vintage Browns: A Warm Look Back at the Cleveland Browns of the 1970s, '80s, '90s and More
Pluto, Terry
Paperback
Weird Moments in Cleveland Sports: Bottlegate, Bedbugs, and Burying the Pennant
Guerrieri, Vince
Paperback
Lambeau Ladies: The Boundary-Breaking Women Behind Lombardi's Packers
Kostelnik Biskupic, Laura
Biskupic, Katherine
Paperback
Smarter about Sports: My Life Navigating Athletes, Agents, Media, and the Business of the NFL
Brandt, Andrew
Hardcover
Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look
Kirwan, Pat
Seigerman, David
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Paperback
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Paperback
Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference
Travis, Clay
Paperback
A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History
Fleming, David
Hardcover
Men of Troy: The Epic Afternoons, Wild Nights, and Enduring Legacy of Pete Carroll's Usc Trojans
Burke, Monte
Hardcover
Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety Into Motivation and You Can Too
Glazer, Jay
Paperback
Strike Season: The True Story of a Team That Played on When the Coaches Walked Out
Eck, Michael
Hardcover
Just Give Me a Chance to Fail: The Life of NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Sam Mills
Domowitch, Paul
Hardcover
The Best of Philly Sports: Amazing Moments and Stories in Philadelphia Sports History
Decamara, Joe
Hardcover
Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History
Murphy, Cait N.
Paperback
That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory
Eisenberg, John
Paperback
From Bulldog to Bengal: The Joe Burrow Story Through the Eyes of His Hometown
Burson, Scott
Smathers, Sam
Paperback
Brain Games - To Go - Facts & Fun: Football: Info, Stats, Puzzles, Quizzes & More
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Firsts: The Players, Moments, and Records That Were First in Team History
Bourret, Timothy
Heisler, John
Paperback
The Everyone's a Coach: Five Business Secrets for High-Performance Coaching
Blanchard, Ken
Shula, Don
Paperback
Hail to the Redskins: Gibbs, the Diesel, the Hogs, and the Glory Days of D.C.'s Football Dynasty
Lazarus, Adam
Paperback
So You Think You Know Football?: The Armchair Ref's Guide to the Official Rules
Austro, Ben
Paperback
A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America
Cuadros, Paul
Paperback
Still Growing, Still Learning, Still Me: A Journey of Protest, Healing, and Personal Transformation
Stills, Kenny
Hardcover
A Football Symphony: Four Championship Seasons of Curtis Viking Football
Lucey, Bob
Lichty, Don T.
Paperback
The Lions Finally Roar: The Detroit Lions and the Road to Redemption in the NFL
Morris, Bill
Paperback
Brain Games - Football Goats (Greatest of All Time) Word Search: Players, Coaches, Games, Mascots, & More!
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Jurgen Klopp - 102 Passing, Counter-pressing Possession Games, Speed & Warm-ups Direct from Klopp's Training Sessions
Soccertutor Com
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream (Anniversary)
Bissinger, H. G.
Hardcover
Runs in the Family: An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood, and Belonging
McCullough, Deland
Spain, Sarah
Hardcover
Bo's Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership
Schembechler, Bo
Paperback
Pep Guardiola Attacking Tactics - Tactical Analysis and Sessions from Manchester City's 4-3-3
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Iron in the Blood: How the Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry Shaped the Soul of the South
Busbee, Jay
Hardcover
Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry
Gendell, David
Paperback
The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport
Martinez, Andrés
Hardcover
Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion
Carroll, Pete
Roth, Yogi
Garin, Kristoffer A.
Paperback
If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Steelers: Stories from the Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box
Wexell, Jim
Wolfley, Craig
Paperback
Coaching Positional Play - ''Expansive Football'' Attacking Tactics & Practices
Basile, Pasquale Casà
Paperback
The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America
Pearson, Bradford
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Hardcover
Ara: The Life and Legacy of a Notre Dame Legend--The Authorized Biography of Coach Ara Parseghian
Hubbard, Mark O.
Hardcover
The Complete Book of Football Trivia: Test Your Knowledge with 750 Questions
Holloway, Jerrett
Paperback
Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball
Eggers, Kerry
Paperback
Brazil to Broad St: Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl LIX Champions
Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia
Hardcover
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football
Dent, Jim
Paperback
Pep Guardiola - Coaching High Pressing Tactics & Sessions Against Different Formations
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Unthinkable to Unstoppable: How Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers Stunned College Football
Osterman, Zach
Niziolek, Mike
Hardcover
A Love Letter to the American Fullback: The Rise, Reign, and Eternal Legacy of Football's Guardian Warrior
Hughes, Matthew Patrick
Paperback
Do You Love Football?!: Winning with Heart, Passion, and Not Much Sleep
Carucci, Vic
Gruden, Jon
Paperback
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Burrell, Bart
Lee, David T.
Hardcover