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John U. Bacon

Biography

John U. Bacon

John U. Bacon is the author of the national bestseller THE GREAT HALIFAX EXPLOSION and five bestselling books about college football, including THREE AND OUT, FOURTH AND LONG, ENDZONE and BO'S LASTING LESSONS, co-authored with Michigan coach Bo Schembechler. A former feature writer for the Detroit News, his writing has been recognized three times in The Best American Sports Writing series. He appears often on NPR and national television, including ESPN’s 2019 documentary series on college football. He has taught at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and the University of Michigan. A popular public speaker, he lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and son.

John U. Bacon

Books by John U. Bacon

Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football
by John U. Bacon - Nonfiction, Sports

For the past year, John U. Bacon has received unprecedented access to Jim Harbaugh’s University of Michigan football team: coaches, players and staffers, in closed-door meetings, locker rooms, meals and classes. OVERTIME captures this storied program at the crossroads, as the sport’s winningest team battles to reclaim its former glory. But what if the price of success today comes at the cost of your soul? Do you pay it, or compete without compromising? In the spirit of HBO’s "Hardknocks," Bacon's book follows the Wolverine coaches, players and staffers through the 2018 season, including Harbaugh, offensive stars Shea Patterson and Karan Higdon, NFL-ready defensive standouts Rashan Gary, Devin Bush Jr. and Chase Winovich, and second-stringers striving to find their place on the team.

The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism
by John U. Bacon - History, Nonfiction

After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering 3,000 tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT --- the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in 1/15 of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a 35-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble.