O God of Players : : The Story of the Immaculata Mighty Macs / / Julie Byrne.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Columbia University Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Byrne, Julie,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : Columbia University Press, , [2003]; ©2003
• Year of Publication: 2003
• Language: English
• Series: Religion and American Culture
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (312 p.) :; 21 photos

Between 1972 and 1974, the Mighty Macs of Immaculata College-a small Catholic women's school outside Philadelphia-made history by winning the first three women's national college basketball championships ever played. A true Cinderella team, this unlikely fifteenth-seeded squad triumphed against enormous odds and four powerhouse state teams to secure the championship title and capture the imaginations of fans and sportswriters across the country. But while they were making a significant contribution to legitimizing women's sports in America, the Mighty Macs were also challenging the traditional roles and obligations that circumscribed their Catholic schoolgirl lives. In this vivid account of Immaculata basketball, Julie Byrne goes beyond the fame to explore these young women's unusual lives, their rare opportunities and pleasures, their religious culture, and the broader ideas of womanhood they inspired and helped redefine.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS -- LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS -- NOTE ON NOTATION -- PREFACE -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- Introduction: Philadelphia Hoop and Catholic Fun -- 1. Making the Team,Making Identity -- 2. Practicing Basketball, Practicing Class -- 3. Bodies in Basketball -- 4. Praying for the Team -- 5. Ladies of the Court -- 6. Championships and Community -- Postscript: Immaculata Basketball and U.S. Religious History -- Appendix A: Immaculata College Basketball Survey -- Appendix B: Surveys, Interviews, Correspondence, and Unpublished Memoirs -- NOTES -- REFERENCES -- INDEX