{"product_id":"eckie-walter-eckersall-and-the-rise-of-chicago-sports-hardcover","title":"Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eChris Serb\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWalter \"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 \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e. 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChris Serb\u003c\/b\u003e is deputy district chief for the Chicago Fire Department. He is also a veteran Chicago freelance writer with almost thirty years of experience as a journalist. Serb's articles, concentrated in sports and history, have appeared in the \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eChicago History\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWriter's Digest\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eChicago Athlete\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eMen's Fitness\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eWar Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSam's Boys: The History of Chicago's Leone Beach and Legendary Lifeguard Sam Leone\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 360\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 x 8.6 x 6.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 01, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44809264693350,"sku":"9781496242808","price":45.43,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/A8TEobPElP9781496242808.webp?v=1771559696","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/eckie-walter-eckersall-and-the-rise-of-chicago-sports-hardcover","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}