PRAISE FOR MICHAEL LENEHAN'S RAMBLERS: "The Loyola Ramblers have too often been forgotten for their role in basketball's cultural history. They remain a significant, uplifting story."
Frank Deford "Getting to know the stories behind the scores and the personalities off the court is what makes Ramblers much more than a conventional sports book. It makes it a classic."
Chicago Tribune ... Read more"Ramblers is about much more than a particular game. It is about the second-class citizenship endured by black players...and it is about the determination of those who went about changing those conditions. Michael Lenehan recognizes the necessity of context...and fortunate for his readers that [he] has seen fit to remind us of this nation's often disgraceful and sometimes encouraging history as it has been reflected in one of our most popular games."
Bill Littlefield, Only A Game, WBUR Boston "Ramblers passionately evokes the beauty of a great game in a time of great change, and works as a metaphor for changes taking place across the nation as well... A dynamic, emotional study of one college basketball team's role in the Civil Rights movement."
Shelf Awareness, starred review "A riveting read of sports and its role in breaking the color barriers, Ramblers is a must for any history and sports collection focusing on Civil Rights and black history."
Midwest Book Review "Ramblers is a worthwhile read chronicling a memorable upset and, perhaps more importantly, a triumph of character over cowardice that had repercussions way beyond the basketball court."
Cincinnati Herald "Author Michael Lenehan pulls together all the disparate threads that produced Loyola's serendipitous championship run."
Associated Press "Gripping and revealing."
Chicago Reader "If you're interested in the history of [Chicago], interested in the history of college basketball in the city, and racial history
in not just the city but the country
then you should check out [Ramblers]."
Laurence Holmes, WSCR-AM host and NBC5 Chicago anchor "Lenehan's success is in the telling of the greater history surrounding the Ramblers and their impact on sports during the height of the Civil Rights movement. The vivid description of the central figures is also endearing... It's [his] attention to context and nearly endless detail that make Ramblers worth reading."
Slam Online "For sports fans, Lenehan's book is a page-turner; for those interested in the pace of social progress, the book offers a perspective
that of the student athlete
integral to the Civil Rights movement but largely overlooked up to this point."
Newcity "...Ramblers is an easy, fascinating, and at times illuminating read for the avid fan. The less knowledgeable, who will find it valuable as a crucial chapter in the history of the struggle for civil rights, can also gain a beginner's appreciation of the game's finer points. It tugs at the reader's heartstrings while providing a clear-eyed look at the sometimes shameful, sometimes constructive role of sports in our society."
TriQuarterly "Ramblers is the dramatic, deeply engrossing, and meticulously researched story behind the 1963 NCAA basketball tournament... With the 50th anniversary of the Ramblers' championship victory just around the corner, this is an important story that needs to be told."
ChicagoNow "Excellent."
Joe Posnanski, NBC Sports Show Less