Game Changers - by Art Chansky (Paperback)

About the Book

"Among many legendary episodes from the life and career of men's basketball coach Dean Smith, few loom as large as his recruitment of Charlie Scott, the first African American scholarship athlete at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Drawn together by college basketball in a time of momentous change, Smith and Scott helped transform a university, a community, and the racial landscape of sports in the South"--

Book Synopsis

Among many legendary episodes from the life and career of men's basketball coach Dean Smith, few loom as large as his recruitment of Charlie Scott, the first African American scholarship athlete at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Drawn together by college basketball in a time of momentous change, Smith and Scott helped transform a university, a community, and the racial landscape of sports in the South. But there is much more to this story than is commonly told. In Game Changers, Art Chansky reveals an intense saga of race, college sport, and small-town politics. At the center were two young men, Scott and Smith, both destined for greatness but struggling through challenges on and off the court, among them the storms of civil rights protest and the painfully slow integration of a Chapel Hill far less progressive than its reputation today might suggest.

Drawing on extensive personal interviews and a variety of other sources, Chansky takes readers beyond the basketball court to highlight the community that supported Smith and Scott during these demanding years, from assistant basketball coach John Lotz and influential pastor the Reverend Robert Seymour to pioneering African American mayor Howard Lee. Dispelling many myths that surround this period, Chansky nevertheless offers an ultimately triumphant portrait of a student-athlete and coach who ensured the University of North Carolina would never be the same.

Review Quotes

"[A] fascinating account of Dean Smith, Charlie Scott and turbulent Chapel Hill in the '60s. . . . a must-read." -- R.L. Bynum, Raleigh & Company

"A story rich in detail, anecdote, and context." -- Eric Frederick, News & Observer

"Change[s] the way readers view UNC basketball in the 1960s." -- The Pilot

"Chansky is at his best when he describes Scott's pressure-filled tenure at UNC and how Smith supported Scott." -- Journal of Southern History

"Civil rights was the biggest story in Chapel Hill in the 1960s -- until Dean Smith signed Charlie Scott. Then the two stories became one. Chansky's is a riveting account of how a coach under fire, a lonely pioneer, an uncaring campus, and a town in turmoil came together in Carmichael Auditorium, and everybody won in the end. A must-read if you want to know the truth." -- Curry Kirkpatrick, former senior writer at Sports Illustrated and Basketball Hall of Fame award-winning author

"Mix[es] an examination of the civil rights struggle in Chapel Hill in the 1960s with behind-the-scenes stories on the recruiting and college career of basketball star Charlie Scott, UNC's first Afro-American scholarship player." -- Joel Buckley, Community Sports News

"More than just a fan fest, Game Changers reminds us of the tough road toward civil rights this state had to follow. It also shows how athletics can steer popular culture, often for the good." -- Ben Steelman, Wilmington Star-News

"Not just another sports book faithfully recalling stunning upsets and championship seasons. Instead, this slender volume by veteran sportswriter Art Chansky attempts a more complex narrative, interweaving the stories of legendary coach Dean Smith, basketball star Charlie Scott, and the broader racial and social forces emerging in the town of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina during the tumultuous 1960s." -- North Carolina Historical Review

"One of the most insightful and intriguing books ever written about college sports." -- Caulton Tudor, NC Sports Hall of Fame Writer

"Tar Heel basketball fans may think they know the full story of Dean Smith and Charlie Scott, but until they have read Art Chansky's in-depth account, they won't have the full picture of what played out in this small, so-called 'liberal' Southern college town that was wrestling with its past while Smith and Scott pushed for social change both on and off the court." -- Jock Lauterer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill