Border Boys

No football team from a western province had ever beaten a team from the East. But in Winnipeg, a former expat who had fallen in love with American college football believed he could bring a championship to the city. With national unity around the Canadian game in jeopardy, he hired American players, and together with their Canadian teammates these "border boys" sought gridiron glory at the highest level of the sport. This is their story.

Border Boys is a book for football fans on both sides of an international border. American and Canadian fans alike will enjoy reading about how both games have a common origin and about how they have intersected and diverged throughout history. American fans will learn more about the evolution of college football, while Canadian fans will learn how football in the provinces evolved from an amateur to a professional sport. Fans in Winnipeg may be shocked to learn about the Americanization of the sport in their city, including at the University of Manitoba, and they will also enjoy rediscovering their team's first Grey Cup victory in 1935. College football fans in North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota, and Wisconsin will learn how players from the "Swede Belt" just south of the Canadian border had a huge impact on the Canadian game. And North Dakota State University, Concordia College, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and University of North Dakota fans will understand how their schools impacted the development of football in the Red River Valley of the North-on both sides of the border.

Includes 37 illustrations

"Border Boys is a fantastic chronicle of the origin of the relationship between our local college teams and professional football in Canada. I knew some of the NDSU history, but really enjoyed learning about Concordia, Moorhead State, and yes, even UND's place in the narrative. The author does a masterful job of weaving each team's trials and tribulations, successes and triumphs from the early years of the respective programs into a beautiful year by year tapestry, culminating in the first Grey Cup championship for a team from western Canada. My Bison brothers and I, as well as players from other local teams, truly stand on the shoulders of giants. These pioneers of early American and Canadian football will live in our hearts forever." - Jeff Bentrim (#1), quarterback, North Dakota State University (1983-86), NCAA Championship (1983, '85-86), First-team All-American (1986), Harlon Hill Trophy (1986), Saskatchewan Roughriders (1987-90), Grey Cup (1989), Bison Athletic Hall of Fame, NCAA Division II Football Hall of Fame, National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, Saskatchewan Roughriders Plaza of Honour ('89 team)

Author: R. C. Christiansen

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: Jan 14, 2022

Number of Pages: 488 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: NA

ISBN-13: 9798799110949