Crunch Time

Nancy Lieberman. Lou Vairo. Bruce Baumgartner. Mark Gubicza. Phil McConkey. Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Mike Richter. Seven world-class athletes, coaches, and leaders. In the pages of Crunch Time, they share with you their experiences at the top of amateur and professional sports, their high and lows, and the very real personal challenges they've faced. Seven fascinating personalities offer their insights on managing crisis in sports, and more importantly, in life. ----- Crunch Time. You've been there. It's when the clock is winding down and the game, or your job, is on the line. It's when you're trying to keep your head, while all about you people are losing theirs, and blaming it on you. Crunch Time is when crisis comes. Great athletes and coaches face Crunch Time on a regular basis. Their successes and failures, victories and defeats, adulation and humiliation, take place on a grand stage. We watch them win, and we watch them lose. We see them rise to great heights, and we witness their fall. Each of the sports figures in this book has faced Crunch Time again and again, both on the field, and often, in their personal and work lives. All of them, in their own way, are amazing people. Gifted, yes, but more than gifted. Nancy Lieberman: Basketball Pioneer Known as "Lady Magic," Lieberman rose to basketball fame as a teenager representing the U.S. in international competition (including the 1976 Summer Olympics) and playing college ball at Old Dominion. A trail blazer for women athletes in team sports, she was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. Lou Vairo: Coach, USA Hockey Vairo has been involved with USA Hockey since the 1970s, helping to lead the organization through a remarkable growth period that began with the 1980 Winter Olympics "Miracle on Ice" and continues to this day. Bruce Baumgartner: Olympic Wrestling Gold Medal Winner, World Champion Baumgartner is arguably the most successful American wrestler of all time. A multiple Olympic medal winner and world champion, he has continued to take a leadership role-as a coach and executive-and was a key member of the group that saved wrestling as an Olympic sport. Mark Gubicza: World Series Champion Gubicza was a member of the 1985 World Series Champion Kansas City Royals, and a Major League pitcher for 14 seasons. Despite initially being left out of the postseason rotation, as a rookie, for that 1985 team, Gubicza won a vital Game 6 in the American League Championship Series to propel the Royals into the World Series. Phil McConkey: Super Bowl Champion McConkey is the ultimate underdog. After finishing a five-year stint with the U.S. Navy, he landed a tryout with the New York Giants as a wide receiver and kick returner. He surprised many by making the team, and then stunned the football world by becoming a key cog in the Giants' 1986 Super Bowl-winning team. He now works with recent military veterans to assist them in the transition to life after service. Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Track & Field Olympic Gold Medal Winner, World Champion She enjoyed a stellar career, winning six Olympic medals in the heptathlon (three Golds, a Silver, and two Bronze medals across the 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996 Games), and multiple medals in the World Championships. She has served on the board of USA Track and Field (USATF) since 2000, and is active promoting the sport and working with young people. Mike Richter: Stanley Cup Champion Richter is best known for being the goaltender that, in 1994, helped the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. He has also played for the U.S. National team on multiple occasions, and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. ----- About the Author Brian P. Dunleavy has been working as a journalist for more than 25 years. For seven years, he covered the New York Giants for The Village Voice. He lives in Manhattan with his wife.