what readers are saying

“The author describes his father as a hero and a legend, and by the end of the story the case is made. Buryl Baty was an athlete and a coach, but he is a legend because he inspired young Latinos to reach for a better life. The young people of El Paso’s Segundo Barrio faced prejudice every day…many readers will be shocked at the vicious treatment Coach Baty’s young players received…. Discrimination against Latinos is not as familiar to most Americans as discrimination against African-Americans. Coach Baty’s fight against racism and bigotry should resonate with readers.”
Michael BarrAuthor of Remembering Bulldog Turner: Unsung Monster of the Midway
"Highly recommended"..."Champion of the Barrio: The Legacy of Coach Buryl Baty is a biography of Buryl Baty (1924-1954), a successful athlete and coach who is especially notable for taking a stand against bigotry and discrimination. A breakout high school football player turned star quarterback of Texas A&M University, and drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1947, Baty chose to focus on coaching. He coached teams at Luling High School in 1949, and in 1950, he earned the position of head football coach at Bowie High School in El Paso. Baty observed that the athletes he coached, all Mexican-Americans from the Segundo Barrio, suffered greatly from the ingrained racism of the time. His inspirational efforts to resist discrimination and usher his team to championship status spread pride throughout the barrio community. Yet, in 1954, just as his team had the chance to win its third district title, a sudden highway accident shattered their world and ended Baty's life far too soon. In 2013, Baty's legacy was commemorated with a posthumous induction into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame. Champion of the Barrio is more than a biography; it includes firsthand memories of author R. Gaines Baty, Buryl Baty's son, and the testimonies of nearly one hundred individuals who knew Baty during his life."
James CoxEditor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review, Oregon, WI
“...a legacy of inspiration, social consciousness and love. ”
Nolan Richardson, Jr.National Collegiate Basketball, Naismith Memorial and Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, NCAA National Championship coach, SEC Coach of the Year, and graduate of Bowie High School in the Segundo Barrio of El Paso
"Highly recommended."
James A. Cox Editor-in-Chief of The Midwest Book Review, Oregon, WI
"Champion of the Barrio is an important contribution to our understanding of the power of sports to reach, teach, and transform..."
Alexander WolffAuthor, Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventure, and Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated
“... It’s a great story about a great man.”
Roger StaubachExecutive Chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle, Heisman Trophy winner, Super Bowl champion, and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback
“...it was unbelievable how he captured El Paso’s heart..."
Ray SanchezFormer writer and Editor of The El Paso Herald-Post, Author of seven books, member of five Halls-of-fame, recipient of several journalism awards, consultant for the movie “Glory Road”