The Professor (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers #1)(106)

Tom smiled, thinking of something Jameson Tyler had said a few months earlier and then saying it out loud as he opened the door and ran up the stairs, not caring if anybody heard him.

“The old bull still has a little gas in the tank.”





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


The Professor would not have happened without the love, support and patience of my wonderful wife, Dixie. For eight years, she put up with the alarm clock going off at 4am almost every morning, jarring her from sleep and many times waking up one of our three children. She read three different re-writes of the book, patiently wading through each one and offering encouragement and constructive criticism along the way. The Professor simply could not have happened without her, and I am so blessed to have her in my life.

My agent, Liza Fleissig, was my guardian angel on this trip, and her tenacity, enthusiasm and persistence made my dream come true. A writer could not have a more loyal advocate than Liza.

Thanks to Emlyn Rees and everyone at Exhibit A Books and Angry Robot Publishing. Emlyn’s ideas and careful editing improved my story, and I will be eternally grateful to Emlyn for giving me and my story a chance.

My parents, Randy and Beth Bailey, have taught me, inspired me and encouraged me in everything I’ve tried to do in life, and they were there for me every step of the way during this process. I am so grateful for them.

My brother, Bo Bailey, was one of my earliest readers and his constant encouragement has been a blessing.

Thanks to my father in law, Dr Jim Davis, for his insights on urology and bladder cancer, and for reading the book and being a lightning rod of positive energy.

I am eternally indebted to my wonderful friends, Bill and Melanie Fowler, Rick Onkey, Mark Wittschen, Steve Shames and Will Powell for reading the book and offering their ideas and encouragement.

Thanks to fellow authors Winston Groom, William Bernhardt and Brian Haig for blurbing the book when it didn’t even have a publisher.

Thanks to Davidson College, where my dream of being a writer first hatched, and to the University of Alabama School of Law, where so many of the ideas for this book were formed.

I am so blessed to have been born in the great state of Alabama, and to have been raised on Alabama football and its legends. Coach Bryant passed away when I was nine years old, but his spirit lives on at the University and throughout the state.

Finally, my children, Jimmy, Bobby and Allie, are my inspiration and the greatest joy in my life. I thank God for them… and for everything.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Robert Bailey was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of a builder and a schoolteacher. From the time he could walk, he’s loved stories, especially those about Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Robert obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History from Davidson College in North Carolina. Law School at the University of Alabama followed, where Robert made Law Review, competed on the school’s trial team and managed to watch every home football game. For the past thirteen years, he’s been a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville. He’s married to the incomparable Dixie Bailey and they have two boys and a little girl. When Robert’s not writing, practicing law or being a parent, he enjoys playing golf, watching Alabama football and coaching his sons’ little league baseball teams.






AUTHOR NOTE


In drawing the character of Tom McMurtrie, my aim was to create a legendary figure. A man of exceptional integrity, strength and class. One of the ways I sought to achieve this purpose was to include Tom on Alabama’s famed 1961 football team.

Though Tom and the events of this novel are entirely fictional, the 1961 Alabama football team was very much real. As a lifelong Alabama football fan, I can say that all Alabama teams are, in some way, measured by the ‘61 team. This team formed the bedrock of Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s Alabama football dynasty, and their names echo in crimson lore even today. Names like Billy Neighbors, Lee Roy Jordan, Pat Trammell, Darwin Holt, Mike Fracchia, Billy Richardson, Benny Nelson, Bill “Brother” Oliver, Mal Moore, Charley Pell, Bill Battle and Cotton Clark just to name a few.

Part of the historical significance of the ’61 team is how far the football program had come since Coach Bryant’s arrival. In 1958, Coach Bryant, an Alabama alumnus who played on the 1934 national champions, left Texas A&M to become the head coach of Alabama, famously proclaiming that “Mama called.” Despite inheriting a program that had suffered four consecutive losing seasons, in his first meeting with the team in 1958, he promised them that they would win a national championship for Alabama.

Just three years later, the 1961 team fulfilled Coach Bryant’s promise, going 11-0 and defeating Arkansas 10-3 in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship. It was Coach Bryant’s first of six national championships at Alabama, and began an amazing run of excellence. From 1961-1966, the Crimson Tide went 60-5-1 and won three national championships (1961, 1964 and 1965) and four southeastern conference championships.

Perhaps an even bigger part of the legend of the 1961 team is the special bond that Coach Bryant shared with the players. Pat Trammell, the team’s starting quarterback, is widely regarded as Bryant’s favorite all-time player. At Trammel’s funeral in 1968 after his untimely death from cancer, Bryant escorted Trammel’s mother from the church with tears in his eyes. It is the only time Bryant is ever reported to have cried in public. Billy Neighbors, who started on the offensive and defensive line, became Bryant’s stock broker and close confident. Bill “Brother” Oliver and Mal Moore both became assistant coaches for Bryant.