A TIDE OF DREAMS:

The Untold Backstory of Coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant, Carney Laslie and Frank Moseley

A Tide of Dreams by Carey Henry Keefe - The Untold Backstory of Coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant, Carney Laslie and Frank Moseley
Published by Koehler Books

A Tide of Dreams

In this never before told story, Carey Henry Keefe, the granddaughter of Coach Carney Laslie, has created a riveting narrative that  follows three friends who journey through some of the most colorful and impactful periods of history of both a sport and our nation.  With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, dreams of young men and women across the nation are sidelined while the country prepares for war. This is true, too, of Coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant, Carney Laslie, and Frank Moseley, three friends and former football teammates from the University of Alabama whose dreams of returning to their alma mater to coach together are upended. Instead, they are chosen to join an elite group  of ace coaches from around the country selected to be fast-tracked into the Navy as naval officers at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. These coaches turned naval officers become known as the "90-Day Wonders", implementing a brand-new, military-style team conditioning at the newly instituted Navy's Pre-Flight Training Centers. Post-war, the three friends reunite, joining forces as a powerful trio of coaching talent, overcoming obstacles and discouragement while transforming  themselves and their teams into becoming the winners they know they can be. Spanning the 1920s until 1961, A Tide of Dreams is not so much about the game of college football as it is about friendship and loyalty, aspirations and dreams, and the intriguing blend of three personalities who loved the game. It is a fascinating look at both the sport and what it cost for those who became the face of its success.

Hover cursor on the dividing line and slide right and left for interactive.

Black & White Photo - For Aesthetic Purposes Only Paul

1946

Left to Right: Laslie, Bryant, Moseley

1976

Virginia Military Institute
Maryland
University of Kentucky
Virginia Tech Hokies
Texas A&M
Texas A&M
Vintage Crimson Tide Logo
Black & White Photo - For Aesthetic Purposes Only

"Carey Henry Keefe has done it - the remarkable, unknown, inside story of a rich red slice of Crimson Tide Americana!"

- Ellen Vaughn, New York Times Bestselling Author

Praise for
A TIDE OF DREAMS below.....

"The subtitle of Carey Henry Keefe’s A Tide of Dreams says it all: UNTOLD.
Not only does this spectacular piece of work reveal behind-the-curtain stories of the much written-about Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, but it chronicles in a fascinating way the simultaneous journeys of Bryant and his two closest coaching confidantes and friends – Carney Laslie and Frank Moseley. Beginning in the early 1930s as rugged Crimson Tide football players, this trio of great football minds remained inseparable for most of their careers. Especially poignant are their World War II days when they utilized football techniques and workouts to train what would become the world’s greatest fighter pilots. Following their service, the trio reunited as coaches and continued to lead young men on the gridiron for years to come. A Tide of Dreams is more than a story of three football buddies doing what they loved most: it’s a magnificent display of friendship, love, and loyalty."

Tommy Ford
Retired, Director of Athletic Alumni Association, 33 years:

"Carey Henry Keefe has written a love story, or better said, a story of many loves. ....the devotion of a group of men who experienced the common bond of playing football for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide takes the reader on an adventure.... through the trials of World War II, family, winning and losing football games. On first impression many people will think this is a football book. After reading Keefe’s excellently written text all will know it is an account of devotion, sacrifice, and of love."

Ken Gaddy
Retired Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama:

"Just when you think you know everything about Coach Bear Bryant, Carey Henry Keefe adds a new dimension to his life with this moving portrait about his enduring friendships with her grandfather Carney Laslie and Frank Moseley.  This narrative travels to little-explored wartime training camps where Alabama’s most beloved football coaches bonded for life, prepped the first generation of top gun fliers and mastered the ingredients for producing championship football teams.”

Anne R. Keene, Author
The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win WWII and granddaughter of the commander of the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School in Chapel Hill, NC:

Carey Henry Keefe

About Carey

Carey Henry Keefe grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and attended the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, graduating with a B.S. in Business Management. She has written one novel, a mystery thriller loosely based on her twelve years as a medical practice administrator in Las Vegas, and she has had numerous personal essays produced on NPR-affiliated stations. She now writes narrative non-fiction full time, drawn to research and the telling of undiscovered and compelling tales of historical events and the people behind them. She speaks regularly to groups about the remarkable group of men known as the "90-Day Wonders" and the history of the Navy's WWII Pre-flight Training program, a relatively little-known piece of WWII history that used sports, and in particular football, to help win the war.

Tidewater Virginia is home and when she's not doing research or writing, she enjoys time with family, which includes six grandchildren, and watching the sun set each evening with her husband of forty-three years.

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