An Irish working-class hero of Pittsburgh, Billy Conn captured hearts through his ebullient personality, stellar boxing record, and good looks. A light heavyweight boxing champion best remembered for his sensational near-defeat of heavyweight champion Joe Louis in 1941, Conn is still regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. Andrew O'Toole chronicles the boxing, Hollywood, and army careers of "the Pittsburgh Kid" by drawing from newspaper accounts, Billy's personal scrapbooks, and fascinating interviews with family. Presenting an intimate look at the champion's relationships with his girlfriend, manager, and rivals, O'Toole compellingly captures the personal life of a public icon and the pageantry of sports during the 1930s and '40s.
| Contents Acknowledgments 1. This Is Easy 2. A Kiss from Heaven 3. I Can Lick Anyone Johnny Ray Tells Me I Can Lick 4. Like a Thief He Kept Running 5. A Fistic Star Is Born 6. Gone to the Fight 7. Fighting Is My Business 8. Toast of the Town 9. That Conn Boy Talks Too Much 10. Reckless Son of Erin 11. Where's Billy? 12. I'm Afraid of No Man Living 13. Mickey Rooney's a Sissy 14. He Can Run . . . 15. Old Scores to Settle 16. "You Only Get One Chance" Notes Bibliography Index Photographs follow page 000. | "Affectionate yet evenhanded biography of the fighter known as 'The Pittsburgh Kid.' O'Toole makes a relatively normal life sing with his obvious passion for his subject, his meticulous research and his ability to empathize with Conn, his family and the colorful characters who inhabited the boxer's literal and metaphorical corner. A welcome addition to the boxing-literature canon."—Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2007"The rough-and-tumble sports world of the late 1930s and early 1940s emerges vividly, as O'Toole describes the way mobsters infiltrated the fight game and how Conn needed the help of Pittsburgh Steeler owner Art Rooney to stay clear of the unsavory types. Conn, though not widely known today, was a beloved, blue-collar American hero in his era, and O'Toole masterfully re-creates both the life and the times. For all fans of boxing history."—Wes Lukowsky, Booklist
"Before Roberto Clemente, Terry Bradshaw, or Mario Lemieux became household names, Billy Conn was Pittsburgh's most famous athlete. In Andrew O'Toole's Sweet William: The Life of Billy Conn, the East Liberty-born boxer's career is examined, and there's much to enjoy. O'Toole is a thorough chronicler, but the best parts of the book are the colorful backroom stories that seem to be intrinsic to boxing lore."—Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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Andrew O'Toole is the author of several books on sports, including Paul Brown: The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Football's Most Innovative Coach, Smiling Irish Eyes: Art Rooney and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
