In 1964, the Evansville College Purple Aces raced undefeated through the Indiana Collegiate Conference, posting a perfect 24-0 regular-season record and winning the College Division NCAA championship. The skeleton of this season exists in newspaper archives and in books that capture the on-court action, but the flesh and blood has never been written-until now. This is the story of Russell Grieger, a starting guard, and his observations, feelings, reactions, and struggles of that season. It provides a game-by-game look into the team, showcasing Grieger's teammates, Coach Arad McCutchan, and Evansville's love for the Aces. The Perfect Season is an insider's inspiring story of a team whose motto-"If you're going to go, go big time or don't go at all"-inspired them to achieve their dream.
"Russ Grieger's poignant memoir is more than just a sports book. It is a book about how a quiet, genius coach and five very different personalities melded to produce something extraordinary, and how one of those personalities came to understand that he was not just a basketball player-he was a unique person who happened to play basketball."
Tom Tuley, retired journalist
"Russell Grieger has lovingly captured a time and a place-Indiana a half-century ago-when basketball mattered so much to that part of the world, and when a boy who happened to be very good at the game enjoyed the sweetest season that any player anywhere could dream of."
Frank Deford, author and commentator
"[W]e get fascinating insider's portraits of Coach Arad McCutcheon and superstars Jerry Sloan, Larry Humes, and the rest of that slick and talented team that accomplished the ultra-rare feat of an undefeated national championship season. This is the story of a basketball odyssey filled with ups and downs and challenges both internal and external-a great story and a great read!"
