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Lyons Press

June 22: Keeping the Faith is now available on Kindle. Read more.

April: Check out the new FAQ page.

Shawn's essay on home-state memories appears in the current Sports Scoop. Read More

NFL.com writer Gregg Easterbrook labels Keeping the Faith a "must read" sports book. Read more

Booklist gives positive review to Keeping the Faith. Read more

Publishers Weekly calls Keeping the Faith a "heartfelt tale." Read review

Shawn's story on Mike and Matt Fasnacht appears in the February issue of Minnesota Monthly, which can be read here.

Shawn's story on high school basketball is in the current issue of Minnesota Basketball News. Read More

The Daily News of Iron Mountain, Michigan, reviews book. Read review

New Ulm Journal story features Trinity football team, discusses impact of book on school, team. Read more

Welcome to shawnfury.com. Here you will find information about Shawn Fury's writing career, which began in Minnesota and continues today in New York City. He has ten years of experience as a newspaper reporter and copy editor, and several of his stories are available to read on the site.

A good place to start on the website is the FAQ on the left side of the page.

In September 2005, Lyons Press published Shawn's first book, Keeping the Faith: In the trenches with college football’s worst team. The book details the story of the Trinity Bible College football team, a squad from a tiny school in North Dakota that is perennially ranked as the worst college team in the country. Publishers Weekly wrote, "By refusing to caricature or sentimentalize the players, Fury delivers a heartfelt tale." The introduction to the book is available by clicking on the cover to the right.

Readers are encouraged to contact Shawn at shawnfury05@yahoo.com. Thank you for visiting.

From the publisher:
Keeping the Faith: In the trenches with college football’s worst team

Every loser has a story. And few teams have lost quite like the Trinity Bible College football team. Located in Ellendale, North Dakota--population 1,559--Trinity produces preachers and missionaries, but with an enrollment of only 310 students, struggles to find quality athletes. Keeping the Faith tells the remarkable story of the Trinity Bible College Lions, the worst college team in the country--a team fighting for victory, and, more importantly, dignity.

Countless sports books have been written about championship teams and grand traditions. But what about teams on the other side of the scoreboard? How do those players and coaches fight through ridicule, adversity, and defeat? This account is told through the eyes of a colorful group of characters, including Trinity's head coach, Rusty Bentley, a native Texan and former car salesman who says he moved his family to North Dakota because it was God's will. In his first game, Trinity lost 105-0.

Assistant coach Eric Slivoskey has traveled throughout the world, but he came to Ellendale seeking answers to his spiritual questions. A former high school star, he struggles to coexist with the Scriptures--quoting Bentley, whose knowledge of the Bible seems to dwarf his knowledge of football. Trinity's players, who number fewer than thirty, include Lee Odell, an all-conference center on the offensive line who's surrounded by teammates who didn't even play high school football. Wide receiver Andy Brower is training to be a pastor, but he doesn't think the Lions should be relying on Jesus to help them on the field. Trinity's players keep taking the field week after week, loss after loss. They keep playing, always believing the next game will bring victory. Keeping the Faith is about football, faith, and finding small victories amidst big defeats.

 

Who’ll want to read the story of a bunch of losers? You will. Shawn Fury’s hilarious and heartwarming account of a season with the country’s worst college football team will have even atheists rooting for the bible school underdogs to score a victory.

John Rosengren,
author: "Blades of Glory"