Shawn's blogging. www.shawnfury.blogspot.com. Check out the new FAQ page. 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 Keeping the Faith is now available on Kindle. Read more. Shawn's story on Mike and Matt Fasnacht appears in the February issue of Minnesota Monthly, which can be read here. Shawn's essay on home-state memories appears in the current Sports Scoop. Read More 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

Published in The Daily News of Iron Mountain, Michigan on January 18, 2006

Book follows losing college football team

By Burt Angeli
Books Writer

There's so many books out there on great college football teams. Author Shawn Fury took a different route, traveling to Division III Trinity Bible College in Ellendale, North Dakota.

Hapless describes the Lions, who gained national attention with a 105-0 loss.

 "Trinity made headlines and punchlines in 2003," Fury noted of the loss to Rockford College.

Fury followed the Lions through the 2004 season, turning out the enjoyable "Keeping the Faith: In the trenches with college football's worst team" (The Lyons Press).

Fury doesn't miss much with a football team going through a 31-game losing streak. The football program has been around since 1984, with 11 winless campaigns.

"The comment I heard most from the players was that they were glad I told it like it was," Fury told The Daily News, recalling a return visit to Ellendale to promote the book. "They appreciated that I tried to show what it was like for them last year, with the struggles and the rare successes.

"They thought it was accurate and empathetic, but also showed the true struggles of the program."

Coach Rusty Bentley permitted Fury a free rein of the team. That's something he probably regrets, with Bentley portrayed primarily as a coach who has little support from the players and primarily shows up on Saturday.

"I believe the book is fair to him, and shows him to be a devoted dad and husband and someone who has a strong belief in his faith," Fury said. "However, he struggled as a coach, and I had to write what I saw and what his players and assistants told me.

"To do otherwise would have meant ignoring reality."

The hard-working Lions, little in numbers and talent, didn't have the best practice habits. One funny bit has Bentley conducting a team vote during a film session where nothing is agreed upon.

The U.P. has a plug with pastor and "water boy" John Brady coming from Ishpeming.

Trinity actually won a game this past season, but lost the rest.

"They really deserved a win," Fury said. "They deserved the chance to experience what that was like. The rest of the season, unfortunately, was pretty much a disaster."

John Feinstein has made a career of taking a topic like Trinity and producing a best-seller. Fury might be approaching that neighborhood.