Jackrabbit

He ran like a crazed jackrabbit, according to one awe-struck sportswriter.

Clint Castleberry was already an Atlanta-area football sensation when he arrived at Georgia Tech in 1942, and in one meteoric college season he became a national sports hero as well. He was the first college freshman ever to be voted All-American. At least one Heisman Trophy was all but certain. Though weighing just 155 pounds, he seemed destined to become one of the greatest tailbacks in college football history. But then World War II intervened, and Castleberry became, instead, another young man whose destiny was cut short. His #19 is the only number ever retired in the illustrious history of Georgia Tech football.

Bill Chastain weaves Clint Castleberry's story around other legends of Georgia Tech football—including John Heisman, William Alexander, and Bobby Dodd—to create a glorious portrait of a proud football tradition and America's Greatest Generation.