
Breaking Through
John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Marlin May
-
By:
-
Milton S. Katz
About this listen
John B. McLendon was the last living protégé of basketball’s inventor Dr. James Naismith and one of the “top ten basketball coaches of the century” in Billy Packer’s opinion. McLendon’s amazing records in college and pro basketball earned him a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame (the first Black coach to be inducted), and his coaching philosophy has had a huge influence on basketball coaches. Breaking Through is also a powerful and inspirational story about segregation and a champion’s struggle for equality in 1940s and 50s America.
Black Magic, ESPN’s Peabody Award-winning documentary about players and coaches who attended historically Black colleges and universities, covers many of the events in McLendon’s life that Katz writes about in his book. John McLendon was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
The book is published by University of Arkansas.
"The Father of Black Basketball, [McLendon] was the godfather to the young Black athlete. I saw him as a true caretaker of the sport." (Julius Irving, NBA Hall of Famer)
"Will teach readers something about adversity and how to prevail, about what it means to earn respect at the highest level." (Earl Lloyd, NBA Hall of Famer and the first African American to play in the NBA)
"The research Katz has done for Breaking Through is outstanding...dramatic and exciting." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
©2007 The University of Arkansas Press (P)2020 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Secret Game
- A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph
- By: Scott Ellsworth
- Narrated by: Scott Ellsworth
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wartime fall of 1943, at the little-known North Carolina College for Negroes, Coach John McLendon was on the verge of changing the game forever. Within six months his Eagles would become the highest-scoring college basketball team in America, a fast-breaking, hard-pressing juggernaut that would shatter its opponents by as many as 60 points per game. The last student of James Naismith, basketball's inventor, McLendon had opened the door to its future.
-
-
My hometown
- By Jimmy_C on 02-27-25
By: Scott Ellsworth
-
How Basketball Can Save the World
- 13 Guiding Principles for Reimagining What's Possible
- By: David Hollander
- Narrated by: Leon Nixon, David Hollander
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the game or have never set foot on a court, How Basketball Can Save the World will empower you to become more resilient, tolerant, and wise in your relationship with yourself, others, and the world around you.
-
-
Draymond fumble
- By Anonymous User on 09-16-24
By: David Hollander
-
Steve Kerr
- A Life
- By: Scott Howard-Cooper
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Award-winning sports journalist Scott Howard-Cooper uncovers the fascinating life story of a basketball legend. Kerr did not follow a traditional path to the NBA. He was born in Beirut to two academics and split his childhood between California and the Middle East. Though he was an impressive shooter, the undersized Kerr garnered almost no attention from major college programs, managing only at the last moment to snag the final scholarship at the University of Arizona.
-
-
Great NBA biography
- By Dan Harris on 07-04-21
-
Michael Jordan
- The Life
- By: Roland Lazenby
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive biography of a legendary athlete. The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball - hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: He's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court - until now.
-
-
horrible naration
- By Hiro on 03-27-18
By: Roland Lazenby
-
The Gipper
- George Gipp, Knute Rockne, and the Dramatic Rise of Notre Dame Football
- By: Jack Cavanaugh
- Narrated by: Nancy Linari
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Win one for The Gipper. Has there ever been a better-known and widely-used exhortative phrase in sports? Not likely. But who was the "Gipper", this mythical-like sports figure whose nickname has aroused, in turn, awe, wonderment, curiosity, and amusement since the second decade of the 20th century, and why is his story important? Answering those questions is the formidable task taken on here by veteran sportswriter Jack Cavanaugh.
-
-
Not sure why my grade 1 teacher was reading this
- By Thomas on 07-23-13
By: Jack Cavanaugh
-
No Excuses
- The Making of a Head Coach
- By: Bob Stoops, Gene Wojciechowski
- Narrated by: Bob Stoops
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Stoops's journey from player to struggling graduate assistant to legendary head coach, it becomes clear that his dedication to football is about far more than the sport itself. Big Game Bob, as he is known by adorning Sooners, made a name for himself not only by rebuilding the OU football program and leading the team to multiple conference championships but also by adhering to a strong set of principles at a time when corruption was rampant across the NCAA.
-
-
What a Story!
- By Teacher 4832 on 05-07-20
By: Bob Stoops, and others
-
The Secret Game
- A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph
- By: Scott Ellsworth
- Narrated by: Scott Ellsworth
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wartime fall of 1943, at the little-known North Carolina College for Negroes, Coach John McLendon was on the verge of changing the game forever. Within six months his Eagles would become the highest-scoring college basketball team in America, a fast-breaking, hard-pressing juggernaut that would shatter its opponents by as many as 60 points per game. The last student of James Naismith, basketball's inventor, McLendon had opened the door to its future.
-
-
My hometown
- By Jimmy_C on 02-27-25
By: Scott Ellsworth
-
How Basketball Can Save the World
- 13 Guiding Principles for Reimagining What's Possible
- By: David Hollander
- Narrated by: Leon Nixon, David Hollander
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the game or have never set foot on a court, How Basketball Can Save the World will empower you to become more resilient, tolerant, and wise in your relationship with yourself, others, and the world around you.
-
-
Draymond fumble
- By Anonymous User on 09-16-24
By: David Hollander
-
Steve Kerr
- A Life
- By: Scott Howard-Cooper
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Award-winning sports journalist Scott Howard-Cooper uncovers the fascinating life story of a basketball legend. Kerr did not follow a traditional path to the NBA. He was born in Beirut to two academics and split his childhood between California and the Middle East. Though he was an impressive shooter, the undersized Kerr garnered almost no attention from major college programs, managing only at the last moment to snag the final scholarship at the University of Arizona.
-
-
Great NBA biography
- By Dan Harris on 07-04-21
-
Michael Jordan
- The Life
- By: Roland Lazenby
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive biography of a legendary athlete. The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball - hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: He's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court - until now.
-
-
horrible naration
- By Hiro on 03-27-18
By: Roland Lazenby
-
The Gipper
- George Gipp, Knute Rockne, and the Dramatic Rise of Notre Dame Football
- By: Jack Cavanaugh
- Narrated by: Nancy Linari
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Win one for The Gipper. Has there ever been a better-known and widely-used exhortative phrase in sports? Not likely. But who was the "Gipper", this mythical-like sports figure whose nickname has aroused, in turn, awe, wonderment, curiosity, and amusement since the second decade of the 20th century, and why is his story important? Answering those questions is the formidable task taken on here by veteran sportswriter Jack Cavanaugh.
-
-
Not sure why my grade 1 teacher was reading this
- By Thomas on 07-23-13
By: Jack Cavanaugh
-
No Excuses
- The Making of a Head Coach
- By: Bob Stoops, Gene Wojciechowski
- Narrated by: Bob Stoops
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Stoops's journey from player to struggling graduate assistant to legendary head coach, it becomes clear that his dedication to football is about far more than the sport itself. Big Game Bob, as he is known by adorning Sooners, made a name for himself not only by rebuilding the OU football program and leading the team to multiple conference championships but also by adhering to a strong set of principles at a time when corruption was rampant across the NCAA.
-
-
What a Story!
- By Teacher 4832 on 05-07-20
By: Bob Stoops, and others
-
I Came as a Shadow
- An Autobiography
- By: John Thompson, Jesse Washington
- Narrated by: Jesse Washington
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After three decades at the center of race and sports in America, the first Black head coach to win an NCAA championship makes the private public at last. Chockful of stories and moving beyond mere stats (and what stats! three Final Fours, four times national coach of the year, seven Big East championships, 97 percent graduation rate), Thompson’s book drives us through his childhood under Jim Crow segregation to our current moment of racial reckoning.
-
-
Great story!
- By JB on 12-22-20
By: John Thompson, and others
-
The Missing Ring
- How Bear Bryant and the 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide Were Denied College Football's Most Elusive Prize
- By: Keith Dunnavant
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Very few institutions in American sports can match the enduring excellence of the University of Alabama football program. Across a wide swath of the last century, the tradition-rich Crimson Tide has claimed twelve national championships, captured 25 conference titles, finished 34 times among the country's top ten, and played in 53 bowl games.
-
-
Fantastic
- By John Rogers on 03-29-18
By: Keith Dunnavant
-
The Dynasty
- By: Jeff Benedict
- Narrated by: Todd Menesses
- Length: 25 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How was the Patriots dynasty built? And how did it last for two decades? In The Dynasty, acclaimed journalist Jeff Benedict provides richly reported answers in a sweeping account based on exclusive interviews with more than 200 insiders - including team executives, coaches, players, players’ wives, team doctors, lawyers, and more - as well as never-before-seen recordings, documents, and electronic communications.
-
-
I could not put this down!
- By Mark on 12-29-20
By: Jeff Benedict
-
Wins, Losses, and Lessons
- An Autobiography
- By: Lou Holtz
- Narrated by: Lou Holtz
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few people in the history of college sports have been more influential or had a bigger impact than Lou Holtz. Winner of the three national Coach of the Year honors, the only coach ever to lead six different schools to season-ending bowl games, and the ninth-winningest coach in college football history, Holtz is still teaching and coaching, although he is no longer on the gridiron.
-
-
great story about an incredibly successful coach
- By James on 04-30-12
By: Lou Holtz
-
The Last Great Game
- Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed Basketball
- By: Gene Wojciechowski
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
March 28, 1992. The final of the NCAA East Regional, Duke vs. Kentucky. Millions could say they witnessed the greatest game and the greatest shot in the history of college basketball. But it wasn't just the final play - an 80-foot inbounds pass with 2.1 seconds left in overtime - that made Duke's 104-103 victory so memorable. Each player and coach arrived at that point with a unique story to tell. In The Last Great Game, ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski turns the game we think we remember into a drama filled with suspense, humor, revelations, and reverberations.
-
-
A great book about a great game
- By Hebern on 02-02-21
-
Jürgen Klopp
- By: Elmar Neveling, Bryn Roberts, Bradley Schmidt
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jürgen Klopp is the charismatic German manager who single-handedly overthrew the accepted order in German football, taking Borussia Dortmund from nowhere to back-to-back Bundesliga titles and the Champions League final. He had long been admired in the Premiership and was finally wooed by Liverpool in the belief he could bring back the glory days to the Kop. Klopp is revered as a master tactician with his own unique playing philosophies.
-
-
Nice and historic
- By Jose de Leon on 03-22-20
By: Elmar Neveling, and others
-
Black Magic
- What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph
- By: Chad Sanders
- Narrated by: Chad Sanders, Janina Edwards, Sydney Morton, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A “daring, urgent, and transformative” (Brené Brown, New York Times best-selling author of Dare to Lead) exploration of Black achievement in a white world based on honest, provocative, and moving interviews with Black leaders, scientists, artists, activists, and champions.
-
-
Moving!
- By Ben on 02-09-21
By: Chad Sanders
-
America's Game
- The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation
- By: Michael MacCambridge
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America's Game traces pro football's grand transformation, from the World War II years, when the NFL was fighting for its very existence, to the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, when labor disputes and off-field scandals shook the game to its core, and up to the sport's present-day preeminence. A thoroughly entertaining account of the entire universe of professional football, from locker room to boardroom, from playing field to press box, this is an essential book for any fan of America's favorite sport.
-
-
I wished for chronology…
- By Jason on 06-19-24
-
Bill Snyder
- My Football Life and the Rest of the Story
- By: Bill Snyder, D. Scott Fritchen
- Narrated by: Chris Henry Coffey
- Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his humble beginnings in St. Joseph, Missouri, Bill Snyder rose to greatness, bringing K-State up from the ashes to a number one ranking, six 11-win seasons in a span of seven years, and one Big 12 Championship. He still wasn’t finished. After a three-year retirement, Snyder returned to lead the Wildcats to another Big 12 title. In 2015, he became just the fourth person in college football history to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as an active coach. In this new memoir, Snyder reflects on a successful yet complicated life
-
-
Great book. Reader needs to do work.
- By matt renk on 12-03-21
By: Bill Snyder, and others
-
Raise a Fist, Take a Knee
- Race and the Illusion of Progress in Modern Sports
- By: John Feinstein, Doug Williams
- Narrated by: John Feinstein
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on dozens of shocking interviews with some of the most influential names in sports, this is the urgent and revelatory examination of racial inequality in professional athletics America has been waiting for. With an encyclopedic knowledge of professional sports, and shrewd cultural criticism, John Feinstein uncovers not just why, but how, pro sports continue to perpetuate racial inequality.
-
-
Another Feinstein triumph
- By Glenn Canning on 12-06-21
By: John Feinstein, and others
-
A Coach's Life
- My Forty Years in College Basketball
- By: Dean Smith, John Kilgo, Sally Jenkins
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith tells the full story of his fabled career and shares the life lessons taught and learned over 40 years of unparalleled success as a coach and mentor.
-
-
Outstanding
- By This shipping late by over a week, and also they lied about when it was coming good product bad shipment on 01-21-25
By: Dean Smith, and others
-
America's Quarterback
- Bart Starr and the Rise of the National Football League
- By: Keith Dunnavant
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one can touch Bart Starr's record setting 5 NFL Championships including 3 straight. America's Quarterback tells the story of the man who helped create the legend of Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. This biography traces Starr’s life from childhood in Alabama to stardom in Green Bay and beyond. Not a simple sports story, Dunnavant traces the story of one man reaching for the American dream while professional football emerged from the shadows to capture the nation’s imagination.
-
-
awesome
- By Anthony nyman on 03-30-15
By: Keith Dunnavant
What listeners say about Breaking Through
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J Parker Adair
- 02-18-21
Fantastic story; amazing human
Coach McLendon is one of my favorite humans of all time. This tells so much of his story, even more than I already knew. The narrator was okay; he didn’t ruin it for me, but he committed one of the worst errors a narrator can do: he mispronounced the name of someone famous in the field. I hear this happen a lot, and it always takes me out of the story. Other than that, he’s just fairly bland. But the story is so much more important than the narrator. Even a poor narration (which this is not) is worth it in this case.
If you find yourself wanting more after this book, go watch the Dan Klores documentary “Black Magic” about the rise of basketball through the lens of historically black colleges and universities. It should be on ESPN. Coach Mac’s story features heavily in it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!