He was the man who followed The Legend, exiled forever to his fate as the man in the shadow of Woody Hayes. He was fired from Ohio State in a stormy Thanksgiving controversy played out in national headlines. Yet in terms of tenure, only The Legend himself had a better record at OSU. Filled with the recruiting, the behind-the-scenes stories of the big games, the controversies both on and off the field -- and the unforgettable presence of Woody -- Earle is a story of toughness, honor, and independence. It is, finally, a coach's life at the pinnacle, conforming only to the code of the field itself, where movement is ruled by perseverance, pride, and gritty determination.