From West Point To Watergate — Hansen Alexander

Wayne Riley must overcome the haunting failures of his cursed family. His great-grandfather and Civil War veteran lost a chance to play major league baseball when he broke his leg in a saloon brawl. His uncle lasted exactly sixty-nine days with the Boston Red Sox. His father was kicked out of West Point for cheating and was killed by his wife in a murder-suicide for his adultery. Wayne is groomed by his beloved grandfather to atone for the family's honor, to go to West Point, play football and become a general. He makes a good start. He becomes the leading rusher in Army football history and leads a helicopter squadron in Vietnam. But then the high promise of youth becomes unraveled. He is seriously wounded in Vietnam, eroding his confidence and diminishing the possibility that he could return to football as an alternative career. He marries badly and suffers a traumatic divorce, which includes his wife's adultery and a public accusation that he is a homosexual. He gets back with his first love, Lynn Black, a graduate of New York Law School who is elected to Congress. But then her breast cancer is discovered just as she is wrestling with the possible impeachment of President Nixon as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. The novel portrays the great social changes of the time, particularly the changed role of women. Wayne's body heals slowly and he begins the painful and difficult comeback to play professional football after he quits the Army in frustration. He plays a major role in the Super Bowl for the Washington Redskins as the game against the Kansas City Chiefs moves to overtime and the sun sets over Miami's ancient Orange Bowl.