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 A True Man For Others: The Coach Jim Cotter Story
by Jim Cotter with Paul Kenney
There are many adjectives that define Jim Cotter, the iconic coach of Boston
College High School football: tough, fair, bold, compassionate, gruff, and
salty are just a few. The life-defining adjective that works best for me is
Battler. Coach Cotter has battled his entire life. As a kid he battled
opponents and rival gang members on the athletic fields and street corners
of his beloved Savin Hill neighborhood in Boston. He did the same on the
docks working for his stevedore father, then battled his way as a two-sport
athlete into BC High and later into Boston College. He returned to BC High
as a teacher in 1960, becoming head coach of the football program four years
later, where he battled opponents for the next 41 seasons, all the while
teaching boys how to become men. Now, for the first time in his life, he is
fighting a losing battle against a tougher opponent. Coach is stricken with
ALS, better known as Lou Gehrigıs disease, but Jim Cotter intends to do what
he has always done, battle with dignity and honor until the end. This is his
memoir. It is a book that takes full measure of the man and celebrates a
life well lived in the spirit of Saint Ignatius, A True Man For Others.
Early praise for A True Man For Others:
"A wonderful book about a Boston legend. As colorful, insightful, and
enthralling as its subject. Youıll end up buying two copies, one to read,
one to pass on in hopes of inspiration."
--Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone
"If they made a movie of The Coach Jim Cotter Story, the angels would have
to return John Ford from eternity to direct this picaresque memoir of the
life and times of a legendary Boston high school football coach....A young
scrapper who parlays his athletic skills and his gritty character into a
scholarship to Boston College High School, a Jesuit-run academic powerhouse,
to which, after lettering in two sports at Boston College, he returns and
stays as teacher, guidance counselor, athletic director, and beloved coach
for over forty years."
--Jack Beatty, Atlantic Monthly senior editor, NPR On Point commentator, and
author of
Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley
"If you are a fan of BC High football, this is a must read."
--Mark Blaudschun, Boston Globe sports reporter
"A colorful read about an 'old school,' larger-than-life coach. Coach Cotter
and guys like him taught us more about life, and what it takes to be
successful in life, namely, work ethic, self discipline, and overcoming
adversity, than anything we learned in the sterile environment of biology
class. Those of us who were fortunate enough to play for guys like Jim
Cotter are better off thanks to their influence and guidance."
--Tim Murphy, Harvard University head football coach
About the Co-author
Paul Kenney grew up in the Columbia/Savin Hill section of Dorchester on the
top floor of a Wattendorf "tri-level" ranch, and spent his formative years
on the corners of Romsey Street. He first met Jim Cotter in 1967 as a BC
High sophomore in the coachıs American History class. Kenney has written for
many of the major newspapers in New England, including the Boston Globe,
Hartford Courant, Boston Herald, and the Patriot Ledger. He currently
resides in Milton with his wife Carol and daughter Alex. This is his first
book.
Published by Jetty House, an imprint of Peter E. Randall Publisher.
$19.95, 208 pages, 6x9, Clothbound with jacket, Glossy photo insert, ISBN
0-9817898-3-8
Publication date: January 21, 2010
Website: coachjimcotter.com
Ordering Information
Enfield Distribution
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