"This story of Bryant's first A&M training camp, in 1954, in Junction, Texas, adds to the legend
and reveals the other side of The Bear. Raymond Todd's intense reading drives home the brutality of that camp,
and Bryant's lasting impact on his players Most people don't know how physical football workouts are. Todd
makes sure they understand, in painstaking detail."AudioFile

The legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant is recognized nationwide as one of the greatest coaches ever.
This is the story of a remarkable teamhis 1-9 A&M team of 1954and the beginning of the legend.

In August of '54, the town of Junction was a flyspeck on the map of Texas. As Texas suffered from a devastating
drought, so did Texas A&M football suffer from a drought of heart and talent. To the rescue came Bear Bryant,
already a legend in the making, who was in no mood for a picnic. It was in Junction that he would make his stand,
and it was here that he would drive home an extreme brand of blood-and-thunder discipline. In a calculated move
that many consider the salvation of Texas A&M football, Bryant put his players through the most grueling workout
ever imagined.

The Junction Boys is more than just a story of tough practices without water breaks. An extraordinary
fellowship was forged from the mind-numbing pain. The thirty-five survivors bonded together like no other team in
America. They profited from the Junction experience; the knowledge they took back with them to College Station,
about themselves and what they were capable of, would be used for the rest of their lives. This is the classic
American sports story, combining the national love of college football with an extraordinary story of perseverance
and triumph.

Raymond Todd is an actor-director in the theater, a poet, a jazz trombonist, and a documentary filmmaker who lives in New York.