By Rubin E. Grant
Wade Kirkpatrick is in the market for a book agent.
He figured the best way to attract one was to write another book.
“I published my first book last year and I needed a second book to get an agent,” said Kirkpatrick, who goes by the pen name Patrick Kirk.
So, as he had done with his first book, “Lighting Storm,” Kirkpatrick turned to a subject with which he was keenly familiar.
Kirkpatrick worked in the PC software business for 30 years before retiring, and “Lightning Storm” is an account of the high-tech changes in the 1980s and 1990s through the lens of one of the first pioneers of PC technology.
His latest book is “Fighting Patriots,” which tells the story of a brand new high school in Homewood in 1972 and how a 23-year-old, first-time head coach built a winning football program.
Kirkpatrick began writing the book in 2019.
“It was the 45th anniversary of Homewood’s first state championship and I thought it would be interesting,” Kirkpatrick said.
Kirkpatrick was an end on Homewood’s 1974 state championship team and later would sign with LSU. The Patriots finished with a 13-1 record. The team featured quarterback Murray Legg, who signed with Alabama, defensive back-receiver Mark Robbins, who signed with Auburn, and the late Rick Powers, a linebacker, who signed with Tennessee.
Young head coach Alvin Bresler made sure to use every player on the roster.
“We kept 42 on the varsity and every one of them contributed somewhere every game,” Bresler once said.
“Fighting Patriots” is told from the point of view of more than 30 contributors who participated in the early years of Homewood’s football program. The group of storytellers includes coaches, players, managers, trainers, administration, band, majorettes and opponents.
The 124-page paperback book is more than game highlights, scores and players biographies. It’s the story of an entire community that played a role in the Patriots’ winning a state title in their third year of existence.
“I would talk to people and, as it turned out, the more people I talked to, it became more about the entire community,” Kirkpatrick said.
Bresler likes the way Kirkpatrick weaves the stories together.
“Patrick Kirk is magnificent in his recollections of the mini stories,” Bresler said.
The foreword is written by Michael Gross, who was the Homewood principal at the time. The introduction is contributed by retired Lt. Col. Todd Foreman, a West Point graduate, Mr. Homewood 1976, band member and drum major for three years.
Foreman writes several sections of the book, including his tributes to coaches, teachers, the community and fellow band members.
“The records that still stand are few, but the memories as they fade haven’t lost their meaning,” Kirkpatrick said. “The things that are important are told in the book.
“The young head coach didn’t just bring together players and coaches, he built the program around the entire community and included everyone as equals striving for a dream,” he said.
“Fighting Patriots” is released through hybrid publishing. It retails for $12.95. It may be purchased at store.bookbaby.com/book/fighting-patriots.
For information, visit www.facebook.com/wade.kirkpatrick.79.
