This is the story of a rural Oklahoma school and community that made the decision to not "stay down" and the extraordinary experiences that were the result of that fateful decision over forty years ago. In this true story by retired school superintendent S. Wayne Maxwell, you will travel back in time to the humble beginnings of 8-man football and how it miraculously brought one rural community together. As in the game of football, this story has its challenges and discouragements along with surprising moments of victory and excitement. You will even discover a hearty helping of humor as the new program kicked off from its meager beginnings, but as it progressed, became a glorious win for the community. Author S. Wayne Maxwell candidly shares the circumstances surrounding the need for something new. He states, "The students were going to school each day and then returning home at the end of the day. The next day it all started over again, and the seemingly unending pattern began to weigh on the kids. The school was as sleepy as the community. We knew something had to be done immediately. Either man football was just the remedy this town needed." Take a trip down memory lane and experience the early days of football in America's heartland. From a sticker-patch playing field to an old surplus scoreboard to the rag-tag uniforms purchased with donations from the community, it was indeed slim pickens'.