There’s no one who does football like the Southeastern Conference. And “My Conference Can Beat Your Conference” is a testament to that and the new heights the SEC and Mississippi have achieved this football season.
Authors Paul Finebaum and Gene Wojciechowski might not have planned on Ole Miss’s success to accentuate the message behind a book about the power of the SEC, but the irony is there, and it is perfect.
Finebaum’s career is a sparkling one. Many men have examined the nature of football and the SEC, but few have a resumé quite like Finebaum’s.
“With a syndicated show heard in multiple SEC states that also commands a big audience on the Web, the Birmingham-based Finebaum has proven in more than two decades of pot-stirring in print and on the air that his barbs can influence a coach’s fate,” wrote the Orlando Sentinel, hailing him as one of the SEC’s 10 most powerful people.
Numerous schools have honored Finebaum, including the University of Tennessee, from which he graduated. He is a college football analyst for ESPN, and he hosts a daily national radio show heard on ESPN, SiriusXM and the SEC Network. Another show, “SEC Nation,” combines his talents with those of sports personalities like Tim Tebow and Marcus Spears.
Co-author Gene Wojciechowski is equally well qualified.
His current work includes writing for ESPN.com and contributing to ESPN’s College GameDay and ESPN’s golf telecasts. The Football Writers Association of America, the Associated Press Sports editors and the Best American Sports Writing series have honored his work. This is not his first foray into co-authoring, as he has co-written numerous autobiographies with famous sports personalities, including Reggie Miller, Bill Walton and Rick Majerus.
Working with Finebaum was interesting according to Wojciechowski.
“Paul was a semi-reluctant centerpiece of the book,” Wojciechowski said. “Contrary to popular belief, his ego isn’t as wide as Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It was interesting to hear Paul’s personal story, which to me, was as compelling as his professional story and all things SEC. When I could get past his security detail, his collection of Taser guns and his dog Trooper, he was an absolute prince. Paul was the polar opposite of high-maintenance. He was full of great ideas and optimism — two things you desperately need when working on a book project.”
Finebaum has been referred to by the Wall Street Journal as the “Oprah of college football.”
When asked who did what to make this book happen, Wojciechowski said, “My biggest contribution was organizing paper clips and making sure we had the proper number of commas in the book. My job was to make sure Paul’s voice, Paul’s story and Paul’s opinions made their way onto the printed page. I was a human collator. That’s all. Paul didn’t need much help.”
There couldn’t be anyone better to approach with questions about the SEC and never a more appropriate moment.
Join Finebaum during his book signing at 6:30 tonight at Square Books.
