Twelve Men in the Huddle

By: Michael Banas

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Peter Wagner is an orthopedic surgeon beginning a one-year Sports Medicine fellowship in Tulsa, Louisiana. There he meets Heather Jackson, the Sports Information Director for the number one ranked college football team in the nation - the Tulsa Valley Tarpons. Dr. Wagner is immediately captivated by the pre-season spectacle of a team predicted to win the national championship. He immerses himself into the team’s daily routine, including a stay at their remote summer camp on the bayou, under the watchful eye of head coach Buford B. Hayes. Coach Hayes played for the Tarpons fifty years ago and has never left Tulsa Valley since, rising to cult status amid a fan base thirsty for a national title. As the season begins all is well in the Tarpon Nation until a series of unusual health problems begin to afflict the team and Dr. Wagner, leading him to question the integrity of the school’s training program. Fueling the controversy is the arrival of a Los Angeles sports writer on a singular mission – to clarify how a team bogged down in mediocrity for decades, can suddenly catapult their way to the top of the college rankings. As the title game approaches, additional revelations draw the focus of a nation upon Tulsa, searching for answers. Twelve Men in the Huddle is a behind the scenes look into the role of sports medicine in college football – a balancing act between ethics, emotion and monetary gain.