When Eagles Soared — Nick Lewis

As the Vietnam War rages, a young coach tries to teach a struggling grade-school football team about winning, losing, and the importance of honor . . .
 
As the Osborne family gathers to celebrate young Lou's college graduation in 1970, his future is uncertain. He could be sent to Vietnam like his friend Manny -- who's now back home -- suffering every day from his experience overseas. After Lou is spared from the same fate, he wonders at his luck, but embraces a hopeful new future as he accepts a job as a teacher and football coach at an Ohio elementary school.
 
He has his work cut out for him, though. The Eidsonville Eagles have never had a winning season. Now, as he navigates his growing relationship with his girlfriend, his concern for Manny, and the turbulence of the times, he must power through obstacles and challenges to bring a ragtag group of seventh and eighth graders together and teach them to be the best they can be, win or lose . . .
 
Based on the author's own memories and experiences of the era, When Eagles Soared takes us back to a time of both innocence and tension, when rock and roll rang through the air, young men of draft age lived under a cloud of anxiety, and a nation struggled to hold on to hope for a better future.