A wonderfully insightful telling of a time that adolescents of this generation deserve to know about. Call me naïve, but Clegg's exploration and explanation of the merging of Burney-Harris and Athens High were eye-openers to a Jim Crow Era that existed outside of my bubble.--Dink NeSmith, co-owner of Athens-based Community Newspapers, Inc. (CNI), publisher of more than two dozen newspapers in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina.

I really enjoyed reading The Crimson and Gold, which has stuck with me for these last weeks as I ran through scenes in my head. I love long-form nonfiction, and the research and interviews combined with little personal touches, worked smoothly together. The football action had me on the edge of my seat--the personalities of the players came through loud and clear. The drama of desegregation and losing the identities of the individual schools was heartfelt. As a DeKalb County resident, I liked the Michael Thurmond connection a lot.--Hal Jacobs, documentary filmmaker

These are the sometimes untold stories of America, particularly in the South, that are always illuminating and paint a picture of who we are.--Ernie Suggs, reporter "Atlanta Journal-Constitution"

Mark Clegg's excellent book on integration in Athens...uses the segregated high school teams as characters to tell [t]his obviously well-researched story.--Bill Hartman "BOOM Magazine"