Mormon Yankees: Giants On and Off the Court - With DVD

In 1950s Australia, Latter-day Saint missionaries formed elite basketball teams called the Mormon Yankees, competing against Olympic squads and touring the outback to win goodwill for their faith. Through oral history interviews with players and Australians who knew them, Fred E. Woods chronicles how sportsmanship, clean living, and skill on the court dismantled stereotypes and opened doors to missionary work. This history (with accompanying DVD) captures a remarkable, largely forgotten chapter of Church history down under.

• The brawl that begins with a prayer? Actually, Church basketball once opened a nation to the gospel.
• Missionaries who beat Olympic teams and lost to the Russians by only nine points.
• Features NBA seven-footer Shawn Bradley and Presiding Bishop H. David Burton, both former missionaries in Australia.
• A forgotten chapter of Church history told by the men who lived it—and the Australians who never forgot them.

“They used their gifts to be great examples. Dr. Woods has helped us see how the Mormon Yankees serve as a guide in using what we all have to help others come to know Christ.”

Perfect for an LDS reader who loves basketball and Church history, or someone with a family or missionary connection to Australia interested in an uplifting, faith-promoting true story.