'Cat Favorites MacMullan, Hardy Will Sign New Books at Weekend Games

DURHAM, N.H. – Before she became an award-winning journalist at the Boston Globe, ESPN and points beyond, Jackie MacMullan came up from Massachusetts and was a standout basketball player for the University of New Hampshire.

On Sunday, MacMullan returns to Lundholm Gymnasium where she'll be signing copies of her latest book - "Basketball: A Love Story" – before the UNH women's basketball team plays a game against Holy Cross.

MacMullan's appearance will be part of a just-in-time-for-Christmas doubleheader of sorts.

Former UNH professor and hockey historian Steve Hardy will be signing copies of his new book - "Hockey: A Global History" – at the men's hockey game against Dartmouth College on Saturday night.

MacMullan will sign her New York Times bestseller in the Lundholm lobby from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The game against Holy Cross begins at 1 p.m.

Hardy will be signing from 6:30 p.m. through the first period of the hockey game on Saturday night. Dartmouth and UNH play at 7 p.m.

Jackie's No. 1 Fans

After being a captain of the Wildcats in the 1981-82 season and graduation, MacMullan quickly established herself as an outstanding writer and began an illustrious career that has taken her around the world covering the titans of sports, and turned her into a role model for aspiring writers and broadcasters looking to make their way in the field of journalism.

"Basketball: A Love Story" is an up close and personal look at basketball through interviews with a who's who of the sport – professional, college and otherwise - from Bill Russell to Larry Bird and Rebecca Lobo to Carol Blazejowski, up through Steph Curry, Adam Silver and Doris Burke.

The book is inspired by the ESPN series of the same name and MacMullan is a co-author with Rafe Bartholomew and Dan Klores.

UNH coach Maureen Magarity can't wait to introduce another of her teams – this one with seven freshmen on the roster - to the program's most-recognized alum.

"It's such an honor every time Jackie comes around," Magarity said . "My freshmen haven't met her yet, so it will be really special. I bought the book and I'm excited to read it. Obviously, with Jackie being the author, it's extra special for our program. She's been such a great supporter of our program. We're her No. 1 fans, too."

Getting to know MacMullan has been a nice bonus and perk of the job for Magarity, whose life fits neatly into the "Basketball: A Love Story" theme.

The daughter of a basketball coach, she has been immersed in the sport her entire life: She was born the night of a playoff game for her father, Dave, then the men's coach at Marist and now the women's basketball coach at Army West Point.

"I grew up in New York so I was a huge Knicks fan," Magarity said. "And my dad coached Rik Smits at Marist before he played for the Indiana Pacers. That, growing up, was such a huge rivalry in the NBA playoffs when the Knicks played the Pacers. Reggie Miller, Rik Smits and Charles Oakley and Patrick Ewing."

She was particularly fond of Ewing's game.

"I loved Patrick Ewing," Magarity. "I was a post player and watching him, his footwork and his back to the basket moves. I was in awe every time. Every year for my birthday as a young girl my Dad would get tickets to see the Big East playoffs in Madison Square Garden. Most people don't ask for that, but that's all I ever wanted. There were the Syracuse and UConn games, huge rivalry games. I have good memories of that."

She loved Larry Bird, too.

"Who doesn't love Larry Bird?" she said. "I probably shouldn't say that since I grew up in New York. But who doesn't love Larry Bird? I wasn't a very athletic kid. I always loved watching Larry Bird's face up game as a post player. You always pretended you were Larry Bird in the driveway. At least I did."

Steve Hardy: 'An All-Things Historian'

Hardy was a popular UNH professor of kinesiology and affiliate professor of history for more than a quarter of a century before retiring in 2014. He and Andy Holman, a professor of history at Bridgewater State University, co-authored "Hockey: A Global History."

The book draws on 25 years of research, much of it in collections such as UNH's Charles Holt Archive of American history.

UNH men's hockey coach Mike Souza had Hardy as a professor and as an advisor.

"I had him as a professor, advisor, friend, mentor," Souza said. "He's a great person. Steve's a gentleman. He's a hockey historian, he's an all-things historian. He epitomized why you want to come to UNH because you have an opportunity to be around people like him and Donna. Great family."

Steve and his wife, Donna, also retired from UNH, are the parents of the late Nate Hardy. Nate, a Navy SEAL, was killed in an attack in Iraq in 2008. Operation Hat Trick, an organization begun at UNH and dedicated to helping veterans suffering from the visible and invisible wounds of war, is dedicated to Nate Hardy and his Navy SEAL buddy Mike Koch, who also died in the 2008 attack.

Nate was one of three sons of Steve and Donna Hardy. Josh Hardy died of brain cancer in 1993 at the age of 18. Ben Hardy is their brother.

"Steve and Donna have endured unfathomable hardship and sadness in their life," Souza said. "UNH hockey and UNH as a whole have always been a sort of beacon. I said it at my opening press conference, that I still light up when I see Steve. I think he's just a great person and he's somebody that always cared about the people and kids he worked with. He's a great mentor for all of us."

"Hockey: A Global History" contains a segment on Samantha Holmes-Domagala, a former UNH hockey standout who was advocating for women's hockey as early as the age of 10 and went on to play for the Canadian national team from 2000 to 2005.

Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu

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