Keep A-Goin' - The Life of Lone Star Dietz

Tom Benjey
Tuxedo Press (2006)
ISBN 097744806
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (9/06)

The Rose bowl Game of 1916 changed the face of American College football.  Lone Star Dietz developed the winning team, Washington State College.  Tom Benjey has done an outstanding job of capturing the sports career of Dietz as a football player and coach from newspaper articles, collegiate publications, and correspondence.

The unique combination of football, art, journalism, and the theater make the story amazingly complex. This is the remarkable story of Lone Star Dietz’s pursuit to find his personal identity in an intolerant socio-cultural environment.

When the United States entered the war against Germany in 1918 Dietz was labeled a “slacker” and indicted for evading the draft. Lone Star was challenged regarding his Indian heritage.  A legal battle followed.  He had no money to defend himself.  Lone Star’s life was never the same after the trial.  His name had been tarnished.  And the question of his heritage remained unanswered.

Lone Star demonstrated his persistence again as he picked up the pieces of his life and went on to produce winning football teams. 

The book has provided a generous sampling of Lone Star’s art and illustrations as well as those of his first wife, Angel DeCora. These works of art are outstanding and portray an important element of American history and Indian culture. Photos of the Dietz in full Indian regalia as well as those of influential people involved in his life provide an added dimension to this enormous undertaking by the author. 

The book is written in an easy to read style that keeps the story moving at a fast pace. The multiple conflicts throughout Dietz’s life make the book read like fiction.  The author has thoroughly researched Dietz’s and chronicled his career in detail.  Benjey writes with feeling as he relates the accomplishments, the heartbreak, and the demoralizing social and cultural obstacles Dietz faced.

This is an inspiring life story of Lone Star Dietz, of his rise and fall and how he “kept a-goin” in spite of tremendous odds and circumstances.  It is a story of personal persistence. Although Dietz has not received the accolades of everyone, he is a sports icon and a legend to his fans.

Tom Benjey has written a masterful work.  This is a book for sports fans and history enthusiasts alike.

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