About the Author

B.M. Woodward
‘ No Quitters Here – Quest for the Dome’

Only a handful of athletic teams experience the honor of claiming a State Championship Title each year. Their excited faces match the glow of an Olympic gold medalist, capturing a surreal magical feeling, strong enough to last a lifetime. Author Brenda Woodward is a two-time state champion who understands an athlete’s quest to achieve that goal. She experienced the aura of the ultimate high, before sharing the pain when both of her sons’ teams lost close football games in the Michigan state semi-finals. Woodward sensed a compelling need to tell their story after witnessing such anguished reactions when a 10-year winning streak was in jeopardy and a State Championship was on the line.

B.M. Woodward used her initials to disguise the author’s gender on the cover of her new book -- ‘No Quitters Here – Quest for the Dome’. This female author boldly embraced a predominately male sport by writing an inspiring story about high school football and the power of a dream. But this story doesn’t describe the mechanics of football. Instead, it infuses gloomy lockerroom scenes of painful good-byes, while recapping the camaraderie that young men shared on and off the battlefield. Her youngest son commented, “A man couldn’t write this story” – referring to the raw emotion that his teammates felt after experiencing one of the most difficult times of their lives. Thrusting their egos aside, tough, burly football players openly shared painful feelings with this female author. Her persistence tracked players over 11 football seasons, patiently completing hundreds of player interviews as well as talking to their parents, siblings and neighbors. Players trusted Woodward while exposing a vulnerable part of their souls. The end result created an emotional saga about the Montrose Rams who paid a price for chasing history, while shielding a precious winning streak.

Writing is Woodward’s creative outlet, and became therapeutic for the players she interviewed. Woodward graduated from Central Michigan University with a B.S. in Management and Supervision and holds an Associates in Information Technology. Woodward managed computer projects for the Department of Veteran Affairs branch of the Federal Government and currently works with software development for the Frankenmuth Financial Group. She lives in Michigan where she raised two sons and currently lives with her husband, who is thrilled that his wife enjoys football.

In February, 2004, the author was inducted as a Kentucky Colonel by the Commission for service to her community. The nomination was based on five years of research and writing that brought attention to the town of Montrose and Hill-McCloy High School.