John Frederick Christgau (February 11, 1934 – August 21, 2018) was an American
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
of
fiction and
non-fiction
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...
.
Christgau was born in
Crookston, Minnesota
Crookston is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Polk County. The population was 7,482 at the 2020 census. It is part of the " Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks".
Crookston ...
.
[ He later moved to California, where he attended ]San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...
. He taught at several high schools and coached Crestmoor High School's first varsity basketball team, in San Bruno, California
San Bruno ( Spanish for " St. Bruno") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, incorporated in 1914. The population was 43,908 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is between South San Francisco and Millbrae, adjacent to S ...
. He lived in Belmont, California
Belmont is a city in San Mateo County in the U.S. state of California. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the San Francisco Peninsula about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. Known for its wooded hills, views of the San Franci ...
.
His books have dealt primarily with sports and American history. His book, ''Michael and the Whiz Kids'' (2013), is the story of Christgau's experiences as coach of a championship, lightweight basketball team that featured the first African American athlete in Crestmoor High School's history. This book was followed by ''Incident at the Otterville Station: A Civil War Story of Slavery and Rescue,'' the true story of the rescue of slaves that were to be shipped from Missouri to Kentucky, in defiance of federal laws.
List of works
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christgau, John
1934 births
2018 deaths
Writers from Minnesota
High school basketball coaches in California
San Francisco State Gators men's basketball players
People from Polk County, Minnesota
People from Belmont, California
Sports historians
American men's basketball players