Last One Out of Town Turn Out the Lights

The Last One Out of Town Turn Out the Lights tells the inspiring untold story of how a soul-crushing school district consolidation in 1975 changes the fate and fortunes of two rural Maine high schools. That controversial school merger allows Foxcroft Academy to finally establish a winning basketball team and claim its one and only Gold Ball, the trophy of the Maine High School Basketball Championship. Bitter feelings and personal struggles are revealed, as are stories of admiration and light-hearted moments. Through a turbulent time in America, this book examines the impact of a winning high-school basketball team on two rival schools and their towns.

The book weaves unpopular decisions to cut popular players from the team, fights with hated rivals, and a phantom foul that should never have been called and that lead to the kind of championship season that all small towns, coaches, players, and fans across the country covet, embrace, and treasure for a lifetime.

David Albee, a 1972 graduate of Foxcroft Academy was for 35 years an award-winning sportswriter and columnist at five newspapers in four states from Maine to California. He has covered multiple Super Bowls, World Series, NBA and NHL playoffss, World Cup soccer, NCAA football, and NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. He is an honorary member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and has voted on Baseball Hall of Fame inductions and college football’s Heisman Trophy selections. He lives in Petaluma, California.