In 1971, Madison College was a small-town teachers college with around 3,000 students, most of them female. To elevate the college's visibility and to appeal immediately to males, new president Dr. Ronald E. Carrier sought to build a solid men's collegiate athletic program. He hired a young, energetic, ambitious, and fast-talking yet untested basketball coach from New Jersey--Lou Campanelli.

Dare to Dream, a collaboration between Campanelli and veteran sports writer Dave Newhouse, tells the amazing Hoosiers-like story of how Campanelli, within ten years, created a...