One week away! Join me Aug. 6 as I discuss my book "Eckie" - which, I'm proud to say, made the Short List for the 2026 Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award, honoring a book that "transforms public understanding of Chicago, its history, or its people." www.chicagohistory.org/event/author...

Author Talk | Chris Serb - "Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports" - Chicago History Museum

Author Chris Serb discusses his recent book Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports (2025).

chicagohistory.org

Hortus in urbe. (Technically not “in urbe,” the deer and I were about 400 yards over the border in Niles, but on a trail that runs 5 or 6 miles into the city on its south end and all the way up to the Lake County border on the north.)

@rogersparkman.bsky.social After your excellent talk at Art Institute, I took a stroll to check out “The Dugout” for myself. The mob scene reminded me of the time I went to see Mona Lisa at The Louvre in 2004. As a writer of sports myself, I’m thrilled to see sports and art intersect this way.

One month from tonight! Come join me at Chicago History Museum, North Ave. and Clark Street, on August 6 at 6:30pm for my talk about “Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports.” www.chicagohistory.org/event/author...

Author Talk | Chris Serb - "Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports" - Chicago History Museum

Author Chris Serb discusses his recent book Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports (2025).

chicagohistory.org

An oldie but a goodie. Wheaton, IL, Independence Day parade in 2018.

5 years ago, my parents moved from their home of 56 years. At the time I wrote about them, our Rogers Park community, & the life they created for me & my 7 siblings. Too long to share on BlueSky, but here’s a link to the Facebook version, which I’ve made public. www.facebook.com/share/1EDydt...

You can take the middle-aged dad away from Leone Beach, but you can’t take the Leone Beach out of the middle-aged dad.

Did my good deed for the day. Now, to find a congruence of tree branches that will support this robin’s nest but that’s still close enough to the original spot for mama to find her babies.

I'm very pleased to announce that I will be giving an Author Talk at Chicago History Museum on Thursday, August 6, at 6:30 pm about my book "Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports." Hope to see you there! www.chicagohistory.org/event/author...

Author Talk | Chris Serb - "Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports" - Chicago History Museum

Author Chris Serb discusses his recent book Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports (2025).

chicagohistory.org

Perfect Chicago day, and it happens to be my wife Emily’s birthday, so why not spend it at the lake?! (We lived mere steps from the lake as newlyweds.) Em at Montrose today with our two Tween daughters. Sadly no Piping Plover sightings for us.

Why do I even bother with that other site? Oh yeah, on the off chance that once in awhile, my presence there will help me sell a book or two. But still…these arguments with anonymous idiots who can’t take an “L.”

Made some new friends on today’s bike ride. Less than 3 miles from home.

Spotted by my sister-in-law at an O’Hare bookstore, in a Chicago author-themed section. “Eckie” is sandwiched between Barack Obama and Phil Jackson, pretty good company! (My wife’s college professor & mentor, Carl Smith, is on the shelf below.) @univnebpress.bsky.social

Reason #8,000 to hate Elon’s pay-for-amplification model with its right-wing-boosting algorithms: This was a banger of a reply that, on old Twitter, would’ve earned a couple hundred “likes” & several re-Tweets. Instead, only 138 people have even seen it (compared to 34k views on the original post).

70 years ago today my dad, then a 19-year-old sophomore at DePaul, was at the last Chicago Stadium college basketball doubleheader that DePaul would ever host: DePaul vs. Notre Dame and Loyola vs. Marquette. And he still has the program to prove it!

With yesterday's announcement that the Chicago Bears are likely moving to Hammond, Ind., this seems a good time to share my story about how "Papa Bear" George Halas launched his illustrious 64-year career in professional football in neither Chicago nor Decatur, but in Hammond.

Posted to the "other" site: If I get unexpectedly “unalived” in the near future, here’s your prime suspect: a pseudonym-using, Vatican-hating Twitter crackpot, who thinks I’m a “deceitful, despicable POS,” “evil incarnate,” and “filth,” and has called for both swift karma and quick judgment upon me.

A funny thing happened on the way to the (online) forum. Mike Lee - whom I used to respect, before he drank all the MAGA kool-aid - kissed Trump’s ass, on Twitter/X, after a prayer breakfast. I took exception to this & somehow gained 31 new MAGA/“patriot” followers. (I think they might be bots?!)

What better way to kick off Super Bowl weekend than to hear me talk about "Walter Eckersall: Chicago's Original High School Superstar"? This Saturday, 3pm, at 57th Street Books in Hyde Park! @rogersparkman.bsky.social @pmorse.bsky.social @univnebpress.bsky.social @seminarycoopbooks.bsky.social

Please join me next Saturday, Feb. 7 at 3pm, at 57th Street Books (1301 E. 57th St. in Hyde Park) to hear me talk about “Walter Eckersall: Chicago’s Original High School Superstar.” www.semcoop.com/event/chris-... @pmorse.bsky.social @rogersparkman.bsky.social @robertloerzel.bsky.social

“Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports” is a new book about a long-forgotten player who predates the Bears.

Column: Was tiny Walter Eckersall the city’s greatest football player?

“Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports” is a new book about a long-forgotten player who predates the Bears.

trib.al

2016? Sure, I’ll play.

I’ll be giving a talk about my book “Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports” on February 7th at 3pm at 57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th Street, Chicago (southeast corner of 57th and Kimbark). Check it out if you can! www.semcoop.com/event/chris-...

On Sunday, I appeared on the great Rick Kogan’s WGN radio show to talk about my book “Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports,” by @univnebpress.bsky.social. Check it out here: wgnradio.com/after-hours-...

I know it interferes with Bears-Packers, but turn your TVs to “mute” and turn your radios up to listen to me on Rick Kogan’s radio show on Sunday, 5-630 pm, where we’ll talk about my new book “Eckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports.” www.instagram.com/p/DR7EEOAETi...

120 years ago today – November 30, 1905, which was also Thanksgiving Day – undefeated University of Chicago hosted undefeated University of Michigan in the first “Game of the Century,” for the @b1gfootball.bsky.social title and the de facto national championship.

Had the opportunity to do a guest post for University of Illinois-Springfield Prof. Jacob Friefeld’s blog, “Middle West US,” about Walter Eckersall’s greatest game, the 120th anniversary of which is this Sunday. Enjoy! @univnebpress.bsky.social @b1gfootball.bsky.social middlewest.us/eckies-great...

Eckie’s Greatest Game - Middle West US

November 19, 2025 By Chris Serb On November 30, 1905, Walter Eckersall found himself, and his football team, in a tough spot. The University of Chicago quarterback was pinned on his own 7-yard-line, l...

middlewest.us

Check it out, fellow sports history and Chicago history lovers! The first few pages of “Eckie” are now publicly available. (Spoiler alert, the story just gets better from here on out!)

University of Nebraska Press@univnebpress.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Excerpt: ECKIE by @kelloggfireman.bsky.social ECKIE sheds new light on Walter "Eckie" Eckersall's long-forgotten career in the context of Chicago's burgeoning sports scene.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to appear on the podcast of my fellow football history buff, Darin Hayes, to talk about “Eckie” (@univnebpress.bsky.social). My end of the video gets a bit pixelated at points but the audio stays strong throughout. Enjoy! pigskindispatch.com/rediscoverin...

Rediscovering "Eckie": Walter Eckersall and the Unsung Pioneers of American Football

Meet Walter Eckersall, a man who did quite a bit in football history with this indepth interview with Eckersall biographer Chris Serb.

pigskindispatch.com

120 years ago today, on November 18, 1905, University of Chicago football dominated Illinois, 44-0. Walter Eckersall had one of his best college games with 5 drop-kicked field goals (tying a major-college record that still stands) and a 30-yard TD run, along with several 50-plus-yard punts.