Who's Who in Iron Men
Luke Lea, 20: The sole son and heir of Overton Lea, Luke is handsome yet reckless and always looking for an angle. He takes on the role of Manager for the Iron Men hoping to ride a winning team to his father’s approval. Charming but a spoiled ‘trust fund baby’, he gambles, drinks and parties far too much. He has no real friends, yet somehow gets others to carry out his plans. After realizing he has feelings for Emily, Luke befriends her brother JR to stay close to her.
Emily Jameson, 36: The daughter of Irish immigrants, Emily is lovely, strong and clever. Left orphaned by Yellow Fever and considered too old to marry, she is ahead of her time yet trapped by a rigid caste system. She ‘parents’ her younger brother J.R., determined to see him through school until he comes of age. She falls for Luke but is nobody’s fool—and she knows her way around a shotgun.
Willie Six, 15: An African American youth wise beyond his years, Willie tends to the team’s aches and injuries through training and the season. He travels with the squad, treating them with remedies brewed by his mother, Birdie. Young Six works to support his family and be part of something larger. He sees everything, forms his own judgments and keeps his head down. Loyal to the team, he offers sage advice to Luke Lea in hopes of heading off disaster.
Overton Lea, 50's: Luke’s father is a wealthy, striking man—shrewd and forceful in personality. A prominent businessman, cattleman, landowner and lawyer, Overton is proud and principled, yet baffled by what he sees as his son’s lack of character, and he has no patience for laziness.
Edward Williams, 50's: A Sewanee University board member, Williams is blustery and owns the Sewanee Mining and Timber Company. Cunning and without a moral compass when pursuing what he wants—and he wants the University’s land and Emily. Bad blood runs between him and Overton.
Vice Chancellor Wiggins, 70's: Pious and religious with an almost regal bearing, Wiggins has a good Christian heart but believes deeply in the school and its success—making him both a realist and a strong leader. A close friend of Overton’s, he relies on his judgment as well as his financial support.
Mrs. Chandler, 60's: An elegant, no-nonsense Scottish immigrant and now a widow, she runs the Sewanee Mountain boarding house and looks after her ‘boys’—sometimes as chaperone, sometimes as mother. She is fiercely proud and protective of the team and their well-being.
Cal Burrows, 50's: African American and the senior athletic trainer and healer, Cal is both mentor and uncle to Willie Six. Supporting Captain Diddy Seibels, he brings stability and structure to the team with a powerful presence and elegant poise. He becomes Simkins’ rock as the young man endures his greatest crisis.
John Heisman, 30's: The legendary coach, of German heritage and still early in his career, leads the notorious University of Auburn football team. His strategy is simple: winning is all that matters—and when that fails, cheat.
Ormond Simkins, 19: The Iron Men’s star kicker—valiant, handsome and wiry, a boy who lives only for football. Loved and feared in equal measure, his abilities become legendary among rival teams. Simkins faces his worst nightmare when repeated brutal hits to his legs bring on tuberculosis of the bone.
Dean Fletcher, 70's: A gnarled veteran of the Civil War, Fletcher gave his youth and health to a cause he believed in and learned his principles on the battlefield. He has no patience for young upstart whippersnappers—and even less for football.
From the heir chasing his father’s approval to the star kicker whose career hangs in the balance, each figure in Iron Men carries a distinct role in the story. Their loyalties, rivalries and ambitions collide on and off the field, shaping the fate of the team.