In a mere twelve years, Rockne's "Fighting Irish" won 105 games, including five astonishing undefeated seasons. But Rockne was more than the sum of his victories--he was an icon who, more than anyone, made football an American obsession. The book gives us colorful descriptions of such Rockne teams as the undefeated 1924 eleven led by the illustrious Four Horsemen, and the 1930 squad, Rockne's last and greatest. A renowned motivator whose "Win one for the Gipper" is the most famous locker-room speech ever, Rockne was also football's most brilliant innovator, a pioneer of the forward pass, a master of the psychological ploy, and an early advocate of conditioning. In this balanced account, Rockne emerges as an exemplary and complex figure: a fierce competitor who was generous in victory and defeat; an inspiring father figure to his players; and a man so revered nationwide that when he died in a plane crash in 1931, at the height of his career, he was mourned by the entire country. "A solid portrait of one of football's most solid figures."--The New York Times Book Review

A tragic aeroplane crash in 1931 cut short the amazing life of Knute Kenneth Rockne, the famous football coach at the University of Notre Dame. His 12 years as the Flighting Irish head coach left a legacy that, to this day, still rates as the national record for winning percentage among college coaches. Knute Rockne: A Portrait of a Notre Dame Legend delves into the intriguing facets of Rockne's life and ends with the original interviews with Irish players who survived him some sixty years later. Augmented by dozens of rare photographs, this fascinating book furnishes readers with a superb understanding of one of American sports' most unique individuals.

"Sperber. . .tackles the details, great and small, unearthing a treasure." —New York Times Book Review Shake Down the Thunder traces the history of the Notre Dame football program—which has acquired almost mythical proportions—from its humble origins in the 19th century to its status as the paragon of college sports. It presents the true story of the program's formative years, the reality behind the myths. Both social history and sports history, this book documents as never before the first half-century of Notre Dame football and relates it to the rise of big-time intercollegiate athletics, the college sports reform movement, and the corrupt sporting press of the period. Shake Down the Thunder is must reading for all Fighting Irish fans, their detractors, and any reader engaged by American cultural history.

Sportswriter Jack Cavanaugh examines the lives of George Gipp and Knute Rockne and discusses how they transformed Notre Dame into a football powerhouse.

"Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, and Lou Holtz. The names of these coaches have become synonymous with one of the few teams in college football that can truly be called a "dynasty" - the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Owners of the two highest winning percentages in college football history, Rockne and Leahy won seven national championships between them. Parseghian was responsible for a pair of national titles, while Holtz has captured one since his reign began at South Bend." "Now these four legendary men are seen in a unique light - through the eyes of the inimitable Edward "Moose" Krause. He came to know, love, and admire these South Bend legends during his own sixty-year career with the Fighting Irish - and now he brings us into the huddle. Completed just before his death in 1992, this fascinating memoir combines Moose's own words with those of nearly one hundred former Notre Dame coaches, players, and administrators to paint an unforgettable portrait of four of the sport's greatest teachers and motivators." "Notre Dame's only two-sport Hall of Famer, in football and basketball, Moose was a three time All-American who played under Rockne, coached under Leahy, hired Parseghian during his thirty-two year stint as Notre Dame's Athletic Director, and later acted as a close advisor to Holtz. A poor boy from the stockyards of Chicago, Moose rose to become a legend both on and off the playing field - "Mr. Notre Dame."" "He recalls Rockne's inspiring locker room orations and his humor and courage in the face of adversity. Rock once coached from a hearse parked on the sidelines, painful phlebitis wracking his legs." "Moose vividly remembers Leahy, the ultimate perfectionist, who stalked the sidelines barking orders in his famous Irish brogue while refusing to let the Fighting Irish lose a single game between 1946 and 1949. His fiery intensity slowly ate away at his health, eventually forcing him to retire from coaching forever at the age of forty-five. Moose speaks warmly of his years with Parseghian, who, during his eleven glorious campaigns at South Bend, brought Notre Dame back to the ranks of the collegiate elite. And finally, he talks revealingly of Holtz, whose ferocity on the field is matched only by his humor off it. A complex and deeply caring man, Holtz coached Notre Dame to a stunning undefeated season, and the national championship, in 1988." "Interwoven through their stories and Moose's is a blow-by-blow account of Notre Dame's topsy-turvy 1992 campaign, when the school bounced back from a loss and a tie to win seven straight games and capture the Cotton Bowl title." "Notre Dame's Greatest Coaches tells the story of a sport, of a country, and of the enormous changes that both game and nation experienced during Moose Krause's long and extraordinary lifetime. As Moose himself says of his early days, "People had a different attitude about sports. They were just happy to be at the game." Moose Krause never lost his love for the game, and in this deeply felt memoir, even the most jaded of sports fans will recapture some of that love as well."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Coach For A Nation" transports the reader to an extraordinary time of energy, excitement, passion, and possibilities in early 20th Century America. Into this burgeoning drama stepped an immigrant lad destined to make his mark on the nation like few before him, or since. Rockne blossoms at Notre Dame and skyrockets to national fame because of his excellence as player and later coach of the Fighting Irish. His visionary genius made Notre Dame football a household name, yet his story transcends athletics; it embodies the hope and promise of a new era dawning in the US. Growing from a stammering speaker to an oratorical giant, he inspired millions through his message of dedication, teamwork, and fair play. Rockne's legacy, in life and in death, still impacts the game of college football and an American audience of the 21st Century. Now his life story is told as never before. "Coach For A Nation" is the Bronze Medal, Sports/Recreation/Fitness winner 2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards.