Talking Irish

An entertaining fusion of fact, legend, and lore, Notre Dame football has transcended the boundaries of the sport and the university to become a time-honored American tradition. For its legions of devoted fans and alumni, Talking Irish vividly captures it all: the exhilarating wins, the stunning defeats, the tumultuous coaching changes, and the celebrated mystique that surrounds this beloved football dynasty.

This candid and revealing oral history is told in the words of more than one hundred and fifty Notre Dame players, coaches, leading sports journalists and school faculty. Talking Irish begins in the 1940s, a decade after the death of the fabled Knute Rockne, as the brilliant coach Frank Leahy reestablishes Notre Dame as a national powerhouse. The rousing narrative concludes five decades later, with the formidable exploits of Notre Dame football at the end of the 20th Century.

From the famous rivalries with Army, Michigan, USC, and Miami, to the inside stories from locker rooms and team meetings, Talking Irish illuminates the glory and pressure that go with Notre Dame football.

Steve Delsohn has written several acclaimed books about sports, including the New York Times bestseller Out of Bounds with NFL great Jim Brown. He is the author of two previous oral histories, The Fire Inside: Firefighters Talk About Their Lives and Talking Irish: The Oral History of Notre Dame Football. Delsohn is also a correspondent for ESPN television. A native of Chicago, he now lives in Thousand Oaks, California, with his wife and three daughters.