Leahy's Lads: The Story of the Famous Notre Dame Football Teams of the 1940s

Leahy was the football coach and athletic director at Notre Dame from 1941 to 1954, missing two years for military service. In his first seven seasons, his teams won 60 games, lost three and tied five, and were voted national champions four times: in '43, '46, '47 and '49. As a member of one of those squads, Connor presents a game-by-game account of seasons past, offering profiles of players, including Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame's first Heisman Trophy winner. His portrait of Leahy as a stiff, formal, remote coach is intriguing, as is his conclusion that the teams did so well because of conditioning. Mainly of interest for Fighting Irish alumni. Photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)