Timothy J Thompson

1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Timothy J Thompson

In 1963, the football program at the University of Notre Dame hit an all-time low. The Irish finished the year with just 2 wins against 7 defeats. Moreover, they had lost their last five games. Their coach resigned. Attendance at their home games was down. The University Athletic Board was frustrated. The fan base was dismayed. Knute Rockne and George Gipp rolled over in their graves. Suddenly, in early December of that year, lightning struck in South Bend, Indiana. That's because just two weeks before Christmas, Ara Parseghian would be hired as the head football coach at Notre Dame. Immediately, he would resurrect the program and spearhead a resurgence that awed the entire sports world. Commencing in 1964, and continuing unabatingly for an incredible 11 seasons thereafter, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish would solidify themselves as one of the most dominant forces in College Football. This work details the very first year of this incredible grid iron dynasty, and shows how one man, possessing an insatiable appetite for winning, returned Notre Dame to glory.