The Pluck of the Irish

10 Notre Dame sports figures who made a difference

A unique anthology of 10 individuals who influenced, or were influenced by the University of Notre Dame make up the new, inspirational book, The Pluck of the Irish: 10 Notre Dame sports figures who made a difference.

But it is not just about athletes. As noted in the second Foreward by the award-winning Los Angeles Times sports editor Bill Dwyre:

“Some of them are famous athletes – a quarterback who broke records, a running back who was a Vietnam war hero, a basketball star who pioneered race relations. There’s a story about a hall-of-fame coach, a swimmer whose accident almost left her paralyzed, a broadcaster who wasn’t good enough to play sports, but excels at describing them. There are stories about Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, who explained what happened on the playing field and also why.”

But the first profile “is the story of a priest who made sure that everyone at Notre Dame was a good person as well as a good athlete, coach, or teacher; a leader, who made a difference at his university, and all over the world.” That would be the Father Theodore Hesburgh, who served as the president at Notre Dame over a period of extraordinary change for 35 years from 1952-87.

Written by Jim Hayden, himself a Notre Dame graduate, the book is aimed at middle-grade readers and up and is a fun and enjoyable read for anyone who wants to understand the positive impact that an institution like Notre Dame can have during a crucial, formative period of their lives ... and how students, staff and administrators can have a profound impact on the university they attend.

Muffet McGraw, the coach of Notre Dame’s astonishing 2018 NCAA women’s basketball championship team is profiled. Wrote Hayden, “If you’re not on Muffet’s team, you wish you were” and details her journey as a high school point guard from Pottsville, Pennsylvania to professional basketball and – like a point guard – being in charge of teaching championship basketball to young women in South Bend, Indiana. 

So is the son of a railroad boilermaker from Connellsville, Pennsylvania who came back to Notre Dame after serving in World War II because it “was a place where good thing happen to you.” Johnny Lujack became the Heisman Trophy winner and won letters in four different sports.

Then there was the youngster from Green Bay, Wisconsin who described himself as “distinguished by flaming hair, milk-bottle glasses, and the two left feet of a nonathlete.” He wanted to go to Notre Dame because a friend of his did, and was studying the fascinating world of journalism. The “nonathlete” became the intermediary for millions who learned about sports from the typewriter of Red Smith, one of the finest sportswriters who ever lived. 

The Pluck of the Irish opens with a tribute to Harry Ornest, who family’s contribution made this book possible. Ornest is best remembered as the owner who rescued the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League in the 1980s, but who had a lifetime of success in managing teams and enjoying sports of all kinds.

It finishes with a dozen facts and anecdotes about Notre Dame, including – on page 150 – who wrote the “greatest of all fight songs,” the Notre Dame Victory March. A great way to end an easy-to-enjoy book that not only informs, but like any good teacher, also provides inspiration and lessons which can be applied in the future by students of any age.