Compared to so many that have followed the Irish for generations, I'm a neophyte in my knowledge of Notre Dame history.  My first time on campus was to visit in the spring of my senior year of high school, and my first home football game was against Michigan in 2004, when we all met Darius Walker.   Delving into Jim Dent's Resurrection: The Miracle Season That Saved Notre Dame last week was everything I needed: a shot of Fighting Irish football straight into the bloodstream and a much needed history lesson about the program itself.

The book revolves around Ara Parseghian's first season as head coach in 1964, but also delves into how the Armenian coach and the Catholic university got to the point where they needed each other.  Ara was underappreciated at Northwestern, where he routinely kicked the crap out of the Fighting Irish teams rather ineptly led by Joe Kuharich and Hugh Devore.  I really wish the internet was around in the late 50's and early 60's, just for the uproar over Terry Brennan's firing and the breakdowns of the amazing failures of both Kuharich and Devore.

I am obviously the target audience for this book (and you are, too, if you're reading this), but I thought Dent did a fantastic job.  The way he portrays the Notre Dame culture and tradition, both good (Touchdown Jesus, Father Sorin, the pep rallies, the game day experience) and bad (ridiculously rigid rules, the fact there really isn't a whole lot to do in South Bend beyond football), is perfect.   While I knew the Army/Notre Dame rivalry was significant and marked the start of Notre Dame's tradition of winning with Rockne's visit and the use of the forward pass, Dent really makes you appreciate how special going back to Yankee Stadium to play the Knight next fall really is.  It also highlights how Father Ted, perhaps the most beloved figure in Notre Dame history, was almost the one that tore down the program in his attempt to regain control of the "autonomous fiefdom" of Frank Leahy.  (Of course, Father Ted in his infinite wisdom, hired Ara and fixed everything, which is why he's the best.)

I marked a few of my favorite parts throughout reading the book, so in some sort of order, bullet points of some highlights:

• Attending the 1925 Yankee Stadium game between Army and Notre Dame were, in no particular order, New York City mayor Jimmy Walker, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tim Mara (owner of the Giants), Arnold Rothstein (the guy who fixed the 1919 World Series) and Joe Kennedy, father of JFK, Bobby and Teddy. General admission tickets were sold at the 2009 equivalent of $500 a piece, and scalped for up to $3,000.
• You may be familiar with the story of Rockne and Dorais perfecting the forward pass on the shores of Cedar Point, but Dent recollects it well if you're not.
• There's a story from right after Ara was hired and moved into the Rock where Nick Rassas, who is one of the central characters in Dent's telling of the story, stops in and starts giving him ideas of who has extra years of eligibility.
• Would you maybe be interested in a story about Tom Coughlin's recruiting visit to Notre Dame, where he got drunk with some townies? Yeah, that's here.
• If only for my friend Tommy and his slalom and alcohol-loving friends, there is an extensive story about the roots of the Notre Dame ski team nestled in among all the football lore.  And no, things have not changed much in four decades.
  
• I'm just going to quote this entire passage that takes place during halftime of the first game of the 1964 season, because seriously, very enjoyed it: "The players could see the sense of urgency in Parseghian's eyes as they gathered in the locker room. Everyone knew what the critics were saying. Opponents always came from behind to win in the second half because the Notre Dame players were not in shape. Look what happened at the end of the Syracuse game last November."
• Love the advice from Rassas' dad, who also played for the Irish, on going into the Coliseum: "The Coliseum is the loudest place you will ever play. Sometimes the noise is so loud that you almost feel like you can't think. And that band. That band never stops playing that same song."
• The entire season finale against Southern Cal - the game, the shady west coast officials, the aftermath, Father Ted's beautiful quote - is so well written, with every ounce of drama squeezed out of it, that it's worth the price of the book.

I  really can't repeat enough how this book was like a cold, tall, well-written glass of water after wandering in the desert of the football offseason.  Go out and buy it today, and maybe even save it for the bye week or after the season, because it really serves as a nice substitute for the Irish suiting up on a Saturday. 

Resurrection: The Miracle Season That Saved Notre Dame is available today.