About The Book

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Learn about the first ND National Championship team.

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Loyal Sons: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions, complete with a personalized inscription and autograph from author Jim Lefebvre -- for just $12.50 (includes shipping).

A 'Must-Read' for Fans of ND Football!

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Loyal Sons cover

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Loyal Sons Wins Another
National Honor for Excellence

Loyal Sons: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions is now a three-time national honoree.

 

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On Monday, May 17, the 2010 National Indie Excellence Awards were announced, honoring excellence in independent publishing for books published the past two years. Loyal Sons: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions (2008, Great Day Press) by Jim Lefebvre, founder and editor of Forever Irish, was named a Finalist in the Sports category.

"Our judges agree that never before have so many independently published books demonstrated such a high level of excellence," said Ellen Reid, director of the National Indie Excellent Awards.

The NIEA award is the third such national honor for Loyal Sons, now in its second printing.

On October 20, 2009, Loyal Sons was named an Award-Winning Finalist in the Sports: Autobiography/Biography category of The National "Best Books" 2009 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

The National "Best Book" Awards, now in their seventh year, attracted an unprecedented number of entries. “The 2009 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the United States," said Jeff Keen, President and CEO of USA Book News and USABooksNews.com, the awards' sponsor.

In May 2009, Loyal Sons was awarded the Bronze Medal in the Sports/Recreation/Fitness category of the 2009 Independent Publisher Books Awards (the IPPYs), which recognize excelence in independent publishing across North America.

 

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Loyal Sons and other medal-winners were honored at a ceremony in New York City during the 2009 Book Expo America.

Now in their 13th year, the IPPYs honor the year's best independently-published titles. A record number of entries competed for honors in 65 subject categories.

Loyal Sons was published by Great Day Press of Minneapolis, and is distributed by ACTA Sports, a division of ACTA Publications of Chicago.

 

Loyal Sons Supports Youth Sports Education Initiative

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every copy of Loyal Sons is donated to support the work of Play Like A Champion Today, the national initiative for youth and school sports directed by the Center for Ethical Education at the Univesity of Notre Dame. The program works with schools, parishes and dioceses across the country, providing training in ethical sports coaching and leadership, parent and athlete behavior, and sports as ministry. For more information, please visit: www.playlikeachampion.org.

LOYAL SONS
The Story of The Four Horsemen and
Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions

Their photograph is legendary -- among the most recognizable images in the history of American sports iconography. Yet who were these Four Horsemen of Notre Dame? How did they become Fighting Irish? What did they and their teammates accomplish under Coach Knute Rockne? And why did it matter?

After all these decades, their story is finally told in LOYAL SONS -- in breathtaking detail that fully engages the reader. The first-ever book-length treatment of this famous team and its triumphant 1924 national championship season is a ground-breaking work of sports history. We learn how these sons of miners and merchants, grocers and doctors are drawn to the University of Notre Dame, and what they helped create once there. Follow along as the ’24 Irish literally take the game of college football from coast to coast.

Along the way, their flair, timing and teamwork earn for Notre Dame countless new followers, as the phenomenon of Rockne’s “wonder team” sweeps the nation. LOYAL SONS is a great football story – and so much more. It provides snapshots of American life in the 1920s and chronicles grand dreams, hard work, setbacks and challenges, serendipitous timing, motivation and spirit.

Today’s sold-out Notre Dame stadium, national television contract and coast-to-coast following can all trace their roots to the phenomenon that swept the nation as the Fighting Irish captured their first national football championship in 1924. LOYAL SONS tells how it all happened.

LOYAL SONS is a must-read for fans of college football history and a treasured keepsake for all those who cherish Notre Dame.

1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
First Team

The Four Horsemen

 

QB Harry Stuhldreher Sr. Massillon, Ohio
LH Jim Crowley Sr. Green Bay, Wisconsin
RH Don Miller Sr. Defiance, Ohio
FB Elmer Layden Sr. Davenport, Iowa

 

The Seven Mules

 

LE Chuck Collins Sr. Oak Park, Illinois
LT Joe Bach Sr. Chisholm, Minnesota
LG John Weibel Sr Erie, Pennsylvania
C Adam Walsh (Capt.) Sr. Hollywood, California
RG Noble Kizer Sr. Plymouth, Indiana
RT Edgar “Rip” Miller Sr. Canton, Ohio
RE Ed Hunsinger Sr. Chillicothe, Ohio