Unbeatable: Notre Dame's 1988 Championship and the Last Great College Football Season

“An enduring team deserves a timeless story, and that’s what’s delivered in Unbeatable. Jerry Barca takes you inside the locker room, the dorm room, and the mind of Lou Holtz for a rich portrayal of one of college football's most memorable champions.” —Peter Thamel, Sports Illustrated

They were an unlikely crew tasked with a seemingly impossible mission: restore the University of Notre Dame to its place as a college football power. In 1988, led by a scrawny, bespectacled coach who spoke with a lisp, a black Baptist quarterback from South Carolina, and a ferocious defense, they returned Notre Dame to the top.

This is the first in-depth look at the players, the coaches, the campus, and the season that returned Notre Dame to glory.

Throughout all of Notre Dame’s lore, no Fighting Irish team has had more characters than the ’88 squad. The starting linebackers, nicknamed the Three Amigos, were known for crazed antics. The five-foot-nothing walk-on kicker used visualization and voodoo jazz-hands to ready himself for field goals. Tony Rice, the against-the-odds quarterback, was mocked because of his academic credentials and continually questioned by the media about whether he could ever succeed as a quarterback for Notre Dame. The team was also stacked with future NFL talent, including Ricky Watters and Raghib “Rocket” Ismail.

No game was bigger—or more hyped—than the matchup with number one–ranked Miami. The all-time classic game dubbed “Catholics vs. Convicts,” came down to the final seconds.

Unbeatable is the compelling narrative of one of the most incredible sports stories of the last century.

“College football fans will enjoy the breadth and pace of this fully told tale.” ―Library Journal

“Vibrant look into Notre Dame’s 1988 season. . . . Everything came together―a process that veteran sports journalist Barca covers with gusto.” —Publishers Weekly