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Rating: 
Summary: Here Come the Irish
Review: Aside from being an incredible leader and an extraordinary person, the most notable trait about Tyrone Willingham is that he is guarded. Had it not been for the fact that author Alan Grant had played under Willingham at Stanford, there's no way he would have been given inside access to the program. As a former NFL defensive back and one of ESPN's best writers, Grant has the football acumen to break down the intricacies of the West Coast offense as well as the literary skills of a novelist to weave a compelling story. As Grant's literary agent, I'll be the first to admit my bias, but this is definitely one of the best books I've ever read. It's as much about sociology as it is football, and Grant's closeness to the coaches and the players (especially Shane Walton, Arnaz Battle, and Courtney Watson) makes you feel like you were there for Willingham's historical, record-breaking season. As you'll see, Grant argues that Willingham's hiring is the most significant moment in the history of sports since Jackie Robinson smashed the color barrier in 1947. It's a bold premise, but before you disagree, pick up a book that is sure to be a bestseller.
Rating: 
Summary: What glory?
Review: Considering Willingham was just fired, I can't recommend this book. Sounds like the glory was an illusion.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: Couldn't put the book down. Can't wait for the book on year 2 "Return to Mediocrity".
Rating:
Summary: Domer Domer Domer!
Review: Hi, my name is victor. I was going to maryland but my "friend", ambrose, blew the whistle and got me in trouble. So here i am at notre dame. It is a pretty neat place. But even neater is this book! Tyrone will lead us to victory, as he says in the book
"i float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, yo my name is tyrone, i roll on 20s with chrome" Two thumbs up!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Hi, my name is victor. I was going to maryland but my "friend", ambrose, blew the whistle and got me in trouble. So here i am at notre dame. It is a pretty neat place. But even neater is this book! Tyrone will lead us to victory, as he says in the book
"i float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, yo my name is tyrone, i roll on 20s with chrome" Two thumbs up!!!
Rating:
Summary: A must for any Notre Dame fan.
Review: I just could not put this down; I read it in 2 days and would have done it in a single afternoon if I'd had time. This book is a great mix of ND traditions and history, Willingham biography, and football recap. It's got some behind the scenes stuff like coaches meetings and lots of interactions with players. I especially enjoyed it since I was a football manager last year when this book was being written, so I remember all of the events in the book. It's also written so casually, which is fantastic. Not many books refer to people as "a cool cat." And it often shows Coach Willingham with his guard down a little; just relaxing. Nobody ever sees that side of him, but he's a really cool guy. Do yourself a favor and buy the book.
Rating:
Summary: Here Come the Irish
Review: The author does a good job of capturing the energy and excitement of the resurgence (real or imagined) of Notre Dame football under Ty Willingham. The author gives us a glimpse of the mysterious coach and leads us to believe that Notre Dame is back, which should make Notre Dame nation excited and optimistic about the future. On the negative side, the author plays the race issue way too much. Yes, it is historically significant that Notre Dame hired a black football coach, but the author needlessly hammers this point home at every opportunity. Indeed, the author seems more concerned with Willingham's skin color than Willingham does himself. Most Notre Dame fans don't care if the coach is black, white or purple, so long as he wins. Also, the author lapses too often into "street talk" or what he refers to as "black colloquialisms." He even refers to Touchdown Jesus as "blinging." Ironically, the use of such language actually promotes the very stereotypes the author apparently abhors. In all, a pleasurable read if you're a Notre Dame fan.
Rating:
Summary: I think this book should be classified as fiction
Review: The book, written by a Willingham disciple who I believe played for the coach at Stanford, characterizes Tyrone Willingham as a man who overcomes obstacles after meeting them head on. While the coach does have a great history behind him, it is just that. Mike Ditka once said that the past is for cowards and losers. He is right.
The man portrayed in this book is not the man in charge in South Bend in 2004. The true story to be told is one of a man who is in way over his head. Mr. Grant's portrayal of the coach forgets to include the coach's desire to foster the "cult of Willingham" which places devotion to the coach well over and above winning. He also forgets to mention the coach's stubborn arrogance, his unwillingness to fire those around him who fail to live up to expectations (aka Buzz Preston, Kent Baer and Bill Diedrick), his disdain for Notre Dame's pressure and his misunderstanding of the meaning of the word "excellence".
This supposed "no-nonsense" coach seems to believe that six wins is discernable progress after a five win season. What happened to this Return to Glory? It is more like "Welcome to Mediocrity".
Full of hyperbole and an undying devotion to his former coach, Mr. Grant chronicles Lionel Tyrone's first season with the Irish. He demonstrates that Tyrone Willingham may have had what it takes to bring a two bit program like Stanford to near-acceptability in a weak Pac-10, but the man is just not up to running a big-time program at an elite football school (if Notre Dame is still that after his tenure). He also accurately portrays how the coach and his staff plodded through an eight game winning streak with smoke, mirrors and dumb luck.
What he misses are the two years after this when he bombed out, threw his former quarterback under the bus and brought in the worst recruiting class in decades. With monumental losses to Michigan and USC, a 6-6 record in his last 12 home games and unprecedented failures, it is just silly to look at this book as anything more than an homage to a shadow of a man by a writing who loves the idea of his mentor more than his mentor's actuality.
Perhaps Mr. Grant can add a supplement in the paperback version entitled: "Urban Meyer: the true Return to Glory".
I for one wish I could return this book to Dr. Kevin White.
Rating: 
Summary: Return To Glory: Smoke and Mirrors
Review: This book is pure fiction by a former player of Tyrone Willingham's at Stanford. Grant falls way short in is half hearted attempt to understand anything about a winning football tradtion at a school that identifies its very existence around football.
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