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Rating: 
Summary: It fills in a lot of blanks in my memory
Review: As a kid I remember listening to the end of this game on the radio. I couldn't remember why I didn't see it on TV until I read in this book that, because Notre Dame had already played in the maximum allowable nationally televised games that year, it could only be broadcast regionally--meaning those of us in the Pacific Northwest were denied live TV coverage (it was shown tape delayed here and in the South).
My recollection had always been that Ara Parseghian, the Notre Dame coach, went for a tie with a field goal late in the game rather than going for a touchdown--but this book corrected my recollection. Notre Dame tied the game with a field goal at the end of the third quarter and later narrowly missed what would have been a winning field goal with about 5 minutes left to play.
It turns out Parseghian was blamed for running the ball up the middle when they got it back deep in their own territory with less than a minute-and-a-half to play rather than trying to throw for a touchdown or to get in field goal range. But surprisingly no one blamed Michigan State Coach Duffy Daugherty for punting the ball away on 4th-and-four on their own 36-yard line with just 1:24 left to play.
I also didn't remember that Notre Dame's star quarterback, Terry Hanratty, left the game for good after their first possession with a dislocated shoulder, or that their star halfback Nick Eddy didn't play at all. All these years, like many fans, I unfairly blamed Parseghian for failing to win (and failing to play to win)this game.
But like Dempsey and Tunney's "Long Count," this is one of those games that is remembered primarily because of that controversy and because a game intended to decide who was No. 1 left that question unanswered.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine chronicle of one of the century's most famous games
Review: I found this book to be very interesting as I compared the times detailed here (mid-1960's) to today. Society has changed in many ways, but the intense competition on the field is nothing new!The author, as a Notre Dame alumnus, tends to bring the Irish point of view into his narrative, especially in regards to the fallout of Ara's decision at the end of the game, but this is a minor flaw and I enjoyed the book very much. If you are at all interested in the history of college football, and historic moments, this book is for you.
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