Please join the Notre Dame Club of Orange County for a very special evening with award-winning sportswriter, author, and member of the CFP Selection Committee Ivan Maisel, who will discuss and sign his new book “American Coach: The Triumph and Tragedy of Notre Dame Legend Frank Leahy.” The book brings the forgotten legend of Notre Dame head football coach Frank Leahy back to life, based on rare and complete access to Fighting Irish football historical archives and the Leahy family.
•Wednesday, October 22, 2025
•6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
•Muldoon's Irish Pub, 202 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach
•No-host Bar; Buffet Dinner (includes lemonade, soda, iced tea; tax; gratuity)
•Members $30 (PLAC Members complimentary)
•Non-members $40
•Register at link in bio or at
https://my.nd.edu/events/142875
Frank Leahy retired from the University of Notre Dame in 1953 with the second-best winning percentage in the history of the game, second only to Knute Rockne, who he played for. 70 years later, Leahy still has the second-best record, and yet he has been completely forgotten. His life and career provided a rich story to tell. It's the quintessential American success story. It's also the story of how Leahy's success on the field both promoted and clashed with the University's mission to become the premier Catholic institution of higher learning in this country. Leahy remains a largely unknown figure to the typical college football fan despite winning 86 percent of his games and four national championships.
Ivan Maisel has covered college football for more than four decades, most prominently at ESPN from 2002-2021. He also served as Editor-at-Large for ESPN College Football 150, the multi-platform history project that in 2019 commemorated the sesquicentennial of the sport. Prior to joining ESPN, Maisel covered national college football for Sports Illustrated, Newsday, and The Dallas Morning News. He has been honored nine times for Best Story by the Football Writers Association of America, and twice by The Associated Press Sports Editors, which in 2019 named him one of the 10 best sports columnists. He has written five books, including I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye, a memoir of dealing with grief after the death of his son in 2015. Maisel is currently a member of the CFP Selection Committee (their first meeting is just days before his evening with us).
Orange County’s own Steve Beuerlein ‘87, a former Servite, Notre Dame, and NFL player, will talk to Ivan about the book, Maisel’s experience writing it, including his access to the Notre Dame archives and the Leahy family, Maisel’s career in sports and the world of college football, and the CFP selection process (maybe we’ll get a little behind-the-scenes information!). A limited inventory of American Coach books may be pre-ordered when registering for the event at a cost of $10 (thank you to a generous donor who is subsidizing the $30 list price), limit one book per event registration, first come, first served. If there are any additional books available, we will have them for purchase at the event.
You won’t want to miss this unique evening! If you’re not a Club member, join or renew now to take advantage of member pricing.
While you are waiting for the event, you can read an excerpt from the book here:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46196972/ivan-maisel-notre-dame-forgotten-legend-coach-frank-leahy
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