ECHOES FROM THE END ZONE Details Notre Dame Players' Success Stories

Student-athletes face challenges on and off the athletic field. Football players at the University of Notre Dame are under intense public scrutiny of their actions both on and off the football field, whether it is a winning or losing season. Those who attended Notre Dame after 1964 had a secret weapon - Mike DeCicco, newly hired chief academic advisor of student-athletes. He and other university leaders created a system that became a model for other universities, thanks to its exceptional student graduation rate: currently 97 percent, the highest in the nation. This new book details the successes - and missteps - of 25 football players who benefited from that program and made their mark on the world as unforgettable Domers. The author also shares what she calls the "Notre Dame Value Stream of Life," lessons outside of the classroom from these student-athletes at the private Midwestern university.

"Echoes From the End Zone: The Men We Became" covers Notre Dame standouts Marv Russell, Alvin Miller, Allen Rossum, Bobby Brown, Devon McDonald, Joey Getherall, Germaine Holden, Marc Edwards, John Foley, Luther Bradley, Oscar McBride, Mike McCoy, Pat Dolan, Pete Bercich, Irv Smith, Reggie Brooks, Pat Terrell, Ryan Leahy, Rick Mirer, Vagas Ferguson, Tim Brown, Gerome Sapp, Renaldo Wynn, Tony Rice and Mike Townsend. From their descriptions of emotions running out of the tunnel as a Notre Dame football player for the first time and lessons they learned at ND to succeed off the field, their stories will inspire fellow student-athletes and fans of collegiate sports.

Historic photos help put faces to names in this tribute to the university known as Our Lady and the heroes of the gridiron who have gone on to become successful businessmen, ministers, lawyers and NFL players. As Lou Holtz (who coached the team for 11 seasons) writes, "(These men) represent rare individuals who came to Notre Dame and had their lives changed forever... They not only wanted to be successful, but they also wanted to be significant... These men are significant and they have strived each day to make an impact and difference in all things that they touch."

Author Lisa Kelly, a '93 graduate of Notre Dame, lives in St. Louis and works for a small company doing marketing research, graphic design and social media implementation. She competed and won the Biggest Fan of the Big East contest in 2011, beating 15 other alumni writers representing the 16 schools in the conference. In Kelly's experience, people are quick to criticize Notre Dame; she wrote the book to showcase what is great about Our Lady's University and the student-athlete program that shaped and molded these 25 former football players into the men they became.

For additional information, please visit http://www.themenwebecame.com.

Echoes From the End Zone: The Men We Became
Lisa Kelly
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4575-2116-4 224 pages $19.95 US

Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.

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