2009 Book Awards

Award-Winning Finalist--Sports: Autobiography/Biography Category

The National "Best Books" 2009 Awards

Finalist--Sports Category

2010 National Indie Excellence Book Awards

"An engaging read.... Especially recommended for football enthusiasts with a passion for the history of the sport." ----The Midwest Book Review

"Jim Lefebvre has scored big on both the research and the writing...a great read--whether you are a fan of Notre Dame, Notre Dame football, U.S. history, college athletics, or the human spirit." ---Denis Gullickson, author,

Their photograph is legendary--among the most recognizable images in the history of American sports iconography. Yet who were these Four Horsemen of Notre Dame? How did they become Fighting Irish? What did they and their teammates accomplish under Coach Knute Rockne? And why did it matter?

After all these decades, their story is finally told in Loyal Sons--in breathtaking detail that fully engages the reader. The first-ever book-length treatment of this famous team and its triumphant 1924 national championship season is a ground-breaking work of sports history. We learn how these sons of miners and merchants, grocers and doctors are drawn to the University of Notre Dame, and what they helped create once there. Follow along as the '24 Irish literally take the game of college football from coast to coast. Along the way, their flair, timing and teamwork earn for Notre Dame countless new followers, as the phenomenon of Rockne's "wonder team" sweeps the nation.

Loyal Sons is a great football story--and so much more. It provides snapshots of American life in the 1920s and chronicles grand dreams, hard work, setbacks and challenges, serendipitous timing, motivation and spirit. Loyal Sons is a must-read for fans of college football history and a treasured keepsake for all those who cherish Notre Dame.