Customer Reviews

Return to Glory: Inside Tyrone Willingham's Amazing First Season at Notre Dame

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Alan Grant went to Stanford?

You'd think that a Stanford grad would be a little bit more literate than, "he got his drink on".

All through the book, I'm thinking, "Is Grant related to Willingham?"

If you really want to read the book, go to your library. If you actually buy it, you will feel like you've been on a date with a prostitute. Used and abused.

There's a reason that this book is rated below 2 millionth on Amazon! In fact, I think they only have a million books listed, this happens to be twice worst thann the best.

Couldn't put the book down. Can't wait for the book on year 2 "Return to Mediocrity".

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.

It's not only evident in this book, but in his follow-up articles on ESPN's website.

This author is a shame to his alma mater and to mankind.

As far as the book goes, it's rediculously a waste of time.

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. He is a hater and now is spewing lies about how Notre Dame is irrelvant on ESPN.com because his book is no longer selling. More like his book is irrelvant. This man has no integrity as a journalist.

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.

The title,Return to Glory, is indicative of much, much more than the mere chronicle of the first year of Tyrone Willingham at Notre Dame as the humane coach of a stuggling,group of talented, gifted, articulate and motivated young men. To simply relegate this book to a play-by-play report of the Notre Dame football team on the field is highly inaccurate. This is the powerful account of the very first black head coach in any sport;a black man at an institution within a part of the country where football is king , but some of its coaches are not...not until 2002. Grant gracefully shares to the reader who has the ability to be insightful and thoughtful, the emotions of a coach and his players regarding not only football, but what it means to be talented,athletic and intelligent in an arena where these traits are not usually expected. Willingham is portrayed in this very same light. This is a coach who has pride and he imparts this to all of his players, regardless of ethnicity or background. Yes, this book is about football., but Grant craftily enlightens the astute reader of the subtle and sometimes not so subtle tone of the racism that still, sadly pervades some of this country's elite, prestigious universities.With factual information, conversations with the players, and personal meetings with Willingham , Grant creates some wonderful, and at times witty metaphors. Prior to the Air Force game Grant describes the team as "an unlikely jazz ensemble" with "Willingham,the slight oboe with the resonating tone, and Notre Dame, the haughty brass section," as they were beginning to harmonize. And "the coach, his team, and their fans were already jamming to the same simple beat." With its wonderful combination of football facts,color calls, and social commentary, I found this book to be quite a delightful read, and an inspiration for serious college football fans and any serious reader.

Hi my name is ambrose. this book is great. it makes you want to play for notre dame. i convinced my friend to play for notre dame too. the part about the nc state game in the gator bowl is the best. go irish

Considering Willingham was just fired, I can't recommend this book. Sounds like the glory was an illusion.

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.