American Coach

Available Now

When Frank Leahy retired from Notre Dame after the 1953 season, he had the second-best record in the history of the game (107-13-99, .864). Seven decades later, he still does.

Award-winning sportswriter Ivan Maisel 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.

Meet Ivan - Appearance dates

Reviews

“Maisel presents a thorough, multifaceted portrait of a legendary college coach and dedicated Notre Dame alum. This scores.”

Publishers Weekly

"Ivan Maisel's masterpiece on Notre Dame football coach Frank Leahy -- is one of the great sports books of our time. Years in the making, Maisel paints a portrait of Leahy that is honest, poignant, and riveting from cover to cover."

Patrick Creadon

Director AMPAS, DGA

"American Coach is a perfect marriage of all-time great college football coach and all-time great college football writer. Ivan Maisel delivers a classic that's just like Leahy's 1970 Hall-of-Fame induction—long overdue.”

Ian O’Connor

author of The Captain, Belichick, and Coach K

About Ivan

Ivan Maisel has covered college football for more than four decades, most prominently at the ESPN from 2022 to 2021. He also covered the game for Sports Illustrated, Newsday, The Dallas Morning News, and On3.

Maisel 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. Maisel has written five books, including I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye, a memoir of learning to live with grief after the death of his son in 2015. Maisel earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies at Stanford University in 1981.