The University of Notre Dame Press is proud to announce that the American Writing Awards has named Mark O. Hubbard’s Ara: The Life and Legacy of a Notre Dame Legend a 2024 Sports Book of the Year Runner-Up! This prestigious award recognizes books that showcase the immense talent and dedication of the writer while encouraging empathy, contemplation, and thought-provoking dialogue. Of this year’s competition, the American Writing Awards team shared: “Each year, the competition becomes fiercer, and 2024 was no exception with another record-breaking number of entries. . . . It’s a privilege to read and celebrate these incredible books.”
In Ara: The Life and Legacy of a Notre Dame Legend, Hubbard explores the coach’s innovative philosophy, organization, strategy, tactics, and motivational techniques with details to satisfy even the most knowledgeable football aficionado. From the moment Ara arrived on campus, the student body and the players were electrified, and Ara’s first season concluded with a dramatic reversal of the Fighting Irish’s fortunes as they competed for the national title. The Hall of Famer remains one of the most successful football coaches in Notre Dame history, leading the Fighting Irish to undisputed national championships in 1966 and 1973.
Hubbard also shares fascinating episodes of Ara’s personal life: his childhood and Catholic upbringing, his success as a football player, and his success as a businessman and television commentator. But his finest hours were spent in humanitarian causes, raising millions of dollars for medical research after members of his family were stricken with multiple sclerosis and Niemann-Pick Type C.
This book is available at undpress.nd.edu or wherever books are sold. We encourage you to support your local independent bookstore either in person or online. For more information, contact: Quinn Baumeister, qbaumeis@nd.edu, 574.631.3267.