Gerry Faust: The Golden Dream

by Gerry Faust, Steve Love, Regis Philbin (Foreword)

Gerry Faust won more hearts than games. He came to Notre Dame as the mythical high school coach from Cincinnati's Moeller High School, such a perfect fit for Notre Dame that it seemed almost too good to be true. It was. Faust admits his mistakes, which include the manner in which he put together his first coaching staff, changing Notre Dame's offense, even feeling sorry for himself. He explains how he could beat Southern Cal, but not Air Force and Purdue.

Hardcover

First published August 1, 1997

About the author

Gerard Anthony Faust was an American high school and college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1981 to 1985 and at the University of Akron from 1986 to 1994, compiling a career collegiate record of 73–79–4. From 1962 to 1980, Faust was the head coach at Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he tallied a mark of 178–23–2 and won four High School Football National Championships. Before coaching, Faust enjoyed a successful stint playing as a quarterback at the University of Dayton under former Notre Dame coach Hugh Devore. Faust was offered a partial scholarship to Notre Dame, but enrolled at Dayton, where he graduated in 1958. On June 8, 2024, Faust was inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerry Faust was a much maligned coach around the University of Notre Dame. I consider myself one of them. He made the leap from High School ball to Collegiate ball and was able to keep his convictions. He never bad-mouthed the University, or his players for his poor won/lost record and never broke any rules, NCAA or Notre Dame’s, when recruiting players. He always kept the needs of his players before all else. This was at Moeller High School, Notre Dame, or Akron. He was blindsided when he went from ND to Akron, allowing for his miserable record there.
An excellent read except for the last 50 pages but one can’t have everything. This book will definitely change your mind about Gerry Faust. You may not like the Catholism in the book but it is about Notre Dame and a very religious man.