Natural Enemies: Major College Football's Oldest, Fiercest Rivalry - Michigan vs. Notre Dame

by John Kryk

"There is quite a bit of Notre Dame-Michigan tradition, though mostly submerged, like icebergs." Notre Dame football historian Francis Wallace made that observation half a century ago. Like other insiders at the time, he knew of the intense feuds that had quietly simmered for decades between these two proud, tradition-rich football teams. Natural Enemies raises all those icebergs to the surface. John Kryk spent four years researching and writing this landmark book, which the Chicago Tribune has called the "definitive history of the rivalry" in its first edition. Indeed, Natural Enemies is so much more than a mere recounting of old games. The football fates of Michigan and Notre Dame have been intertwined since that cold November day in 1887 when the Wolverines literally taught football to an eager group of Notre Dame students. By the turn of the 20th century, relations between the teams began to sour-significantly. The off-the-field battles over the next 60-plus years, some of which Kryk has uncovered for the first time, others of which he sheds dramatic new light on-were no less intense, no less legendary, than the unforgettable football games these Midwestern titans have played almost annually since 1978. Richly illustrated in this newly updated edition, Natural Enemies weaves these two chronologies together to produce a college-football-rivalry book like no other.

Genres: Nonfiction, Football

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ryan Splenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best books that I have read concerning a sports rivalry. John Kryk's exhaustive research into the Notre Dame-Michigan football rivalry leaves the reader wanting to devour more after finishing the book. The book's great strength lies within the earlier chapters that talk about the beginnings of this rivalry and the feuds between coaches and athletic directors that ultimately led to both powerhouses not playing each other for decades. This section of the book is where Kryk's comprehensive research using the Notre Dame and Michigan Archives shines. One of the drawbacks is the lack of an in-depth narrative during the coverage of the games from 1978-2003 (which is rather odd because this is when the majority of the games have been played in the series). The other negative is that it could use another update because it ends with the 2003 game. However, every Notre Dame, Michigan, and college football fan will thoroughly enjoy this great book.

[Teresa Scherping Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

During this year's Notre Dame-Michigan football game, everyone was saying that it was the "last" time that these two storied teams would ever play. And while it's true that there are no future matchups scheduled at this time (and both teams' schedules are set for quite a few years), forever is a long time. In fact, as I learned from this book, there have been quite a few long breaks in the history of this rivalry.

Full disclosure: I am a member of the Notre Dame class of 2009, and my little brother is a current Michigan student (class of 2015). As a student at ND, I'd heard many stories about our rivalry with Michigan and some of the underhanded things that they had done to us, such as keeping us out of the Big Ten at a time when we wanted to join. But this well-researched book really gave me the full story about the relationship between these two schools and their football teams. From Michigan students traveling down to teach Notre Dame students how to play the brand-new game of football, to hot-headed feuds between famous coaches on both sides, to politics and rule changes and heart-breaking losses, this book tells it all. My overall impression at the end was that this rivalry has gone on for so long, and so many things in the world and in football have changed, that no one can say for sure what the future holds. But if the past is any indication, these two teams will play again someday, and the whole country will be watching.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Michigan or Notre Dame football, then this is the perfect book. Every game through 2003 is discussed in detail, and the index with all the stats is priceless.

[Kevin J. Bouffard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history

Well written but a little long in parts. Lurk, an avowed Michigan fan, is very fair to both sides. A professional journalist.