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History Through the Headsets: Inside Notre Dame's Playoff Run During the Craziest Season in College Football History
Step inside the unprecedented 2020 college football season with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame football is a program defined by its many its status as an independent, the rivalries with USC and Navy, the rumble of the crowd as the Victory March plays. In 2020, that all changed. Amid a global pandemic, the season hung in the balance all spring. Then the schedule was scrapped as the Irish were folded into the ACC. The stands at Notre Dame Stadium stayed empty. In an unprecedented look inside this historic program, players Reed Gregory and John Mahoney chronicle a season that won't be forgotten. Fans will get an up-close view as Brian Kelly's squad navigates a new course and makes their run to the Rose Bowl.Filled with insight and personal reflections recorded throughout the year, this fascinating keepsake captures the realities of college football at the crossroads of something much greater.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 19, 2021
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March 22, 2026
𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨 is the firsthand account of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's 2020 season from two former walk-ons and signal callers in defensive back John Mahoney and linebacker Reed Gregory. The book was published not too long after the 2020 season ended as to give Irish fans a fresh account of a season that had its share of highlights.
𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨 is the first football book I've ever read that was told through the lens of two walk-on football players. Anyone who knows the journey of walk-on football players knows that they do a lot of thankless work which includes a lot of watching from the sidelines on game days, which in its own way was a blessing for this book. The book was detailed, well written, and it put you there in the 2020 season where only a team insider (Mahoney and Gregory) or a really good football sportswriter could get you.
The book begins with the chapter The Outbreak-Quarantini (chapter 1) which gave you a good idea of what Irish football players as well as regular students at Notre Dame went through during the 2020-2021 school year. Analysis of the Pandemic of 2020 was described in different parts of this book, but this is the chapter that let you know what you were in for with this book. Thankfully, Mahoney and Gregory didn't beat you over the head with Pandemic talk (I had enough of that in 2020 and 2021 as it is), as they gave you what you came for with this book which was an analysis of the Irish's 2020 season.
In chapter 1 I learned that even with all the stuff Notre Dame had to deal with as far as COVID-19 protocols the school still held a Juneteenth celebration (as described on pages 10-11). I liked how Mahoney and Gregory gave (on page 10) paragraph long accounts on how they felt some compassion for what their Black teammates had went through during their lives in terms of racism, with that compassion extended to in their terms (Mahoney and Gregory's) "the societal realities" of what it feels like to be Black in America.
The writers of the book got down to business on page 17 (chapter 2) when they wrote about the Irish's August preparations for the 2020 season, which I appreciated. I love it when football books do that.
Starting on page 26, the writers started the game summary process which was the Duke game on September 12, 2020. From that chapter (chapter 2, First Wave) and on the book was off and running in terms of giving you the reader an analysis of the Irish's 2020 season. Meanwhile, the Irish won that Duke game and Mahoney and Gregory told you how with a game summary that included offensive drives, describing of big plays, and how each team scored. But the best part of that chapter was on page 34, when Gregory talked about that lonely feeling he and his teammates felt after the game, with no crowds around to help them celebrate their victory and that was because of COVID-19 protocols. Near the end of that chapter this sentence touched me, "For a campus that abounds with energy following a victory, it felt uncomfortably sterile," Gregory remembered. Well said.
One of my favorite parts of this book took place on pages 44 and 167 when the authors of this book described their going into the South Florida game (a 52-0 win for the Irish) and the Syracuse game (a 45-21 Irish win) as members of the backup punt return team. I was so happy for them because walk-ons go through a lot which includes super slim action and/or no playing time on game days.
You could tell that the Notre Dame vs. Clemson game on November 7, 2020 or Game 7 of the season was special to the Irish and to the writers of this book because that game got a 23-page summary of its in-game events (pages 101-123) in chapter 7 (Game of the Century). I think the authors oversold that game; yes, that game was a classic and one of the better games played in 2020, but neither one of the teams that played in that game were great teams or got to the National Championship game in early January of 2021.
You got to give the writers of this book their props; they knew their roles and who they were as football players (read near the bottom of page 175 which was the oral report of a game day mishap that involved Mahoney). Nowhere in this book did they try to oversell their worth as members of the 2020 Irish team or make this book about them even though it was their book.
One of the things about this book that got me was how the writers in the acknowledgements section talked about how Triumph Books (the book's publisher) "took a chance on a couple of former washed up walk-ons...." Hmm. That's interesting. This is a niche book, meaning that it was specifically marketed at Notre Dame football fans, especially the die-hard ones. Triumph Books knew very well that this book was not a mass market book or one that would sell a lot of copies outside of its niche, that's one of the main reasons why they greenlit it. And it didn't hurt that it was about a successful 2020 Irish football season, and that yes, it also was about one of the most famous and polarizing football programs in college sports history.
Pros of 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨: The book gave a smooth insiders and well researched account of the 2020 Notre Dame football season. The book talked about the Pandemic here and there, but it didn't knock you over the head over and over with story after story of that worldwide disaster. The book (especially during its original release period of 2021) gave you a respite from that Pandemic stuff which readers of the book in 2021 needed.
Cons of 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨: This book wasn't a deep dive into the Irish's 2020 season, and you'll get more in-depth analysis of the season from various college sites here on the Internet, but the book did its job which was to analyze the 2020 Irish season from how they (Mahoney and Gregory) saw it.
In conclusion, 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨 was a solid and helpful look at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's 2020 season with some COVID-19 discussions sprinkled in here and there. I like how the book took you on a journey through that season with game summaries, some thoughts on a few Irish players on that 2020 team, and more. This book is a not a definitive look at the 2020 Irish football season, but it was a good look at that season by two guys who were insiders of that team. I would recommend this book to Notre Dame football historians and/or new age Irish football fans who can spare the time to read a 219-page account of a season that had its share of memorable moments including QB Ian Book's underrated senior season.
𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨 is the first football book I've ever read that was told through the lens of two walk-on football players. Anyone who knows the journey of walk-on football players knows that they do a lot of thankless work which includes a lot of watching from the sidelines on game days, which in its own way was a blessing for this book. The book was detailed, well written, and it put you there in the 2020 season where only a team insider (Mahoney and Gregory) or a really good football sportswriter could get you.
The book begins with the chapter The Outbreak-Quarantini (chapter 1) which gave you a good idea of what Irish football players as well as regular students at Notre Dame went through during the 2020-2021 school year. Analysis of the Pandemic of 2020 was described in different parts of this book, but this is the chapter that let you know what you were in for with this book. Thankfully, Mahoney and Gregory didn't beat you over the head with Pandemic talk (I had enough of that in 2020 and 2021 as it is), as they gave you what you came for with this book which was an analysis of the Irish's 2020 season.
In chapter 1 I learned that even with all the stuff Notre Dame had to deal with as far as COVID-19 protocols the school still held a Juneteenth celebration (as described on pages 10-11). I liked how Mahoney and Gregory gave (on page 10) paragraph long accounts on how they felt some compassion for what their Black teammates had went through during their lives in terms of racism, with that compassion extended to in their terms (Mahoney and Gregory's) "the societal realities" of what it feels like to be Black in America.
The writers of the book got down to business on page 17 (chapter 2) when they wrote about the Irish's August preparations for the 2020 season, which I appreciated. I love it when football books do that.
Starting on page 26, the writers started the game summary process which was the Duke game on September 12, 2020. From that chapter (chapter 2, First Wave) and on the book was off and running in terms of giving you the reader an analysis of the Irish's 2020 season. Meanwhile, the Irish won that Duke game and Mahoney and Gregory told you how with a game summary that included offensive drives, describing of big plays, and how each team scored. But the best part of that chapter was on page 34, when Gregory talked about that lonely feeling he and his teammates felt after the game, with no crowds around to help them celebrate their victory and that was because of COVID-19 protocols. Near the end of that chapter this sentence touched me, "For a campus that abounds with energy following a victory, it felt uncomfortably sterile," Gregory remembered. Well said.
One of my favorite parts of this book took place on pages 44 and 167 when the authors of this book described their going into the South Florida game (a 52-0 win for the Irish) and the Syracuse game (a 45-21 Irish win) as members of the backup punt return team. I was so happy for them because walk-ons go through a lot which includes super slim action and/or no playing time on game days.
You could tell that the Notre Dame vs. Clemson game on November 7, 2020 or Game 7 of the season was special to the Irish and to the writers of this book because that game got a 23-page summary of its in-game events (pages 101-123) in chapter 7 (Game of the Century). I think the authors oversold that game; yes, that game was a classic and one of the better games played in 2020, but neither one of the teams that played in that game were great teams or got to the National Championship game in early January of 2021.
You got to give the writers of this book their props; they knew their roles and who they were as football players (read near the bottom of page 175 which was the oral report of a game day mishap that involved Mahoney). Nowhere in this book did they try to oversell their worth as members of the 2020 Irish team or make this book about them even though it was their book.
One of the things about this book that got me was how the writers in the acknowledgements section talked about how Triumph Books (the book's publisher) "took a chance on a couple of former washed up walk-ons...." Hmm. That's interesting. This is a niche book, meaning that it was specifically marketed at Notre Dame football fans, especially the die-hard ones. Triumph Books knew very well that this book was not a mass market book or one that would sell a lot of copies outside of its niche, that's one of the main reasons why they greenlit it. And it didn't hurt that it was about a successful 2020 Irish football season, and that yes, it also was about one of the most famous and polarizing football programs in college sports history.
Pros of 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨: The book gave a smooth insiders and well researched account of the 2020 Notre Dame football season. The book talked about the Pandemic here and there, but it didn't knock you over the head over and over with story after story of that worldwide disaster. The book (especially during its original release period of 2021) gave you a respite from that Pandemic stuff which readers of the book in 2021 needed.
Cons of 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨: This book wasn't a deep dive into the Irish's 2020 season, and you'll get more in-depth analysis of the season from various college sites here on the Internet, but the book did its job which was to analyze the 2020 Irish season from how they (Mahoney and Gregory) saw it.
In conclusion, 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨 was a solid and helpful look at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's 2020 season with some COVID-19 discussions sprinkled in here and there. I like how the book took you on a journey through that season with game summaries, some thoughts on a few Irish players on that 2020 team, and more. This book is a not a definitive look at the 2020 Irish football season, but it was a good look at that season by two guys who were insiders of that team. I would recommend this book to Notre Dame football historians and/or new age Irish football fans who can spare the time to read a 219-page account of a season that had its share of memorable moments including QB Ian Book's underrated senior season.
January 7, 2022
It’s inspiring that these two washed up walk-ons thought they could write an interesting book about the 2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, and actually got it published. But, like that very team, they fell short of championship-level play, and even bowl-win-level play.
While at times very interesting, like when they highlighted changes due to COVID, media coverage, team meetings, and the intricacies of signal-calling, as well as irrational and contradictory COVID policies, it was, at other times, interminably dry. To quote “13 Going on 30”, starting the inimitable Jennifer Garner, “no one needs a play-by-play.” They included one, of every game. You can use the ESPN app for that content. It’s much more fascinating to get a behind-the-scenes look at the team, which, to their credit, they did offer from time to time. It just needed to be more often.
Halfway through the book, I found myself skimming the recaps. These authors should read “The Breaks of the Game”, “Instant Replay”, and Mark Titus’s “Don’t Put Me In, Coach” to get a better grasp of how to portray a season. Play-by-plays are few, and intriguing stories about people and their interactions are much more common. For instance, the story the authors shared about Salerno burning a starter at practice was great. More of that was necessary. These authors threw a few of those in, but they were still lacking.
It wasn’t really a coherent story, it was much more of a general summary of the season. That’s well and good, since it’s one of the only summaries of the 2020 college football season available, but it still made it very boring at times.
Finally, I left the book not really knowing much about the authors, their histories, their hopes and dreams, or their lives. It felt like they kept the reader at arm’s length, making the story ultimately forgettable. This is a decent book, but it could’ve been so much better.
While at times very interesting, like when they highlighted changes due to COVID, media coverage, team meetings, and the intricacies of signal-calling, as well as irrational and contradictory COVID policies, it was, at other times, interminably dry. To quote “13 Going on 30”, starting the inimitable Jennifer Garner, “no one needs a play-by-play.” They included one, of every game. You can use the ESPN app for that content. It’s much more fascinating to get a behind-the-scenes look at the team, which, to their credit, they did offer from time to time. It just needed to be more often.
Halfway through the book, I found myself skimming the recaps. These authors should read “The Breaks of the Game”, “Instant Replay”, and Mark Titus’s “Don’t Put Me In, Coach” to get a better grasp of how to portray a season. Play-by-plays are few, and intriguing stories about people and their interactions are much more common. For instance, the story the authors shared about Salerno burning a starter at practice was great. More of that was necessary. These authors threw a few of those in, but they were still lacking.
It wasn’t really a coherent story, it was much more of a general summary of the season. That’s well and good, since it’s one of the only summaries of the 2020 college football season available, but it still made it very boring at times.
Finally, I left the book not really knowing much about the authors, their histories, their hopes and dreams, or their lives. It felt like they kept the reader at arm’s length, making the story ultimately forgettable. This is a decent book, but it could’ve been so much better.
February 28, 2022
This is a well written sports documentary about a little known football system , hand signals! It is also a tale of one of Notre Dame's great season during a historic pandemic. All true football fans will enjoy this book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews