You can listen below, download in iTunes, or even load an mp3 on our BlogTalkRadio site. Enjoy!

Look – I’m well aware that it’s been a frustrating week in the world of Notre Dame Football. Instead of getting psyched up about the rapidly approaching season (12 days & counting!), praising impressive freshmen (Trumbetti!), or game-planning our new offense (the era of Greg Bryant!) … we’re spending time scrambling for answers that we probably aren’t getting anytime soon, if ever.

But I am fairly certain that this investigation isn’t taking anything away from the 1988 National Championship team and Jerry Barca has written the definitive account of that team and their incredible season. Unbeatable: Notre Dame’s 1988 National Championship and the Last Great College Football Season, goes where no other research has gone on the team, coaches, players, fans, opponents, and more. Jerry kicks the show and 2014 season of Down the Line off right by providing some insight into his work creating this valuable piece of Notre Dame Football history. Buy the book while on campus at Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, on Barca’s website, and follow him on Twitter for updates on book signings and events.

Also on this show, Her Loyal Sons own Big Man on Campus, NDtex, stopped by the update fans on the changes and news for HLS heading into 2014. New content, new writers, new media, and other factoids from the Editor-in-Chief will help you properly prepare for the season here. Feel free to disregard the “debate” over who will start at QB for the Irish, as it was unsurprisingly announced 24 hours after recording.

Thanks to all our loyal listeners and we’re hoping to build more in 2014!

Contact me:

Twitter: @ManCaveQB

Email: herringbonesports@gmail.com

The post Podcast: Author Jerry Barca & NDtex on TNNDN! appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

How did you first become a Notre Dame fan?

Jerry Barca: I was born Irish-Italian and Catholic in New Jersey. I don’t think there was much choice about it. It was just life, sort of like a grass-is-green, sky-is-blue thing. You said Hail Marys at night, fidgeted through Mass on Sunday, and followed Notre Dame.

What was your best childhood Notre Dame memory?

JB: I’m the youngest of five kids and one of my older brothers went to Notre Dame, so that provided the opportunity for some pretty good childhood memories of the school. Going to the 31-30, Catholics vs. Convicts game in ’88 stands out, as does meeting and hanging out with Roger Valdiserri and Laphonso Ellis that weekend.

My first visit to the campus was pretty cool. It was 1985. I was 8 years old, and Allen Pinkett and Co. were taking on Army. Dressed from head to toe in freshly purchased ND gear and armed with a little yellow Notre Dame megaphone, I stood on a table helping Fisher Hall sell concessions on game day. We were set up right outside the old Bookstore location. I was shouting for people to get their “Gipper brauts, Rockne burgers, and Four Horseman soda.” Fisher Hall ended up being able to get a microwave for the dorm based on the sales that day, which in 1985 meant there were a lot of sales. Then 10 years later, when I was applying to Notre Dame I watched the admissions video. There — in the midst of some awkward dorm dance footage — was a clip of me doing this huckster shouting. And of course I mentioned this in the application process. I used everything I could. I needed to. I was wait-listed and I’m pretty sure that I was the last one accepted to the incoming class.

Did you play sports as a kid?

JB: Yes. Didn’t everybody? I’m thinking I should say more here. I played quarterback for the West Orange Mustangs Pee-Wee football team. I was sacked 46 times in a nine-game season. We weren’t very good as a team, but we did have a member of Providence College’s 1996 Elite Eight basketball team, a movie and TV actor, and a Broadway lead.

What made you decide to attend Notre Dame?

JB: It was always my dream since I was 8 years old and first visited the campus to see my older brother. I loved sports and I loved the friendships I saw my brother developing with his classmates. I mean even the grownups seemed like good, approachable people – Fr. (Richard) Warner and coach (Brian) Boulac come to mind. For me, I saw it as a special place since I was kid and I wanted to be part of that.

What was your best Notre Dame memory?

JB: There are a bunch. I don’t think I can single out just one. I really think it is the friends you make. I graduated 15 years ago. I can rattle off some great classes and experiences – Bookstore Basketball; doing the ring announcing for Bengal Bouts; getting up too early on Saturday mornings to stuff football programs in the press box; writing a 25-page paper on how Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In the U.S.A.” album changed material culture in America. But the core of all that is the friendships, the people who I was alongside to share these experiences.

How did you decide to write the book Unbeatable?

JB: I was surprised no one had gone back and revisited that era of Notre Dame football. Each year I’d see new Notre Dame football books come out, but nothing taking a deeper look at the Holtz-era, which was a formative football watching period for a lot of Notre Dame fans. I thought it was an important story to tell on the timeline of Notre Dame football history. And, as long I could get access to the players and the coaches, I thought it would be a great story to tell.

What was the biggest challenge in writing the book?

JB: The timeline. I wrote a sample chapter and put together the book proposal in late 2011/early 2012. I signed a contract with St. Martin’s Press in April 2012 and turned in the 84,000-word manuscript on October 1, six months later. I’ve said this before in other places – I gained 17 pounds, drank about 30-ounces of coffee during the day, chugged a Red Bull in the afternoon, got a large Dunkin Donuts coffee at 11 p.m. to stay up to do the rewrites until about 4 a.m. All this, plus devouring a box of Little Debbie nutty bars in less than 24 hours each time said box entered the house.

What surprised you the most in writing the book?

JB: A lot of things come to mind. Even though I thought I knew a lot about the Miami-Notre Dame game, there was so much more behind the scenes between the fans of both schools, and in the Fighting Irish’s preparation to face the ‘Canes. The multiple storylines leading up to the No. 1 versus No. 2 regular season finale at USC are some of my favorite passages in the book — the details of Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks being suspended; how a measles side effect impacted the game; and the strategy behind Notre Dame’s big plays.

Will you write another Notre Dame book?

Lisa Kelly and Jerry Barca signing books at Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore 2013

JB: Maybe. Someday. But at the moment I have no plans to write another Notre Dame book. But since you asked, now I’m wondering if Mike Brey might let me embed with the program for a year. Hmm?

So … what are your thoughts on the new FieldTurf?

JB: I wrote about this last week (http://jerrybarca.com/unbeatable/on-fieldturf-grass-and-tradition). Look, I love the grass at Notre Dame Stadium and like any super-duper bizarro fan I have a long, strangely personal, relationship with that grass. But I’m good with the FieldTurf. Times change, and so do playing surfaces.

What are your 2014 Notre Dame Football predictions?

JB: They will play home games on FieldTurf, and they will definitely play 12 games between the end of August and the end of November.

Sorry for the smartassery, but I believe the people who know best how the team will do are Brian Kelly, his staff, and the players. Those guys and Notre Dame’s opponents. They all have a far better position to make predictions than me.

Any new projects we should know about?

JB: I have begun work on another football book. I am grateful St. Martin’s Press will once again be the publisher, and I’ll have more specific details on that in the future.

Thanks so much for having me. This has been great.

Want to read more from Jerry? His Notre Dame football book “Unbeatable” can be purchased at fine booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore.

Cheers & Go Irish!

The post Is This Our Year? Unbeatable appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Famed participatory journalist George Plimpton (1927-2003) was a writer, editor, amateur sportsman, actor and friend to many. The American Masters series is showcasing his remarkable life in Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself, premiering nationally this Friday, May 16, on PBS (check local listings).

Fellow Notre Dame author, Jerry Barca, author of Unbeatable was one of the producers (along with another ND Alum) of this feature on George Plimpton and gave me the opportunity to view it in advance of its airing. Seeing as George Plimpton’s writing style was a lot like my “Where Are They Now” pieces in a Q&A writing style … I thought I’d do a little Q&A with Jerry Barca to let you hear more about this upcoming documentary.

Q: Why did you decided to do the documentary about George Plimpton?

A: “Well, I became involved in the project in early 2010. The film is the brainchild of the directors Tom Bean and Luke Poling. Luke had the light-bulb moment when he took a look at his book shelf and noticed Plimpton’s Open Net and he realized no one had done a film on Plimpton. Luke spoke to my business partner and the co-founder of Joyce Entertainment, Dennis Joyce, a double Domer, ’98 and ’03 MBA. They were at dinner in 2008, Luke pitched the idea. Dennis loved it and provided funds for the project to begin immediately.”

Q: What drew you to George Plimpton?

A: “The man lived an amazing life. It is remarkable and inspiring when you realize all he did and all he accomplished, from his writing, his groundbreaking sports journalism, his literary exploits and even his relationship with the Kennedy family. His life is the type of story that begs to be told.”

Q: Do you feel your writing style took any guidance from George Plimpton?

A: “On the surface, Plimpton is known for stunts – playing quarterback for the Detroit Lions, goalie for the Boston Bruins, pitching to Willie Mays at Yankee Stadium – but I tell people if that is all you know, you’re missing out on a lot. Those “stunts” are a literary device that serve as the entry point, one where George takes you into the world of each endeavor. My biggest take away from reading his work is to get out of the way of the story and let it, the story, be told. He did that so, so well.”

Q: How was working on this documentary different from writing the book Unbeatable?

A: “While the focus of both is on telling good stories that people will enjoy, they’re very different, especially my role. Tom Bean and Luke Poling, the directors, did a wonderful job telling George’s story. They are really the “authors” and I’m a role player on a great team. Being the author of Unbeatable, that means I’m the one accountable to produce the research, interviews, and craft the story.”

Q: What was your favorite story from the George Plimpton documentary?

A: “You know I love sports, and there is so much great stuff there from boxing to football to baseball and even the trapeze work. But the stuff Tom Bean and Luke Poling were able to unearth with regards to George’s interviewing Ernest Hemingway and George’s relationship with the Kennedy family is pure brilliance. Those parts just show you how big George’s life was. He intersected with history that will forever be studied.”

Q: What can we expect next from Jerry Barca? Another book? Another documentary?

A: “I’ve got another book cooking. A non-fiction sports book. I love immersing myself in the research and then crafting a narrative readers will enjoy. Thanks so much for taking the time to watch Plimpton! We are really so excited to share it with people, and thanks for taking time interview me.”

Please do me a favor and check out this wonderful documentary about George Plimpton. It’s a wonderfully crafted story of a participatory journalist who literally ‘knocked himself out to get the story.’ He had a never-ending curiosity about life and never let his fears govern him.

“George’s life was about seeking out and trying new things, regardless of the outcome. And as an artist, life was his greatest work of art,” said co-director, c0-writer and co-producer Tom Bean. “We hope Plimpton! inspires audiences to find that adventurous spirit within themselves and the desire to live life to the fullest.”

“For the uninitiated, we hope our introduction makes new audiences fall in love with George Plimpton. For the people who knew and read him, we hope our movie brings him and his joie de vivre back for 90 minutes,” added co-writer and co-producer Luke Poling (Twelve).

Okay folks, go check your listings on PBS and don’t miss Plimpton!

Cheers!

The post Starting Quarterback … George Plimpton? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.