Personal Foul: Coach Joe Moore Vs.the University of Notre Dame by Richard Lieberman
It was bad enough when popular offensive line coach Joe Moore sued the University of Notre Dame for age discrimination -- but matters got much worse when the lawsuit uncovered disquieting evidence of unethical and inappropriate conduct in a football programme widely regarded as a model of probity. This is the dramatic story of that explosive lawsuit, which tarnished Notre Dame's burnished football image: the winner of eleven national titles; the home of legends Knute Rockne, the Gipper and the Four Horsemen; the subject of innumerable books and films -- Notre Dame football has been idealised as everything that is good and right about American sports competition and, indeed, about America itself. This riveting story begins in November 1996, when Bob Davie is hired as head coach to replace the beloved Lou Holtz. In one of his first -- and most fateful -- executive decisions, Davie fires 64-year-old Joe Moore because -- as Davie puts it -- he needs someone younger for the job. Anyone interested in sports, in the law or in stories of blatant injustice, will find this book a fascinating, revealing and memorable read.