Nouveautés

When Frank Leahy retired from Notre Dame after the 1953 season, he had the second‑best record in the history of the game (107‑13‑9, .864), second only to Knute Rockne, his college coach and mentor. Seven decades later, he still does. Rockne created the image of Notre Dame, then a small Catholic university in a remote town in northern Indiana, as the premier college football program in the nation. But it was Leahy who secured that image, with six undefeated seasons and four national championships in an 11-season span.

The ethos of East Texas is especially embodied in the story of Jeff Traylor, former head coach of the Gilmer Buckeyes, and his long-time coaching staff. A native son, Traylor and his band of brothers transformed the Buckeyes into champions, and in doing so help tell the story of the entire region's obsession with high school football, and undeniable influence on all levels of the sport. This is the story of the coach, the team, and the region.