The Fighting Irish, The Gipper’s Ghost, and the Ten Commandments of Notre Dame

Dec. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Did a book written many years ago by a Notre Dame alumnus foretell an amazing season and a national championship for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame?

In the book, THE GIPPER’S GHOST:  A Story of the Spirit of Notre Dame, the name of the head football coach who (with the help of divine intervention) leads the Fighting Irish to a national championship is COACH KELLY.  The book also introduced the Ten Commandments of Notre Dame.  One of them:  Thou Shalt Never Lose to USC.

A remarkable coincidence?  

Or an amazing prophecy?

THE GIPPER’S GHOST was written 27 years ago!

THE GIPPER’S GHOST, first published in 1985 and now available once again in an Amazon Kindle Edition (a new way to “KINDLE” the spirit of Notre Dame?), introduced the Ten Commandments of Notre Dame, handed down by God Almighty Himself to help the souls of Knute Rockne and George Gipp -- the greatest coach and greatest player in Notre Dame’s history -- accomplish the awesome task of resurrecting a winning tradition at Notre Dame.

In THE GIPPER’S GHOST, the most important is the Tenth Commandment of Notre Dame: Thou shalt never lose to USC.   Interestingly enough, after the book was published, and while it remained in print, Notre Dame didn’t lose to USC for more than a decade (you can look it up!).  And after THE GIPPER’S GHOST was republished in an Amazon Kindle edition last month, on Sunday, November 18, Notre Dame beat USC the following Saturday to finish a perfect 12-0 season!

Here are all Ten Commandments of Notre Dame as written in THE GIPPER’S GHOST by Notre Dame alumnus Robert A. Quakenbush:

I.          Thou shalt not tarnish the image of Notre Dame.

II.         Thou shalt always remember the importance of alumni contributions, and score touchdowns accordingly.

III.        Remember to always keep protected thy quarterback.

IV.         Honor thy coach.

V.          Thou shalt not fumble.

VI.         Thou shalt not get caught in the act of committing a needless penalty.

VII.       Thou shalt not sell thy Notre Dame football tickets above their actual face value.

VIII.     Thou shalt not be a hot dog.

IX.         Thou shalt not covet thy opponent’s cheerleaders.

X.          Thou shalt never lose to USC.

When Bob Quakenbush wrote THE GIPPER’S GHOST in 1985, the Notre Dame football team was down on its Irish luck.  In the book, Quakenbush, a former sports editor of Notre Dame’s school yearbook, The Dome, tried to do his small part to rekindle the spirit of Notre Dame.  It may have helped a little; Notre Dame’s student newspaper, The Observer, even serialized the book in its pages for the students to read in weekly installments.

Today, the coincidences (prophecies?) in the book are remarkable.  For instance, in the book, the Notre Dame athletic director was named after one of Bob’s classmates (who is now a banker in Pittsburgh).  But the book came incredibly close:  the athletic director of Notre Dame today actually is a member of Bob’s Notre Dame Class of 1976.  Right class, wrong name!

And there is one more interesting coincidence that may delight Notre Dame’s fans and foretell an imminent national championship for the Fighting Irish. In the epilog to THE GIPPER’S GHOST, Notre Dame defeats an SEC team to win the national championship!

Yet another prophecy soon to come true?  

Perhaps as soon as January 7, 2013?

Here’s hoping the real Coach Kelly and the real Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will soon turn fiction into fact!  

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your favorite Notre Dame fan, or something to read on your way to the national championship game, THE GIPPER’S GHOST has been republished as an Amazon Kindle edition available through the Amazon Kindle Store.

Go Irish!

Learn more about THE GIPPER’S GHOST at http://www.gippersghost.com or check out the Amazon Kindle Edition at http://www.amazon.com/THE-GIPPERS-GHOST-Spirit-ebook/dp/B00A9LP4RY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353469584&sr=8-1&keywords=gipper%27s+ghost.