He embodied an archetype: the hard-working, faithful Irish Catholic descendant of immigrants who reached the best of his own ability. And he did it on perhaps the greatest stage an American Catholic could in his time. But Frank Leahy paid a price for marching Notre Dame to victory on the gridiron. In the new book American Coach: The Triumph and Tragedy of Notre Dame Legend Frank Leahy, longtime college football writer Ivan Maisel traces Leahy's resume of success as a football coach who achieved more national championships and unbeaten seasons in his years at the University of Notre Dame than even his legendary mentor, Knute Rockne, who died in a plane crash in 1931. All before Notre Dame came calling in 1941.