Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Firsts

Notre Dame expert John Heisler presents the stories behind the firsts in Fighting Irish history in question-and-answer format. More than a mere trivia book, Heisler’s collection includes substantive answers to the question of ＂who was the first...?＂ on a variety of topics, many of which will surprise even seasoned fans of the Golden Domers.

John Heisler spent more than 40 years as a member of the University of Notre Dame athletics staff. He most recently served 14 years as senior associate athletics director in South Bend. His tenure there also included 16 years as the university’s sports information director beginning in 1988. Heisler has written, co-written or edited 12 books (all but one of those on Notre Dame football), one of them, co-authored with Lou Holtz, a New York Times bestseller. Heisler joined the University of Central Florida athletics staff as senior associate athletics director for strategic communications in July 2019.