The Phantom Letters
Last One!
Product Description
In the Era of Ara from 1964 through the 1974 season, a written chronicle of pre-game information, slogans, mottoes, and ideals emerged. The author was known only as the Phantom. The letters were one or two pages, written in staccato phrases, geared to thoughts that encompassed team goals and the philosophy to win.
Through the past 40 years, some of the Phantom letters have been lost, but this collection, arranged from 1966 throughout, contains the great bulk of them.
The “Phantom Speaks” letters were written in advance of each game and placed in each player’s locker on the Monday prior to the upcoming opponent. The phrases, sayings, and emotional triggers, though sometimes repetitious, illuminate the deep philosophical targets of those Irish teams. Simply written, with little fanfare, they are gems of coaching principles. They could have been pre-game or halftime talks. They are loaded with point-blank statements that pull no punches, telling players exactly where they are and why.
Tom Pagna was Ara Parseghian’s assistant coach at Notre Dame and for years was the color commentator on Westwood One for Notre Dame football. He is author of Notre Dame’s Era of Ara and Petals from a Rose. Coach Pagna passed away July 6, 2010. He was a great friend and contributing writer here at Blue and Gold Illustrated.
Through the past 40 years, some of the Phantom letters have been lost, but this collection, arranged from 1966 throughout, contains the great bulk of them.
The “Phantom Speaks” letters were written in advance of each game and placed in each player’s locker on the Monday prior to the upcoming opponent. The phrases, sayings, and emotional triggers, though sometimes repetitious, illuminate the deep philosophical targets of those Irish teams. Simply written, with little fanfare, they are gems of coaching principles. They could have been pre-game or halftime talks. They are loaded with point-blank statements that pull no punches, telling players exactly where they are and why.
Tom Pagna was Ara Parseghian’s assistant coach at Notre Dame and for years was the color commentator on Westwood One for Notre Dame football. He is author of Notre Dame’s Era of Ara and Petals from a Rose. Coach Pagna passed away July 6, 2010. He was a great friend and contributing writer here at Blue and Gold Illustrated.
All royalties and a sizeable portion of the publishing proceeds will be donated to the Ara Parseghian Medical Foundation, to combat Niemann-Pick Type C disease, a debilitating, terminal disease in children.
Size: 6x9 softcover, 176 pages
