What does it really take to be a student-athlete at Notre Dame? Most fans picture the grueling practices, the physical toll, and the thrill of game day. But behind the helmets and headlines is a deeper challenge—balancing elite athletics with the demands of a world-class education.

In The Men We Became: More Echoes From the End Zone, Lisa Kelly continues the journey she began in her first book, capturing the voices of another group of Notre Dame football players. These men share not only the lessons they learned in South Bend but also how those lessons carried them into life after football.

They reflect on their years under the Golden Dome, the transition from the end of their playing days, and the new dreams they chased—whether in business, service, family, or faith. Each story reveals how the Notre Dame experience shaped them far beyond the gridiron, instilling discipline, resilience, and character that echo long after the stadium lights fade.

As Reggie Brooks says, Lisa extracts “the essence of what makes Notre Dame men special.” Lou Holtz adds that their lives continue to embody what it means to be true Notre Dame student-athletes.