Reverent look at ND lore

The Spirit of Notre DameJim and Jeremy Langford
Doubleday, 304 pp.

Cheer, cheer for Jim and Jeremy Langford's book, ''The Spirit of Notre Dame: Legends, Traditions, and Inspiration from One of America's Most Beloved Universities."

This is a compilation of stories gleaned from ancient documents, memoirs, and first-hand accounts in an attempt to answer the question, ''What is the spirit of Notre Dame?"

A warning: If the first names you think of when you hear ''Notre Dame" are Stuhldreher, Layden, Crowley, and Miller, this may not be the book for you. For while the Four Horsemen of the 1924 football squad are cemented in school lore, the Langfords' collection is a broader look.

Surely some of the names of subjects and contributors will be familiar to even the most casual fan, including gridiron legends Johnny Lujack, Chris Zorich, and Daniel ''Rudy" Ruettiger. But it's learning about other school legends, such as Father Edward Sorin and Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, and stories of the university's humble beginnings that make this a special read.

Father Sorin, who was born in France in 1814, established the school in South Bend, Ind., in 1842. Sorin, who was devoted to Mary, the Mother of God, named the school Notre Dame du Lac -- ''Our Lady of the Lake." Sorin was the rock upon which the school was built, and his leadership was never more evident than in 1879, when a devastating fire destroyed much of the campus.

Sorin told the community, ''Tomorrow we will begin again and build it bigger, and when it is built, we will put a gold dome on top with a golden statue of the Mother of God so that everyone who comes this way will know to whom we owe whatever great future this place has."

Hesburgh, or Father Ted, is called the school's ''Second Founder." He was named president in 1952. It was under Hesburgh's watch that Notre Dame became ''the premier Catholic university in the world" according to Jim Langford.

The Langfords break the book down in chapters they believe embody the spirit of the school, including ''Faith," ''Hope," ''Love," and ''Community."

It's in the later chapters, ''Mind," ''Body," and ''Spirit," where more familiar tales of athletic glory are touched on and the names Rockne, Parseghian, Devine, and Holtz are prevalent.

There is a passage from Zorich sure to raise goose bumps on any Notre Dame alum, subway or otherwise. Describing the sensation of winning the 1989 Fiesta Bowl and 1988 national championship, Zorich writes: ''It was like we could feel all those Irish legends out there. I kept hearing those lines from our fight song about shaking down the thunder and waking up the echoes."

Notre Dame fans will put this book on the top shelves of their collections. Critics will point to it as nothing more than school propaganda put together by a family with unabashed love for the school.

For those wanting the answer to ''What is the Spirit of Notre Dame?" reading the Langfords' book -- and spending a Saturday afternoon in Notre Dame Stadium -- would go a long way.