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Notre Dame vs. The Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan
Todd tells of the weekend in May 1924 when members of the anti-Catholic organization and students at the Catholic university fought in South Bend, Indiana. To that conflict he traces the decline of the Klan in Indiana and the acceptance of the university and Catholics more generally in the US. Annotation 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews
261 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 21, 2016
An excellent narrative history written about the period when the Ku Klux Klan pinnacled to its high point in U.S. history. This was in the early 1920’s with a crusade against illegal immigration of Irish, Poles, and Italians combined with a vitriolic hatred of Catholicism. Sound familiar? Just substitute Hispanics, Syrians and Islam for today’s hatred’s. The University of Notre Dame is located in South Bend IN which was rife with Klansmen The book details how the priests at Notre Dame with stood these attacks; along with presenting an informative history of Notre Dame and the Klan.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. I highly recommend it
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. I highly recommend it
April 11, 2022
Interesting subject. Maybe a little too much history of Walsh and not enough about the actual two-day riots between the students of Notre Dame and the KKK trying to march in South Bend, but it is a good book. Almost intimates that the Fighting Irish mascot (developed 3-4 yrs after the events) might have been an allusion to that. Kinda has a lot of relevance to riots in Portland, Charlottesville and elsewhere in 2020 when anyone perceiving that a speaker was a racist or a fascist should be beaten and run out of town. Was the ACLU right in defending the right of Nazis to march in Skokie? I grew up learning that it was a shining example of American democracy. So were the students justified in attacking the KKK? I'm sure lots would say yes. I still say no. Only difference is KKK in South Bend was denied a permit and marched anyway. So yeah it was a good read.
August 27, 2017
THIS was very interesting and something I never knew had happened. Also, very scary how many Indiana politicians were Klan members during the post war era. I highly recommend this.
December 10, 2014
Okay - so I am a Domer. (Or a Notre Damer, in the odd language of the book.) That probably makes me more interested in this book than the next person. That said, it was an interesting of story (of a Klan rally/riot in South Bend) that I had never heard before.
The concise re-telling of the University's history was informative. More interesting -- in 1920, 400,000 white male Protestants in Indiana were Klan members. That was 3 out of 4 of them and included the Governor. I didn't know this either. File this story under history is fascinating.
The concise re-telling of the University's history was informative. More interesting -- in 1920, 400,000 white male Protestants in Indiana were Klan members. That was 3 out of 4 of them and included the Governor. I didn't know this either. File this story under history is fascinating.
August 11, 2015
I found this book at my local thrift store. At first, looking at the cover, I thought it was a fiction book. When I read the back and found out that this was in fact a non-fiction book, I put it in my cart. I had no idea that the Klan held so much political power in Indiana back in the day. I was also ignorant on how that effected citizens. There is so much more I would like to say about this book, but, I do not want to give anything away. I would recommend this book to my friends who like History.
December 26, 2015
this is very scary in this age of Trump as this book has me convinced he is following D.C.Stephenson's playbook (minus the psychopath part). Trump's manipulation of the fearful to achieve cynical goals parallels Stephenson's use of the Klan
August 7, 2018
I found this to be an interesting look at a part of American history that is often glossed over growing up in the Midwest. Being catholic and a lover of football, watching Notre Dame was like going to church growing up and I very much enjoyed the way Todd Tucker weaved in the personal histories of Rockne, Fr. Walsh and DC Stephenson into an entertaining narrative.
When most people think of the Klan, they only see it as a terrorist group against African-Americans and while they are not wrong, they did not realize that the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s, when it was going through a revival, was a major nativist group against African-Americans, immigrants, catholics, Jews, etc. This story highlights that very well and discusses the feelings that much of Protestant America had that led them to turning to a group like the KKK. Mr. Tucker also expertly shows how the likes of DC Stephenson became a political puppet master and major public relations person for the hate group. His rise and fall was fascinating, disgusting and sad all at the same time, three feelings that are really hard to get right.
I found the history of Fr. Walsh intriguing as well. His fight for influence over the University of Notre Dame, really its soul so to speak, his war experience and his handling of the young men bent on a fight with the KKK. The anti-catholic sentiment found in the USA is a world I've thankfully not seen much of, but Tucker brings it alive in this book and seeing how Fr. Walsh had to balance what he wanted Notre Dame to be, the practicalities of running a university, the politics with the city of South Bend and his personality clash with an iconic coach were a fun read. His ability to not blink in a difficult situation and swallow his pride to allow for Rockne to help ease the tension was a great example to learn from.
Overall, it was a great picture of a part of America that the history books do not often get right. During the Great Gatsby Roaring 20s, the Midwest was a mix of booming industrial revolution era cities blooming and the small town farms that had led to its population growth in the first place. It's complexion was changing with the continual arrival of immigrants and migrants from the deep South that were African Americans. The way Mr. Tucker weaves in and out of the personal stories is what made it an easy read for a non-fiction book. Go Irish!
When most people think of the Klan, they only see it as a terrorist group against African-Americans and while they are not wrong, they did not realize that the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s, when it was going through a revival, was a major nativist group against African-Americans, immigrants, catholics, Jews, etc. This story highlights that very well and discusses the feelings that much of Protestant America had that led them to turning to a group like the KKK. Mr. Tucker also expertly shows how the likes of DC Stephenson became a political puppet master and major public relations person for the hate group. His rise and fall was fascinating, disgusting and sad all at the same time, three feelings that are really hard to get right.
I found the history of Fr. Walsh intriguing as well. His fight for influence over the University of Notre Dame, really its soul so to speak, his war experience and his handling of the young men bent on a fight with the KKK. The anti-catholic sentiment found in the USA is a world I've thankfully not seen much of, but Tucker brings it alive in this book and seeing how Fr. Walsh had to balance what he wanted Notre Dame to be, the practicalities of running a university, the politics with the city of South Bend and his personality clash with an iconic coach were a fun read. His ability to not blink in a difficult situation and swallow his pride to allow for Rockne to help ease the tension was a great example to learn from.
Overall, it was a great picture of a part of America that the history books do not often get right. During the Great Gatsby Roaring 20s, the Midwest was a mix of booming industrial revolution era cities blooming and the small town farms that had led to its population growth in the first place. It's complexion was changing with the continual arrival of immigrants and migrants from the deep South that were African Americans. The way Mr. Tucker weaves in and out of the personal stories is what made it an easy read for a non-fiction book. Go Irish!
October 12, 2025
3.75/5
As a Notre Dame fan, I found this book about a brief period in the school's history to be quite fascinating. Todd Tucker has written an authoritative account on a small event that still reverberates through the school today. In 1924, the KKK reached it's political peak in Indiana. All thanks to D.C. Stephenson, the main villain of this story. Stephenson was a charmer and very persuasive when it came to recruiting for the Klan. Plus the atmosphere of anti-Catholicism and xenophobia in the country at this time led to a boon in membership for the Klan. Stephenson would fall from glory and the Klan's membership would drop. But before that, on May 17, in the midst of a huge Klan rally in South Bend, Indiana, a group of Notre Dame students attacked the visitors. They stood up for their religion and their ideals. I disagree with the violence, but they felt what needed to be done.
The book explains the aftermath and the fate of all characters involved. The book also explores how Notre Dame was founded, how it rose in glory thanks in part to it's football team, and how it managed to survive in a heavily bigoted environment. We also learn about the Klan, how D.C. Stephenson became involved, and how Indiana became a Klan stronghold for a few years. We also get a biography of Fr. Matthew Walsh, President of the university during the riot. Fr. Walsh's story is probably the most interesting chapter in this history. Todd Tucker also puts in a few personal anecdotes from time to time (which I personally didn't care for). A few chapters can be overly detailed and meandering. Overall, this is great read for Notre Dame fans, students, and alumni. It focuses on a small part of the university's history that unfortunately has dark parallels to our present time. Pick it up if you can!
As a Notre Dame fan, I found this book about a brief period in the school's history to be quite fascinating. Todd Tucker has written an authoritative account on a small event that still reverberates through the school today. In 1924, the KKK reached it's political peak in Indiana. All thanks to D.C. Stephenson, the main villain of this story. Stephenson was a charmer and very persuasive when it came to recruiting for the Klan. Plus the atmosphere of anti-Catholicism and xenophobia in the country at this time led to a boon in membership for the Klan. Stephenson would fall from glory and the Klan's membership would drop. But before that, on May 17, in the midst of a huge Klan rally in South Bend, Indiana, a group of Notre Dame students attacked the visitors. They stood up for their religion and their ideals. I disagree with the violence, but they felt what needed to be done.
The book explains the aftermath and the fate of all characters involved. The book also explores how Notre Dame was founded, how it rose in glory thanks in part to it's football team, and how it managed to survive in a heavily bigoted environment. We also learn about the Klan, how D.C. Stephenson became involved, and how Indiana became a Klan stronghold for a few years. We also get a biography of Fr. Matthew Walsh, President of the university during the riot. Fr. Walsh's story is probably the most interesting chapter in this history. Todd Tucker also puts in a few personal anecdotes from time to time (which I personally didn't care for). A few chapters can be overly detailed and meandering. Overall, this is great read for Notre Dame fans, students, and alumni. It focuses on a small part of the university's history that unfortunately has dark parallels to our present time. Pick it up if you can!
June 9, 2020
I plucked this book off my shelf to read a few days before the Minneapolis Police killed George Floyd, not knowing of course how prescient my choice of reading material would be. The book recounts the rise and fall of the KKK in 1920s Indiana, and more particularly the relationship between the Klan and that bastion of American Catholicism, the University of Notre Dame. Ostensibly the book focuses on a riot that occurred in 1924 in South Bend, home of Notre Dame, between a band of students and a group of Klansmen intent on a rally and parade in the town. The conflict was more or less a draw, but it serves as a framing device for Tucker to tell a bigger tale about the history of the university, the extent of KKK influence on Indiana political and social life at the time (it was extensive), and the ways in which the unholiest of causes can wrap itself in the mantle of high-sounding principles. It underscores the extent to which vilification and scapegoating can target all sorts of groups, and in the case of this book it is the anti-Catholic bigotry of the KKK that gets top billing, not its more infamous targeting of black men and women. Tucker tells the story well, and chilling indeed is the fact that were it not for the alcoholic criminality and bungling of one D.C. Stephenson, the leader of the Indiana KKK, that state's culture and politics might have turned out woeful and very different indeed.
July 27, 2020
Let’s start with this: I honestly picked this book up because of the current state of America, and I grew up bleeding blue and gold. Turns out, this book is about a lot more than just a handful of riots between Notre Dame students and Klan members. It discusses the founding of the University through about 1930 and the history of the Klan in Indiana. I am a Hoosier and had never heard any of these stories. It was a dark time for the state of Indiana to think the Klan could bring them a better America through anti-Catholicism and anti-immigrant/immigration beliefs. It is an interesting thing to see what is going on in America right now with the BLM/anti-racist movement and far-right supporters and how it compares to the Klan ideals in the 1920s - there are obvious similarities between what the Klan was doing then to what is going on today. If you can’t equate the two, pick this book up.
July 20, 2018
The KKK usually evokes thoughts of racial bigotry. That was the story of their beginnings in the South. This fascinating book treats a little known chapter in this organization’s sordid history: anti-Catholicism and anti-immigration. These biases under the pretense of “patriotism” mobilized the KKK in the North under the leadership of interesting yet nefarious man. There in the midst of the madness overtaking the state of Indiana was an oasis of Catholic higher education in South Bend. This book describes the emergence of Notre Dame and its football program as a Midwest culture and institution, and how this placed them on a crash course with D.C. Stephenson and his white Protestant army. As a Catholic and a Notre Dame fan I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
January 2, 2019
I initially sought out this book because, as an ND grad, I had several folks mention the story to me and I didn't have any background on it. The book itself is well-written and engaging. I very much appreciate the set up of the parallel stories of Father Walsh and D.C. Stephenson and how this event played a role of the larger history of both Catholics and the Klan in Indiana. As a Hoosier myself, I was aware of Stephenson and his role in the Klan in Indiana, but this book shed new light onto this history. Overall, great read and I couldn't put it down. The author did a great job in creating a story that just couldn't be ignored.
January 31, 2025
I heard of this book after visiting the “Resist” exhibit at the Indiana Historical Society. I wasn’t super excited about reading about the topic, thinking it might get boring, but the author did a fantastic job. The books drifts between the story of the founding of Notre Dame, the founding of the Klan, leaders of both institutions, and the clash between the students and the Klan. Overall a very educational book.
May 23, 2021
Some much history in this book that I didn’t know existed. It wasn’t what I expected it to be about and didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. This will be a book I pick up and read again one day.
January 14, 2023
Really torn after reading. I learned a lot about local and state history, but some of the chapters were difficult to push through and didn’t feel connected to the overall story. Worth pushing through? Yes. Wish more time had been devoted specifically to the riot and fallout? Also, yes.
April 27, 2020
This was an enjoyable read. I learned a lot from this book. It had a lot of great background on the University of Notre Dame.
October 23, 2024
Quite the background on the University of Notre Dame including the run-in with the KKK.
January 12, 2016
As an ND alum, I was naturally interested in the story of my alma mater taking on the Klan. Who doesn't like the idea of their school fighting against evil?
While the story was built around the fighting between Notre Dame students and Klan members one one weekend in South Bend, it also provided a fascinating look at the origins of the school as well as the KKK's rise to power in Indiana. I had no idea just how entrenched the Klan had become in my home state. Crazy!
I'd definitely recommend this to any history buff, but especially to anyone with a tie to Notre Dame, the state of Indiana, or Catholicism.
While the story was built around the fighting between Notre Dame students and Klan members one one weekend in South Bend, it also provided a fascinating look at the origins of the school as well as the KKK's rise to power in Indiana. I had no idea just how entrenched the Klan had become in my home state. Crazy!
I'd definitely recommend this to any history buff, but especially to anyone with a tie to Notre Dame, the state of Indiana, or Catholicism.
February 8, 2016
Though I would rarely be interested in a historical non-fiction book, this was fascinating. It choronicals the birth of the University of Notre Dame with in-depth introspective characterizations of the men who made Notre Dame what it is today. Right alongside this, we learn of the birth of the Klu Klux Klan and the individuals who not only popularized the organization in the 1920's but who also led it to its inevitable death. Again, this was an absolutely fascinating read. Even if is not your genre of choice, I would suggest you pick it up and give it a try. It will suck you and keep you reading until the end.
February 5, 2016
A wonderful book, chronicling the conflict between the KKK and University of Notre Dame, in reality a microcosm of the conflict between Protestants and Catholics that has endured for centuries. A feature of this book is the author's stories within the story. While I have considered this style of writing in a book I'm writing, my intrusions on the narrative are of events within the context of the main story, not of 60 years in the future. I enjoyed those asides but wonder if they are needed.
I strongly recommended this book to one of my best friends who is a "subway alumnus".
I strongly recommended this book to one of my best friends who is a "subway alumnus".
November 25, 2015
Very interesting book about the rise of Notre Dame and the rise and fall, thankfully, of the Klan. I have a far greater appreciation of the term "Fighting Irish" now. Book is well-written and engaging. The awful and irrational hatred towards a group merely due to religion, in the book's case, Catholicism, is profoundly disturbing. Unfortunately, society does not seem to be able to learn to dispel such hate and is destined to repeat the sins of the past.
June 30, 2016
As a Catholic, I really enjoyed this book. It was fascinating, especially in today's world with some having anti-Muslem views, to read and understand that Catholics were also treated in a similar fashion in this country.
Also, the book does an EXCELLENT job of teaching the history of Notre Dame. This is an excellent book and a quick read. I could not put this one down.
If you are a fan of Notre Dame, or a Catholic, I would highly suggest your read this book.
Also, the book does an EXCELLENT job of teaching the history of Notre Dame. This is an excellent book and a quick read. I could not put this one down.
If you are a fan of Notre Dame, or a Catholic, I would highly suggest your read this book.
August 12, 2015
It's interesting how you can live in a place but never know some of it's history. Having lived at Notre Dame I had a vested interest and familiarity.
What I found most interesting was how the Klan was able to grow so successfully in Indiana. It was a little disturbing to read some of their arguments and recognize that some of the exact rhetoric is being used today.
What I found most interesting was how the Klan was able to grow so successfully in Indiana. It was a little disturbing to read some of their arguments and recognize that some of the exact rhetoric is being used today.
February 8, 2009
It's interesting to think that in 1920, 3 out of 4 white, Protestant males in the state of Indiana were Klan members -- including the Governor. This translated to approximately 400,000 members. Ninety years later, Indiana's electoral votes help swing the election for Obama.
September 19, 2007
So what if we can't score a touchdown? We beat the Klan! This book proves that Knute Rockne was a champion in more ways than one.
February 27, 2011
Unbelievable read! Who would have thunk it!!! I live right next door to Indiana and never knew this had happened.
September 9, 2015
An interesting study of both the rise of Notre fame and the rise and fall of Klan in Indiana
April 7, 2013
Great history of ND! A must-read for any ND fan!!!
November 13, 2015
eye opening read. enjoyed it.
April 7, 2017
I enjoyed this one. I grew up 30 minutes south of Notre Dame, so it has obviously played a big part in my life. I also knew that the Klan was (is?) a big part of our history. But I had no idea that they had clashed.
Good read.
Good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews