First, Do No Harm

An Athletic Director at Notre Dame must, above all else, protect the legacy he represents. His first job is "Don't Screw It Up." Notre Dame football is as healthy as it's ever been. In fact, it's the easiest of legacies to maintain. Hire a good coach, support him athletically and academically and schedule a diverse and competitive slate that ensures Notre Dame plays in high profile games across the country. The rest magically falls into place. All of this talk about a Jumbotron (White is still forcefully pushing for this) and re-engineering the schedule is about treating symptoms for a self-induced illness that doesn't exist when Notre Dame football is healthy.

Here's what happened: For lack of an understanding of tradition, we hired two bad coaches. For lack of a good coach, a team suffered. For lack of a good team, Notre Dame football suffered on the field. For lack of performance, Notre Dame lost perceived bargaining power. For lack of perceived bargaining power, Notre Dame negotiated the last BCS deal as if we were lucky to just be apart of it. For lack of future BCS money (and understandable alumni fallout) our AD starts thinking about how to "generate other revenue."

Notre Dame doesn't need to "maximize revenue," it needs to not hurt what it already has and the rest will come. Maximizing revenue strategies are short-sighted.

Notre Dame is not for padding a strategic business resume, it's about protecting the legacy you've been entrusted to protect. CJC wrote:

"Holding the job should not immunize somebody from criticism from his
constituents. In fact, being athletic director (or University president) is not
really a job, it's a trust. And anyone who thinks he doesn't or shouldn't answer
to Notre Dame alumni is not fit to hold that trust."

Here's Andy Cross's take on scheduling:

"It's the second most important job and ND AD has to do, apart from hiring the football coach. It is, at its essence, the stewardship of ND's hard-earned legacy.

People of good faith can debate how difficult the schedule should be. I tend to think 4 marquee games is a challenge worthy of ND. Others think 3 should suffice. Let's table that argument. All likely agree that the schedule needs to be better balanced and sequenced. Let's table those issues too.

I suggest that we should address other issues, about which there should be universal agreement, and regarding which White has proven to be an unworthy and misguided steward.

White's problem is that he views the schedule as a tool to maximize revenue.

To further this end, he:

(1) is moving to limit away games (defined as playing at another school's campus) to four out of twelve;

(2) is refusing to entertain home and home offers from marquee programs and
other programs from power conferences (defined as any conference besides the
Big East, UNR's conference, and the MAC), and giving them a take it or leave
it "play at ND only and like it"; and

(3) ruining a good "barnstorming" idea by limiting it to teams who suck. I can only imagine the shiteous matchups to which we can look forward. Tulane in New Orleans. Connecticut in Boston. Villanova in Pittsburgh. Perhaps there will be no geographic or logical connection between the opponent, and we will play, say, Baylor in Chicago.

This revenue whoring as a scheduling principle will inevitably diminish ND's football program. It also should offend in ND alumni a basic sense of fair play. It's one thing to have our own TV contract because we can. It's another thing to play only 4 away games when most will play 5 or 6. If it offends me, it will offend the media and our peers. I don't give a shit whether OSU or other teams do the same thing. We're above that.

Plainly and simply, White can't be trusted with the schedule. ND alumni need to challenge him on these issues before he inks MAC teams because teams from power conferences refuse his take it or leave it demands for home-only games.

The seriousness of this issue cannot be overstates, nor can the immediacy of the threat. I suggest finding consensus on the following:

1. We should alternate between playing six and 7 games at ND every year. Where we play 6, we should play a game at a neutral site against quality competition.

2. We should play at least 5 games at the stadium of our oppenents every year. This promotes a level playing field and is simply equitable.

3. We should not play MAC or directional teams. Ever. No exceptions. Ad
infinitum.

4. There should never be another November like this November, when we
play 4 cupcakes in a row to finish the season. This was done because White
slotted Duke instead of a quality opponent, likley because they were the only
ones who would accept a one-off game.

5. We should advise MSU and P-U that if they wish the respective series to continue, they will need to show some flexibility in the timing of those games.

6. We should tell the Big Least commissioner that we will commit only to playing a minimum of 2 games against Big East teams per year, with an occasional third game if we can work it out. We should reserve the right to determine which Big Least team we will play.

7. We should strive to play games as often as possible against at least one power conference's member every year aside from the Pac 10 and Big 10. The SEC, Big 12 and to a lesser extent the ACC should be on our schedule every year. "

And ndoldtown's take on why alumni should be heard and not dismissed by those who have another agenda:

"When people cringe that their alma mater might put up a jumbotron in Notre Dame Stadium because the AD says it will promote more "revenue streams", I'll be there. When people weep at the extension of the contract of a coach like Bob Davie, I'll be there. When ND is poorer and hungrier after an incompetent AD negotiates away millions in BCS money because he didnt have any guts, I'll be there. When ND gets beaten and bloodied by the press and silence emanates from the people responsible for setting the record straight, I'll be there. When the responsible officer has no succession plan or idea in place upon the firing of a coach who he knew he was going to fire for three months, I'll be there. When real members of the Notre Dame family sit stunned at the athletic administration's "moment of silence" in the Stadium built by Knute Rockne, for one of the most foul and bigotted Notre Dame haters since Fielding Yost, while at the same time ignoring the death of one of its own students, I'll be there. Because I'm the people, Bill - the Notre Dame people.

The people who went to Notre Dame, who care about Notre Dame, who pay money to Notre Dame because we care. And while our demanding and uncompromising presence might jar you, make you uncomfortable and otherwise ruin the pale, anemic, lace curtain Irish tea party you and your ilk think Notre Dame should be, you'll just have to put up with us saying when mercenary clowns like White are wrong and putting the actual interests of the University ahead of your desire that we all get along and defer to whatever rube is in an adminsitrative position, like a bunch of real estate salesman-blazer-wearing phonies such as your hero White.

Because we're not going anywhere. And we will be here long after White has gone on to his next athletic bureaucratic job at some land-grant monstrosity or mega-conference, confiding to his friends how difficult Notre Dame people were. "

What Has Notre Dame's Football Tradition Meant to You?

Notre Dame Football is the basis of a tradition that crosses generations to bind alumni and fans to one another and to the University. We fear that through years of neglect this bond is eroding to the point that current and future generations will lose their rightful link to our University's storied past.

It's obvious from my brief correspondence at NDToday that the link we talked about in the letter has already been lost for many/most current students. It is a link that is being needlessly broken through neglect and incompetence. When the university excels at all levels there is magic... but most will never know. You can't miss what you never had and most current students have never experienced it.

Take a moment and share your stories here and we'll find a way to get the word out.


Magic in the Air
gmurphy

ND is a very different place when the football team is winning. There is a different magic in the air, and a different spirit in the eyes of the students. One feels as though anything is possible and nothing is beyond one's reach.

And that feeling needs to return.

Memories of my grandfather
by Karl(1of1) (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I didn't know my grandfather (on my dad's side) very well. He was 69 when I was born, and his hearing was mostly gone. Soon after that he had cataract surgery and couldn't see very well either. Communication was difficult.

Even if the physical ailments hadn't prevented it, our family is somewhat reserved by nature, and Grampa was the archetype of this. I don't believe there are any extant pictures of him smiling. Physical or audible signs of affection are rarely given; the love is there, but the signs are muted. A pat on the shoulder means "I'm proud of you and I love you."

He was in many respects an admirable man, a basketball star in his youth (around 1920), a graduate from Wisconsin in engineering, who kept his family fed during the Depression partly by playing poker (the greatest poker face in history), a Civil War scholar, a successful businessman, a Knight of Columbus, who loved his wife and family. He was an Irish fan from the early days and sent his son to Notre Dame and his daughter to St. Mary's. But I didn't know him very much.

Towards the end of his life, as I said, he couldn't hear or see very well. We got him cable television, which he couldn't figure out, in order that he could watch Notre Dame football. The last memory that I have of him was going over to his house on a Saturday morning to turn his television on so he could watch the game.

Grampa let me in, but was a bit confused. I turned the TV on and shouted "It's so you can watch the Notre Dame game." "What?" "The Notre Dame game!"

As I put my coat on and got ready to leave, he looked at me, flashed a rare smile, patted me on the shoulder, and said "I don't know why you're here, but I'm glad you came."

That's the last time I ever saw him. He died in 1990, having lived to see one last national championship.


Family, Faith, Football
by JC (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

This is my release.

I try to explain to my friends who chide me, my kids who don't understand it and my wife who kind of gets it, but it is not nearly engrained.

It begins for me at birth. I am the fifth generation oldest son of a potato famine Irish immigrant family. I am the fourth generation to matriculate at ND. My grandfather, was so happy I was born after my parents had 4 girls, that he drove to South Bend in the middle of the summer and bought the ND baby booties, and baby accoutrements. Dressed in ND from day one or two or three.

By the time I reached the ripe old age of 5 or 6, my dad brought home a ND helmet from the bookstore. It was orangeish yellow with an interlocking ND decal on either side. At dusk / and at night under the porch lights, we'd play me and my brother against him. I can't remember who won, it doesn't matter, it was me and my brother as Seymour or Hanratty or Bleier against my dad.

As we grew older and our responsibilities increased, I remember working in the yard listening to Van Patrick bring the play by play. Also as vividly, I remember when a clutch play happened -- all work stopped -- the raking, the hammering the plastic to the screened in porch -- we listened intently -- cheering wildly for a successful outcome, or groaning for a bitter result. We always knew, though, it was a temporary set back.

I was closer to my father's roommate's kids than some of my own cousins. When the Irish were on TV vs. SC or any other game, we trekked or hosted these other families. We would vacation at times in the summer and in the fall and winter together we went to the campus. In the fall for a game, in the winter, we had our "hockey-basketball" weekend. Some of my older cousins were at ND, we were the "little soldiers" as we got to stay in Zahm for the weekend. We were in hog heaven.

No trip to ND was complete without a trip to the Grotto. Silent reflection, a prayer, and a candle lit. The Grotto remains my favorite place in the world. I spent many nights while on campus at the rosary at 6:45 or under a tree by the lake. We visited my grandparents resting place at the cemetery.

After leaving I married a woman whose grandfather was a true Irish subway alum. I've given no greater thrill to anyone than when my wife and I took her grandparents to the MSU game when Tim Brown ran back two kicks and won the Heisman in September. As far as he was concerned his life was complete. When he turned 80, another family member asked Lou Holtz to send a birthday wish, which to this day, is framed in the hall of her grandmother's home.

Our families have met at ND for games over the past few years, but it doesn't have the same feel it once did. Everything seems so much more sterile. Gone are the pep rallies at Stepan Center where you couldn't hear yourself think when the band entered ... people waiting outside just to be near ... and chasing the band back to Washington Hall. The excitement, the fun, the calculation of if so and so beats Alabama and we beat SC then we will be number 1 .... or whatever.

My relationship with my father and brother are both stronger because of Notre Dame football. My relationship with my own children will be similarly enhanced because of the way we pull for our teams when we watch them together on TV. My connection with ND goes much further than just football. It is about family, faith and ultimately fun ... in the way of sports, competition and excellence.

In recent years, though, the interest has waned some and my kids have begun to ask, why do you care so much if they lose so much ...

In my day, ND stood for Never Doubt, we always seemed to find a way ...

I have a hard time explaining that now.


The 3 "F's"..I love it *
by IrishLep (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


I'm going to take you to a special place
by BeijingIrish (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

My grandfather never knew his father. Big Jim Donovan from County Cork was a track-layer for the Union Pacific RR. He stayed at Mrs. Hoch's boarding house in Kansas City, Missouri, for a few weeks (months?). Eventually, he moved on as the railroad itself moved on, but he left my great grandmother with a token of his affection, James Adam Donovan.

Little Jimmy grew up dirt poor, but he was smart, and he could run. He won a track scholarship to the University of Chicago, and, as a parting gift, the good citizens of his hometown presented him with his first pair of shoes. After college, he worked for Mr. Wrigley in the old Boulevard National Bank. It was the only job he ever had. He was a decent and kind man, much beloved by his family, friends, and business associates.

One summer in the mid-1950's, I was visiting my grandparents. They lived in Winnetka in those days. At dinner, Boo-Poo, as we called him, announced that we were going for an all-day drive the next day. "I'm going to take you to a special place". My grandmother busied herself after dinner preparing a picnic basket for the trip.

The next day, we left at the crack of dawn. The drive to South Bend took forever. I took forever just to get out of Chicago. But, by mid-morning we were cruising across the Indiana prairie. At some point, something shiny and bright appeared on the horizon. Soon, the Golden Dome took shape, and, before long, we were wandering around the leafy campus. It was hot as hell, but Boo-Poo wore a suit and a hat. At one point, I noticed that my grandfather had his hankie out and was wiping away tears. I was curious and a little frightened, but Moo-Moo didn't appear to be concerned. Finally, we stood in front of the Stadium, and Boo-Poo said, tears running down his face, "All my life I've wanted to visit this place".

The trip home was long and hot, and we got back to the North Shore well after dark. I went straight off to bed, but I didn't fall asleep right away. I lay awake wondering what had made Boo-Poo cry. I knew something significant had happened, but I wasn't sure what.

Years later, my mom told me that her father prayed every day that I would go to Notre Dame. I think this helped--I was a sort of juvenile delinquent cum jock in high school, and, to this day, I don't understand how or why I was admitted. But my grandfather lived a long life and there were many prayers. Thank you, Boo-Poo.


It's always been...Notre Dame
by IrishInVa (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I posted this a couple of pages back. Apologies to those who've already read it and attached comments...

It’s always been…Notre Dame

Growing up in St. Louis, I attended a small Catholic school in the northwest suburbs. I remember then, the kids had sweatshirts that said “Notre Dame”…the “Victory March” was played at school functions. On Saturday afternoons, if the Irish weren’t on TV, which wasn’t too often, we’d try to find a broadcast on the radio. If there wasn’t a game on either TV or radio, nothing and no one else was worth watching or listening to so we’d find something else to do. On Sunday mornings, a show came on about ten o’clock that I wouldn’t miss and that was Notre Dame Football with Lindsey Nelson.

Through high school, through college, and through my military years…it’s always been Notre Dame...you could see a total stranger anywhere in town or in a foreign country with a ND shirt on and you’d could always strike up a conversation by saying, “how ‘bout those Irish”. The conversation never centered on academics, facilities, or other sports…not that they aren’t important…but it was always football. The conversation was always about Notre Dame football.

My wife was fortunate enough to attend Holy Cross College in New Orleans and the President of the school until last year was Father Tom Chambers. A remarkable human being who was and still is fanatical fan of Notre Dame football. On the days I had to pick my wife up from class, I’d go by his office and if he wasn’t busy, he’d invite me in for a bit and we’d talk Irish football.

At commencement exercises, Father Tom invited Rudy to give the commencement address at the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. More to my wife’s stellar academic achievement in her nursing classes than my relationship with Father Tom, we were invited to an after graduation get together at Brennan’s in the French Quarter. I introduced myself to Rudy at the reception and listened to him talk about the spirit of Notre Dame football, Ara, and Coach Devine.

We were in there in New Orleans when Jerome Bettis destroyed Florida in the second half of the “Cheerios” Bowl.

The youngest of my three children wrote Lou Holtz one year in the middle of football season telling him that one day he was going to be the Irish quarterback and asked for advice on how to get the job done. Much to his surprise, and mine, a letter arrived in the mail from the University of Notre Dame Football Office. I don’t know whether it was a form letter or real, it didn’t matter. Here was a letter addressed to my kid from and signed by Coach Holtz, telling him study hard, listen to his mom and dad (imagine that), keep practicing, and one day he’d see him on campus at South Bend.

My very young kids remember being woke up by screaming parents late one night over the sight of the Rocket running back a punt against Colorado in the final seconds of game only to have the touchdown and the win called back for a penalty.

It’s always been…Notre Dame. The only games we ever tape are Notre Dame. The only games we have parties for are Notre Dame…

Two years ago, I was able to get to tickets for Notre Dame vs. Navy game in Baltimore. We left in plenty of time to get to the game, or so we thought…and as we traveled up I-95…traffic came to a halt about 3 miles away from the stadium. It was mayhem on the freeway. Irish banners dangling everywhere, chalk paint on windows, the Victory March and other Irish tunes were blaring, and of course there was the “polite” bad mouthing those fans swearing their allegiance to the Academy. My teenagers were in awe. They’d been to big-time concerts before, but never had they seen or felt the electricity of being at an Irish game.

It’s always been…Notre Dame. It’s always been…Notre Dame Football.


ND tradition to me
by Rocket7 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

It first started when I was 5 years old. My mother had bought be a jacket to wear outside when I started school that fall. The jacket was grey with two yellow and blue stripes down each arm. I loved that jacket! Unfortunately, that jacket had a big, blue "M" on the left chest. Growing up in the state of Michigan, I just thought that "M" referred to the state, not a university.

My Godfather ran into us at a mall and saw me wearing that jacket. I always had fun with this man and he was nothing but nice to me, but when he saw that jacket he grabbed a handful, looked at my mother and said "Why the hell is he wearing this god damned jacket!?!" The next day I had a new jacket that was instantly cooler because it was reversible. On one side it was navy blue with a school crest on the left breast. The other side was grey with two words on the back, "Notre Dame". I had no idea what those words meant but I did know that many of my relatives now complained about my jacket. "Why, it's brand-new" would often be my response, but they hated that jacket.

Two years later my friends and I were running around the play ground choosing up football teams and when I asked which team was Notre Dame, my friends told me I couldn't play. They only rooted for U of M and MSU because those were the best teams and Notre Dame sucked! Or so I was told. That was when I decided to find out exactly who and what Notre Dame was and why they were so hated.

When I asked my father and godfather who ND was, I was told stories about Knute Rockne, The Four Horseman, Paul Horning, Frank Leahy, and someone with the same first name as me eating some chicken noodle soup and beating a team in some bowl. When I asked why most of my friends hated ND, I was told it was ignorance. Those kids didn't know the history of ND and how good ND was. They told me that people had forgotten ND's greatness because they had been down for a few years, but they had a new coach named Lou Holtz that was going to do great things for ND. This was the spring of '87.

Being Irish Catholic, my father also tried to explain to me that ND was a place you go to learn about academics and faith. He said it was kind of like going to my regular school and catechism all at once. I guess that was the best way to describe it to an 8 year old.

So in the fall of '87, I was introduced to Notre Dame football. I was allowed to stay up late and see Tim Brown return 2 punts against Michigan State. I also saw ND beat U of M and wondered what these friends of mine were talking about. At the end of the year I watched as some people gave Tim Brown an award as the best football player in the country. Did my friends have ND confused with some other school? It appeared to me that they had no idea what the hell they were talking about.

The next year I watched as ND won the National Championship and I was hooked. My favorite player of all time single handedly beat U of M the next year with 2 kick returns for TD’s and ND could not lose. Even though they lost to Miami that year, I still hadn't "felt" a ND loss. That would come in 1990, on my birthday, to Penn State. While all my friends were over I watched in horror as ND lost at home while ranked #1. How could they, on my birthday! Then came the Orange Bowl when Rocket saved the day only to have it ripped from him and the rest of the team by a ref. That was the first time I cried because of a ND loss.

This was the time I first learned what ND was about. I had to go to school the next day and I just wanted to stay home. My mother was getting me up and telling me that I had to go to school when the phone rang. It was my godfather. He told me that ND fans held their heads high, win or lose and they support the team no matter what. He told me I should wear every piece of ND clothing I had to show my friends that I supported ND at all times. So I went to school wearing my Notre Dame sweatshirt with a ND t-shirt under, my ND jacket, ND sweatpants, ND hat, and my brand new ND bag to carry my books. My friends were so shocked they didn't know what to say.

I did not have the good fortune to attend ND as an undergrad. I attended MSU and cheered for ND every time they played. I am currently studying to take the GMAT and my choices are ND or bust. If that doesn't get me in, I will try again or try another area of study to get into ND. I will do what ever it takes to attend the University of Notre Dame.

To me, ND represents a fighting spirit. It was that spirit that helped me go to school and face my friends after a ND loss, and it is that spirit that will make me work my tail off so that I can attend this school.


How 25 cents became priceless
by CountyKerry (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

In 1966, I was a wee lad of nine. I didn't know much about football, and I knew nothing of Notre Dame. My father, however, was addicted, and with the game of the century at hand against MSU, he was so giddy with enthusiasm, he promised to give me 25 cents (bear in mind we were very poor at the time) if Notre Dame won that day. The lure of 25 cents got my attention.

Four decades later, I have a priceless treasure from that investment of 25 cents by my father.

Part of that treasure is the memories that we all share of game-day heroics, the kind of heroics that become frozen in exquisite detail in your memory, the kind that become indelible reference points, the "I remember exactly where I was that day" kind of bookmarks in your life. These include frozen moments such as Clements to Webber against the Bear, Penick going 89 yards straight into the student section against USC, the Trojan horse rolling onto the turf of ND stadium to herald the arrival of the Green Jerseys, Joe Montana overcoming the flu and a monumental deficit in the frozen Cotton Bowl, the scoreboard triumphantly blaring 31-30 against the despised Hurricanes, the Rocket taking a second kick-off to the end zone after General Bo defiantly roared "kick it to him again!", and the smashmouth thrashing we gave FSU in another edition of the game of the century.

But there is something deeper, something more profound involved here than just simple heroics on a playing field. For me, it begins with the ritual that starts every home game, including the reading of excerpts from the preamble to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and the singing of America the Beautiful. It ends with the salute of the players to the student body and the stadium singing Notre Dame, Our Mother in unison, as a family. In between those two points lies not just a football game, but a celebration of cherished values and eternal truths. We embrace this university, not just because it's student can run fast and win games, but because it is a moral beacon for us, a communal reference point that guides us, a reminder that faith, country, and family are paramount, and that there is a right and golden path to follow. We love Notre Dame in a way that no other fan of any other university can possibly understand. Such a thing is priceless.

Even more priceless is the way it becomes the tie that binds. Just as my father bequeathed to me a love for Notre Dame, so have I done for my seven children. We have become a very large family, and some of our closest moments have been huddled around a TV screen, banners and flags draped around our family room, hanging breathlessly on every ebb and flow of an important game against a dreaded foe. It is then that we recognize, we feel, we embrace our love for each other, our passion for what is good and right in the world, and our respect for a University that dares to be magnificent example of all of these things.


It started with a little blue book
by mkovac (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

It started with a little blue book in my mother's library. It was called, "Rockne of Notre Dame," and was printed a few years after he died. It was probably the first "grown-up" book I ever read, and after that, it was all ND.

The other thing that did it for me was when my father took me, my brother, and our parish priest (who God forbid, was an SC fan) to an ND-SC game in the Coliseum. I don't have the media guide with me here out of town to consult, but I do remember being around 8 years old, so it had to have been 1954 or so, and it was raining like hell. I was crying because the Irish were losing and I was soaking wet. Watching them play like hell, like Notre Dame men, did it for me right then. I was going to Notre Dame. I wanted to be a part of that. After the game, I was walking fast trying to keep up with my group and I wasn't looking straight ahead. I ran right into a telephone pole with the side of my face. All the way back to Bakersfield, in the back of a dark car, I was drying off, picking splinters out of my face. My father and Father Logan talked about the game.

God damn, the LA Coliseum is a great place to watch college football. We have many ghosts in many closets, but there is always 1988 and 1986 to remember. Our big W's. And our Alamo's: 1964, 1970, 1974, 1978, and especially Michael Harper's phantom touchdown in 1982.

Regardless of the year or two before, ND always came back into the lion's den for more.

Being an Irish fan means never having to say you're a pussy.


Notre Dame Moments...
by FourLeafDomer (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

# I can't for the life of me remember when I started to love Notre Dame. It's been part of me for so long it seems like it's always been there. Credit Lindsay Nelson, I think. At the earliest ages, I remember Sunday mornings and "Notre Dame Highlights". Watching Hanratty to Seymour. Theisman to Gatewood. Clements to Demmerle. And then reliving those moments with my buddies on my backyard gridiron.

# New Year's Day Cotton Bowls in the late 60's against the Longhorns. New Year's Eve Sugar Bowls against the Crimson Tide in the early 70s. Robin Weber catches the greatest pass a Notre Dame quarterback has ever thrown from Tom Clements to ice the Bear. Erik Penick's 83 yard touchdown run to crush SC. Anthony Davis dancing on his knees in the end zone... Damn him to eternal hell.

# Sitting in a McDonald's in Scranton, PA with my Mom, after visiting the University of Scranton, one of my potential college choices. Mom asks, "Where do you really want to go?" "Well, I want to go to Notre Dame, but I don't know whether you and Dad can afford it." And then Mom telling me she and my father will find a way to do it, if I can get in.

# Dad telling me that if they were going to spend that kind of money on an education, that he'd rather see me going to Princeton where he always dreamed of being able to send one of his sons. Me looking back at Dad and trying to explain to him that although Princeton was a great school, it just wasn't Notre Dame.

# Several months later being called out of class to the principles office only to find Mom standing there with tears in her eyes, holding my acceptance letter to ND. Congratulations all around from the school staff and getting to walk back to my Physics class to tell my classmates I was going to Notre Dame.

# Driving west through the hills of Pennsylvania, and flatlands of Ohio and Indiana and seeing the Golden Dome for the very first time as I rolled in to Freshmen Orientation...


A tradition that can define a family
by ndslc (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I still remember the day vividly. Dad rounded up me and my brother and announced that this was the year we would be introduced to Notre Dame football. It was late summer/early fall 1988 and he sure picked a great season for us to begin following ND football. We were spoiled. We would sit around the TV, cheering for the Irish, beginning a love of a university that we really only knew because it was on dad's degree. We grew closer as a family that year, all because of ND football. I know the bookstore loved my parents that Christmas....the Sears catalog took a back seat to the ND catalog that year. We were rewarded with a National Championship. The next year began and there wasn't a doubt. These boys were special. Notre Dame football was our must see TV from that season forward. Notre Dame and football became a topic on every phone conversation we had with any family member, friend, etc.

Then came the time for me to apply to college. It was the Jesuits vs. Notre Dame and my dad never pressured me to go to his alma mater. All of my acceptance letters came but no word from Notre Dame. At that time my dad was traveling for work and there were two weekends a month he would come home. It was a Saturday afternoon and my dad was home, my brother found me to say that he saw the mail delivered (family rule, I was the only one allowed to get the mail until all my letters arrived). Sure enough there was a letter from ND. I brought it into the house and opened it. I began reading the letter and you get to the part about being accepted and well, holy hell broke loose. The family thought someone had died downstairs but the letter in my hand told the story. Tears, phone calls and a celebratory dinner later.....and ND had me won over. When my high school found out, you would have thought we won the lottery. They paraded my acceptance letter around like it was a letter from the Pope. Our Catholic high school sent students to the top universities, but the only acceptance letter they cared about that year was the one from South Bend.

We move forward to the 1993 football season. I'm a freshman and after every victory, my dad calls to remind me how lucky I am to be experiencing such a magical season as a freshman. Then he tells me about his freshman year in 1966. We are not only sharing the same University, but also sharing the same football experiences. The two of us became very close over the next four years.

Notre Dame and Fighting Irish football define a family throughout the world too numerous to even begin to quantify, but to the four people in my family it has been a tie that binds us to our past, present and future. Our future generations will hear about the glory days, back in the day, we can only hope they have the opportunity to experience it first hand, because I can attest that there is nothing stronger and more powerful than a son and father sharing similar moments that occurred decades apart.


A two-boater's tale
by JPH (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


How can I take such great pride in descending from nothing outwardly special? Cast off from Ireland, dirt-poor, largely illiterate, and with little more than hope, my relatives struggled to make a new life for themselves and their kids here in the new world. And in the face of "Irish need not apply" and other indignities, there was something magical that came across on the radio every fall, something that they could take great pride in. That not one of them had ever been to Indiana, let alone much outside of Boston, didn't matter. ND football was an uplifting spirit, and a spirit is never bound by place.

How can I take such great pride in descending from nothing outwardly special? Because inwardly, my grandfather and his generation had great pride, and, in part, ND football gave them that pride.

For this, though no one in my family has ever attended Notre Dame, we will always remain in its debt.


Going to the Notre Dame school in London in '93....
by JHND (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

When I was 10 years old, listening with the students to our guys kicking the crap out of FSU. And that was one of the first games I ever followed all the way through, because before that I was simply too nervous to do anything but pace in my room well away from a TV or radio. When I first started following Notre Dame football properly at the age of five ('88-'89), I really didn't understand that we were actually known to lose games every once in a while.

Staying up past 4am with school the next day listening to Notre Dame basketball and baseball games, and basically missing sleep altogether to hear Bob Davie do his best to soil Notre Dame football in the Fiasco Bowl.

Meeting Lou Holtz and having my picture taken with him while he was in Ireland for the '96 Navy game. Lou was probably the single nicest and kindest human being I've ever met, and for 10 years practically defined Notre Dame football and everything I loved about it. He sent us a Christmas card the same year, and a letter the same week he resigned from the job in '96, urging me and my brother to continue to work hard so we could come and see him again at Notre Dame as a student.

Coming to Notre Dame as a student, and seeing the injured yet still unmistakably present Notre Dame spirit still able to capture those students who weren't raised on Irish football since as long as they can remember. And finally, seeing the Notre Dame community come together to try and save what is so dear to so many people.


A tie that binds family...
by zahm77 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

As Holtz and others have said, there's a magic at ND that -- if you believe -- gushes forth and envelops your life. That's been true for our family.

Mom's uncle played '27-'30...he was in the locker room for the Gipper speech, for the funeral.

100% Irish and growing up in SoCal, she was 3 when ND trounced USC in the 1930 game...her uncle brought Rock and the team over to her house after the game for a party.

Loved ND but obviously couldn't go...raised 8 of us to live and breath ND...half of us wound up domers...3 of us there for championships. And then at my graduation Rock and the Gipper (O'Brien and Reagan) -- poetic link back to our first family member at ND.

Nearly all of us + grandkids hit the Coliseum every even numbered year.
We cried through AD's 6 TD's in '72 and 55-24 in '74, but the boys made it up on the exact day of her 50th birthday -- 10/22/77 -- THE green jersey game.

Mom arguing with the clothing supplier (at the old Hammes store) that the huge 8 foot tall green shirt in the display window absolutely had to be for sale...wouldn't take no for an answer...the shirt hangs from the second story window of mom and dad's house one weekend each year...ND-Southern Cal.

WWII interrupted mom's brother's college careers...neither wound up at ND but both loved ND football. My wife and I took one of them back to an ND game in the late '80s for his one and only trip to campus. He had a blast...passed away a few months later...one of my favorite pictures all time is of my uncle in front of the dome.

My own kids love for ND...despite my overt attempts NOT to indoctrinate them (to avoid a backlash)...they love everything ND...and they still wear ND gear in the heart of Trojan country even after this past season.

ND football is a key link in 80 years of our family's history...the next generation may be starting soon. It must go on.


Born blue and gold
by Rocket88 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I was born to be a ND fan. My grandfather was a cop on the south side of Chicago. His father came over on the boat from Ireland looking for a better life. My father was the first person in our family to ever go to college. Considering that his father and his uncles could spin tales of driving to South Bend to see Rockne teams, it wasn't so surprising when looking for a college to attend, he chose to shoot for Notre Dame. He put asbestos on pipes in the Gary steel mills to come up with the money to go, but he got into ND and graduated.

I consider my father an amazing person, but there have been times when we didn't see eye to eye. In fact, there were times when we couldn't talk about almost anything, but there was never a time when we couldn't talk about ND football. His passion for the Fighting Irish eventually passed to me and pulled me off the path I was on, which was going the wrong way. I got my life together and made it my goal to go to Notre Dame.

One of the greatest moments in my life was seeing my big strong father with tears in his eyes when I graduated from Our Lady.

Notre Dame, the school, our faith, and, yes, our football tradition are some of the things that make life meaningful and fun.

It's been a wonderful ride going through life as a ND football fan. My children may or may not go to ND, but there is no doubt that they love the place. How sad that they can't remember ND being a power. It's been that long.

I think it's important to say that at no other time in my life can I remember being so concerned about ND football. Something is very wrong with the program and I can't help but wonder if it will never be the same again.

I hope that isn't the case because if it is, it's like a death in the family.


It is who we are. . .
by ndoldtown (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

ND football has always meant more than just football to me. It is a symbol of a people and a way of life. That probably comes from my father and a story he never ceased telling. My grandparents were Italian immigrants who came to this country in 1917. Their small neighborhood was comprised of the first Catholics and Italians to move into their town outside of Philadelphia. They were met with intense resistance from the natives. My father and his brothers would often wind up in fights at school and my father's earliest memories were of a cross being burned on the front lawn of his house, of his mother having the children kneeling saying the rosary as it happened while his father sat by the door with his shotgun. This was 1934. My father and his brothers would often ask each other, why do these people hate us so much. They were anxious to prove that they could be as good an American as anyone else.

At around this same time, my father's brother told him "There is this little school in Indiana that plays football -- and its a Catholic school -- and they beat everybody all the time." He saw in Notre Dame, an underdog that validated his experience as an American and showed that his people could stand on equal footing in something in this country. Until his dying day my father, a working class man who just finished high school, followed ND football religiously and felt an incredible closeness to the school and especially to the football team -- what is stood for, the way it did things, and its ultimate success on its own terms. The proudest day of his life was when I went off to Notre Dame. I can never separate Notre Dame football from thoughts of my father and the literally millions of people like him and how Notre Dame football was and is a cultural symbol of their values, their strength and their hopes for success combined with loyalty to their faith and their families. These are the people who and Notre Dame football is the institution that made the University's success possible. Pillars, indeed.


Excellent *
by SEE (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


ND Football is for life
by Jvan (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

People have grown up on ND football for nearly 100 years. Every decade has produced vivid memories that last a lifetime and reinforce the enduring, mythological quality of the program. Those moments are fewer and farther between now, and I feel badly for those who missed most of the excitement.

As I've gotten older, I can no longer get emotionally involved in most sports, especially pro sports. ND football remains the lone exception, and that is now at risk. The losses used to be devastating, but I'm pretty much numb to them now. The wins were euphoric, but they no longer bring the same joy. It's probably because we haven't been a top team in a while, nor have we beaten one. Our biggest accomplishment in the last five years is defeating Michigan in 2002. I enjoyed the hell out of that. I don't just want to beat our rivals, though, I want to own them.

When I think about ND Football now, I find that I miss the electricity. Anyone who has experienced it first hand knows whereof I speak. Although I will always have an emotional attachment, something truly valuable is fading from my life.

It's not possible to have been a Notre Dame fan and/or student in my lifetime and not develop a special bond. How can anyone witness the USC series since '64 and epic games with MSU, Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Texas, Miami and Florida State without ND football becoming a big part of your life? How can you come to know heroes like Ara, Lou, Huarte, Snow, Lynch, Schoen, Hanratty, Theismann, Gatewood, Page, Hardy, Casper, Browner, Montana, Crable, Brown, Rice, Zorich, Rocket, Bettis, Young and Jones without wanting to take their place for one afternoon? Notre Dame football is about larger than life figures, glorious wins and a few gut-wrenching defeats. It's not about mediocrity - that would be the greatest shame of all.

I didn't go to Notre Dame to spruce up my resume. I went there because I was proud to be part of a special place and a special group of people. It was not great because US News & World Report said so, but because of our shared experiences and the indelible marks those moments made on all of us. Everyone who followed me to Notre Dame should be as fortunate.


As USC fans are given to say...
by mkovac (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

..out here JVan, and I'm sure you have heard it, in reference to what happens when a UCLA lady marries an SC grad, "You are a Bruin for four years, and a Trojan for life."

I had that one laid on me once and I said, "And a Notre Dame fan for eternity."

The guy said, "Good one."


Most are Trojans for life....
by Jvan (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

....without possibility of parole.


Thanks Jvan *
by jas (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


First dates
by eric(the1) (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


I slacked off in high school and did not get accepted into Notre Dame. I attended Purdue University and was actually in that monstrosity of a marching band. One thing I got to do though was march through the tunnel at Notre Dame. Ok, I was with the other team but *I* was in the tunnel! I still have a picture of that day with myself and my two brothers standing on the field in opposite uniforms. Since my brothers were at Notre Dame I still managed to get to the 88 Cotton Bowl (Aggie hicks and incredibly cold for Dallas), the 89 Fiesta Bowl (Yeeha!), and the 90 Orange Bowl (what a dump). I managed to get my act together and was accepted into grad school at Notre Dame. I attended from 92-94. The best 3 years of my life.
I was in the Civil Engineering program. We had students from around the country as well as India, China, and Africa. The one thing we all did together was go to every home football game. We all had our undergrad affiliations but we were always true Notre Dame fans on Saturday.
My first date with my future wife was the Boston College game in 1993.
When we did our marriage retreat at the Fatima Retreat Center, my roommate was Tim Ruddy. It was fortunate that I had him for a roommate since he snored so loud it kept our fiancées awake in the room across the hall but I was such a heavy sleeper that I never noticed.
One of the greatest moments for me on campus was when I went to the crypt for mass one Saturday. When it came to the "sign of peace" I turned around to find Lou Holtz standing behind me. He had a solid handshake and he was a lot taller than he appeared on television. I suppose it all depends on who you are standing next to. He was such an ND man I will never understand why they ran him off.
I am now the father of 6 kids. I intend on making sure that they each have the chance to attend Notre Dame. My eldest daughter, adopted from Russia last October, will be the first of her generation to attend Notre Dame in the class of 2012. The indoctrination process has already begun with hockey and basketball. Next fall it will be football. I have faith that she will understand.


Her future (short fun) Will...
by jas (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

continue with ND softball and Baseball. BOOK IT


love
by stanford_07 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I have always wanted to attend the University of Notre Dame. There simply is no other school like it. One of my first memories of my childhood revolves around cutting out pictures of ND players and taping them to the wall of my room. Today that same room is absolutely plastered with ND paraphernalia. The crown jewel of that room is an autographed photo of Lou Holtz. I wrote him a letter when I was nine years old and received the photo a couple months later. I was thrilled to say the least. I put that photo on my desk and looked at it as I did homework throughout high school....reminding myself of my goal to go to ND. My first time on campus came in the eighth grade when my family passed through on the way to Chicago. It happened to be Autograph Day which was incredible. The highlight for me was walking through the parking lot of the JACC and seeing Bob Davie walk past. After a nervous hesitation I yelled "Beat Michigan for me coach!" People say Davie didn't "get" Notre Dame. Well he turned and said in reply to me, "Yeah, for you and a LOT of other people." That's what Notre Dame is to me. It is a community that embraces its football team like no other. Just as I cried after every one of our losses as a child, many people are crying along with me. When we start to win again, those same people will be rejoicing with me too. I have many other Notre Dame moments but they are too numerous to list here. I am now a freshman at this school and I couldn't ask for anything more. This place really is "the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen."


Magic
by ndirish (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I didn't have the opportunity to attend Notre Dame. My Uncle who passed away last year worked at the Notre Dame warehouse for over 50 years. Since 1980 when I was about 3, I have spent a lot of time there. Somewhere along the way, I ended up being the one who went to all the games. Since they lived right across the street from the Stephan Center, I was able to spend the majority of my childhood on the ND campus.

My first game was the Michigan game where the wind went dead just as ND kicked the field goal. I was there for all the great moments in the 80s and early 90s. I watched the clock tick off against Miami, and Wooden bat down Charlie Ward's pass to seal the victory against FSU.

I believe that not only the students, but the players today don't understand what Notre Dame football is all about. Notre Dame football is not only about winning, but winning the right way.

It is Notre Dame Our Mother being played after every game. It is the band playing on the steps of the admin building. It is The Four Horsemen, George Gipp, and Knute Rockne All-American. It is the Rocket taking off against Michigan, Keith Jackson having to swallow his pride in LA, and about Kevin McDougal - the one guy that nobody thought could take us that far. It is about rivalries. USC, Army, Navy and Miami. It is about visiting fans in awe of game day at Notre Dame. It is about Sgt. Tim McCarthy. It is about magic, All-Americans, and National Titles, the ghosts of Notre Dame Stadium, the ghost of George Gipp, and playing for all those who came before you. It is about the players that defined their time with big plays that seemed like miracles at the time. Notre Dame football is about the memories that never fade. It is the Golden Dome, the gold helmets, and #1 Moses. It is Rockne, Leahy, Parsegian and Holtz. It is Touchdown Jesus. It is the subway alums, the blue gray October skies and the Notre Dame Victory March. Most of all, it is about sitting at the rightful place atop college football.

Notre Dame as funny as it sounds is a big part of my life. Many of the memories that I have from my childhood revolved around ND. Notre Dame will be back. It is a matter of time. Teams like Miami come and go, but over the long haul, only one team is always there, and that team is Notre Dame.


Where to begin...
by RJD (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

Where to begin...

My father, a WWII vet from Rockhurst High in Kansas City, was shooting for his PH.D at Notre Dame in Physics when son #2 was born. Father Hesburgh was scheduled for the baptism but he was called away and missed my springtime introduction into the Church. A month later, he was officially named President of Notre Dame. I don't hold a grudge but I sure missed his blessing.

A year later, Frank Leahy's Irish went undefeated and Johnny Lattner won the 1953 Heisman Trophy.

We moved to Long Island shortly after that when my Dad took a job with a defense contractor instead of finishing his studies. But every summer we would hop out of the family station wagon for a quick stop at Notre Dame on the way to Missouri to visit the grandparents. That first time that we saw the Golden Dome peaking over the tree line has stayed with me till this day.

On one such trip, we learned that my Dad's aunt had died. She had been a Sister at St. Mary's, and quite a character or so I've been told.

Growing up, Notre Dame football was always in the air. My brother and I were photographed around the Christmas tree in spanking new ND football uniforms at 5 and 8, respectively. We played a game in the living room where we would throw a football shaped, car wash sponge onto the couch. If it stuck on the top of the couch, it meant Monty Stickles had caught a touchdown pass. I was always Scarpitto while my older brother favored Nick Pietrosante. What glorious names. Notre Dame wasn't winning very much in those years but they never lost in our living room.

Sundays in the fall were reserved for serving mass and eating fresh rolls from the bakery afterwards in front of the black and white TV watching Lindsay Nelson do the replays wearing his usual test pattern jacket.

On more than a few camping trips, our little transistor radio picked up a Notre Dame broadcast while we were supposed to be playing capture the flag and we all stopped to listen, hoping the Irish would score before we lost the signal.

By 1964, I had been reading the sports section and wondering why the Yankees were always winning with Mickey but Notre Dame was in a major funk. Then something magical happened. Notre Dame broke with tradition and named a non-Catholic outsider as head coach. My old man was thrilled but I struggled to pronounce the new coach's name. I was 12 and not sure if I should trust my Dad on this momentous decision by the Irish. After all, my father had never become a Yankee fan so I questioned his sports acumen. I also wasn't happy when he moved me off shortstop to squat behind the plate. "Quickest way to the bigs, " he said. "Besides, you don't have the arm for short." What the hell did he know.

But there we were, late into the fall in the garage listening to the final game of a glorious undefeated season of Huarte to Snow, new Nick heroes Eddy and Rassas, and a mountain of a man named Hardy. At half time up 17-0, my Dad let me have a sip of his bitter Ballantine or maybe I sneaked a taste. A national championship was about to be won in one of the most remarkable one-year turnarounds in college football history. My Dad had been right about Ara just as he had been right about the Cardinals that year.

The next 2 hours were devastating as the Trojans came back to win the football game and break my heart and many hearts around the country. This hurt more than Mazeroski's ninth inning blast. But my Dad seemed to take it all in stride. "Son, this is only the beginning. Notre Dame is back where it belongs. Remember this game because the next time, will be our time and if you want to be a part of this someday, you better hit the books as hard as you like to hit the playground because Notre Dame is only for hard workers that strive to be the best."

'"And stay away from my beer. There will be plenty when you get to Notre Dame."

Three years later, the acceptance letter came to my older brother who passed on the Irish for Boston College. I could not believe it. Maybe he wasn't as smart as I thought. But three years after that, my own letter came and my Dad could not have been happier--ear-to-ear.

During my first week on campus, I walked over to the cemetery across the road to look for my great aunt's grave and maybe bump into a few coeds. I spotted three older nuns well inside the cemetery entrance and took a shot.

"Where would I find directions to my great aunt's grave, Sister Elizabeth D," I asked. " Oh, Sister Elizabeth Catherine is resting just 3 rows ahead. You must be Emil's son..."

I was home again.

My four years, 1970-1974, were an unbelievable time to be at Our Lady's University. The basketball team book-ended UCLA, Clements lead the Irish to the National Championship down in New Orleans, and females became Notre Dame students. Oh, and a cat was elected President of the Student Body. But that's 1001 more nights of stories.

Still, I can't resist the one about Art Best setting up Southern Comfort shooters on my 21st birthday and later diving into one of the lakes looking for his championship ring.

...Rick


For me it really started in 1966
by EmilT76 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I remember my dad (class of '51) taking me to see the ND Syracuse game in New York a few years earlier, but the first real ND moment for me was the 1966 MSU game - the game of the century. I had a choice that day - go to a boy scout campout or stay home and watch the game with my dad and some of his friends. Despite some real pressure from the Scoutmaster, I chose the latter, and I could not believe the passion I was seeing from my dad and his friends during the game- I was hooked from that moment on. Two years later in 8th grade we were driving by ND in the summer, and when we stopped I went to admissions and picked up a catalog. It contained all the stats for the recently admitted class - how many high school sports captains, student government officers, top 10% of students in the class etc. I used that list as a blueprint for my high school years in an effort to match or beat all the standards listed. The drive was simple - I wanted to experience ND football. I wanted to be at ND when they won a national championship. I worked hard in high school, and applied to only one place ND, on an early decision, and got accepted.

I will never forget the first scrimmage play of the second half of the USC game when Eric Penick went 85 yards running right toward the student section. There have been over a hundred ND moments in the years since, although not enough in the last decade.

The decision I made to work hard to be good enough to go to ND to experience the football tradition and everything else the University offers was the best decision of my life.


A Passion of My Soul
by The Flash (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

Those of you who attended ND have no clue what
ND means to those of us who would have given a
kidney to attend ND (let alone play football
for the greatest university in the world) but
could not. I don't feel jealous. I just feel
ready to replace any one of you the moment you
show the slightest sign of not appreciating the
blessings you received, which is what I would
do in a heartbeat with 70% of the people in the
football program today.

I am absolutely certain I love ND more than my
older brother who got the chance that I did
not.

The highest compliment I ever received in my
life came from an ND alum who said, "David,
you are a true ND man."

In my next life I'm coming back graced with
mercurial speed, and I'm going to play wide
receiver for the Fighting Irish. Maybe by
then the Spirit of Notre Dame football will
have finally returned to breathe life into
this storied program, because it is surely
lacking now.


For me it started....
by 77IRISH77 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

on my first day of high school. As I came home that first day, I proclaimed to my parents that I was going to do my best in high school so that I would be able to be in a position to attend any university I wished to attend.

I'm not really sure when I began to think about Notre Dame. One of my Dad's first sales managers was an Irishman whose son attended ND (some of you may have seen the story of the ND alum who died at the Michigan game in '02 whose own son was sitting on the other side of the stadium unaware that his father had been stricken with a heart attack. it was that same son of my Dad's first sales manager).

Or it might have been through my Grandmother, a Chicago Democrat who always spoke of ND so fondly (I'm named after my Grandfather who happened to be named after a Chicago Alderman). Her first trip to ND was for my graduation and you see how proud she was. Unfortunately she died one year later. My Dad had her buried in the same outfit she wore that graduation day.

But I guess having moved around quite a bit as a kid, I looked at ND as a place where I could develop my own roots and a network of lifetime friends. I went there knowing only one other guy whom I had gone to 7th and 8th grade together. I've tried hard to stay in touch with as many as possible....but those roots is why I've never missed a reunion! Today (thirty years from my freshman year)....a few more rambling thoughts below:

- My first ND game against Northwestern...seeing the blimp hovering over campus a few days before the game...feeling an electricity I had never felt before. And then just three years ago working with a guy who played MLB for Northwestern that day and talking about how Ross Browner had broken the punter's leg.

- Meeting so many quality people day in and day out, particularly one senior who strongly suggested I give a part of me in some sort of volunteer activity. Signing up for the Neighborhood Study Help Program and meeting some incredible kids over those four years...kids I still remember today.

- Feeling the respect that my non-ND friends have for Notre Dame. It's not the football team, but the commitment to excellence we all expect that they notice...(and I'm not talking about me) but in the University -- what she represents and how things are done. And while I am concerned about the last ten years as anyone, I'm also concerned when I hear those closer to student life and the University that some of the things that made ND what is today are evolving in a way that disappoints many.

- Re-connecting with friends on game day weekends and reunions. And despite the years that have passed telling the same old stories time and time again and laughing harder than ever.

- Sharing game days with my Dad...Michigan '80 and Harry O's kick, FSU '93 and others too numerous to recount.

- Finally, bringing the entire family to our first game together this past year. Making it real for my kids who always enjoy their Dad screaming and running around the house when the Irish score....and feeling a bit sad when we lose.

Football is the pillar. It binds us together and allows greater things to be created. I've enjoyed reading the stories and have been touched. Thanks for sharing. WE ARE ND!!!


That's Notre Dame Grass Ya Know
by Reagan (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

My parents are from the Ohio Valley. And although most of my older extended family did not even go to college, like so many in the Ohio Valley, nearly all of them root for Notre Dame. I had the fortune of being the first in my family to attend Notre Dame, but that honor is a little dubious--one of my siblings graduated from St. Mary's when I was just a little boy. But its an honor just the same.

I began at Notre Dame in 1988, holding another honor I wish I never had--a member of the last class of undergraduates to see the football team win the national championship. Those four years were wonderful years. And they were wonderful for my family too.

Every year my uncles, usually 5 or 6 of them, as well as one or two of my male cousins, would make the trip out for a game--usually a big one. Imagine, seven full-grown men packed into a rented van for an 8-hour trip to South Bend. One time, I had the fortune of catching a ride with them, there being a game that coincided with the end of fall break. To them, I was just a tag-a-long. But to me, it was a thrill and honor to be traveling with them. Many of you may understand the delight in being brought along with older relatives, whom you learned to look up to from when you were young, once you become of age. All because of the success of the Notre Dame football team. I'll always have that memory of that trip.

One of their other trips was for the last game before fall break--Miami in 1990. Notre Dame won with a late interception deep in its territory. My cousin ran out onto the field afterward, pulled out his pocketknife, dug up a small part of the turf, and put it in a baggy. That night, we left South Bend for the Ohio Valley, and spent the night at our grandmother's cabin on a small mountainside farm. We pulled out the grass, dug a small hole in the ground, and planted it. It has now, of course, spread to the entire property. And anytime I am there to visit the family, someone is sure to blurt out, "ay watch where you're steppin'. That's Notre Dame Grass ya know."

More recently, another one of our relatives in the same clan who was the pastor of the local parish passed away quite suddenly. As the funeral procession made its way out of the parking lot, it made a slight detour to the nearby Catholic high school. There the students were, lined up along the drive, saying their good byes. And they had their band out there too, playing, sure enough, the Notre Dame Fight Song.


Even(maybe especially)during tragedy ND stands tall
by IrishJoeinnc (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I'm thinking of the tragedy on the trip back from a game that the swimming team had. Seems a while back now and I don't remember who spoke at the memorial service but we all collectively felt the loss. Hopefully that will never happen again but if it does there will be strong shoulders and the right words to fit the somber occasion.

Don't mean to put a damper on everything, just wanted to show that ND cares. You don't have to be a star at ND to be loved. We appreciate what anybody can do for the glory of this wonderful university.


One of my moments as well
by ndaero93 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

Having worked at Rolfs, I knew many of the swimmers, and was good friends with a few. One of my best friends was on that bus, and I'll always remember what it was like waiting to hear that she was OK. It was one of the most tragic days that I can remember, yet the two memories that stand out most of all were -

The beyond packed Basillica on that Thursday (I believe) afternoon as everyone left classes and congregated in church as one ND family.

Driving past the 74 mile marker on the Indiana Toll Road for the next year+ and seeing the yellow tape on the chain link fence read "God Bless ND Swim" - I still get silent when I pass that point of my trip into South Bend.


Interesting...a lot of these posts seem to have...
by bluengold07 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

The words "Lou" and "Holtz" in them.


Somebody said it below. He got it. He realized what Notre Dame is about.

I hope to God that TY gets it, and if he doesn’t, we need somebody who does.


A long trip
by THEHULKSTER (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

It started with listening to Ralph G., Worden, Heap, Lynch, and The Golden Boy on the radio in the 50's. Then, I was there! Let's go Irish in person. But timing is everything, huh? Three years of the Kook and one with Hughie and we're out of there as the only class without a winning season.

Who cared? When that band fired up around campus between games, no one cared about our record- we WERE going to win on Sat., we WERE to be reckoned with, we WERE ND! That, my friends, is why I knew when it was time to move on, nothing short of a coma could ever allow me to miss an Irish football game- and it hasn't.

p.s. We got a lot better- we got worse- we got better- we've gotten worse. We'll get better. It is written!


It means everything to me
by The Holtz Room (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't cheering for ND. I remember my dad and I watching games when I was a kid and then going outside during halftime and throwing the football. From then on, I was hooked.

I knew I wanted to go to Notre Dame. To me, there was NO other school. When I was in grade school I went to one of the Blue and Gold games and met Ned Bolcar with whom I share the same first name. I remember him telling me "Ned's are special people and maybe some day I'd be the next Ned on the team." This sounded great to a kid in elementary school, unfortunately, I never had quite the build to play at that level.

I sent Chris Zorich a sympathy card after his mom died just hoping it might get to him. I couldn't believe it when I came home one day to find he had written me a thank you note from Bears training camp. With so much going on in his life he found the time to say thanks. I again realized that this is the type of person I wanted to be and that ND is the place that would help shape my character.

I'll never forget the day I got my letter from ND. It was thin so naturally I was worried. I had to read it at least a dozen times just to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Finally, after 18 years working and dreaming I was heading to ND.

One of the best moments of my life came my sophomore year at ND. Coach Holtz, a man that I had a mountain of respect and admiration for, was coming to see my roommates and I. Here is a man who could have used his time on campus for any number of things and choose to spend a part of his day telling stories to 4 guys in a dorm room. I'll never for get that.

I know my time at ND, more than anything else, has shaped me into the person I am today. I miss being on that campus everyday, but I'm grateful for everyday I got to spend there. From midnight walks smoking a cigar, visiting Rock's grave and leaving a shot, praying at the grotto, cheering my heart out at the game, the tradition of ND is a blanket that I've wrapped myself in my whole life. That tradition represents everyone that has come before me and everyone that will come after me.

The tradition of ND football: Something to love, something to live.

-Ned


Mine is sad and sums up the last 10 years
by OITLinebacker (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I have been a ND football fan ever since I knew what football was. I remember Tim Brown, and the 88 championship, though most of my friends were still just learning the basics of football at 9yrs old, I could tell them what a flanker was and how to run routes. I begged to go to a home ND football game with my father (an alum) and his friends. He finally let me come in the glorious autumn of '93. I remember the tremendous energy on campus, the real feeling of magic in the air. I remember going deaf as the crowd roared when the #1 Irish took the field. The game wasn't supposed to go that way, I remember praying for a miracle and the way the entire stadium seemed to not want to give up. The glorious touchdown happened right in front of me and I remember thinking that I just saw the greatest comeback ever. I remember how much it hurt when that *@#$^ @#* $@#^$@#$!!! kicker made that FG. I wish I could have kicked their fans ass so bad for stepping on the holy ground of ND stadium.

That was the last time a #1 ranked Notre Dame team took the field. I've been to most of the ND games since then, and it still feels like the kick happened last week. There are a lot of special moments now on football weekends, but the magic has gone. I pray that someday (soon) that magic returns. I want to feel that again.


Blame SI's photographer...
by delvexnd (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I was a Student Manager working on the field for that game. I was kneeling at the line of scrimmage, on the home sideline as the teams lined up for the final kick.

Just as the play was about to happen, directly behind me, a photographer said "He's gonna miss this kick. ND always wins this type of game". I turned around and shot him a nasty look. I turned back around just in time to see the snap, kick and absolute devastation on our players' faces.

The picture permanently fused to my brain that I saw in those painful moments immediately after the kick went through just so happens to also be the picture that graced the cover of SI the next week. That was the photographer who made the comment. That day, the SI curse came in the form of an actual person. I still hate him.


A story that needs to be on this thread...
by OhioRudy (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

ND's tradition means many things to me, but I want to share a story I heard that really shows the love affair subway alums have with Notre Dame. Being an ND fan means having a special bond with other fans as soon as you meet them. I was at a holiday get together at my girlfriend's house and was introduced to her Dad's lifelong best friend. As he introduced me he also told me that his friend's father was an enormous ND fan and had passed his love for ND to his son. He shared this story to show what type of ND fan he was: It was November 16, 1957 and he was watching the game at the local pub with the rest of the ND faithful. As I am told he was a very respected man that was well liked. He was not the best Catholic however, as he missed mass quite often. On this fateful day as ND was getting ready to play Oklahoma, who hadn't lost in their last 47 games, he looked up and proposed a deal to God. "God, let Notre Dame win this game and I promise I will never miss mass again." Unlike me, this is the only time he asked for a deal like this. Well, as we all know ND won, snapping Oklahoma's 47 game winning streak. He and his friends celebrated until early Sunday morning, although most of his friends probably forgot about his deal, he didn't. He was up a couple hours later and attended mass, as he did for the remaining 40+ years of his life, never missing mass again. The Victory March was played at his funeral and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Whenever I hear stories like this and the others in this thread I always realize how special ND football is, you never hear stories like these about other schools.


ND tradition for 56 years and counting
by longtimeirish (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I still remember my dad taking me to my first game in 1948 when I was 12. ND defeated Michigan State on a gorgeous October afternoon. In 1950 we saw Purdue snap ND's 39-game undefeated streak on a dismal, rainy October afternoon. Notre Dame became a very special place for me, and I have visited the campus many, many times since those first games, sometimes for games, sometimes for retreats, sometimes just to have the special feeling anyone experiences walking on that beautiful campus. I live and teach in Florida now, but whenever I visit Indiana, the trip is not complete unless I make it to Notre Dame. It was a special place for my grandfather and for my father when they were alive. Now it's a special place for me and for my son. None of us were ever students there, but that doesn't diminish our love and respect for one of the greatest universities in the world.


Alone and ND Football
by Buddy Jeans (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

When I was alone in the womb, I could hear ND football as it pulsed out from the TV speakers in my parents' tiny house on Grand Avenue in Mishwaka, Indiana.

When I was alone as a child, I listened to the local radio talk about the Golden Domers and their struggles the past Saturday, which would provide the solid foundation for a sure-fire victory this week, and I watched each Saturday from my father's bended-knee and my Mother's caressing hand.

When I was alone as a teenager, I sat in a stranger's living room in Muncie, Indiana, fulfilling my duties as class president on a trip to the state student council convention, watching and crying as the final pass from Charlie Ward was knocked down in the end zone, and students stormed the field and Lou was stoic, all celebrating the day that the numbers changed.

When I was alone as a senior in high school, I nursed a sore wrist injury caused by the turf at the Hoosier Dome during our eventual victory in the Indiana High School State Championship, and friends and family surrounded me to give congratulations and salutations, and I watched from across the hotel lobby over their heads the small monitor where Notre Dame was losing to USC in California, and I was depressed.

When I was alone as a high-school graduate, I just made my college choice to my father, who cried and then hugged me close after the words, "Notre Dame" slipped from my lips.

When I was alone as a student, I reached down and ripped out a handful of green grass stained with white, and I placed it in my pocket, then I joined the throngs as we exited the House that Rockne Built and shared one last moment with our now former coach, Lou.

When I was alone as a junior, head buried in a test-booklet, trying to decide whether Mary would sit next to Jim if she did not like Ann and Andy, I listened and watched from my seat the jubilation of a Saturday home game against Oklahoma, and the mere 2 hours that I would have to endure before joining my brothers and sisters in Our Lady.

When I was alone as a law school student, I cheered and ran up and down the stairs and turned on the fight song and woke up my sleeping roommates as I watched Arnaz Battle streak for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in Florida.

When I was alone, I can close my eyes and feel the brittle wood of my square-foot on the bench, hear the trumpets and horns bellow from the corner of the end zone songs that I've known my whole life, sense the awe, admiration, and dedication to the sport and the legends who have come and gone and are still being made, and I can see the bright blue sky, the cheering masses, the flying flag, and the gleam that never shined brighter than when it came off of eleven golden helmets streaking down the field.

When I was alone, Notre Dame football was always with me.


Born a Polish Catholic in Chicago and...
by 47Bolcar (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

my great uncle was a priest who taught there for a short time.

Of course, waking up on Sunday mornings in Florida and watching ND highlights with Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung just adds to it. It was the gold helmets, the library, games that come down to the wire. The great players and how they were products and models for the university.


Lindsay Nelson & Paul Hornung were CLASSIC!
by irishfarmboy (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

You went to Mass, then you came home and watched Notre Dame football replay with those guys! When I think about it, they're probably the main reason I wanted to go to Notre Dame...


With some of the classic Nelson lines...
by 47Bolcar (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

To condense the game into an hour I remember showing the crowd shots and Nelson saying "Army was unable to move the ball so they punted to Notre Dame." Of course it was the classic Nelson voice that can't be recreated here. Back then, no cable no Internet and in the Miami Herald (the paper we got) there would be three graphs on the game. So it was like watching the game live, so to speak.


I am Canadian and came to ND as a grad student...
by ndalberta (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I knew something about Notre Dame. I knew that it was Catholic and that it had a rich tradition in football. But our culture here, as it relates to post-secondary education, is much different than in the States. All of our universities are state supported and, with a few exceptions, they are viewed by students and alumni in a detached way. They are places that help you get where you want to be. Our intercollegiate sports are quite small time. Only in recent years have small athletic scholarships been offered. When I arrived at Notre Dame in August of 1988, I immediately fell in love with the idea of the entire place. I had no conception of the beauty and spirit of the place. I was a somewhat unusual grad student in that I had worked for a while and saw the whole exercise as an experience rather than as a purely academic experience. My first game was Michigan. I do not have to tell you about the rest of the season, and the next, which was magic. I travel a long distance to go to games every year and I bore countless Canadians with my fanaticism, which they cannot begin to fathom. I firmly believe that my devotion to ND was solidified by football success. Footballs' decline has not dulled my love but I will say that I it is likely the case that I would not feel as I do without witnessing those two seasons.


My dad, my grandfather. ND24 Ala23 ND38 Tx10 *
by packyp (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


38-10...I worked the sidelines on the Texas side of the field...
by irishfarmboy (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

...they had to help Earl Campbell off the field at least twice in the game. Ross/Willie/Luther/'Kritter/Becker/Golic/Restic/Case/Calhoun/Burgmeier/Waymer kicked the crap out of the 'Horns!


ND means FAMILY
by ndaero93 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I don't think I can clearly articulate a single story that so eloquently displays ND concept. There are so many events that are only ND that pop into my head. Here are a few:

1. Growing up despising ND because my father and sister went to Marquette (and later learning what an inferiority complex was)

2. Opening my sense to ND for the first time in the fall of 1988, not because of the success the football team was having, but because of the way the ND folks presented the school at a college fair. Hearing them speak for one hour and I walked out and said to my parents, "That's where I'm going!"

3. Touring the campus in the summer between Jr. and Sr. year and seeing my mom run through a sprinkler because it was so hot outside that day

4. Looking up at the Dome and spending time at the Grotto on that same trip

5. Receiving my acceptance letter on my birthday - greatest present ever!!!

6. Cheering on MY ND in the Fiesta Bowl on 1/1/89 with my family and friends all around

7. Talking to my roommate for the first time over the summer before freshman year and sharing our ND build up

8. Seeing that #1 sign lit up on Grace Hall from DAY 1 and for many more weeks through out the next 5 years.

9. Seeing my 80 year old, 5 ft tall, Italian grandma screaming at the TV while watching ND football.

10. Knowing that my Dad taped and performed "analysis" worthy of omahadomer each game.

11. Junior Parents Weekend

12. Being able to count on both hands with using my thumbs each of ND's losses during my 5 years on campus, and being able to recite the situation surrounding each of those losses. Running out of room keep track of the victories

13. Unfortunately seeing the ND Family first hand with the outpouring of support from the campus as we packed the Sacred Heart after the Swim Team bus accident. Being there for our family (fellow students) and knowing that they would always be there for us in our times of need.

14. Being on the sidelines for the '92 Sugar Bowl and '93 Michigan

15. Filling out the form to have the "Thank you" note sent to my parents after graduation - seeing their eyes when they opened it. Knowing that over 10 years later, it still hangs as proudly over the desk in their family room as my diploma hangs in mine.

16. Mass - be it after a football game, in the dorms, or a regular Sunday.

17. Having a business associate see a picture of you and your 6-month-old son under the Dome hanging over your desk last week and ask "Is that ND? Did you go there?" And then realizing that you have just connected with a fellow Domer and forged an immediate bond.

Forever Notre Dame

'93


Ahhhh yes, the 92 Sugar Bowl more on what ND means
by 47Bolcar (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

How the Irish weren't supposed to be there. I watched the game here in the Florida town I live in, about an hour and a half from Lizard Land. I watched the game with a house full of Gatorheads not expecting much. These Gatorheads were taunting me and goading me for being a Notre Dame fan. Watching Lou as he sucked in Spurrier to drive all the way down field, only to kick field goals. The Irish doing something unusual at that time - passing. In the second half remembering Dan Dierdorf saying "I heard all about this vaunted Notre Dame running attack and they aren't using it." Enter the big man. Jerome Bettis tearing up the Gators. The Gatorheads started blaming me (as if I had something to do with the Gators going down)and all I did was sit and watch the game, smiling warmly.
Go Irish


irishfarmboy's post
by SEE (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

1. Being a helmet painter my sophomore year--and carrying on the "golden tradition." Still wearing my ND Monogram jacket to work on the Friday before every game.

2. Knowing that every pre-game(year-in-and-year-out) I go to will include the Band high-stepping into the Stadium, "Hike ND," (the greatest of all fight songs)The "Notre Dame Victory March," "America the Beautiful(and the oration of the lyrics)," the Flag ceremony, The "Star Spangled Banner," and Officer Tim McCarthy. Unfortunately, there's a football game in the midst of all this...


Memory from a game.
by tdiddy07 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I may butcher this, but if so hopefully it will spark someone to fill in the cracks. I believe it was the Air Force game that Glenn Earl sent into OT with a blocked field goal. Anyway, there had just been a kickoff by the Irish after a score and somewhere in the play there was a little number 45 running down the field. "Hey it's Rudy I joked to my dad." He gave one of those smiles that dads do just to humor their kids. But then, interrupting my self-amusement, I realize that the announcers are actually talking about this guy.
Apparently, he was a player who, out of high school, received a few scholarship offers, but declined them to walk on to Notre Dame. After two years on the scout team, finally as a junior he made special teams kick off team and officially became a part of the roster. Apparently, one influence on his reason for walking onto ND was that his dad went here and played football for the Irish. As fate would have it, he was the player whose spot was taken in the '75 game against Georgia Tech so Rudy could dress. Over 35 years later, he found his son walking on to Notre Dame just like his hero, the guy who took his dad's spot, and wore 45 in honor of Rudy. And after two years of getting his butt kicked in practice, like Rudy, he finally accomplished his dream. Unfortunately, I didn’t' remember the kid or the dad's name, but hearing that really touched me. All I could say was "Only at Notre Dame."


Senior year of high school, 1984,
by Irish88 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

My father (ND'51) was terminally ill, and on a hospital ventilator. The doctor called our house one night at 2am, asking my mother and I to come in for what he thought was the end. It was a tough scene seeing dad fight the vent- and fight to keep a piece of paper in his hand. The paper was my letter of acceptance to ND that I had received a few weeks before. He survived that night and later came home, telling me that the letter gave him strength, and was adamant that he would drive me the 1200 miles to campus when school started and would stay around until the first home game. Although I had seen him go berserk listening and watching televised ND games over the years, I did not realize just how much sharing ND football with his son meant to him. He wanted more than anything to pass on the torch to me by attending a home game together.

He died at home few weeks later. We never made it to ND Stadium together, but the torch was passed--for Notre Dame and ND football to mean so much to a dying man, I knew that there was something very special waiting in northern Indiana.


My Dad taught me about N.D. football when I was
by OmahaRic (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

about 6 years old. He never went to college, but he was a loyal fan
throughout his life. I'm not an alum either, but I have been a fan since
that time. When Dad passed away, we arranged with the pastor to have the
Victory March played at the end of the services.


Since you asked
by Old Man (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

My favorite ND moment of all time doesn’t involve Johnny Lujack or Leon Hart. Nor Joe Theismann nor Joe Montana. The player involved wasn’t even an All-American. In fact even though the player only graduated a couple of seasons ago, I doubt many ND fans even remember his name. If they do remember him, it would not be for winning a big game or even making a big play. If truth be told, I'm not sure he ever did make a big play in a game.

So who is this mystery player? Why none other than Charlie Stafford. Charlie who, you ask? Has the Old Man truly lost it this time? Probably. But Charlie’s still an all time favorite.

Like most Notre Dame recruits, I assume Charlie was a big time prep star. Probably the biggest thing to ever hit his high school. Charlie was surely recruited by many of the very best schools in the country. And when he signed with ND he was undoubtedly dreaming big dreams. Tim Brown had just won the Heisman a couple of years earlier. Notre Dame had won a National Championship even more recently. Neither result was totally out of the realm for a super athlete with virtually unlimited upside potential.

As is often the case with freshman, Charlie’s hopes and spirit must have been crushed in his first brutal weeks of fall practice. The returning players were surely much larger, faster, tougher, and at ND even much smarter, than the best of opponents he had faced in high school. Even among the other freshmen, Charlie was quickly lost in the shuffle. I believe he started out as a tailback. But I’m not sure. What I do know is that he did not play at all as a freshman - a point that will turn out to be critical for the story.

So Charlie’s freshman year came and went with nothing to show for his efforts. But freshmen are usually able to chalk up such disappointments to learning experience, and I suspect that Charlie was able to do so as well. With a year under his belt and a strong summer of conditioning, he would undoubtedly be competing for playing time as a sophomore.

Unfortunately, Charlie’s sophomore year also came and went without fanfare. If he saw any playing time, it would have been on the scout team. Running the opposing team’s plays against the first team offense and getting his brain scrambled and his body mangled in the process. But surely with the valuable scout team experience plus another summer of even harder work, Charlie had to be optimistic about his junior year. After all, many of the big name running backs would be graduating, so it was only a matter of time before Charlie would move up.

But Charlie did not move up. In fact he moved back. He didn’t just slip down a few notches on the depth chart, he darn near slipped all the way off the depth chart. Even brand new freshmen had moved past him at tailback. So what was he to do? At first ND tried him at DB. After all, Charlie had good speed and Notre Dame was chronically short of fast DB's throughout Charlie’s term. Unfortunately, DB did not work out much better, and Charlie must have gone home after his junior year even more confused and more discouraged than after his first two years. Then again, the next fall he would be a senior. At long last one of the elder statesmen of the team. A role model for the younger players. Charlie would go home. He would work even harder. And he would return to show the younger players that working hard and waiting one’s turn were the keys to a successful career at Notre Dame.

Unfortunately, when Charlie returned to Notre Dame in the fall of his senior year, he was not able to assume a role as mentor for younger players. Despite his hard work, Charlie could not even hang on to his lowly spot as a back up DB on a team that was desperate for DB's. There were other younger players that needed to be tried in a last ditch effort to shore up the defense. So Charlie was moved again. This time to back up wide receiver, which was another new position for Charlie to learn. In addition to being short at DB, Notre Dame had been unable to land a top receiver for a couple of years. Perhaps Charlie could help there. Of course, since he had never played the position before, it would take time for him to learn the intricacies of running precise routes. In the meantime, he would be a valuable addition to the scout team where he could simulate opposing teams star receivers which would allow the Notre Dame DB's and LB's to practice timing their vicious hits. Charlie could also help the first team defense get ready for option teams by throwing his body in front of huge DL's and LB's on the first team defense.

Charlie's hard work finally appears to be paying off in the spring following his senior year. Charlie had decided to return for a 5th year and was paired at WR with Derrick Mayes. Ron Powlus was the QB and, at long last it looked like ND was going to run a wide-open pro-style offense. In the spring game Charlie was unstoppable. I think he caught something like 5 TD passes. He surely thought his time had come and undoubtedly worked harder than ever in the summer.

Yet in the fall Charlie's hard work actually proved to be his final undoing. He threw his body at a monster DL once too often and paid the price in the form of a badly damaged knee. Charlie still would not give up. And the coaches continued to count on him to block on running plays. But the coaches increasingly had to turn to other, younger WR's, notably Emmit Mosely, on passing plays.

As the season wore on, promise turned to frustration as ND suffered a couple of difficult losses. The team still managed to earn a first rate bowl against FSU and played them tough, only to lose in the end. After all he had been through, I could have understood and forgiven Charlie for simply slinking off the field in self-pity. After all, Coach Holtz had already stated publicly that the ND team that year had as much talent as any team he ever had, "except for one wide receiver and one corner back". One-legged Charlie was the "one wide receiver". I can only imagine how that barb must have felt.

And yet, at the end of the bowl game, when the team came over to the band and the ND faithful, Charlie was at the very front. He held his helmet high and thanked all who would listen. Even after the rest of the team had departed, Charlie remained. He had actually broken down in tears when asked why he remained. It was all he could do to choke out:

"Because I love this place so much, and I'll never get the chance to thank Notre Dame this way again."

Maybe not Charlie. But at least you made one old man's all time ND team.

O.M.


Best story of the day--a tip of the hat to Charlie and Old Man *
by ufl (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


Football is the soul of Notre Dame
by XNDX (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I was not fortunate enough to be accepted at Notre Dame. I am now a junior at Washington University in St. Louis.

Here on the western edge of the city, I live on a beautiful campus. The academics are first-rate. The facilities are excellent. And yet, it is a university without an identity. I had not even heard of Washington until I was in high school.

According to U.S. News and World Report, we are the #9 school in the country. And yet, there is nothing that will make us wish to return to the university when we have graduated. We are here for the common purpose of attaining a good education and a degree. This is the one thing we all have in common, and it certainly does not unite us in any sort of social manner.

There is nothing wrong with the academic focus that Washington has taken. The university is very straightforward in this regard. Yet, there is a genuine lack of concern for one's fellow man here. We are generally not selfish, but rather a community of individuals. I will always view myself as more of a product of the university than as a member of the university family. For this reason, nothing has yet compelled me to give anything back to the university once I have graduated.

The University of Notre Dame, however poses a stark contrast to this picture. I have hardly any living family connections to Notre Dame, and yet have always felt that I am a part of the university. Every time I am on campus in South Bend, even during losing seasons, I feel a genuine warmth, both for the football team and for the university itself. Notre Dame has never given me anything, save for a thin envelope, and yet there is little I would not do for the university.

I continue to watch every Notre Dame football game, always alone, while my classmates spend their Saturday afternoons either studying or recovering from the night before. The essence of Notre Dame is palpable even through a television screen. If Notre Dame does not consider excellence in football to be part of its mission, it ignores that which made it great and distinguished from America's other universities.

There are still many persons who understand what has made Notre Dame great, and this legacy must be passed on. As much as I have enjoyed my time here at Washington, I want to see Notre Dame retain the sense of community that is so lacking here. There is nothing that troubles me more than witnessing Notre Dame slowly lose sight of its greatest tradition, football. Please do not let this happen.


You ARE a part of the university...well done *
by Cartwright (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


Out of all of the amazing posts on this thread...
by GMatous (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

this is the one I wish Monk would read. He doesn't realize how many people who were never students of the University consider themselves ND men or women.

No other university is like that.


admissions screwed up *
by FightOnForMorrissey (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


Hall of fame post. Fantastic ! *
by JohnCardinalOhara (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


Notre Dame made a mistake
by Hipster (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

They should have accepted you and rejected one of those abject losers from NDToday who make me want to re-think my policy on always interviewing a Domer no matter what.


Well put *
by bluengold07 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


Don't know why I didn't die in '48 I believe it was. I was 13 and
by IrishJoeinnc (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

lived and died with ND football. I was trying to recover from Rheumatic Fever and when ND had to pull one out against Forrest Evashevski's best to gain a tie. That kept ND's undefeated streak that reached 39 eventually. Every year until I was an old, old Irish fan every defeat sent me into a depression. The season was ruined because the goal was to win the NC.

Back to that Iowa game in '48 when Iowa got into their first lead my heart started racing so badly that I had to bring the radio in from the back yard to a bed where I listened to the rest of it wondering whether the stress would kill me. After about an hour my heart returned to it's normal beat and I was sad and happy. Sad that we only got a tie but relieved because nobody, and I mean nobody beat ND in those days.

When you're spoiled with ND almost always being the best in your youth, it's hard to accept even one little old defeat. Since those days I've seen great times and sad times but just when you thought you might never see another NC one came along in '88. I hope to see another but if I do it will because many of you have spread the word that there is something special about ND. You shouldn't even have to explain it but if you spread the word around properly many of you youngsters may have some of the highest highs in the world. There are very few things that are better than a NC at ND. The ND fight song cheers me much in the same manner that it did when I first heard it. And as Johnny Mathis sang that's a long, long time. The song was Twelfth of Never. I met the man who wrote that. His words resonate and make you think that's how long it will be before ND is back on top but it doesn't have to be that way.


I have a photo of my Dad circa '49 or '50....
by Denver Jim (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

interviewing members of the ND team at the train station in Clovis, NM. He was a sports writer making $75/week. The team is on the way to play SC. I think the big guy with his back to the camera is Moose Krause in a cowboy hat. I can remember a Time magazine cover of Johnny Lattner in '53, wearing a beautiful kelly green jersey. I stared at it for hours-days until it disintegrated. The nuns at Sacred Heart School in Clovis used to give me programs which ND would send to the Catholic schools in those days for the library. My grades were lousy as I would just look at those programs. The games were on radio. I was hooked bad.


A Subway alum from an early age
by Sec21 Atlanta (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I have programs from the 40's when my Mom & Dad went to see the Irish. it has been 43 years of seeing the Irish at home for me. The '73 Pennick run against USC (my pic is in the Era of Ara book) and '77 Green Jersey game are as clear today as if they were yesterday.

It is the most special place on earth.

I didn't go to ND, and have been satisfied just being in the house. I have no regrets only fond memories and anticipation for the future. I admire the school, alumni and students immensely.


1955
by Serge (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I was a student at" College de St-Laurent" in MTL
( the old French art Degree.....etc)
run by the CSC, I was 14th....& played for the college Baseball team.
( was not bad even had a tried out with the Dodgers in 56)
Our HC was Father Bergervin CSC was a Franco American & a ND Grad

we were playing a Jesuit college .Like BC
before the game he talked a lot about Rockne...Gipper, etc.
I had no idea what he was talking about & TOLD HIM.....
Poor me....LOL, after the game I had to sit with him in the Bus for 2h
to learn about ND Football.

After that, I started reading etc
watched ND on ABC on Sunday morning, etc.

in 82 I got a 12' dish with C & K band
to watch ND Football.

I have seen ND Football in Moscow, Stockholm, London, Sydney, etc.
in 94-95 on CNBC.( not available anymore.)

in 93 , the Michigan Game was stuck in Amsterdam
was on the phone with my Son for 3h, he described the game to me.
Still remembered. Kevin M......Touch down at the end of the 1st Half.
( an Option play)

my 3 kids - 5 grandkids...all know on Sat. in the fall
You do not bother the old man.
They are all big ND FAN.

IN 86-87-88......etc
I used to have a special phone # to phone Lenning & Wallace
about recruiting.....I was even worse then MNG.LOL
( in Canada..could not use their 900 #)
Still remembered when Lenning told me about Ricky W. commitment.

Imagine........Our VP in LA was a USC Grad....
also our largest customer in the US was Boeing
1 of their Sr. VP was from USC...in the 90
we talked a lot about football.

Walking in Moscour-Sydney with a ND Jackets.....
was often asked are you a ND Grad, went to a bar in Moscow in92
with a Russian ND Grad because of the Jacket...
also saw many ND Grad in Australia , just walking with ND Jacket.

Finally in 96 I interviewed a ND grad for a VP job.
he graduated in 68.
Started talking football.........he told me
1: "I did not go often to the game......"
2: he had no idea where we stood in 96

I did not hire the....SUCKER....

Today I have 2 dishes, to make sure I don't miss any games.
10 min ago my son-in-law just took the book
about the 88 season..."Champion"

He used to be a Michigan Fan, he is not anymore.

Sorry if to long.

SERGE


ND Football=Oxygen! *
by NDinVA (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


I'm 68 years old and watching ND football made me so tough that when
by IrishJoeinnc (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

the smoke alarm went off while I was cooking a pizza all I had to do is say stop that and it did!


Here's mine...
by Oldomer (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

My wife, my two sons, and my father (God rest his soul) exchanging a handshake and a very subdued (game face firmly in place) "Go Irish" before the opening kickoff of each game.


ND football is integrally entwined with ...
by Golden Dome (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

my earliest recollections of sports of any kinds and of my Grandfather, uncles and cousins. My Grandfather emigrated from Castlebar, County Mayo in 1909. He came over as part of the Irish National Rugby team loved it here and didn't go back. He was a sports fanatic and quickly became a football fan naturally following the Irish as they gained prominence among Irish Catholics and the nation as a whole. My Dad and uncle went to the USC game with my Grandfather every other year when it was played in South Bend from when they were old enough to appreciate football until his death in 1953. My 2 aunts went to a ND game with my grandfather every other year when USC was an away game as kids. As a result my entire family had followed ND football as far back as any of them could remember. Any family gathering for whatever holiday began over a beer, etc with the topic of ND football. It went something like this... "John, will you be having a beer? (POP) So when do you think they'll get rid of Kuharich(sp)?!...." I guess talk of improving the ND football program is also a tradition. I remember my dad and Uncle off to the side at a family party following my graduation from ND thinking I wasn't in ear-shot discussing how proud "Dad" would have been to have a Grandson graduating from ND. So as far as I'm concerned you can have Stanford, Duke or whatever pretender you fathom as an "aspirational peer". There is but one ND and it shouldn't be F'ed with.


Lindsay Nelson on Sunday Night
by ugoirish (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

"We now move to a later down in the same series of plays..." Clements to Weber on the happiest New Years Eve I can remember. Theismann in the rain (yes, I know we lost). Joe in two glorious Cotton Bowls (though neither started out particularly well). Reading the SI article on Eric Pennick: "my cat learns moves from *me*." The look on Schembechler's face after Rocket ran the second one back. The comeback in Buerlein's last game. For that matter, the feeling I've had every single time I've seen ND beat 'SC. The complete feeling of despair after the 24 - 0 halftime lead was erased by AD. "Knute Rockne, All-American." I could go on for quite a while.


One of my earliest childhood
by ND84 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

memories is that of my Dad, class of '58, bringing home a brand new TV console a few days prior to the MSU "Game of the Century" in 1966 (he must have broken our family's then modest "bank" on that purchase). His parents were NY-Irish, subway alums, whose dream it was to send their children to ND, and my grandmother lived long enough to see her grandchildren matriculate there as well - to her it meant they, as children of Irish-Catholic immigrants, had finally "arrived". Dad took me to my first game against Northwestern in Chicago in 1970, along with my Mom and my older sister. It was always a family tradition to watch the televised games together - always Dad, Mom, my two younger brothers, and my four sisters (if the latter promised to keep the questions to a minimum), living and dying, TOGETHER, with our team. The mood in our home on fall Saturday nights was dictated by how the Irish had fared in their game that day. I and three of my siblings graduated from ND or SMC, and another of our brood matriculated at SMC for a year. The way I see it, my parents integrated Notre Dame, it's history and the traditions it stands for, into the fabric of our family in order to assist them in instilling into their children the values that they deemed to be important. ND football is about more than "just football" to my family - it has served as a symbol and an idea of what we all should strive to become, and represents the values it takes to be that person.


Great Post
by brandywells (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I won't ruin it by asking where your sister transferred to. (Kidding)


What sister? She's dead to me (also kidding) *
by ND84 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


Board Ops: this thread is priceless *
by scal_irish (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


It should be required reading for
by thc (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

people like Wilbon et al.


The Eloquence
by Gator77 (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

and passion of the writing is stunning.

So much for the notion that the C2C is the mindless ramblings of 412 Internet sports geeks. I am proud to be a part of all of this.


Agree! Entire thread needs to be immortalized in Posting HOF. *
by NDinVA (11/09/2005 01:07:26)


Football keeps a legacy going
by frickerdog (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

My father is ND class of 1942. My brother is ND class of 81. Although I loved watching Notre Dame football on TV in my youth, at the ripe age of 15, I decided that I wanted to be my own man...go someplace other than Dad and Big Bro.

I looked at many schools in the college tour the summer of my sophomore year in high school. I was convinced that I could get as good an education and have as good a college experience at many places as I could at Notre Dame...and I could be my own man.

Then, during the fall of my sophomore year in high school, my Dad put me on a plane to South Bend, so that I could visit my brother at Notre Dame for a football weekend. It was ND-Tennessee. November 11, 1978. I had been to one game at ND stadium with my Dad when I was 8 or 9, but I didn't really remember it.

This time around, I went to a pep rally in the Stepan Center and reveled with the throngs of toilet-paper throwers. I went to the Alumni Hall kegger the morning of the game, and had an ice-cold beer on an ice cold Indiana morning. My brother got me a ticket to sit (stand) in the student section for the game. I crammed in like a lemming...standing sideways just so that I could stand at all. A simple plan or divine intervention? Whatever the cause, this football experience made me fall in love with Notre Dame.

From the moment I stepped on campus, I should have immediately abandoned all thoughts of anywhere other than Notre Dame. As I was pulling up to the campus circle, the band was marching between Alumni Hall and the law school, firing up the Victory March. It was almost as if my father had planned the whole thing.

I applied to only one school -- ND. In an effort to "remain my own man", I refused to note on the application that my father and brother were alums. I got in on my own accord....Yeah...I was stupid and brash.

After hearing nothing from the admissions office in January of 1981, I called the admissions office on the day before the Irish v. UVA basketball game. I spoke with the director of admissions, Mr. McGoldrick, who informed me that there had been a screw-up on my file and my teacher recommendation had been placed in another file. He asked, "Do you want to know if you got in?" When I responded that I wanted to root against Ralph Sampson the next day, he told me that I had been accepted and my packet was in the mail.

Now, when my father, who is 83, my brother and I get together or talk on the phone, there is always the bond of Notre Dame football. No matter what the occasion, the topic of discussion invariably turns from discussions about our kids, our jobs, and the serious issues of life to a talk about next year's hopes for an undefeated season.

ND football did not create a close family, but it sure has brought us together in conversation many, many times over the years -- even during times when we didn't get along as well as I might hope.

The bond of ND football tradition is personal. ND football tradition means shared passion. It means shared glory. And, yes, as much as I hate it, it means shared despair. But, it is always shared.


Took a test
by Khaddafi (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

. . . with ND's Big O, Orlando Woolridge, a day or two before that UVa game. I recall the prof wishing him luck on the test and in the game. O's OT jumper ended an undefeated season for #1 ranked UVa.

At that same time, Dan Devine was barely out the door and off to retirement, after his football team had delivered a near-miss run at the NC.

But the climate was about to quickly change for both programs -- especially football -- as you well know.

As to football, fortunately, you received the good "fix" from your family before Faust took over. Gerry crashed and burned soon enough, and Lou restored greatness to the football program.

But these last 10 years? It's been too damn long.


Yeah -- I was lucky to have strong roots
by frickerdog (11/09/2005 01:07:26)

I began at ND in 1981. After the first game v. LSU, I think many of us freshmen thought we were in for 4 years of glory. It came crashing down quickly. Basketball also had some rough times duri