Pac-10 Threats are Empty - 3 December 2000
Supporting Notre Dame Fan in His Struggle Against Leukemia - 5 November 2000
Spread the Word - 9 October 2000
LoVecchio Will Stay Cool: Coach - 1 October 2000
Fans react to ND-Nebraska - Ticket holders sold out to red - 19 September 2000
Nun Wows Luncheon Crowd - 11 September 2000
Murphy learns about more than basketball in Hawaii - 11 September 2000
Wear green to the Nebraska game - 27 August 2000
A Man of Substance - 13 August 2000
Montana's Magic Passing into Hall History - 13 August 2000
Players Believe Brey Will Run a Well-oiled Machine - 23 July 2000
Brey, All the Way - 23 July 2000
N.D.-Bound Thomas Impresses - 27 June 2000
Cornette Picks Irish; Kline to I.U.? - 8 June 2000
Thomas Opens Door for Irish in Indiana - 8 June 2000
Whasssup? Try N.D. Basketball - 8 June 2000
Davie Denies Latest Rumors About Job - 8 June 2000
Davie on the way out? - 30 May 2000
Heilman Has Eye on Future - 14 May 2000
Doherty Scores Big with Students in Bookstore Basketball - 19 April 2000
Former Irish Quarterback Rice Seeks First Title - 19 April 2000
Murphy Expected to Stay at N.D. - 10 April 2000
Will He Stay or Will He Go? Murphy's Time Frame Expands - 10 April 2000
Murphy Should Stay for Last Two Years: Odom - 3 April 2000
Discovering There is a 'Notre Dame Family' - 3 April 2000
Stay With Us Troy Murphy - 27 March 2000
Abuse of Power Shatters Public Trust - 27 March 2000
Holding Out Hope in Students and Alumni - 13 March 2000
Reaction to 'Waterboy' is Shameful - 13 March 2000
Community Thanks Students at Book Fair - 6 March 2000
Students' Behavior Unacceptable - 6 March 2000
Classy Sportsmanship Needed - 6 March 2000
Throwing the Game - 6 March 2000
Adios, Wadsworth - 29 February 2000
Search Committee Forms for AD - 29 February 2000
Alumni Support Resignation - 29 February 2000
Fans Aren't Only Ones Out of Line - 21 February 2000
Coach D Applauds Student Enthusiasm, Encourages Respect - 21 February 2000
UConn Chants Were Not That Bad - 21 February 2000
Officials Respond to Rude Behavior - 21 February 2000
Connecticut's Calhoun needs to stop complaining - 21 February 2000
Events Under Wadsworth - 14 February 2000
Wadsworth Resigns - 14 February 2000
Starting From Scratch - 14 February 2000
Athletic Department Shake-up Includes Beauchamp's Role - 14 February 2000
Capsule Looks at Irish Recruits - 6 February 2000
'Power Box' Needs to Cheer on Irish Basketball Team - 1 February 2000
Ferrer's Style Points Don't Add Up - 23 January 2000
Sanctions Change Nothing - 23 January 2000
N.D.'s Ferrer Says Farewell - 23 January 2000
Seven Irish Selected to All-Century Team - 18 January 2000
Dunbar Clarifications - 19 December 1999
Decline the Penalty - 19 December 1999
Division I Committee on Infractions Assesses Penalties Against
University of Notre Dame for Violations in Football Program - 19 December 1999
Posting on a Message Board of an ND football website - 12 December 1999
Top 20 Moments in ND Football History - 12 December 1999
'Shirt' Off Manager's Back is a Great Guest Gift - 12 December 1999
Classic Notre Dame Story - 2 December 1999
"Coach D" Thanks Student Fans - 2 December 1999
Bowls Still Want Irish - 19 November 1999
Davie's Answers Don't Add Up - 19 November 1999
Remember The Score in 2001 - 19 November 1999
Wadsworth A Cancer at Notre Dame - 31 October 1999
Off campus, Off team? Driver Penalty Off Target
- 27 October 1999
Spurrier to replace Davie? - 11 October 1999
Posted on 3 December 2000:
OK, bad news everybody: the Bowl Championship Series is in trouble. All the controversy surrounding the selection process could mean that the BCS will not exist past 2006.
No, I am not talking about Florida State being ranked higher than Miami - a team that beat the Seminoles in the regular season. I am talking about a much more pressing concern.
The Pac-10 may not re-sign the BCS contract after it expires in 2006.
Yes, the Pac-10, the conference that sent 8-3 Stanford to the Rose Bowl last year is upset with the BCS system.
In a Los Angeles Times article Wednesday, Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen said that if Oregon State were not chosen for the Fiesta Bowl, he would consider withdrawing the Pac-10 from the BCS.
"The Pac-10 may be better off going back to the Rose Bowl and forgetting the rest," Hansen said to the Los Angeles Times. "I wouldn't want to continually subject our teams to the anticipation of being selected and fairly considered when it just doesn't happen."
Hansen almost has a legitimate complaint this year. The Pac-10 has somehow managed to place three teams in the top 10 of the BCS.
Washington is ranked fourth and headed to the Rose Bowl as the Pac-10 champion. Oregon State is ranked sixth at 10-1 while Oregon is 10th with a 9-2 record.
Hansen is angry that Oregon State may not get a BCS bid despite being one of seven Div. 1-A teams with a 10-1 record. But look a little closer and you will see that Oregon State beat a couple of cupcakes, a few Twinkies and a cream puff this year.
There are three reasons why Oregon State does not deserve a BCS bid this year: 6-5 Eastern Washington, 3-8 San Diego State and 5-7 New Mexico.
Those were the three non-conference games that Oregon State chose to schedule. I'd call those three teams cupcakes but that would be an insult to the pastry. Scheduling those three teams is just pathetic. If you want to be a real football school, you have to schedule real opponents.
The Beavers don't have to stock their schedule with top 25 opponents. They just have to play opponents that at a very minimum might not be horrible this year. Rather than scheduling Eastern Washington, schedule Missouri. Missouri wasn't a good football team this year but at least the Tigers play in a real conference and had a chance to be good this year.
Scheduling 6-5 teams from the Big Sky conference does not help your bowl chances. It only pads your record with empty victories.
The Pac-10 schedule is no better. The only good team the Beavers played all year was Washington. And the Huskies beat the Beavers 33-30.
The rest of the Pac-10 teams on Oregon State's schedule were awful this year. USC was 5-7. Stanford was 5-6. Washington State was 4-7. California was 3-8. Arizona was 5-6.
Oregon State only played four teams with winning records and only three of those teams will be going to bowls - not even the insight.com bowl will select a 6-5 team from the Big Sky conference like Eastern Washington.
UCLA went 6-5 and is headed to the Sun Bowl. Washington is going to the Rose Bowl and Oregon finished 9-2 and will most likely head to the Aloha Bowl.
Oregon State's only quality win came against Oregon and Oregon is probably one of the softest 9-2 teams in the country. They beat 5-6 Big West power Idaho and Nevada who finished 2-10 in non-conference action but the Beavers also lost to Wisconsin. Although the Badgers are headed to the Sun Bowl this year, they are probably the most disappointing team in college football north of Alabama.
Oregon went on to tag Washington with its only defeat but other than the Huskies, the Ducks didn't beat anyone. Oregon only beat two other bowl teams: 6-5 UCLA and 6-5 Arizona State.
Not very impressive at all.
But Mr. Hansen, a 10-1 record is still a 10-1 record so maybe Oregon State deserves the Fiesta Bowl bid. So let's cut a deal.
Oregon State gets to go to the Fiesta Bowl this year, if you promise to decline your automatic bid for your conference champion when your conference champion is horrible - like last year when Stanford went the to Rose Bowl with an 8-3 record.
You don't think that is fair?
Fine. Quit the BCS. The BCS is better off without fraud teams from the Pac-10.
Posted on 5 November 2000:
All of you that attended the Purdue pep rally last month had a chance to meet a special young man from San Diego, Calif., Scott Delgadillo. In my 25 years of coaching, I've been fortunate enough to meet some very remarkable people. None, however, has made a bigger impression on me than Scott.
Those of you who weren't at the pep rally missed a chance to meet a remarkable individual and witness this 14-year-old's courage and passion for life. Scott and his family were sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation for their trip to Notre Dame to experience the Purdue game weekend.
I'm saddened to say that we have received some unfortunate news about Scott. His leukemia has resurfaced in his bone marrow and he was admitted to the Children's Hospital of San Diego. His last round of chemotherapy treatments were harder to get through than others.
Scott's mother, Carmen, mentioned that Scott had received a copy of his talk at the pep rally and photos of him with the team, which inspired him to be strong through this most difficult time. Scott said to his mother, "This is like a football game; sometimes you get knocked down, but you just have to get back up and in the game."
We all remember Scott sharing with us how perseverance, determination and positive thinking have helped him during this ordeal. I would like to ask the entire student body to return these positive thoughts to Scott now in his time of need. You can contact Scott at 7319 Golfcrest Drive, San Diego, CA, 92119 or by e-mail at cheqs@home.com. I know that with the attitude this extraordinary young man possesses, along with our prayers, he will win this battle.
Posted on 9 October 2000:
Notre Dame suffered a loss last weekend greater than the one on the football field.
More than at any time in our collective memory, Notre Dame fans sold their loyalty last weekend. The sight of thousands upon thousands of Nebraska faithful filling every section of Notre Dame stadium was not only embarrassing, but truly disheartening to all loyal Notre Dame alumni and fans around the country. The sheer number of alumni who must have betrayed their school by selling out to the highest bidder is unparalleled in our history.
We realize that the events recent years have not made it easy to be a Notre Dame fan: an aimless athletic department; widely publicized scandals among students, coaches, and athletes; increasingly skeptical media coverage of Notre Dame's admissions policies.
But Notre Dame has come through similar challenges in the past. Critics railed against the "greed" of our television contract; the "tarnish" on our golden image; the "arrogance" of our decision not to join the Big Ten. But Notre Dame weathered these criticisms because of its knowledge that it was still committed to its core Catholic educational mission, its strong reputation, and most importantly, the unwavering support and dedication of its alumni (both academic and subway).
Sadly, this was not in evidence last weekend. The people and institutions which have until now been pillars of Irish tradition instead chose to take the money and run. They put green in their wallets instead of on their backs.
In a most egregious example, The Linebacker, one of the most popular Notre Dame off-campus hangouts, which generations of students and alumni have kept in business over the years, closed its doors to Irish faithful.
Instead, at the opening of the weekend, it chose to harbor a private party exclusively for Nebraska's entourage. For a hefty price, The Linebacker was willing to become the base of operations for the Big Red.
Rally sons of Notre Dame. Just not at The Linebacker.
Was it all some cruel trick? Some mistake by the bar's management? Certainly not. The Linebacker knew it was selling out. The welcome signs and decorations that we all saw on Route 23 and Edison prove that point amply enough.
The question now is this: will the Notre Dame community sit down and take it? Do we have enough pride in ourselves to refuse to associate with those who show no respect for our school? Or is we as much of a sellout as some in the media would like to brand us? Do we have any respect left for ourselves? Or will we continue to patronize the establishment that happens to be closest?
We still believe in Notre Dame pride. We have enough of it ourselves to resent this low point in Notre Dame spirit, and organize to make for ourselves a campus community of which we can all be proud. We call upon all ND students, faculty, staff, alumni, and all the other ND faithful, to imitate Notre Dame's recent efforts in rebuilding itself; Kevin White's energy; the basketball program's commitment; and the those football players whose courageous effort Saturday had all too few friendly witnesses.
We call upon the whole Notre Dame community to stop patronizing The Linebacker. Show no support to those who do not support us.
"Boycott the 'Backer."
Posted on 1 October 2000:
Who is Matt LoVecchio?
All Notre Dame football fans know about the 6-foot-3, 200-pound freshman quarterback is from the 16 lines about his high school successes in the Notre Dame media guide and a handful of plays from Saturday's loss to Michigan State.
According to Fred Stengel, there's much, much more that makes up the guy who will likely direct the Notre Dame offense against Stanford Oct. 7.
"Matt's the kind of guy who will keep his head when people all around him are losing theirs,'' said Stengel. "He's got ice water in his veins.''
Stengel should know. The past two falls, LoVecchio led Stengel's Bergen Catholic High School football team (in Oradell, N.J.) to the New Jersey state championship. LoVecchio was the key part of Bergen Catholic's intricate "West Coast offense,'' an attack that focused on the passing game.
LoVecchio's leadership not only paved the way for two state crowns, but it also convinced Stengel that his pupil was ready to take the step to Notre Dame.
"We researched the situation,'' Stengel said. "Not everybody can be recommended to be the quarterback at Notre Dame. Those are very difficult shoes to fill. I never had any qualms about Matt making that move because of his emotional makeup. He is so unassuming. When you see a grin come to his face, it's like any other guy on the field doing cartwheels.''
Stengel watched LoVecchio closely Saturday when the youngster was brought in against the Spartans in the second half. He saw LoVecchio change the fullback's alignment, he watched him call a timeout when the Irish were in the wrong formation. Stengel saw LoVecchio complete a 43-yard pass to Javin Hunter and also rush four times for 21 yards.
"Saturday night, Matt called my quarterbacks coach Joe Haemmerle,'' Stengel said. "Joe, who's like a guru to Matt, asked him what it was like out there. Matt said, 'It was like standing on the top of a tall building -- you don't look down.' Joe asked him if he was nervous about the first snap. He said, 'I took 30 snaps on the sidelines before I came in because there was no way I was going to fumble that thing.'
"Matt has the God-given ability to be able to focus on the task at hand. He might look nonchalant, but the fire's burning. He might not be the biggest, he might not be the strongest, or he might not be the fastest, but he's in the top 95 percent of all those. That's what makes a great quarterback.''
While in high school, LoVecchio's assignment was to throw the football. He rushed for 302 yards as a senior, but never had any exposure to the option until he came to Notre Dame. Stengel accompanied LoVecchio on a visit to Notre Dame and sat down with Irish offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers (who was raised about 40 miles from LoVecchio's hometown) to make sure the fit would be good.
"Kevin and I sat down for about three hours on a Friday night,'' Stengel recalled. "Kevin was at the chalkboard the whole time, showing me the offense and how Matt would fit in. There's no question that Matt can run the option as part of the offense. He's very suited to the mobility it takes. I don't have any fears about that at all.''
The main concern Stengel had was for LoVecchio to maintain the proper temperament to handle the hype and the criticism that goes along with the position.
"I've seen plenty of guys with lots of talent try and fail at being the quarterback at Notre Dame,'' Stengel said. "What Matt has going for him is that he's so even-keel. You never see him get flustered. I've heard all about the pressure and the fish-bowl atmosphere that the quarterback at Notre Dame has to deal with. Matt's ready for all that. He's not going into it naive.''
He also doesn't seem to be going into it unprepared. With Stengel's guidance, LoVecchio didn't get to Notre Dame by accident.
Posted on 19 September 2000:
Embarassed. Humiliated. Betrayed. No, I'm not feeling this way because Notre Dame lost to the University of Nebraska in football. In fact, I thought we played a decent game. I'm feeling this way thanks to certain people who call themselves "alumni" and "fans" of our University.
Consider this: 4,000 tickets were made available to Nebraska fans for the football game. Call me crazy, but I estimated - along with announcers during the game - around 30,000 red shirts in the stands. How do 4,000 tickets become 30,000 tickets? I'll tell you.
Two-faced alumni and fans. Those who sold out, literally, the very University they claim to love and support. Those who sold a game ticket for a few hundred dollars to a Nebraskan. Those who didn't care if they were wearing green with the rest of the Notre Dame faithful. The guy on the corner asking $500 for the pair; the old man holding up two tickets at the tailgater; the young woman with the Notre Dame hat and the look of greed on her face. They sold out.
Even selling to other Notre Dame alums or fans would have been better than selling to red shirts and Husker hats. They sold to the opponent just to make a few hundred bucks that will most likely go towards a new Lazy Susan they can show off at their next tailgate party. Was that worth it? Is this what we've come to? Making money at all costs?
Maybe it's me, but Notre Dame stands for something. It stands for more than just football Saturdays, tailgate parties and winning a Championship. It stands for truth. It stands for loyalty and honor. It stands for respect. It stands for the backbone of everything that is great about college academics and athletics.
By selling your tickets to Husker fans, you robbed the University of the very tradition you claim to love and honor. You have decimated the true meaning of college athletics. And you have shown today's students that alumni at Notre Dame only care about the best way to make a buck. I am an alumnus. I am outraged. And I will not accept that attitude. And neither will any self-respecting student or graduate.
Take off your green hat, your Notre Dame shirt and put away the Irish flag. You have lost the right to call yourselves "alumni" and "fans." We lost to Nebraska. Maybe the number of red shirts was a factor. Maybe it wasn't. But one thing is certain. You embarassed me. You embarassed the team. You embarassed the students. And you embarassed the University of Notre Dame on national television.
I hope that few hundred dollars buys you something nice. You earned it.
Josh Quinn '96
I know that many of you are disappointed in the alumni and "sell-outs" that gave their tickets away to the loyal 'Husker fans drooling for their chance to witness a little piece of history. Anyone would be angered to see opposing colors outnumber the Blue-Gold. You need to realize that as a 'Husker fan, I was so embarassed that your fans kept our fans quiet! If you hadn't noticed, our fans were in awe of the tradition being brought before our eyes and those Irish fans that did attend the game, kept the 'Husker fans out of the game completely.
Jeff Guenin, junior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Last year, on a number of occasions, the alumni wrote to The Observer describing their contempt for the student body's lack of spirit and integrity. Last Saturday, the alumni who sold out their school showed the lack of spirit and integrity.
Lee Corso summed it all up the best when he said, "It was an embarrassment for Notre Dame to see their stadium in a sea of red. I can't believe it happened." Neither can we, Mr. Corso, neither can we.
And our hearts forever, love thee ... precious cash.
Robert Hutchison, Justin Szalanski, & Mike Siefring sophomores, Zahm Hall
On behalf of my fellow alumni, I would like to apologize to the football team and to all Notre Dame students, for the actions of a large portion of my fellow alumni (and, it would appear, season ticket holders) who scalped their tickets and contributed to the embarrassing sea of red which overwhelmed the campus. I was fortunate to have won three tickets to the game and was happy to have two of my three sons with me. I am sorry that the alumni failed to match the enthusiasm and school spirit expressed by the ND student body.
Stephen E. Hoey '81
Unfortunately, thousands of Irish fans who should have been in the stands giving the Nebraska offense fits were outside in parking lots or at home in their living rooms. Our alumni, most of whom are compensated quite nicely for their work at least partially because of their Notre Dame education and experience, opted to put green in their pockets instead of the stands. What a shame.
Greg Wright, junior, Morrissey Manor Tony Lusvardi, junior, Zahm Hall Brendan P. Harris, junior, Alumni Hall
Colleagues holding faculty/staff season football tickets who have, during either or both of this season's games, sold their tickets and particularly those who knowingly sold them to supporters of Texas A&M or Nebraska. I urge that each of them take just a few moments to write a short note to the team's student-athletes, student managers and coaching staff to acknowledge, in retrospect, their blatant lack of regard for each of the team member's daily efforts over the past months and moreover, their disregard for Notre Dame tradition.
In the longer term, this might also enable our Athletic Department to become aware of those individuals who may have violated the terms of the purchase agreement that such tickets are for "Faculty and Staff Use Only" and are "Not for Resale." Ultimately, the University may wish to decide whether such violations constitute grounds for revoking ticket privileges in future years.
A.L. Johnson, Professor of Physiology
Notre Dame fans are a lot less rare than tickets and I challenge any alum who won tickets to the Nebraska game to claim they couldn't find Domers or fans that would gladly use their tickets. It is obvious that some alumni were thinking a lot more about the money than they were about the Irish spirit when they sold their tickets to high-paying 'Huskers fans.
Theresa Higgins '98
Heading into Saturday's matchup against Nebraska, Notre Dame had lost seven consecutive games away from Notre Dame Stadium. Now they have lost eight.
The Nebraska fans embarrassed us on ESPN GameDay with their "'Husker, Home Game," chant. Notre Dame's reputation as a University is based largely on the perception that our students and alumni are rabidly loyal. In that respect, we took a major step backwards on Saturday.
Steven Reed, senior, Carroll Hall
God. Country. Cash. Notre Dame.
I hope you are happy, for you should be ashamed. You have taken the "house that Rockne built" and turned it into a den of thieves.
Patrick Grady '88
There has to be the technology to have a picture enlarged from film from the blimp to mark every red shirt in the stadium and relieve those ticket holders of their right to purchase tickets for at least five years if not longer.
This should never be allowed to happen again.
Patrick J. Foley, Illinois State University
Posted on 10 September 2000:
SOUTH BEND -- An unscheduled speaker stole the show Friday afternoon at Notre Dame's first Football Luncheon of the 2000 season.
A crowd of more than 1,000 that spilled over from the Joyce Center fieldhouse to the hockey arena stands was treated to a rousing motivational talk from a very unlikely source.
Sister Patricia Jean met Notre Dame coach Bob Davie recently when Davie and several Irish football players spoke to a gathering of about 150 Sisters of the Holy Cross.
Following the presentation, Sister Patricia Jean, a member of the order for 58 years, asked to address the entire team at a practice.
Her words so struck Davie that he asked her to come in front of Friday's crowd to be recognized. Rather than wave, Sister Patricia Jean ambled to the podium and ultimately brought the crowd to its feet.
She recounted the story she told to the team about her dealings with a young man who was about to make his first communion in 1964. A priest asked Sister Patricia Jean if she could see this young man. His name was Alan Page.
She talked of how Page, then a sophomore, was on the verge of being cut from the team by coach Ara Parseghian.
"We became very good friends," the nun said. "I think it was because all of the brownies I brought him over the years."
The friendship also may have been forged through the challenges she gave to Page as he vied for a spot on the team, let alone Irish history.
"One afternoon, we had a two-hour talk," she said. "I said to him, 'What is your problem? Do you realize that if you don't make that cut, you're throwing away your whole future? It's no skin off Parseghian's nose. He'll get somebody to replace you. But you are the one who has to decide.
'And it has to come from in here (touching her heart) if you're going to do it.'"
Sister Patricia Jean said she asked Page why he wasn't getting after the opposing players like Parseghian wanted him to do.
"He said, 'I'm afraid I'll hurt 'em,''' the nun said. "Hurt 'em?!' I said. He always turned around and helped them up. I said, 'You need to hit 'em so hard you have to help 'em up.' We got him a tutor and he made that cut."
Sister Patricia Jean recounted Page's honors both on the field at Notre Dame and now as a Superior Court Justice in Minnesota. Then, she compared his situation to that that faces the Irish now.
"I said to (the 2000 team), 'These coaches love you. They appreciate you. They care for you. They taught you everything you need to know," she said. "In the end, it has to come from you. You're going to go out there, and you're going to line up, and you're going to look eyeball to eyeball with the guy across from you, and I'm telling you, you're going to tell them, 'Boy, am I going to squash you!'"
Sister Patricia Jean brought the crowd to its feet with her sincere enthusiasm. She struck a chord with the crowd that the other speakers -- Davie, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and senior defensive end Grant Irons -- barely brushed.
She already put an exclamation point on today's season opener.
Posted on 10 September 2000:
It takes more than the average Joe to blow by All-American basketball
player Troy Murphy.
Somebody like the 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year Vince Carter, for instance.
"I ended up covering him [Carter] in one of the scrimmages," Murphy said.
"I've never felt so vulnerable in my life. It was kind of like pick your
poison with him - he'll either pull up and shoot over you or go around you
and dunk. Unfortunately he dunked on me a couple of times."
Murphy was one of 12 collegiate players picked to play on a U.S. Men's
Select team that competed in Hawaii Saturday against the U.S. Olympic team.
The Olympic Dream Team III defeated the collegians squarely 111-74, leaving
a big impression on its opponents.
Murphy, who scored four points and pulled down three rebounds in the
exhibition game, found himself in awe of Carter's athleticism and Alonzo
Mourning's size.
What impressed him even more was the NBA players' work ethic.
"These guys are making 14, 15 million dollars a year, and then at the end of
practice they run sprints," Murphy said. "Ray Allen is making 8 million
dollars a year and shooting jump shots at the end of practice. Alonzo
Mourning is running sprints long after everybody else has gone home."
The constant dedication to improve and stay on top of their game struck
Murphy as the biggest lesson of the trip.
"Those guys have made it," the junior power forward said. "Yet they
continually want to get better. They're not satisfied. That sticks with me."
Dream Team III ran the gamut in its response to the NCAA players.
While some took time out of their schedule to pass on a few pointers to the
collegians, others looked on it as their duty to put their younger
counterparts in their places.
"Some of them kind of saw it as a rite of passage, to show us that they were
still the guys that had to be beaten," Murphy said. "There were a couple
guys, though, Ray Allen and Vin Baker, who went out of their way to get to
know me and help me out."
Although guys like Murphy, Duke's Shane Battier and Jason Williams,
Maryland's Terence Morris and Iowa State's Jamal Tinsley, all members of the
Select team, are the elite among college players, they came in at a
disadvantage.
Not only did they have less experience, they lacked time playing together to
form a team and learn plays.
On the hardwood, the Select team couldn't compete with the NBA players yet.
Off the court, the guys got to know each other and enjoy Hawaii at the same
time.
"We went snorkeling one day," Murphy said. "But they gave us fish food to
attract the fish, and we ended up throwing the fish food on each other
instead of in the water. So that attracted the fish real close, and we
didn't last too long."
Back on campus, Murphy values the chance to meet his childhood heroes face
to face.
"It was great. I've got pictures up on my wall in my dorm room of those
guys," Murphy said. "It's an experience that I'll cherish for a long, long
time."
As we all know, everyone has circled the Nebraska game as the most important
game this season. A win against the Huskers will bring us back into the eye
of
the nation and vault us up the polls, where we rightfully belong.
As many of you also know, Husker fans travel very well and will be easy to
spot
in their bright red clothing. I have heard claims by Husker fans that they
will "take over Notre Dame Stadium" or fill over 20,000 seats. While these
claims are just the good natured ribbing of college football fans, we think
that we should make a statement of our own.
We would like to push the idea for every Irish fan to wear green to the
Nebraska game, and create a sea of green in the stands. We feel that green
is
the most logical color since "The Shirt" this year is green itself. A
"green-out" would illustrate the love and support we have for our school.
While the idea is not all that complicated to create, the real challenge is
getting as many fans in green as possible. This is why I am contacting
everyone on this list. I am requesting your help in spreading the word
throughout the Notre Dame family. Some of you may be able to provide e-mail
addresses, while others may be in a position to help push the idea.
Whatever you can do would be greatly appreciated. We believe the best
contact
point will be alumni clubs across the nation. A simple blurb in the monthly
newsletter could provide a notice for over 75% of fans that will attend the
game.
We truly believe that flooding the stadium with ND fans clad in green
apparel
will bring the football team a big lift. At the very least it shows our
unwavering support for ND athletics. At the very most it inspires the team
to
play at another level. Either way it would be a true success. In
researching
the idea for the green shirt, we found an old Irish poem that fits the idea
perfectly (with a little tweaking for the NU game):
Wearin' the Green
"O Paddy dear, and did ye hear the news that's goin' round?
The shamrock is forbid by law to grow on Irish ground!
Saint Patrick's Day no more we'll keep, his color can't be seen
For there's a bloody law ag'in the Wearin' o' the Green."
I met with Knute Rockne, and he took me by the hand
And he said, "How's poor old Notre Dame, and how does she stand?"
"She's the most distressful school that ever you have seen
For they're hanging men and women there for the Wearin' o' the Green."
"So if the color we must wear be Husker's cruel red
Let it remind us of the blood that Irishmen have shed
And pull the shamrock from your hat, and throw it on the sod
But never fear, 'twill take root there, though underfoot 'tis trod.
When laws can stop the blades of grass from growin' as they grow
And when the leaves in summer-time their color dare not show
Then I will change the color too I wear in my caubeen
But till that day, please God, I'll stick to the Wearin' o' the Green."
I appreciate any advice or help you can give us with this endeavor.
Thank you very much & Go Irish!!
Eric Reichle
GO IRISH!!
Posted on 6 August 2000:
Cynics need not be concerned with searching for the slightest slip in the
private and public persona of new Notre Dame men's basketball coach Mike
Brey.
Whether guiding his players through another successful season and possible
NCAA Tournament bid, recruiting tomorrow's stars or answering the college
basketball critics that are all too common today, Brey brings a familiar
package to his presentation.
"What you see is what you get," said former Duke standout Jay Bilas, who
served alongside Brey as a Duke University assistant coach for three years.
"There is no false pretense with him. There's no flash. He's a man of
substance."
During his five years as head coach at the University of Delaware, Brey
helped the Blue Hens become the class of the America East, both on and off
the court. His players were respectful of others and always in line to do
what was right away from the game. On the court, the Hens played hard and
played together.
For America East commissioner Chris Monasch, it was a daily pleasure to be
associated with Brey.
"It made it easy, to have our premier basketball program with a coach who
does the right thing and can give guys a benchmark for the ideal situation,"
Monasch said. "He's an absolute class act from every possible point you
could evaluate a college coach."
Monasch knows how uncommon it is to have the Mike Breys in today's world of
college basketball. Some head coaches talk a good game and put on the
happiest of faces in front of the cameras and microphones, only to turn into
unforgiving tyrants behind closed doors.
That is not, and will not, be Brey.
"There's always a fine line between saying and doing the right thing,"
Monasch said. "But Mike is also sincere and that's what's so classy about
him. He just has the whole package."
Area Irish fans have yet to experience what Brey brings to the table, in
part because he has spent many of the 17 days out of town since he was hired
as the program's 17th head coach.
Brey has been busy on the high school recruiting trails, where he has kept
in contact with Jordan Cornette and Chris Thomas, two players who have
verbally committed to Notre Dame for the 2001-02 season. Both have met with
Brey and hope to visit campus with their respective families in the next few
weeks where they will finalize their commitments.
Brey has found time to cut short his summer recruiting circuit and return to
campus at least once a week. He recently had All-America power forward Troy
Murphy round up teammates so Brey could join them for pizza.
"It was great to get my introduction to Grape Road," joked Brey, who drove
past the University Park Mall marquee welcoming him and his family to the
area. "Certainly the current players are the most important to the program."
Brey will end his July tour Monday when he returns to the Irish basketball
offices. He hopes to have his basketball support staff in place before
returning to the East Coast for his father's 70th birthday celebration this
weekend.
The day he was hired, Brey indicated that he hoped to bring with him from
Delaware two of his three assistants -- Sean Kearney and Tyrone Perry, a
former Blue Hen player.
While Kearney has been with Brey as his top Irish assistant since Day One,
Perry will not be at Notre Dame.
"He just needs a little more experience," Brey said of Perry, a college
coach for only one season. "I thought Ty would be better-suited to stay at
Delaware and if it works out, join us here in two or three years."
By the time he sells his home in Delaware, moves his wife, Tish, and
children -- Kyle and Callie -- out to South Bend, the Notre Dame fall
semester will be set to commence.
A chance for Brey to catch his breath may not arrive until well into 2001.
"My mindset is let's kick it into gear and here we go until April," Brey
said. "You really don't need sleep when you're working from passion and
excitement and just a lot of juice."
There will be plenty of all to go around for the 2000-01 basketball season.
Next up will be individual meetings with players, conferences with school
administrators and alumni. Guest speaking appearances around town. Honoring
media requests. Trips to the dorm rooms to pump up the pulse of the student
body. Expect Brey to handle all with equal ease and excitement.
"Mike is just as comfortable in a suit and tie sitting in a meeting as he is
with shorts on at a summer camp," said Bilas, an attorney for a Charlotte,
N.C. law firm and color commentator for ESPN. "He's not only really bright,
but he's incredibly personable and gets to know people on multiple levels."
A qualified coach
Come Oct. 15, those close to the Notre Dame community will learn what type
of basketball coach Brey is when official practice opens. Brey will assemble
a veteran group that day led by Murphy and fellow juniors David Graves, Ryan
Humphrey and Harold Swanagan along with senior point guard Martin Ingelsby.
Brey has told his team that they will be given a certain amount of freedom
on the court. When they arrive at the Joyce Center each afternoon, the Irish
know there is serious work to be done. And they'll know who will be in
charge.
"He gets the most out of you in practices," said current Delaware sophomore
Maurice Sessoms, who sat out Brey's final year in Newark after transferring
from Wisconsin. "They're definitely hard practices. It's all structured and
timed. They're intense."
On the odd occasion that a mental block will bounce Brey for a loop on the
practice floor, he can return to his Joyce Center corner office and open the
massive file folder from his days under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.
Brey saved each one of Coach K's practice plans during his five years with
the Blue Devils.
"He filed all them away so when he remembers something from say, 1990, when
things weren't going so well for us, he can analogize from that, go back to
the practice plan and get ideas," Bilas said. "Mike's always been not only a
quick study but there's a depth to his understanding of the game."
And an understanding of the moment. Though he worked eight years for one of
the premier college basketball programs of the last decade, where he helped
bring six Final Four appearances two national championships to Duke, expect
Brey to leave all references to his days with Coach K and company in the
closet.
While at Delaware, players seldom heard what it was like to coach, to win,
to work at Duke.
"He's from the Duke system, but he's his own man," said Delaware swingman
Greg Miller, who will be a fifth-year senior for the Blue Hens this season.
"He has his own beliefs and it was great to know that we were never
second-class citizens. We were always his choice."
Notre Dame opens the regular season in mid-November with a home game against
Sacred Heart (Conn.) College. When the house lights come on for real, what
type of team will Irish fans see?
Again, it depends on the depth of athleticism and versatility Murphy and his
mates display in preseason. But if Brey's past is an indication, expect
Notre Dame to play plenty of man-to-man defense, a switch from last season's
heavy reliance on a 2-3 zone.
"That's what Mike believes in," Bilas said.
A revolving door may be installed at the scorer's table since Brey likes to
use plenty of different combinations. It helps keep a player's legs fresh
for the postseason sprint come March.
Look for Notre Dame to run a little more, which will help the likes of
Murphy, Swanagan and sophomore center Ivan Kartelo to get out and secure
easy transition hoops. An emphasis will also be placed on halfcourt
execution if the break is not available.
"We would run when we had to run but when it came down to it, we would set
up and run our regular motion offense," said Miller. "He was never any real
pattern type of person. He gave his players the freedom to do what they
wanted, but there was always structure to it."
Brey will be Murphy's third coach in as many years. It's something that
could prove a setback for someone seemingly destined for the NBA Lottery.
But Brey has coached talented big men before while at Duke.
"He was Christian Laettner's coach for four years," Bilas said of the player
selected third by the Minnesota Timberwolves following his senior season.
"Mike's the guy that worked with Christian to improve his game. That will
help Murphy a great deal."
No Irish will have absolute autonomy to take over a game, but Brey will make
it clear - if the open shot is there, and is within one's range, it better
be taken.
"He definitely is very open-minded and will utilize the strengths of his
players," Miller said. "He's a player's coach."
Focus on family
Brey also will stress the importance of family at Notre Dame. At Delaware,
it was as if Brey had adopted 13 sons from all parts of the United States.
His young son and daughter, as well as his wife, were integral parts of the
Delaware program.
Such will be the case in South Bend.
"We want them to become a part of our family," Tish Brey said. "I want my
kids to know the guys here at Notre Dame, just as the guys at Delaware have
become part of our family."
It was that focus on family that may have been a driving force toward
Delaware's ability to win at least 20 games with two conference titles the
last three years. When times got tough, the Blue Hens were able to draw
strength from one another where other teams might have started pointing
fingers.
Close games brought out the camaraderie within the players, who felt they
could accomplish anything as a group.
"Our teams have always been special," Miller said. "We would always kind of
will a win out and find a way."
"When you watched his players play together, the kind of bond they created
with each other and the community in Delaware, it was fun to watch," said
Monasch.
Watch for Brey, often a study in composure as he chomps his gum on the
sideline during contests, to let loose with plenty of enthusiasm following a
big Irish win. Those are cause for all to celebrate, a reward for the hard
work and long hours his kids contribute.
"He's a rah-rah guy," Sessoms said. "He's a lot of energy."
There will also be games that the Irish should win but don't. There will be
no blame assessed individually, no locker rooms eruptions. It is, Brey
knows, part of a business where no team goes undefeated.
"He's not going to get down and start going off on a tirade on people,"
Sessoms said. "He never looks to put the blame on people. He'd be sad, but
he'd move on and not dwell on it."
Brey's pre-Notre Dame experiences will again serve him well. Having played
and coached under high school legend Morgan Wooten at DeMatha, coupled with
his days at Duke, has helped Brey understand all aspects of winning and
losing.
There's always tomorrow, where success can be achieved.
"Mike's a pretty passionate guy, but he also understands being in control
and he always is," said Bilas. "He'll put his arm around a kid when things
aren't going well and get him through it, but he's not beyond getting in
your face to get you going.
"He remembers what it's like to be a player and what works."
A recruiting whiz
Brey made a name for himself at Duke by being able to recruit some of the
top talent in the country to Durham. He helped the Blue Devils secure the
likes of Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley and Laettner, all key pieces to the team's
two national championships.
Brey's secret to his recruiting success? Simple. Just be the person that he
is. No use trying to slither his way into the home of some prep hot-shot,
only to sweet-talk him with a bunch of worthless facts that will eventually
come back to hurt your reputation.
When Brey first paid a visit to Miller's home in New Jersey five years ago,
the family was floored by Brey's preparation.
"He knows the answer to the question before you even ask," Miller said.
"Coaches have their own list with their own questions to ask, but it never
seemed like he was reading from a profile or off the computer screen.
"He's very personable and took a great interest in the people he was
recruiting."
"He's not a good recruiter because he can sell ice up in the arctic," Bilas
said. "He's a good recruiter because he's real."
With the commitments of Cornette and Thomas, Brey will have one additional
scholarship to offer prospects for the 2001-02 season, two depending on
Murphy's decision following this season. One player atop the Irish wish list
is 6-foot-10, 240-pound center Jordan Collins from DeMatha.
Brey would like to re-establish a pipeline from the Washington area into
Notre Dame. He also wants to get back into the Chicago Public League.
Wherever he goes, Brey will be convincing.
"Anyone he meets, he can relate to them," said Sessoms, who chose to play
for Brey rather than transfer to St. Bonaventure. "It doesn't matter where
they're from, what country.
"Aliens, coach Brey could relate to them."
Is Brey as good as advertised? Many insist so and cannot find at least one
fault with the head coach who insists Notre Dame is the final stop of his
coaching career.
Surely there's got to be something he can improve upon, right?
"I don't think so," said Monasch. "He does all the right things and it is
sincere. There are a lot of guys that I might say, 'He's going to say the
right thing, but do I think he believes it?'
"Mike does. It's impossible not to like him."
Miller has seen every side of Brey the last four years, and there's not one
day he would take back and do over if given the chance.
"I'm not in the position to call anyone perfect, but he's a great guy,"
Miller said. "I'm definitely jealous of Notre Dame. They're lucky to have
him."
Posted on 13 August 2000:
Joe "The Comeback Kid" Montana will be presented at the Pro Football Hall of
Fame this afternoon. In less than two weeks, Joe's Notre Dame teammate, Ross
Browner, will be honored at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Joe and Ross were key players in Notre Dame's national championship year.
Five years later, they were on opposing teams when San Francisco defeated
Cincinnati in the Super Bowl.
But they will never be joined together in either Hall of Fame
Each earned his Hall of Fame credentials, but Joe will never make the
college hall in South Bend and Ross won't make to Canton. Montana was a
superstar with the '49ers and Browner was a rather-ordinary player with the
Bengals.
Despite his accomplishments at Notre Dame such as three comeback victories
as a sophomore in 1975, a national championship in 1977 as a junior and then
the incredible "Ice Bowl" finale over Houston in the Cotton Bowl, Joe didn't
make first team All-American, one of the required credentials of the college
Hall.
Four Super Bowl victories, three MVP trophies in the Super Bowl, and the
many comeback victories as a pro make Montana the class the year 2000 Pro
Hall of Fame group.
His outstanding Notre Dame feats pale be comparison.
The other day a sports announcer thought it unbelievable that Montana had
once been No. 3 on the Notre Dame depth chart.
No. 3?
Would you believe No. 6 or 7?
Montana came to Notre Dame from Donora, Pa., in 1974. He was just another
quarterback because Gary Forystek, Ross Christensen and Drew Schuett also
were in that class. And in junior varsity games as a freshman, Joe was
better known for his punting, a 36.5 yard average than his "1-for-6 and
35-yards" passing statistics.
What I did see on the practice field in that fall of 1974 was a slim
quarterback with an amazingly-quick, but slightly inaccurate delivery. There
was no doubt of his skill, but in 1974, the Irish varsity had Tom Clements,
a tough schedule and no need for a small freshman. The depth chart was quite
fluid but Montana surely was no higher than No. 6.
When Clements graduated and new coach Dan Devine took over, Montana
naturally moved up, but he was behind Rick Slager and Frank Allocco and
probably Forystek.
Allocco dropped out of the picture by choice.
In the home opener against Northwestern, Slager suddenly suffered and injury
and the call went out: "Montana!"
Joe rushed onto the field, but was sent back quickly. He was without a
helmet and had to dash about madly trying to find it. He did settle down to
direct a tying touchdown drive. The Irish eventually won handily, 31-7.
Montana completed 6-of-11 passes, one for a touchdown and also scored one
himself.
The 3-0 Irish then started Montana against Michigan State but the Spartans
scored a late touchdown to win, 10-3. The next week, Slager was back as No.
1 at North Carolina.
The Tar Heels led 14-7 late in the game but Montana came in to lead a tying
drive and then completed a short "out"' pass to Ted Burgmeier, who legged it
80 yards to win the game.
Joe obviously was better coming off the bench. The next week, he proved it
again at Air Force, bringing the Irish back from a 30-10 deficit with three
fourth-quarter touchdowns in the 31-30 victory.
USC and Pitt defeated the Irish in the last half of the season; for only the
second time in six seasons, there was no bowl game.
A shoulder separation kept Montana sidelined in 1976. After two weeks and a
1-1 Irish record, Montana came in to relieve Rusty Lisch and Forystek in the
Purdue game.
Presto!
Another Irish comeback and this time they went all the way, defeating
Michigan State, USC and Clemson and took a 10-1 record against No. 1 Texas
in the Cotton Bowl. The 38-10 rout of the Longhorns vaulted Notre Dame over
Alabama, Arkansas and Texas into the national championship.
There were just as many memories of the defense (Browner, Luther Bradley,
Bob Golic. Willie Fry & Co.) but Montana, Vagas Ferguson, Jerome Heavens and
the rest of the offense were outstanding.
Joe's senior year started slowly with successive losses to Missouri and
Michigan. Only an official's decision robbed Montana of a great comeback at
USC.
At 8-3, Montana had saved the best for last, coming off a 95-degree chilled
body temperature for his greatest comeback of all, a rally from 34-12 in the
last seven minutes for a 0:00 winning strike to Kris Haines and a 35-34
victory.
First team All-American honors just weren't there but the '49ers found the
answers. Joe may have been ignored in the 1970s, but he was the player of
the 1980s, and really one of Notre Dame's greats.
Posted on 23 July 2000:
SOUTH BEND -- Leave it to Notre Dame junior power forward Troy Murphy,
touted as one of the nation's top five talents this coming season, to hear
the big news from his mechanic.
While word of head coach Mike Brey's hiring was being spread to his
teammates, Murphy decided against checking his phone and e-mail messages
after rolling out of bed early Friday morning.
Only after he arrived to have his Jeep Cherokee serviced was Murphy informed
that Brey would be introduced as the 17th head coach in Notre Dame history
later that afternoon.
"I didn't know too much (but) I tried to play it off like I knew," said
Murphy. "I'm not all there."
Brey accepted a long-term contract offer from Irish athletic director Kevin
White early Friday morning after a whirlwind chain of events in the last 72
hours.
Despite White's relentless road trip in search of a new coach, which
included an overseas trip to Europe for a chat with P.J. Carlesimo, the
Irish athletic director made every attempt to keep the team informed --
something that was not the case a year ago.
Notre Dame players had no idea who Matt Doherty was when he walked into the
team's locker room March 30, 1999. This time, the Irish were not left in the
dark.
Lou Nanni, a special assistant to university president Rev. Edward Malloy,
C.S.C., made sure to keep the players up to speed on White's search. Nanni
never mentioned any candidate by name, choosing instead to refer to them as
Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
"We talked to Dr. White about the search when Coach Doherty left," said
junior David Graves. "It was tough last year because we didn't know what was
going on. We were really relieved when he said he wanted to keep us
involved."
White would have it no other way. As obligated as he felt toward the
university hierarchy to identify a successor, White felt a special bond with
the Irish players.
"We have a terrific team," White said. "We had to get this thing back on
track because we have an excellent program."
Brey met with the Irish for about an hour before he was officially
introduced at Friday's press conference on the floor of the Joyce Center.
Sophomore guard Matt Carroll, who toyed with the idea of transferring after
Doherty's departure, felt Brey was the right fit.
"It just felt like a connection with him as soon as I met him," said
Carroll, whose younger brother, Patrick, had been recruited by Delaware
prior to Brey leaving for Notre Dame. "He seems very genuine and an easy guy
to get along with. I'm definitely staying, and I think everyone else will."
That includes sophomore center Ivan Kartelo, a native of Croatia. Kartelo
was the first player recruited and signed last summer by Doherty. But the
loss of the head coach helped the soft-spoken Kartelo cement a bond with his
teammates, one that he isn't in a hurry to break and bolt back home.
"Coaches come and leave but players stay," said Kartelo. "It's tough but
you've got to move on. That's life. It's helpful we're together with team."
Brey will be the third coach in as many seasons for the team's three
juniors -- Graves, Murphy and Harold Swanagan. Having dealt with the
adversity has not only made the trio stronger but has strengthened the bond
of each player on the team.
For much of the past seven days, the Irish have had only themselves to rely
on for support. The group spent almost every waking hour together, whether
it was playing pickup games, lifting weights, eating meals or going out
about town.
"We have guys here that have been through a lot," said Murphy, who bypassed
the NBA Draft to return this season. "Coach Brey is going to be very loyal
and he wants to be here. That's what we need."
Even before Brey was officially hired by White, he kept tabs on his future
players through the Internet. Brey was buoyed earlier this week when he read
of how the Irish talked of being a good basketball team this season, no
matter their coach. That type of mindset may just help propel Notre Dame
into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990.
"They circled the wagons and it's going to help them down the stretch," said
Brey. "There's a heck of a basketball team here."
Kartelo indicated that he has spoken with fellow countryman Jere Macura, an
Irish sophomore who has spent the summer playing for the Croatian national
team. Many figured that without Doherty, instrumental in convincing Macura
to come to America, the swingman would stay home to play professionally.
"Jere is coming back," Kartelo said. "I think we're going to have a great
season."
Posted on 23 July 2000:
Brey's bio sheet
NAME -- Mike Brey.
AGE -- 41.
EXPERIENCE -- Assistant coach at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md.,
under Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten from 1982-87; assistant coach at
Duke under Mike Krzyzewski from 1987-1995; head coach at Delaware 1995-2000,
head coach at Notre Dame 2000.
HEAD COACHING RECORD -- 99-52 in five seasons at Delaware.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE -- Played at DeMatha High, three years at Northwestern
Louisiana and a year at George Washington, where he was team captain and
most valuable player for the Colonials.
FAMILY -- Wife, Tish, children, Kyle and Callie.
OTHER DETAILS -- A native of Rockville, Md. During Brey's tenure, every
senior who has completed his eligibility at Delaware has graduated. America
East co-coach of the year in 1998. Delaware had nine sellouts during the
1998-99 season and 12 sellouts during the 1999-2000 season.
SOUTH BEND -- Mike Brey still remembers his thoughts drifting toward the
future as he headed out the back door of the Joyce Center years ago.
A former member of the Duke University coaching staff, Brey had just helped
the Blue Devils to another victory. But as he boarded the team bus, Brey
wondered what it might be like to one day be the head coach at the
University of Notre Dame.
Early Friday evening, Brey found out.
The 41-year-old Brey was introduced as the 17th head coach in the history of
the Irish program, and second in the last 17 months, during a press
conference on the floor of the Joyce Center.
"All I can say is, 'Wow, we're here,'" said Brey, who entered the arena to a
standing ovation offered by season-ticket holders, all of whom were extended
offers by the university to attend. "You wonder, 'I wonder if I could ever
be good enough to do it at a place like this.'"
Brey, who spent the five previous seasons as head coach of the University of
Delaware, where he recently signed a contract extension through 2007,
replaces Matt Doherty, who left Notre Dame three days earlier to coach the
University of North Carolina.
Leaving Notre Dame for another school, Brey warned, will not be an option
today, tomorrow or ever as he looks to lead the Irish back toward national
prominence.
"I've been in love with two coaching jobs in my five years as a head coach,
and that's Notre Dame twice," said Brey, who interviewed with former Irish
athletic director Mike Wadsworth in March 1999 prior to Doherty's hiring.
"I'll be very clear -- I'm happy here.
"This would be a place where I would love to come and do it for a long, long
time."
How long? Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White reportedly signed Brey to
a seven-year deal. Terms were not disclosed. It is against university policy
to comment on such matters.
White, who spent the better part of the previous 72 hours fighting off sleep
as he conducted an intense search for a new head coach, is confident he'll
not have to hire another basketball coach for many years.
"We've contracted it that way; our contract with coach Brey is longer than a
conventional contract," White said of the pact, which also includes a
"penalty clause" if either side breaks the agreement. "We've got to do that
to protect our interest, and really protect the welfare of our
student-athletes."
White wasted little time in hiring Brey.
Long before Doherty's departure -- on July 5 -- White drafted a working list
of possible successors knowing that "we might find ourselves in a position
looking for a basketball coach."
For two days, White assembled a roster of 40-50 "college basketball
experts," people he wished to speak with regarding a possible candidate.
From there, White identified 10 coaches whom he felt were "strong
prospects
for this position."
During the final two days of Doherty's brief Notre Dame tenure, the wish
list was trimmed to seven. By Wednesday, White had three finalists. Though
White declined to identify them, they are believed to have been former Seton
Hall and NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo, Oregon coach Ernie Kent and Brey, who won
at least 20 games in each of his final three years with the Blue Hens. Each
offseason, Brey's name would be linked to some opening somewhere around the
country.
"He's been offered some pretty high-profile positions and has chosen to stay
the course at Delaware," White said of Brey, who declined to pursue
positions at Auburn, Georgia and Marshall the last few years. "He was
looking for something real special and I think Notre Dame was at the top of
that special list."
It was, but life in Delaware sure was sweet.
The Blue Hens won 99 games in Brey's five years and were a perennial power
in the America East Conference.
The most recent contract Brey signed for school officials was structured to
keep him around the program for the rest of his life. Following his days on
the sideline, Brey figured he could move into a role as athletic director.
But would it ever answer the challenges that Brey craved in his life? Would
working wonders at Delaware satisfy someone who helped coach the Blue Devils
of Duke to six Final Four appearances with a pair of national championships?
Brey's wife, Tish, and their children, Callie and Kyle, listen to the new
coach's introduction at the Joyce Center.
Brey and his wife, Tish, talked into many a late night about the future.
Delaware was ideal, but if something truly special should come along...
Brey never dreamed that the one job he so coveted -- Notre Dame -- would
open for the second time in just over a year. White would soon call Delaware
officials asking permission to speak with Brey. Following an interview with
Carlesimo, which was conducted in Rome, White met with Kent and Brey in
Washington, D.C.
White brought the two head coaches to meet with a committee that consisted
of university president Rev. Edward Malloy and his assistant, Lou Nanni,
provost Dr. Nathan Hatch and Patrick McCarten, the new president of the
school's Board of Trustees.
All were in the nation's capital as university president emeritus Rev.
Theodore Hesburgh was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Thursday.
Long after he had chatted with Carlesimo and Kent, White was sold on Brey's
vision of what he could accomplish at Notre Dame without looking over his
shoulder for the next "dream" job.
Though reports have circulated that both Carlesimo and Kent turned down the
job, White insists only one person was ever offered the chance to become
Notre Dame's basketball coach -- the man who arrived in South Bend via
charter plane early Friday afternoon with his wife and two children -- Kyle,
13, and Callie, 10.
"He accepted instantaneously," White said of Brey, hired shortly before 1
a.m. Friday. "It was a pretty short courtship."
Brey joked to White about the number of years he was willing to give Notre
Dame.
"I said, 'I think I can give you 15 great years. After that, I'm going to
have to re-evaluate,'" Brey said. "This is a long-term situation. The
surface has only been scratched here with how we can do things, who we can
recruit and how we can get it going."
Kent, an Oregon alum who recently completed his third year with the Ducks,
told The Register-Guard of Eugene, Ore., that he declined to take the job
because of poor timing.
"What I found out is that they need someone in place now," Kent said. "I
have family considerations, I have university considerations and there are
too many things involved for me to do something like this so quickly."
White made it clear when his search commenced that he wanted a new coach in
place as soon as possible. The summer evaluation period for college coaches
opened seven days ago.
A thought would tug at White's emotions as he would proceed in his hiring --
was he moving too fast? Should he slow down? Before he could stop to think,
he'd remember the looks on the faces of Irish players Matt Carroll, David
Graves and Troy Murphy, who were back on the Notre Dame campus with no coach
to call their own.
"Our biggest responsibility is to these guys here," White said of the Irish.
"These guys are in limbo and they're fragile and they're brokenhearted. I
felt a huge responsibility to do what we can do for our players as quick as
possible but not carelessly."
As his search for a coach was expedited earlier this week, White contacted
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to serve as an adviser. Krzyzewski applauded his
former assistant's decision to move on to Notre Dame.
"What a perfect fit!" Krzyzewski said through a Notre Dame press release.
"Mike has the background which is totally suited for the level of success
that Notre Dame wants and deserves."
Brey graduated from George Washington University in 1982 with a degree in
physical education. Prior to his college coaching stints at Delaware and
Duke, Brey spent five years at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., his
alma mater. There he learned the game from Morgan Wooten, who has won more
games than anyone in high school boys basketball history.
Brey coached the junior varsity and assisted Wooten's varsity for five
years. He also taught history and monitored two study halls.
Wooten agrees. DeMatha not only helped Brey refine his coaching style, but
taught him how to teach, educate, to relate to kids he wanted to see
succeed.
"Mike Brey is a brilliant selection," Wooten said. "He is one of the great
young head coaches in America. Mike is a winner in every respect."
Brey plans to bring his top assistant at Delaware -- Sean Kearney -- with
him to South Bend. While Brey was introduced as the Irish head coach,
Kearney was busy on the recruiting trail at a summer tournament in Las
Vegas.
"He's a natural here," Brey said of Kearney, who has also worked with Rick
Pitino at Providence, Bill Foster at Northwestern and is close friends with
Irish women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw. "We've been pretty darn good
together the last couple years."
Brey plans to hire one of his former players at Delaware -- Tyrone Perry --
as his No. 3 assistant. The final coaching vacancy, along with a director of
basketball operations, will be filled sometime in August.
Brey hopes to speak soon with incoming freshmen Torrian Jones, Chris
Markwood and Tom Timmermans.
High school seniors-to-be Jordan Cornette and Chris Thomas, both of whom
committed to the previous Irish coaching staff, will also be contacted. Brey
cannot publicly comment on recruits who have yet to sign binding letters of
intent.
Posted on 27 June 2000:
Far from the central Indiana gymnasiums where he's expected to break down
defenses and get teammates involved, Chris Thomas still operates with a
point guard's mentality.
Thomas, who will be a senior at Indianapolis Pike High School this fall,
verbally committed in mid-May to sign with Notre Dame come the first week of
November. During Wednesday's exhibition basketball game at LaPorte High
School between Indiana's Junior and Senior All-Stars, Thomas scored 24
points, including 16 in the first half.
His team ultimately ran out of steam in a 118-86 loss to a deeper, more
talented group of seniors. But it was off the court, in the days leading up
to the contest, where Thomas may have been even more impressive.
"He's a leader," said Andrean boys basketball coach Clint Swan, who directed
the Junior squad through two exhibition games. "He's constantly talking and
that's so unusual for a high school kid. To get him to communicate the way
he does, it's really phenomenal."
Recently afforded some down time in their practice schedule, Thomas and his
teammates spent the idle hours at the home of Jeffersonville head coach Mike
Broughton. There, they played video games, gulped sodas and watched
television. When it was time to head to the gym, Thomas made sure his
teammates pitched in to clean up rather than leave a mess for the Broughton
family.
"He got everybody rounded up and working," Swan said.
Prior to Wednesday's contest, Swan was shouldered with a dilemma. One of his
players, Warren Central center Will Caudle, had no way to get to the game.
Knowing he needed Caudle's size to offset the interior dominance of seniors
Jared Jeffries and Zach Randolph, Swan called Thomas to see if he could
help.
"He says, 'Coach, don't worry about it. I've got his phone number right
here. I'll take care of it,'" Swan recalled. "It just makes my job so much
easier when you have somebody like that."
Those leadership skills carried over to the basketball court Wednesday. Even
when the Junior team's deficit climbed toward 30 points, Thomas remained
calm and cool in offering encouragement and not getting worked up over
certain situations that might have caused an emotional outburst in others.
"I like the way he plays," said Purdue-bound point guard Brandon McKnight, a
senior at LaSalle this fall. "He's unselfish. He doesn't force his shots and
he gets everybody into the game."
All-Star games often serve as opportunities for players to flash their
offensive wares. Score more points, make magical moves, anything to wow the
crowd. Thomas remained quietly efficient Wednesday, working within the
offense to perfection. If a scoring chance was there, he pounced. If it
wasn't, he passed.
"It's not difficult because it's my natural instinct to take the role of
being a leader, to bring everyone together," said Thomas, who averaged 24.3
points per game at Pike last season. "I've grown to like people more when
they do the little things, the nice things for me. So why not do the same
for them?"
Such qualities made Thomas the top recruiting priority for Notre Dame head
coach Matt Doherty. Because of NCAA regulations, Doherty and his coaching
staff were prohibited from attending Wednesday's game. But Thomas is
spreading the Notre Dame word.
"I've talked with other people about my choice, coach Doherty, the system,"
Thomas said. "It's been a lot of help to other players. They've asked about
what it feels like, the factors. I think it's been a real positive influence
on them."
The commitment also has been a boost for Thomas. A year ago, he would get so
worked up about worrying what college coach was grading his game that his
play would suffer. Hustling through pre-game warmups on Wednesday, Thomas
made sure to enjoy himself. He offered fans a glimpse of his dunking
ability, with hops that would rival Notre Dame junior jumping-jack Ryan
Humphrey.
"I'm real relaxed," said Thomas. "I've just been having fun working on my
game."
Thomas plans to attend the NIKE camp in his hometown early next month. The
rest of the summer circuit, an ideal recruiting time for college coaches,
will press on without him.
"I'm going to work on my game rather than go to all the tournaments and try
to prove myself," Thomas said. "I'll try to limit basketball as much as
possible."
As Swan has watched Thomas, he is reminded of Arizona point guard Jason
Gardner, an Indianapolis native.
"Whatever is called upon for him to do and wherever he's at, he does an
excellent job," Swan said. "He's one of the best guards you're going to see
in the state. He's going to be a great Division I player some day. He has
all the tools."
Posted on 8 June 2000:
There was no reason to wait another minute, not even until the conclusion of
his younger brother's grade school graduation ceremony.
While his family shared the special moment Wednesday evening, St. Xavier
junior forward Jordan Cornette wandered outside and, amid chiming church
bells in Cincinnati, phoned Notre Dame head coach Matt Doherty.
Doherty, in North Carolina for a charity golf tournament, listened as the
6-foot-8, 200-pound Cornette verbally committed to play for the Irish
beginning in 2001-02.
"Notre Dame was an option that I couldn't pass up," said Cornette, who
averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots his
junior season as St. Xavier captured a state championship. "It was the best
fit."
Cornette's commitment snatches any suspense from today's Sean Kline press
conference, where the Huntington North High School power forward was
expected to choose between Notre Dame and Indiana. With Cornette and
Indianapolis Pike point guard Chris Thomas set to sign with the Irish in
early November, Doherty does not have any remaining
scholarships to offer current high school juniors.
"Sean Kline has a bigger reputation right now, but Cornette has more of an
upside to his game," said recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports.
"Kline is very, very good, but Cornette has Troy Murphy potential."
Cornette fell in love with the campus when he first toured Notre Dame the
weekend of April 29. He kept reminding himself that it was his first college
experience, and that other visits should follow. Cornette returned to South
Bend the weekend of May 19, where a scholarship was extended by Doherty.
"From the first time I went up there, I really liked the campus, the coaches
and the school," said Cornette, who later toured Michigan State, but
canceled a trip to Ohio State. "Notre Dame was a team that I could see
myself playing for."
Cornette said that Doherty and the Irish coaching staff were consistently up
front and honest about their recruiting plans. They explained that they were
recruiting a power forward (Kline) who had given Notre Dame a June 2
deadline -- today -- to reveal his college choice. But if Cornette wanted to
commit prior to Kline, so be it.
"They said they would give (the scholarship) to whoever decided first that
they wanted to go to Notre Dame," Cornette said. "It finally hit me this
week that I didn't want to wait and see what Sean decided."
Doherty apparently accepted Cornette's commitment with no knowledge of
Kline's thinking. According to a source close to Notre Dame, Kline, as of
late Thursday afternoon, had yet to phone the Irish basketball offices.
Cornette has grown over eight inches since his freshman year in high school.
He may push toward 6-11 before his collegiate career concludes. His
versatility may offer the Irish a chance to work at three positions -- small
forward, power forward and center.
Posted on 8 June 2000:
Having devoted his life toward tracking the sometimes crazy world of college
basketball recruiting, analyst Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports in Lenoir,
N.C., thought he had seen it all.
Chris Thomas then penned a new paragraph under verbal commitments.
Thomas, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Indianapolis Pike High, declined
scholarship offers from two established programs (Stanford and Michigan
State) and committed Monday to a school that has not earned an NCAA
Tournament bid in 10 years.
It all fell into place for a Notre Dame basketball program that saw its
share of top-ranked prep players -- Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Elton Brand,
Jason Collier and Raef LaFrentz to name a few -- flirt with the idea of
attending college in South Bend only to look elsewhere.
"This is the big-time basketball recruit that the Irish have been looking
for since the Digger Phelps era," Gibbons said of Thomas' decision to play
for coach Matt Doherty and Notre Dame beginning in 2001.
Gibbons believes that Thomas' choice of Notre Dame sends overdue wake-up
calls to the college basketball programs in Bloomington and West Lafayette.
"This is tremendous for Notre Dame's recruiting in Indiana," Gibbons said.
"Matt Doherty is being blessed by the gods of recruiting. They have shined
down upon him from the heavens. This will only open the door for more
in-state players to follow."
Notre Dame has one scholarship remaining to offer the current high school
junior class, and could land another of the state's top talents.
Huntington North power forward Sean Kline, an AAU teammate of Thomas, will
soon decide between Indiana and Notre Dame.
"Sean's got to do what's best for him," said Huntington coach Eric Foister.
"He may have a decision (this) week. He would like to have it done before
Memorial Day."
By no means is the Notre Dame coaching staff sitting still while Kline
decides. This weekend another current high school junior -- Jordan Cornette
from St. Xavier High in Cincinnati -- is on campus for a second unofficial
visit in a month.
Cornette, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward, averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds,
three assists and three blocked shots for a St. X state championship team
that finished 25-2. An older brother, Joel, will be a sophomore forward at
Butler University this fall.
Cornette, tabbed a "jack-of-all-trades in a recent Cincinnati Enquirer
story, may visit Michigan State and Ohio State. He also lists Dayton and
Virginia among his college choices. He first visited Notre Dame the weekend
of April 29.
In Thomas, Gibbons guessed that not since the signing of LaPhonso Ellis has
Notre Dame made such a national recruiting splash. Troy Murphy, now
everyone's All-American, was a solid prospect coming out of high school,
though not considered among the nation's elite.
Thomas, like Ellis during his prep days in East St. Louis, Ill., is ranked
by Gibbons among the 10 best juniors in the nation. Should Thomas set the
summer-league circuit on fire the next three months, there's a good chance
Notre Dame will have landed the country's top high school senior when the
2000-01 recruiting season cranks into high gear this fall.
"I can't recall Notre Dame ever getting an early recruit of this magnitude,"
Gibbons said. "He would certainly be the most athletically-gifted point
guard for Notre Dame since David Rivers."
An analysis of Thomas' overall game, where he averaged 24.3 points, 5.6
rebounds and 4.7 assists last season, brought Gibbons to compare him to a
former Indiana University standout.
"He has the offensive explosion of an Isiah Thomas," Gibbons said of the
player who already holds the Pike school record with 336 career assists. "He
has the ability to penetrate and put tremendous pressure on you
defensively."
Say for argument's sake, Murphy returns for his senior year to play one
season with Thomas. It would give the Irish a core of Matt Carroll, David
Graves, Ryan Humphrey, Torrian Jones, Jere Macura, Murphy, Thomas and Harold
Swanagan. Could that cast bump Notre Dame back among the nation's elite?
"That sounds like a Final Four team," Gibbons said. "This is an
unprecedented era for Notre Dame basketball."
Posted on 8 June 2000:
Holding one phone was Notre Dame coach Matt Doherty. On the other end was
Indianapolis Pike star guard Chris Thomas. Thomas remembers the exact
dialogue.
"Whasssssssup?!"
"Whasssssup?!!!"
"Whaassssssuppp?!"
"Whassuuupppppppp?"
Before you start sending Doherty Miss Manners' Guide to Phone Etiquette,
realize that this was not a real conversation. This was a picture.
Doherty had superimposed his and Thomas' faces in the famous Budweiser
advertisement --masking out any mention of the beer distributor on the
page -- and sent Thomas the spoof to playfully illustrate how comfortably
the coach talks to his players.
They should give Doherty an honorary Ph.D in pop-culture at Sunday's Notre
Dame graduation.
"He's got a great sense of humor ... There was another one he sent that had
a guy pointing in the stands with his face and (the caption) said, 'I see
you dog,' " said Thomas, who had every reason to smile Monday.
His surprise verbal commitment to Notre Dame represented perhaps the most
significant Irish recruiting news since the Digger Phelps Era.
This was not a project picking Notre Dame over Hofstra, West Virginia and
Siena. This was an elite McDonald's All-American caliber guard saying yes to
Notre Dame and saying no to Final Four-caliber programs Michigan State,
Stanford, Duke and Purdue.
This was stealing a prospect out of someone else's backyard the way the
Irish football program used to.
This was a homegrown state product with every reason to pursue I.U. 40 miles
away or explore a well-padded pipeline to Purdue. Especially given that
Thomas' high school coach, Alan Darner, had a son, Linc, play for the
Boilermakers.
Usually when you talk about a Pike product this big, it sounds like a
typical fish story. But this is no exaggeration. The 6-foot-1-inch Thomas
puts Notre Dame back on the Indiana recruiting map and someday just could
put the Irish back in the Final Four.
Whasssup? Notre Dame basketball, that's what.
How interesting that while the Indiana University program outlined a
basketball future of zero-tolerance Monday only a few miles away the Notre
Dame program envisioned a future with zero limits.
The common thread? In each case the respective coaches created the stir.
"Coach Doherty's enthusiasm and love for the game sold me," Thomas said.
That and enough overnight letters to give the FedEx truck bald tires.
Every day for the last three months, Thomas estimates, at least one
correspondence arrived from Doherty or another member of the Irish coaching
staff. Some days it was five or six letters. One day, the deliveryman left
eight.
"He would send letters and notes to my parents, my sisters, Brea and Paige,
and to my little brother Kyle," Thomas said.
The letter to 6-year-old Kyle invited him to be a Notre Dame mascot next
season, which should make the leprechaun a little nervous.
"Chris has bags and bags of mail from Notre Dame," said Tammy Thomas,
Chris' mother.
Yet as personal and persuasive as the written words were, nothing touched
Mrs. Thomas deeper than the words spoken by Doherty after the family's
campus visit last week.
The No. 30 jersey with Thomas' name on it and the banners hanging from the
fifth floor of a dormitory made a big enough impression, but Doherty left
the biggest with what he told the Thomases as he walked them to their car.
"He looked me right in the eye and said, 'I know this is a very exciting
time for you and I want you to know that you can trust me with
your son,' " Mrs. Thomas said. "He's a parent himself, so when he says he
will take care of our son, he looked like he meant it."
Sincerity has helped Doherty succeed during his first year as a college head
coach every bit as much as Troy Murphy. In a profession full of Formica,
Doherty remains solid as oak, a quality that helped distinguish him to the
Thomas family.
"Recruiting is such a big business that you can see that part of it with so
many coaches, but coach Doherty just seemed more real than the others to
me," Mrs. Thomas said. "By the time we visited, I knew everything about
Matt Doherty but not the university."
A major concern of Mrs. Thomas' revolved around the touchy subject of
religion. How would a non-Catholic but practicing Christian like her son fit
into a college culture immersed so deeply in Catholicism?
"It was important to me and my parents, so when we went up there, coach had
gotten a list of all the Christian churches so we would know where I could
go to church," Chris said. "That helped a lot. That answered one of my
mom's biggest questions."
It left the Thomases with fewer doubts. And it left Irish basketball fans
with fewer doubting Thomases.
Can Matt Doherty recruit, some of them wondered? Seems like a silly question
now.
Posted on 8 June 2000:
SOUTH BEND--June 1 has come and gone. The sky didn't fall and Bob Davie is
still the head football coach at Notre Dame.
Contrary to the rumors that he would agree to a buyout and step down June 1,
Davie said Thursday all the speculation fueled by Internet and talk radio
reports has been completely false.
When asked if he intended to remain as the Irish head coach, Davie said,
"There's absolutely no question I will remain.''
Davie refused to elaborate on any specifics of the rumor or his emotions
regarding it.
"I don't even want to comment on it," Davie said. "If I commented on every
rumor, that's all I would be doing."
Notre Dame sports information director John Heisler reiterated that several
conversations he had with athletic director Kevin White confirmed that no
part of the rumor had any foundation.
Vermin,
Some of you may already have read this. The email is floating around
very quickly. We can't back it up or confirm anything. The Bend is
hush hush. Just read.....
***************************************************
Even if this one isn't true, it's value as fiction is still worth the
read:
OK -- there's a guy I work with at Goldman here in Chicago who graduated a
few years ahead of us and who has been feeding me information through his
friend throughout this whole process. Not only does this guy have great
connections, but the source of most of his info has been 100% accurate to
date.
Roll your eyes if you will, but here's his track record
(McKay/Doug/Walsh/Howie can all attest to this):
This guy's source.
So I took Doug's rumor to my ND co-worker, he expressed the same disbelief
that I did, and called his guy. Here's the info he got, in no particular
order:
Davie's contract is being renegotiated "quietly" right now, and he has 2
options:
1) on or by June 1st, resign, leave on his own terms, cite a change in
leadership and in the direction of the program, and get paid out over the
next 3 yrs. at only slightly less than the face value of his contract, or
2) stay.....but if he loses 4 or more games (hell, that could happen by
game 5), he will be fired with no further pay at the end of the year
Meanwhile -- despite all textbook denials:
The hope is that Davie takes the attitude that he's young, can bow out
without getting canned, has a lot more coaching ahead of him (Akron?), and
will take the money and run. The reason ND does not want to fire him is
precisely b/c of things like the SI article, Kim Dunbar, etc. We don't
want
the additional negative press of ousting a coach, particularly at this time
of the year. He gets the free option out of South Bend, we suddenly need a
coach, and.....hey look, Tom Coughlin just raised his hand.
Other comments: supposedly Bobby D. has a ranch down near Houston (very
close to College Station, for those not familiar with Texas geography) and
tons of friends there. Coincidentally, he normally gets 50 tickets for
home
games that he allocates to friends/ND people/charity. It seems that all
of
that block of tickets is going to a mass of Texas A&M higher-ups for our
season opener this year, thanks to Aggie boy. The rumor, of course, is
that
he wants to head back there and ingratiate himself with the Gig-em types.
How
does this "source" supposedly know this? He normally sits in that group of
tickets.
So there you have it. If this proves to be a big, intricate headfake,
don't
come after me. I'm choosing to remain pessimistic and would rather be
pleasantly surprised. Then again, this guy's track record gets me
thinking...........
Coughlin and Doherty.....Doherty and Coughlin. Two New York Catholic
disciplinarians who "get it", as we all like to say. If you all will
excuse
me, I think I need a little time alone, thanks........
Posted on 14 May 2000:
Nobody tell Notre Dame pitcher Aaron Heilman how much his 6-foot-5,
210-pound born-to-toe-the-rubber body or his crystal blue eyes make him
resemble Chicago Cubs phenom Kerry Wood, even before seeing the way his
fastball pops dust from the catcher's mitt.
Nobody point out to Heilman that his favorite boyhood team, Wood's Cubs,
owns the third pick in next month's amateur draft and that he just happens
to be the third-rated college prospect by Baseball America.
Nobody remind him that Cubs general manager Ed Lynch found the confines at
Eck Stadium friendlier last Saturday than at home in Wrigley Field, all
because Heilman was pitching. Nobody ask Heilman if he would mind Steve
Stone's cigar smoke during taping of the Leadoff Man.
And nobody mention that none of the first 18 players drafted in 1999 signed
for less than a $1.59 million signing bonus.
No need to mention a thing to Heilman, really.
He knows all this after a spring of hearing draft talk drone on longer than
"Take Me Out To The Ballgame.''
"It's hard not to think about (the draft),'' the Irish junior admitted after
a workout in preparation for this weekend's Big East showdown series against
Rutgers. Heilman, 10-1 with a 2.21 ERA and a slider that
turns hitters' knees into noodles, pitches at noon Saturday.
"The draft stuff is there all the time but I try not to think about it,'' he
added. "The whole process is erratic so I don't read too much into what
people say. You can't worry about it.''
But ...
"I think I'm ready to make that next step,'' Heilman declared, "whoever the
organization is.''
Do not expect Notre Dame coach Paul Mainieri to make a pitch to keep his
pitcher. He just feels lucky to have had an ace up his sleeve for this long.
"I think he's ready to make the jump to the majors right now,'' Mainieri
said. "I've never seen the kid flustered in three years here. He's just
unique.''
Mainieri first got that impression after watching Heilman in an Indiana
Bulls game in Muncie, Ind., during the summer of 1997.
He had driven three hours to scout a team of 17-year-old unsigned prospects
so when a schedule glitch brought a team full of 18-year-old players
committed to colleges, Mainieri planned to head home. Until he found out
Heilman was starting the 18-year-old game, giving the coach his first look
at the future star in a game situation.
Seven innings later, Mainieri couldn't get to his car fast enough.
"I just had to call (pitching coach) Brian O'Connor right away to say, 'Hey,
Brian, I think we've got something special here,' '' Mainieri recalled.
A few months later, Mainieri knew for sure, and it had nothing to do with
Heilman's 95 mph fastball.
Heilman's control and location during that first fall mini-season, in fact,
stunk. He started to pitch like the kid who once hit so many batters in
Logansport's Little League that he earned the nickname "Wild Thing.'' The
phenom began to look a phony.
"He was hit hard,'' Mainieri acknowledged.
But Heilman was hit even harder off the mound.
His dad underwent quintuple bypass surgery back home in Logansport, Ind.,
shortly after Heilman's freshman year started and spent a month in the
hospital recovering. It's hard to put your own heart into something while
worrying so much about someone else's. "It was a rough fall,'' Heilman said.
So rough that Mainieri offered to let Aaron skip practice and drive home
whenever he wanted. Heilman stayed.
"How he handled that whole scenario,'' Mainieri said, "more than anything
that happened on the mound, showed us that we had a different kind of kid
here.''
As Mr. Heilman began to recover, that different kind of kid committed
himself to developing into a different kind of pitcher.
That fall Heilman, with O'Connor's help, worked on a slider that could be
thrown with the same release as his fastball, but had a sharper break than
his curve.
"I finally got to the point where I could throw a slider instead of a
slurve,'' Heilman said.
He first tested the new pitch on college hitters in the first game of his
freshman season against Florida State. Notre Dame led 10-1 -- mop-up time --
and Mainieri thought the last inning represented a harmless time to debut
his promising, young fireballer.
"The ball started exploding out of the mitt and we were like, 'uhhhhh,' ''
Mainieri said, dropping his mouth to demonstrate his awe. "We thought we'd
bring him along slowly, but not after that.''
Heilman quickly assumed the role of closer and saved nine games, won seven
more and posted an NCAA-leading 1.61 ERA. He followed that up with a
dominating 11-victory season as a sophomore before continuing his imitation
of idol Nolan Ryan this year with 102 strikeouts in 85 innings.
Sometimes even Heilman gets a kick out his Ks.
"One of the greatest things as a pitcher is on an 0-2 or 1-2 count if you
really cross him up and throw something he's not expecting, he just takes it
and he knows he's out and just walks back to the dugout,'' Heilman said.
"There aren't many things more satisfying than that.''
One thing will be: When Heilman finds time to finish the two semesters he
needs to earn his degree in Management Information Systems and Philosophy.
The possibility of becoming the first Notre Dame athlete since Rick Mirer in
1993 to go in the first five picks of a professional draft has not
hoodwinked Heilman into forgetting that every pitcher is only one fastball
away from needing that education.
"My degree is one thing I definitely want,'' Heilman said, "and I'll get.''
Nobody needs to tell Heilman how easy the commute from Wrigleyville would
be.
Posted on 19 April 2000:
At most universities around the country, big time college basketball has
come to a close for another year.
But Notre Dame is not most universities. Bookstore Basket-ball, the largest
five-on-five basketball tournament in the world, tipped off for the 29th
time earlier this week.
In the first two days of this year's tourney, the game that generated the
most interest saw Shocker square off against Who's the Animal, complete with
ESPN cameras rolling.
Why all the fuss over a first round game between two teams with pretty tame
names, at least by Bookstore standards?
Taking the floor for Shocker was Notre Dame men's basketball coach Matt
Doherty, making this the second straight year that he has suited up for the
tournament.
As my elementary school soccer coach used to say, he came "dressed to
sweat", wearing shorts and short sleeves despite the cold temperatures.
Coach D and his team looked to get rolling early against Who's the Animal, a
club comprised of five ladies decked out in silver reflective shirts and
wind pants with one leg rolled up, a la L.L. Cool J.
"That really caused them to disrupt their offense," said the coach,
referring to his three blocked shots in the early going, with one sailing
into the crowd on the sidelines.
But despite the tough inside play of Doherty early, the crowd, which
probably would have been a sellout if the game had not been outdoors,
quickly showed they were pulling for underdog Who's the Animal.
While Shocker players jogged back down the court after a basket pushed their
lead to 8-1, a Powerade bottle was thrown onto their defensive end of the
floor.
A laughing Doherty picked the bottle up and tossed it back to its owner
under the backboard, temporarily getting the crowd behind his team.
That didn't last long, as a shot that missed everything a few possessions
later at 9-1 brought back out the "air ball" chant that was heard earlier at
7-1.
That's the first time I've ever heard an "air ball" chant at an outdoor
game.
The biggest reactions from the spectators, including many of Doherty's
players, were still to come, though.
Trying to win over the tough audience, Coach D found himself in the open
floor with chance to bring them all over to the Shocker side.
A few onlookers shouted "Dunk it," as he dribbled inside the three-point
line, and it was clear that that was what he had in mind.
Unfortunately for Doherty and Shocker, the plan didn't work out quite the
way he hoped, and the ball bounced off the rim.
Some members of the varsity basketball squad were laughing at their coach,
but he just laughed himself.
Just to be safe, though, for their sake and mine, I'm not giving out any
names.
Shocker went into the half leading 11-2. Who's the Animal played tough in
the second half, matching their opponents almost basket for basket in the
early going.
But Shocker went on a 4-0 run to end the game, with Doherty avenging some
earlier near-misses by rattling home a dunk.
Even with all the excitement on the pavement, one of the best parts of this
game came after the playing was done.
Both teams congratulated each other on a good game, and every player came
away with a pretty awesome memory of their first round game in 2000.
Pictures were taken with the coach and everyone laughed with everyone else
about some of the lighter moments from the past half hour.
At the end, ten players came off the court having had a great time playing a
game of basketball.
Nine were students and one was a former national champion and the head coach
of the NIT runners-up.
It was hard to tell who was who, though, because the best player on the
floor just looked happy to be there.
Posted on 16 April 2000:
In 1988, Tony Rice led Lou Holtz's Irish to a national championship.
Now, 12 years later, he's back on campus looking for another title, one that
narrowly eluded him when he was a student - a Bookstore Basketball title.
Rice teamed up with Matt McKenna, Jeff Joseph, Steve Recepero and Jason
Garza to form Four Chumps and a National Champion in the first day of
Bookstore action Monday.
"Matt invited me and I had some free time so I thought it would be fun,"
said Rice. "I thought we did well. It was our first time playing together.
It takes a total team effort and these guys were great. I guess they wanted
an old guy like me out here, you know, it's just great to be playing."
McKenna followed Rice's career when Rice was a student at Notre Dame and
thought it would be fun to team up with the former Irish quarterback. After
running into him in an airport earlier this year, McKenna figured he'd go
out on a limb and ask him to be part of the team.
"I just emailed him out of the blue," said McKenna. "I followed him as a
football player and knew he was good at basketball too, so I thought I'd
take a chance and see if he wanted to play with us."
Four Chumps and a National Champion easily advanced with a 21-11 win over
Who Shot the Couch, with Brian Travers, Gregg Murray, Paul Stinson, Joe
Loscudo and Dave Zachry.
Bookstore basketball success is nothing new to Rice - his teams finished in
second place two years in a row when he was a student. But winning isn't the
reason why Rice is back on the court.
"Bookstore is all about having a good time," said Rice. "If you can't play
with a smile on your face then you might as well not be playing."
Having a good time was the focus of many games Monday, and the game
featuring the Mushroom Tip Ins and the Hookers was no exception.
Led by its pimp Brick Maier, who doubled as a coach, the Hookers, with Julie
Reising, Alison Healy, Jean Lantz, Stephanie Newcom and Molly O'Rourke
tested its moves against the Mushroom Tip Ins' Brian Kolle, Dan Henn, Tim
Keller, Joe Smith and Jim MacInerney.
"It was a hotly contested game," said Kolle. "It got real physical near the
end."
The Hookers led for most of the game with cheap moves, but the Mushroom Tip
Ins came from behind at the end for the preliminary-round win.
"We may play down and dirty," said O'Rourke. "But that's what we're paid
for."
In more serious Bookstore action, Next Time bring Your Sister, You Hump with
seniors Andy Meirose, Dave Whelan, Rich Bein, Sean Smith and Greg Eich just
edged out Porter's Five Forces in a close 21-19 contest on the Stepan
courts.
The two teams battled against each other, as neither team could come up with
a substantial lead in the hour-long contest. Porter's Five Forces led 11-8
at the half, but clutch plays by Bien and Meirose gave Next Time bring Your
Sister, You Hump the edge when it counted. Meirose came up with a key stuff
and a steal when his team led 20-18 and Bien came up with a double-teamed
lay up to secure the preliminary-round win.
Tournament action continues today as Irish men's head basketball coach Matt
Doherty suits up for the 29th-ranked team Shocker at 6:15 p.m. on the
McGlinn courts.
Posted on 10 April 2000:
SOUTH BEND -- By day's end, Notre Dame sophomore power forward Troy Murphy
will remain a college coed or be one step closer toward a multi-million
dollar professional basketball contract.
Murphy, who led the Irish in scoring and rebounding each of his first two
years, will hold a press conference today at the Joyce Center to announce
whether to return for another year or enter his name into the June 28 NBA
Draft.
Several sources close to Murphy indicated he will return for his junior
season, but Murphy would not disclose his decision.
"I've made my decision and I'll definitely let everyone know (today),"
Murphy said when contacted Thursday evening. "It's something that I feel
really good about."
Murphy, who spent most of the evening answering a steady stream of phone
calls to his dorm room, is ready to have this process end, and as soon as
possible.
"I want to get it over with so people will stop calling, stop asking, stop
wondering what I'm going to do," he said. "I want to be able to go on with
my life."
Will Murphy have second thoughts once he reveals his plans?
"Nope," he said. "I made the decision that I'm going to stick with. I'm just
going to show up when they tell me and where they tell me, and that's going
to be the end of that."
Notre Dame head coach Matt Doherty, reached Thursday evening while on the
road recruiting, declined comment on his star player's impending
announcement.
Not knowing when the press conference would be held, Doherty was unsure
whether he would be able to return to campus in time the announcement.
Since the curtain closed on Notre Dame's season eight days ago, Murphy has
met with his parents, Jim and Christine, his AAU coach, Tony Sagona, and
Doherty to discuss the dilemma of turning pro, where he would likely be a
first-round pick, or return to a team that won 22 games en route to an
appearance in the National Invitation Tournament championship game.
It is believed that all four stressed that 19-year-old Murphy should stay in
school for at least another year.
In the last 48 hours, Doherty has put Murphy in contact with NBA legend
Michael Jordan. The former college teammate of Doherty's, who left school
following his junior year at North Carolina, spoke with Murphy by telephone
for some 15 minutes.
Murphy chose not to reveal the nature of the conversation he had with
Jordan.
Notre Dame's first consensus first-team Associated Press All-America since
Adrian Dantley in 1976, Murphy was the first player in Big East history to
lead the league in scoring and rebounding this year.
Murphy scored 839 points this season, the fifth-highest in school history.
His 1,358 career points rank 16th among Notre Dame's all-time scorers. The
6-foot-10, 237-pound native of Sparta, N.J., is more than halfway home
toward breaking the all-time Irish scoring mark of 2,560, set by former
Notre Dame standout Austin Carr.
In his first two years on campus, Murphy has scored in double figures in 63
of 64 games. Following a freshman season in which he earned Big East Rookie
of the Year honors, Murphy tallied 20 double-doubles in points and rebounds
while earning league Player of the Year honors as a sophomore.
Had Murphy decided to leave school early, he would have been the first Notre
Dame basketball player to bypass his remaining eligibility since Dantley was
a first-round pick of the Buffalo Braves following his junior year in 1976.
Posted on 10 April 2000:
SOUTH BEND -- They stood amid the late-evening chill, chatting in a Joyce
Center parking lot with the future of Notre Dame basketball likely hanging
on every word.
As Irish sophomore power forward Troy Murphy made his way from the annual
men's basketball banquet, where he was honored with six different awards
Tuesday, he was accompanied to his late-model Jeep Cherokee by head coach
Matt Doherty.
The two quietly talked as they walked, then stopped alongside Murphy's
vehicle, possibly outlining the next steps in what could be the most
important decision of Murphy's life, and the immediate future of the Irish
program.
Go or stay?
Stay or go?
Seven days prior, after the Irish fell to Wake Forest in the National
Invitation Tournament championship game, Murphy indicated that he wanted a
quick decision, maybe even by the end of this week.
Now there is no timetable as Murphy tries to listen to his heart, and listen
to the advice of those closest to him.
"It could be done in two days, it could be done in two weeks, it could be
done in a month," said Murphy, who has until May 14 if he plants to file for
the June 28 NBA Draft. "I don't know. I'm open."
Murphy has met with his parents --- his mom, Christine, arrived from her
Scottsdale, Ariz., home for the banquet -- his AAU coach, Tony Sagona, and
Doherty for advice. Doherty is out of town on a recruiting trip until early
next week.
It's believed that all four advised Murphy to remain at Notre Dame at least
another year, not only to continue work toward his degree, but to mature as
a person and as a basketball player.
"You can't condemn a kid for leaving early," Doherty said. "That's America.
You get that opportunity and want to take advantage of it. Is it good for
college basketball? By no means."
Should Murphy decide to turn pro, he would be the first Irish basketball
player to leave school early since Adrian Dantley was a first-round pick of
the Buffalo Braves following his junior year.
Dantley was the sixth pick in the 1976 draft. Murphy has been projected
anywhere from the fourth selection (Vancouver) to the mid-first round.
"In the end, it doesn't matter where you (are chosen)," he said. "It's how
you play. There are guys that go in the second round that play real well,
they're just not guaranteed the money.
"Once you get there you (just) have to work hard."
Murphy hopes to soon contact for advice the likes of Michael Jordan, a
college teammate of Doherty's and Denver Nuggets forward Raef LaFrentz, who
stayed all four years at Kansas, where he was recruited by Doherty.
"Coach is going to have me talk to some people this week," Murphy said.
"I've spent a lot of time weighing options both ways and we'll see what
happens."
Murphy has wondered what life might be like should he remain at Notre Dame
not one year but the next two. That way, he and fellow classmates David
Graves and Harold Swanagan, the three of whom made a personal pact to return
Irish basketball to national glory, could try to cap their careers in a
similar way as the seniors at Michigan State.
Murphy watched Monday as Mateen Cleaves, A.J. Granger and Morris Peterson
brought the Spartans a national tittle with a win over Florida. Cleaves,
considered a premier guard as a sophomore, remains a likely first-round pick
this summer. Peterson, a relative unknown two years ago, also is a probable
top selection following a special senior season.
"You see how somebody like Mateen Cleaves helps himself and Morris Peterson
helps himself by staying," Murphy said. "It really worked out for them and
it's what was best for them.
"I just have to figure out what's best for myself and my family."
However long that may take.
Determined Dillon
He tied a school record with 214 assists this past season, but the one
"pass" senior point guard Jimmy Dillon secures this summer will be the most
important of his college career.
A sociology major who has earned enough credits to participate in graduation
exercises this May, Dillon will fall one class requirement short of
officially securing his diploma. He plans to take a three-credit
correspondence Spanish course back home in Philadelphia this summer to
conclude his undergraduate work.
"You could make up all the excuses you want -- a lot of traveling, a lot of
focus on finishing your career," Dillon said. "I needed 12 credit hours
(this semester) to graduate and I got the 12. It's just the extra
requirement that I need."
According to the team media guide, of the 104 varsity basketball players who
have stayed at Notre Dame their entire career, all 104 have earned their
degrees.
Dillon is determined to keep the streak intact.
"
It's a huge priority," he said.
Posted on 3 April 2000:
NEW YORK -- Strong emotions often stir within college coaches when asked if
the players they nurture are ready for professional basketball before they
exhaust four years of eligibility.
Pose the question to Wake Forest coach Dave Odom, who endured an annual
guessing game as to the plans of former Demon Deacons All-American Tim
Duncan, and watch out.
Duncan stayed all four years in Winston-Salem, N.C., received his
undergraduate degree and still was the first selection three years ago in
the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.
On Wednesday, as Odom wrapped up a media session in preparation for
tonight's National Invitation Tournament Championship against Notre Dame, he
was asked what he thought of Irish super sophomore Troy Murphy.
Murphy, the Big East Player of the Year and first team Associated Press
All-American, has been dogged during his Manhattan stay with questions about
his future.
If Odom had his say, there'd be no debate when it comes to Murphy.
"Troy Murphy should stay not one more year but two more years," said Odom.
"He'll be better prepared for the basketball part of the NBA, but he'll be
also better prepared socially, mentally."
Odom drew a bleak picture of what early NBA entries face during their daily
lives in the pros. Traveling some 45 nights a year with veteran players,
some of them 10 years older, offers little opportunity to build the types of
rock-solid relationships one could enjoy in college.
"You get a 19-year-old hot-shot rookie, who wants to hang out with him?"
wondered Odom. "That's the hard part that nobody knows. It's tough. It gets
my ire up."
As do sports agents, who often whisper to pro prospects about reaping the
rewards of NBA riches. College standouts like Murphy are forced then to make
a snap decision, worried that they better get as much money as they can
while they can.
"The agents and everybody else just scare these kids to death," Odom said.
"It's a bunch of bunk. Troy Murphy should stay, and I'm glad I don't have to
play (Notre Dame) but one time."
While constantly quizzed about his future, Murphy has not wavered in his
plans. Following tonight's final game of the Notre Dame season, Murphy wants
to finish out the spring semester then return home to Sparta, N.J. He will
meet with his parents and his AAU coach, Tony Sagona, to discuss his future
before heading back to the Notre Dame campus, where he will consult with
Irish coach Matt Doherty, sort out his options then come to a decision.
Posted on 3 April 2000:
There are a lot of reasons to complain about Notre Dame. We can start
with the reigning queen of complaints, parietals, and throw in single sex
dorms, lack of diversity, ultra conservatism, gender relations in general,
an administration that treats us like children, poor dining hall food and a
lack luster football season.
Complaints like these appear in the opinions section of the Observer on a
daily basis. They are things that I gripe about, too. Things that need to be
changed. Things that may change in time. But, I complain less these days.
Lately, I love Notre Dame. I always liked the school, from when I got here
freshman year - the beautiful campus, nice people, fun, if not always
successful, football season. But now I can say, with all honesty, that I
love it.
Along with the torturous forced interaction of freshman orientation, new
students are bombarded with somewhat cheesy talk about the "Notre Dame
family" and the "spirit of Notre Dame." To me, (I am, perhaps, a bit on the
cynical side), this talk seemed rather hollow. That's nice that the
administration wants us to feel welcome, I thought, but it's just a school.
I had not yet been enveloped in the "spirit", as it was called. I would not
be for almost two years, until three weeks ago, when we learned that my good
friend Conor Murphy (a Zahm Hall resident) has leukemia.
Although my realization of the Notre Dame family is just one of many latent
effects of this horrible news, it is an important and a comforting one. At
home in Cleveland over spring break, I was able to visit Conor in the
hospital and witness first hand the strength he draws from his connection to
Notre Dame.
Letters and cards, many of them from people somehow connected with Notre
Dame, brighten the walls of Conor's room. There are the obvious ones from
those who are close to Conor: roommates, friends, his rector. But the ones
that make me smile the most are from people that hardly know him: a former
TA, Coach Doherty, among many, many others. There is even one from the
mother of another sophomore. She writes that her daughter (who, herself,
barely knows Conor) called to tell her about the terrible news. She sent
along an inspirational tape that helped her when she fought her own battle
with cancer.
Father Scully talks to Conor on the phone on a regular basis, has been to
visit him and will go again. During his last visit, he relayed information
from the doctor that Notre Dame arranged to give a second opinion for
Conor's situation. Father Jim Lies, rector of Zahm Hall, has also made the
trip to Cleveland several times. He says mass for Conor's family in his
hospital room. Other priests whom Conor barely knows, call and give him
advice and spiritual guidance. Even the student body, with attendance at the
24-hour grotto vigil held before break, messages in journals and banners and
prayers, give Conor extra strength and support.
A friend of mine and Conor's, who attends the University of Virginia,
remarked over break that, at times, she regrets not attending a Catholic
school. She said, through all of this, she realized that Notre Dame has such
community, such a bond of faith and common purpose. Realistically, she is
probably much happier at UVa than she would be as a Notre Dame student.
There are other aspects to a school, other reasons to attend, some benefits
from diversity rather than the homogeneity here at Notre Dame. But, this
community, this "spirit", has become an aspect that I value highly. An
aspect from which I, too, can draw strength in hard times.
I realize that some people see my thoughts as hollow or cheesy. Once I
mentioned the Notre Dame family, many people probably zoned out, moved onto
the horoscopes or the goofy cartoons that poke fun at our school. But,
coming from a borderline cynic, someone who used to roll her eyes at phrases
like "spirit of Notre Dame", there is a sense of community and family at our
school that is hard to find elsewhere. I hope you don't have to go through
hard times to appreciate it. Maybe you will never find it. But know it's out
there - if you ever need it.
Katie Sanders
Posted on 27 March 2000:
Don't leave Murph
Somewhere David Haugh is laughing
And somewhere anti-Irish fans shout
But there is little joy at Notre Dame
For the Irish were left out
Rather than just pick the team whose credentials were the best
They chose a team that beat Princeton, but was in the Mountain West
So Cinderella's left at home, no Invite to the Dance
But fear not, Domers, next year is another chance
Don't wallow in your sorrow. Don't shed a single tear
Just dream of Murphy, Graves, and Humphrey and what may be next year
Of course before next year begins there's a battle to be fought
Will Murphy leave and go pro - or will he stay, as he ought?
So here's a little letter, some advice I hope you'll take
About the choice fans all hope that you decide to make
Stay in school Murphy, and shun instant fortune and fame
Make no mistake you should come back
to good ol'Notre Dame.
Dear Mr. Murphy,
Players of your caliber are rare, especially at schools where football
mediocrity often outranks basketball success. It's been a pleasure for we
who had to endure the MacLeod years to watch you play and return respect to
a basketball program that sorely lacked it only two years ago.
As adept as your skill is though, it's the almost childlike love for the
game that you display on the court that makes you enjoyable to watch. You
capture the spirit of college basketball.
I know that you've never explicitly said that you're considering leaving us
for the NBA after this season, but you have commented that it's not out of
the question. I sincerely hope that you rid yourself of any consideration
for your teammates, your fans, your school, the thousands of Domer kids that
hope to be Troy Murphy some day and for Troy Murphy. Stay for yourself.
You're one of the best players in the entire country right now. You're a
front-runner for next year's awards. You potentially can achieve what only
three players have previously in Big East history, winning
player-of-the-year two years in a row.
You can establish yourself as one of the greats in Big East history.
Aside from simply personal achievement, you appear to have so much fun
playing, a joy that's a rarity in the money-driven NBA. Ask Corey Maggette
if he regrets giving up a chance to be the best player at Duke and enjoying
March Madness for being a bench player in Orlando and enduring a losing
season.
You can't go back to college. The NBA will be around for years to come. You
could cost yourself millions. The rookie salary scale increases in value as
your draft position becomes higher. While this year you look to be a
mid-first-round pick, next year you could be a high-lottery pick. Thus, the
riches of the NBA may be greater the longer you wait.
You certainly could succeed in the NBA. That doesn't take away the fact that
you simply aren't ready. Another year of college will help you increase your
size and strength, preventing opponents from brutalizing you on defense. Is
it a coincidence that your worst games were against teams that had big,
physical post players that could assault you each trip down the court?
Learn this lesson in college and still dominate the game or learn it inthe
pros and try to shake the disappointment label. Would you rather be Antawn
Jamison, who has become a good player only after struggling for a year, or
Tim Duncan who immediately made an impact?
Stay for your teammates. You once said that one of the reasons you came here
was because you and David Graves wanted to build something together. You've
begun to do that. But just as an architect doesn't abandon his design in
mid-form, you shouldn't abandon your program. Don't leave your teammates on
the cusp of respectability.
Stay for the selection committee that shunned us. Give them no reason to be
able to do so next year. Earn some redemption.
Stay for Ryan Humphrey who waited an entire year to play with you in hopes
of alleviating the triple teams you draw. Stay for the Domer basketball fans
who can smell the successes that our fathers enjoyed and now want to taste
it.
Stay for Notre Dame. We haven't had a basketball player leave early for the
draft since Adrian Dantly over 25 years ago. That's something that even Duke
can't say anymore. We take pride in ourselves here for doing things the
right way. Don't open the doors for future players to leave early.
Most importantly, stay for those kids that bounce in their chairs dreaming
of being you. I can remember the despair I felt after Rocket Ismail
announced he was leaving early for the draft. I urge you not to make anyone
feel the same. Let the Dome continue to gleam brightly for kids, as a symbol
of what should be, not what always is.
I know the risk of injury is great. Take out an insurance clause if you're
too worried. Don't let fear make the decision for you. Decide what's best
for Troy Murphy next year. And what's best for Troy Murphy is to stay in
school.
Posted on March 27, 2000:
Before I open up the floor to shameless name calling and finger wagging,
let me be sure I've got this straight.
More than three weeks ago four black Notre Dame students were arrested by
two white security guards at the local Denny's after much hullabaloo both
inside and outside of the restaurant. The charges against them were dropped,
but shortly thereafter the students understandably cried race. And now some
knuckleheads ... um, Roseland Town Council members ... want to see the
charges reinstated?
Did I miss something?
Not likely. After all, Denny's did find that the two arresting officers
crossed the line in bringing the students into custody. According to
restaurant managers, the "jailhouse four" as well as their five friends (all
of whom are black) should have never been approached, let alone handcuffed
and manhandled.
Notre Dame administrators rallied behind the students. Father Mark Poorman,
University Vice President for Student Affairs, called the situation "a
serious injustice." Poorman told The Observer earlier this month, "We all
know this is more than an isolated incident. It is symptomatic of a problem
that pervades our society and our community." Apparently he can smell a
rat - or two.
So can local authorities. St. Joseph County Prosecutor Chris Toth concluded
that the Terrible Two were well out of order. After reviewing arrest reports
and surveillance tape of the incident, Toth said the arrests were "clearly
unjustified."
To their credit, Denny's was quick in giving the officers the boot.
And now area newspapers and broadcasters are reporting that it wasn't the
first time that at least one of the officers fell far short of his duties to
protect and serve. One man was a former South Bend police officer who had
been let go due to "unsatisfactory job performance."
So what is the town council trying to pull? Why the big stink over a pair of
seemingly rotten apples? No, really, I'm baffled. Is the council naive or
just a bunch of meanies?
Sure, they could be a group of modern-day idealists, magnificently content
to see that everything's coming up roses in this happy world. Hey, ignorance
is bliss, right?
So maybe they're busy believing in the colorblind society where nine young
blacks can walk into a public place and be perceived merely as a band of
friends - not as a gang. Or where the same nine can stroll into a restaurant
looking for a meal - not trouble.
Of course in such a racially equal world when white officers scuffle with
black patrons over knocking down small waiting area signs, it's completely
warranted.
But it's almost as ridiculous for me to consider the town council naive as
it is for them to pursue the charges against the students. Let's face it, we
all know better. That's why what's happening alarms me. Roseland's elected
governing body wants to support two men condemned by no less than nine
students and countless university officials, community members, the county
prosecutor and even their own employer.
One question comes to mind: Why?
Help me understand. What are they fighting for? For the positions of two men
who conceivably aren't fit to police or secure anyone or anything? For
Denny's and the sake of eating establishments everywhere? For the dignity of
the five or six-mile stretch of Hoosier highway they call Roseland?
Perhaps, though, it's a matter of what they're fighting against. That's
certainly more easily answered.
Let's see, given their stance on this situation, they must be utterly
opposed to civil rights. That, then, means no venturing into any Roseland
restaurant. At least not to sit down and eat. That is, if it's a Saturday
night. And you're the wrong color.
By the way, no arguing with Roseland's finest either. Police brutality,
what's that? Who cares on what grounds you're being arrested; shut up and go
with the flow.
Man, they sure are setting us back a good 40 or 50 years. And just when I
thought the days of being tossed from the lunch counter were over. Leave it
to Roseland to give blacks not only a hard time but also a blast from the
past.
Now if I seem angry and sarcastic, it's because I don't want to be sad. Sad
that college students had to resort to biting, scratching and spitting to
avoid being steamrolled by some dirty cops' brand of justice. Sad that they
are so much worse for the wear and that this ordeal will, if it hasn't
already, leave them more harsh, cynical observers of and participants in
life.
It's more than a little distressing to think that they face the endless
dilemma of being expected to respect the law while finding that the law in
many instances does not work for them.
Want to bring tears to my eyes? Find me some intelligent prominent citizens
willing to go out of their way to shatter the normalcy of a group of young
adults' lives. Shouldn't be too difficult; I hear the Roseland Town Council
meetings are open to the public.
Bottom line: What two errant officers lost doesn't begin to compare to what
nine college students surrendered three weeks ago - their innocence.
Posted on 13 March 2000:
Our Notre Dame Family, we address you as members of our family. Our
brothers, sisters, friends; we came to this school in the pursuit of more
than an education - we came in pursuit of a community in which we could all
feel accepted. Hand picked by the admissions office, each one of us worked
hard to get here and work harder each day to stay an integral part of this
community. But we are not perfect. We make mistakes, piss off friends, get
ejected from football games for doing pushups in the stands and even get
thrown out of Reckers for spilling things. We are human, what can you
expect?
We expected a Catholic community, a caring community, to look at the wrong
of a fellow student and while not condoning it, forgive it. We are just as
frustrated as anyone else is at the outcome of the Syracuse game. We are
even more upset, however, with the reactions of our fellow students and
alumni - the name-calling, finger pointing and threatening gestures -
towards one of their own. We wonder if you would react the same if it was
your roommate, your friend - you? We ponder what words you could find to say
to your parents if your fellow students wouldn't stop threatening you, just
for the sake of a game?
Our expectations have not been completely disregarded, however, for we find
some solace in the "class act" of the basketball team. We have discovered in
them a source of inspiration, and we hope that you, our family, can do the
same. We have not given up on you, in hopes that you will give back to the
Notre Dame community a little of the respect it has lost in the past few
days, we say to the him: Although we believe what you did lacked a bit of
common sense, we still support you wholeheartedly.
Kristin Corcoran
Gretchen Danysh
Kathy Gerschutz
Libby Kaufman
Posted on 13 March 2000:
Never before have we been so appalled by wanton stupidity as by that
which the students have recently displayed. We are personally ashamed of the
recent behavior exhibited by the students of this wonderful university. Not
because they are the most tenacious smack-talkers this side of New York. Not
because they create cartoons that are funny while being absolutely,
positively NOT racist in any way, shape or form. Not even because they
change the possible outcomes of games by hurling refuse on to the field of
play.
No, not even the latter. What makes us ashamed of the student body is its
reaction to one student's rash decision to throw an empty water bottle on to
the court during Wednesday night's basketball game against Syracuse. The
students have blamed the loss exclusively on the thrower - and he has
suffered for it.
First of all, blaming the loss entirely on the thrower is completely
asinine, as he only changed the possible outcome. What if the foul had not
occurred? Murphy may not get a chance at a three and we'd still lose. One
can't attribute final outcomes in reality to "what-if" scenarios that could
radically change the path of the outcome.
Does the thrower's rash act of civil disobedience warrant death threats?
Does it warrant perpetual threats of being beaten? Does it warrant threats
and harassing phone calls made to his parents? His parents, for God's sake!
(Rumor has it they had to shut down their phone to escape the calls.) The
thrower can't go to his room anymore; he's staying elsewhere to avoid being
harassed. His roommates no longer have the use of a phone due to the
inability to escape the perpetual stream of malevolent solicitations.
Stanford locked its doors early this week to avoid lynchers coming and
snooping. NDToday.com decided to temporarily take down its Voting Booth due
to the stream of personal negativity. The list goes on and on. It's
disgusting.
Everyone seems to be overlooking the fact that the thrower is a person and
he didn't intend to cause such a ruckus. He made a simple mistake; he didn't
consider the consequences of his action. Sure, he deserves some verbal
berating in jest and perhaps a few harsh words, but nothing on the level to
which the students have responded. It is quite honestly sickening to watch
how quickly the students can turn on one of their own. Have a little class.
And a word to the "outraged" alumni. Get off your high horse already. Notre
Dame isn't the place where you went to school; it has changed. Get over it.
It won't forever be exactly as you remember it. Just because the face of the
University changes that doesn't mean we are no longer "a cut above." The
students are still great fans ^W we just have a few "Leave-It-On-The-Court"
issues to deal with.
The thrower is not a bad person. The students have not done anything on the
court that deserves the scrutiny that they have received recently. Just
remember to act with a little more class after the game has ended. It is,
after all, just a game.
Ryan Moodie
Anhtuan Do
Posted on 6 March 2000:
On Saturday, Feb. 12, Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Grape Road hosted a Book
Fair in conjunction with Liberty Elementary School in Mishawaka. Many
volunteers from the school and community helped to make it a great success.
Three Notre Dame football players donated a part of their Saturday to read
and speak to the kids on the importance of reading. Grant Irons, Gerald
Morgan and Jabari Holloway encouraged a crowd of kids and stayed for
pictures and autographs.
Too often we hear only the negative of today's student-athletes. However,
these young men represented their university well with their politeness,
enthusiasm and humor. Their willingness to participate was a positive
example and we truly appreciate them.
Liberty Elementary School PTA
Posted on 6 March 2000:
When Notre Dame's men's basketball team recorded a homecourt win over
top-ranked San Francisco in 1977, NBC Sports named the Notre Dame student
body as the MVP of the game. That's the sort of positive reputation our
students have earned over the years.
Unfortunately, the actions of a small number of students in recent home
basketball games have tainted that reputation. These incidents have been
embarrassing for the University and have received extensive national media
exposure.
There's a fine line between what's appropriate and what's not appropriate
when it comes to fans supporting their team. In these instances, a few Notre
Dame students have crossed the line and conducted themselves in a manner
that cannot and will not be tolerated.
The athletic department and everyone associated with the men's basketball
program have worked to encourage attendance and interest from students, who
can play a key role in helping to create the kind of atmosphere everyone
wants to see in the Joyce Center. But there are standards of behavior that
must be adhered to, and the behavior of this small number of students is
simply unacceptable.
As the season winds down and we hope our team qualifies for postseason play,
please help us encourage the sort of behavior that we must come to expect
from our students and fans. There's no reason that those in attendance at
games cannot enjoy themselves, make noise and support the team without
engaging in the sort of conduct that gives all of us a black eye and can
even penalize our team.
We must insist on nothing less.
Posted on 6 March 2000:
In March of 1977, in a televised basketball game between Notre Dame and
San Francisco, NBC selected the Notre Dame student body as the game's MVP.
How times have changed.
Win or lose, Notre Dame has always been synonymous with class and
sportsmanship.
Based on the actions demonstrated at the UConn and Syracuse basketball
games, the University should be embarrassed.
The Alumni are.
Posted on 6 March 2000:
What part of "Don't throw things on the court" don't you understand?
Do you have so little respect for Coach Matt Doherty and the Irish seniors
that you needed to take the game out of their hands?
But the most important question is: Why would you ever throw something onto
the court?
When Jimmy Dillon, Skylard Owens and Todd Palmer walked off the court for
the last time in their Irish careers, they should have saluted the students
for their support.
Instead, they, like the rest of the team, walked off in disgust.
Can anyone blame them?
Dillon had left everything on the court. He picked up his fifth foul diving
on the floor for a loose ball. His hustle and heart should have played a
pivotal role in the game. Instead, a fan in the stands decided the Irish
fate.
For the first time in years, the Notre Dame student body is a vocal presence
at basketball games. Unfortunately, it has been known more for its stupidity
and not for its cheering.
Thanks to the action of three fans who threw trash on the court, the media
will once again blast the Notre Dame student body. Sports columnists around
the area will call the Irish students "classless" or "immature."
In front of a national television audience, Notre Dame fans looked like a
bunch of children.
"Maybe they shouldn't throw balls into the stands any more," Doherty said
after the game. "It's too tempting to have a ball in your hands and not to
throw it."
It's too tempting for a 6-year-old not to throw a ball. A college student
should have enough self-control to refrain from throwing things.
All three people who threw items should hang their heads in shame. The first
item tossed on the court was met with a warning directly from Doherty.
For some reason, two fans felt that warning did not apply to them.
The second thrower was lucky. Martin Ingelsby threw the foam ball tossed
from the stands off the court before a ref saw it.
But the last item to fall from the stands was the most inexcusable and
stupid event of the year for Irish fans.
Because some fan felt the need to ignore a direct request from Doherty, the
game was taken out of the players' hands and put into a water bottle.
If the Irish find themselves NIT-bound, don't blame the ref who called the
technical.
Blame the guy who threw the water bottle.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said after the game that his team would have won
the game with or without the technical.
Many Irish fans would love to be able to settle that question. But thanks to
a fan who felt that he was bigger than the team, that question will never be
answered.
For Dillon, Owens, Palmer and every senior in the student section, that
student threw away much more than a basketball game; he threw away a proud
ending to their home career.
"It's unfortunate that it had to come down to that," Dillon said. "But
that's basketball."
That's basketball?
No. Basketball is played on the court by the players, not some guy in the
stands.
Posted on 29 February 2000:
Regarding Wadsworth's firing, I say "HURRAY!" and so do many of my
Charlotte Club fellow alums. Despite his many accomplisments for the Title
IX sports, and the overall Big East record, he was a total flop in the two
sports which REALLY matter - varsity football and men's basketball. Both
teams have become an ND embarassment, to say nothing of the Dunbar and Joe
Moore fiascoes, so much so that Monk had to step in and personally start
cleaning up the poop that Mike left all over campus!
Here's hoping Monk has the guts to finish his rehab job, fires that
Faustian-fool Bob Davie and hires a REAL football coach before the football
program goes brain-dead!
Peter W. Murray, '64
Posted on 29 February 2000:
University President Father Edward Malloy announced Wednesday the
formation of the committee that will conduct the search for the University's
new athletic director.
This comes after the resignation of former athletic director Michael
Wadsworth on Feb. 7.
Father Malloy will chair the search committee, and its members will be
Nathan Hatch, the University's provost; Carol Ann Mooney, vice president and
associate provost; Scott Malpass, vice president for finance and the
University's chief investment officer; Alexander Hahn, chair and professor
of mathematics and a member of the University's Faculty Board on Athletics;
and Kevin Bradford, assistant professor of marketing and a former Division
I-A student-athlete. Louis Nanni, executive assistant to the president, will
serve as staff assistant to the committee.
The executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles will assist the committee in
the search, which will be national in scope and will focus on experienced
athletic administrators.
"We are beginning this search with no list of candidates and without any
preconceived notions concerning individuals," Malloy said. "Heidrick &
Struggles is a highly regarded organization, and the firm's independence and
expertise will be invaluable in helping the committee identify the best
candidates to become Notre Dame's athletic director."
The search follows the announcement last week by Malloy that the
University's athletic administration will be restructured and that the new
athletic director will report directly to him.
Posted on 29 February 2000:
Days before their Feb. 4 meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., members of Notre
Dame's Board of Trustees received a letter from more than 50 Notre Dame
alumni criticizing the structure of the athletic department - specifically
the leadership of athletic director Michael Wadsworth and executive vice
president Father William Beauchamp.
Three days after that meeting, the University announced Wadsworth's
resignation and relinquished Beauchamp of all athletic responsibilities.
While a University official said the timing of the letter and the
restructuring of the athletic department was just a coincidence, at least
one trustee took seriously the views expressed in the letter.
"It was an intelligent and well-written letter," an anonymous member of the
Board of Trustees told the Chicago Sun-Times. "It chastised the University
for the management of the athletic department."
For the authors of the letter, however, the extent of their influence over
the Board of Trustees is irrelevant. The actions taken by University
president Father Edward Malloy are exactly what they desired.
"I think it would be presumptuous for us to say that this letter brought
about the events of Monday," said Michael Cash, a member of the Class of
1994 and one of three principle authors of the letter. "There was at least a
group of trustees, if not the whole board, that was concerned with what was
happening, and I think that what we wrote resonated with them. But I think
the wheels were in motion long before this letter ever was sent."
In fact, Malloy convened an external review board of the athletic department
shortly after the NCAA placed Notre Dame on probation as a result of the
activities of football players and Kim Dunbar. Malloy considered the
committee's report and appointed trustees to an ad hoc committee, which
simultaneously considered the committee's findings.
While the letters' authors sent the letter to each individual trustee, it
allegedly had no influence over the trustees' decision, said Dennis Moore,
director of Public Relations and Information.
"Some individual, like whoever that anonymous trustee was who shouldn't have
opened his mouth to [the Sun-Times], seemed to be impressed by it," he said.
"But it had absolutely nothing to do with any decision that was made."
The actions taken by the Board of Trustees and Malloy, however, were what
the authors of the letter hoped to accomplish. By removing Beauchamp from
his role within the athletic department, Malloy accomplished the main goal
of the letter.
Malloy restructured the organization of the athletic department and made the
athletic director directly responsible to him in the future. In the past,
Beauchamp served as an overseer of the athletic department and Malloy was
removed from most athletic department decisions.
"It is our opinion that the current management structure [of the athletic
department] does not provide a sound basis for Notre Dame ..." the letter
stated. "[The athletic director's] responsibilities are so important to the
well-being of the University that his office needs to remain outside the
power base established by the vice president. ... [A]mend the organizational
chart so that the athletic director reports directly to the president and
has unfettered discretion and authority regarding the selection and removal
of coaches."
The letters' writers of the letter hope that this restructuring will end the
public relations problems they observed in regards to the Kim Dunbar
situation, the Joe Moore lawsuit and the selection of new football and
basketball coaches.
"It seemed to be a circus, at least from a PR standpoint," Cash said Tuesday
about the athletic department.
This circus-like atmosphere led to an erosion of confidence in the
leadership of Wadsworth and Beauchamp.
"I go back to Father Hesburgh," said Joe Vannie a member of the Class of
1975 and another principle author of the letter. "Back then there was a
general confidence that the right decisions were being made and that the
right people were being put into the positions of power to make decisions in
regards to the running of the University. We saw that flipping and flipping
badly. We're not supporters of the powers that were given to Father
Beauchamp and Mike Wadsworth."
This eroding confidence and perceived lack of proper decisions disserved
thousands of Irish fans and student-athletes, according to Andrew Cross.
"It was unfair to football players to be at Notre Dame during this time,"
said the '94 graduate and third author of the letter. "They didn't get the
direction that they deserved."
While football was the only sport directly addressed in the letter and was
the "impetus for the letter," Vannie stressed that reasons for the letter
went beyond the 5-7 record.
"It mainly focused on athletics and the background for the letter was our
concern for the University at large and just pointing out some aspects of it
that we believed needed fixing," Vannie said "It wasn't a short-term demand
to fix a 5-7 football record that would be thrown out [by the Board of
Trustees]."
The more than 50 who signed the letter represent alumni from the Class of
1959 through future alumni in the Class of 2001. The writers believed their
views were shared by most alumni and that the University was still a great
place despite problems in the athletic department.
"Overall we are still pretty proud of Notre Dame," Vannie said. "This is not
a band of renegades. We are all friends who love Notre Dame. We don't want
to stand here and throw rocks at Notre Dame.
"The Beauchamp/ Wadsworth formula did not work as far back as the whole Lou
Holtz dismissal, the [Rick] Majerus incident and the Joe Moore trial," he
continued. "The various stamps that they put on the athletic departments
were causes of embarrassments."
Posted on 21 February 2000:
Over the past few days, I have read with interest letters, e-mails and
columns that surfaced in regard to Saturday's "bastard children" chant at
the Conn-ecticut game.
I'll be the first to admit the chant was wrong from a moral standpoint and
my column that appeared in The Observer on Feb. 14 didn't intend to justify
it. It simply stated that Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun needs to stop
worrying about chants and foul calls and be more concerned with coaching his
team. That is what he is paid for. Not to be a Connecticut spokesperson.
One of the columns that caught my eye and the attention of students on
campus was David Haugh's commentary that appeared in Tuesday's South Bend
Tribune.
Apparently Haugh is so knowledgeable on the topic that he knows when coach
Matt Doherty intends to write a letter to the students and what it is going
to say. He must have received our faxed copy of it by accident because no
letter from Coach D appeared in The Observer on Tuesday as Haugh predicted.
And if you read it in today's edition of The Observer, you'll see that he
didn't "fire it" over. In fact, it wasn't very fiery at all.
My favorite part of Haugh's column was when he went on to say "imagine how
many kids under 10 heard [the chant]. Imagine how many parents had to turn
to their kids and explain what that horrible, slang word for illegitimate
child meant."
Well Mr. Haugh, now that you just wrote a column that appeared on the cover
of the sports section of a "family newspaper" and included the chant
verbatim, you exposed it to many more children under 10 than were present at
the Joyce Center Saturday. That is the pot calling the kettle black, my
friend.
Yeah, and it must have been the "communication arts" majors who started the
chants during the game. Communication arts? I think that's something the
football players at Ball State major in.
Finally, I think calling the pre-game pep rally a "hate rally" is just a
little bit of an overreaction. I'm sure the other harmless signs and
comments would never happen at Indiana, Purdue or Duke - esteemed
institutions who do no wrong according to Haugh. If he really wanted to get
dirt on those schools' fans I'm pretty sure athletic public relations
directors and sports information directors aren't the people to call. Ten
years from now, I don't think Notre Dame sports information director John
Heisler will be very quick to tell reporters how students used to chant
"bastard children" at Khalid El-Amin back in 2000. Of course they are going
to try to make the program and fans look as clean as possible. And I would
never consider a program with Bobby Knight as a head coach to have a
respectable moral standard.
As far as the people who claim that people chanted "Does Allah like Bastard
children?" that is too long and therefore pretty much impossible to chant.
Another letter I received was from a woman who had given up hope on Notre
Dame as a whole based on the 20 people who decided to create an offensive
chant. She had never been to Notre Dame but apparently has now decided to
find a new team to support because of the students' behavior at the game.
Never mind the countless students who dedicate themselves to volunteering
for programs like ACE, Holy Cross Associates, Appalachia Seminar or Urban
Plunge. They don't count. It must be those 20 students who establish the
moral fabric of this campus. Nice try, but I'm not going to be that
ignorant. I am a Notre Dame student. Don't judge me based on what 20 people
do at a school of 10,000 students. I'm not a statistics major, but I think
that is .2 percent of the campus.
It's a shame that people can be so unreasonable.
Posted on 21 February 2000:
WOW! I cannot thank you enough for all the support you have given our team
this year. The energy and enthusiasm that you demonstrated at the UConn game
was unbelievable. Without your support, we could not have beaten the
defending national champions. We were dog-tired at the end of the game, and
you all gave us the energy to fight through fatigue and come away with a
big-time win at the Joyce Center.
The Joyce Center was truly rocking. It was like a dream for me. When I took
this job, I had hoped that there would be days like Saturday. I never
imagined it would come in my first year on the job. I have asked you to come
out and support our team, and you have.
One thing that I would like to ask you is this: As you show your support for
our program, please continue to do so in a classy manner that represents
this fine University. I love it when you all go nuts and create terrific
chants.
However, some of the chants and displays on Saturday were out of character
for Notre Dame. Anything that is vulgar or is a personal slur has no place
in the Joyce Center. We need to make sure we avoid that kind of activity in
the future. We can get the same effect by being a wild and crazy M.O.B.!
Again, thanks for your tremendous support! I hope to see you all at our
Providence game on Wednesday, Feb. 23!
Go Irish!
"Coach D"
Posted on 21 February 2000:
I sent the following message to David Haugh regarding his column in
Tuesday's South Bend Tribune:
You might tell Frank Morock to look at the TV replay of the 1987 Notre
Dame-Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devil mascot
wore a large headband that read "Buckwheat" and the Duke students chanted
"Buckwheat" every time that David Rivers touched the ball. There was no
racist outrage from the media and no apology from Duke.
At the 1989 Notre Dame-Miami football game in the Orange Bowl, the Miami
students in the upper deck urinated on the Notre Dame fans in the lower
deck. After the game, cars with Notre Dame decals were vandalized in the
parking lots. I was there. I was president of the Notre Dame Club in Palm
Beach. Again, there was no outrage from the media and no apology from Miami.
I have dozens of other examples from the past 30 years when Notre Dame has
been the target of far worse incidents than the UConn game chant. Get off of
your high horse and get a life!
(Editor's note: Vermin, I did not clip and post Haugh's article that
is being referred to here. It was pointless. I think you can tell
what his piece (of garbage) was about.)
Posted on 21 February 2000:
SOUTH BEND -- The University of Notre Dame Athletic Department has
undertaken a series of steps to raise the behavior level of student body
members.
The announcement comes in response to the inappropriate "chant" heard from
the Notre Dame student section aimed at Connecticut guard Khalid El-Amin
during the Irish basketball game last Saturday.
Notre Dame Director of Athletics Mike Wadsworth said in a statement Tuesday
"that this is an area of great concern to all of us in intercollegiate
athletics."
Irish men's basketball coach Matt Doherty said he did not hear the chants
during Saturday's contest and was not informed of the students' behavior
until the following day.
"These incidents are, unfortunately, commonplace around the country," said
Doherty, who was out of town Tuesday recruiting on the East Coast. "Any
chants or taunts containing personal slurs are not appropriate in the Joyce
Center."
Members of the athletic department administration will directly address the
students prior to the two remaining men's home basketball games -- on Feb.
23 vs. Providence and March 1 vs. Syracuse. The athletic department will
continue to work through various student government groups to ensure the
emphasis on sportsmanship at the athletic contests.
Doherty has written a letter to the student body that is expected to appear
in the Observer today. He also sent a letter of apology to Connecticut head
coach Jim Calhoun and El-Amin, a player he recruited while at the University
of Kansas.
Doherty spoke with Calhoun on Tuesday.
"I felt the need to write to him and Khalid," he said. "Coach Calhoun
thanked me for the call."
Doherty and Wadsworth acknowledged that the fan support at the Joyce Center
this season has been a boost.
"We couldn't have won the UConn game without them," Doherty said. "The fans
and the students in particular have been awesome."
"We are tremendously happy with the interest our students have shown in the
men's basketball program," Wadsworth said. "However, we must insist on a
level of decorum by our students and fans, and we're going to draw the line
at personal slurs.
"What occurred on Saturday was wrong -- it was embarrassing to everyone
associated with the University. If we find individuals participating in this
sort of behavior in the future, we have no alternative but to escort them
out of the arena.
"We wouldn't want our student-athletes to be subject to that level of
conduct anywhere else, and we certainly will not tolerate it here when it
involves our own students. We've always taken great pride in the interest of
the fans at Notre Dame athletic events, and there's no reason we cannot
expect to play host to those events within a positive environments,"
Wadsworth concluded.
Posted on 21 February 2000:
Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun intends to send a letter to Notre
Dame officials for the inapropriate treatment of his star player Khalid
El-Amin.
Apparently Calhoun took notice of the Notre Dame student section's "bastard
children" chant which was directed at El-Amin, a Muslim who has fathered two
children with two different women.
And he made a point to let the fans know he was displeased. After a timeout
with nine minutes left in the first half, Calhoun stepped out of his team's
huddle and gave an icy stare at the student section and then complained to
Notre Dame officials seated at the scorer's table.
"Schools have to put an end to that," Calhoun told the New London Day.
"If they want to say `Calhoun sucks,' that's fine. I did today. But the
other stuff, that's uncalled for. Someone has to say to them that you just
can't say those kinds of things. I'm appalled that anyone will allow that.
It's so inappropriate. There's no place for that in sport. ... If I went out
there and said 'Jesus,' everybody here would say blasphemy. I'm writing a
letter to the University just to let them know I don't appreciate that."
It's a good thing he didn't see the "El-Amin 4:20" sign - a sarcastic
reference to the John 3:16 signs held up at sporting events and El-Amin's
run in with the law last year for marijuana possession. Or he might have
been offended by the "Troy Murphy: All American, Jake Voskuhl: Fairy
Princess" banner.
But if Calhoun wants to write a letter to Notre Dame officials for bashing
El-Amin, head coach Matt Doherty should write a letter to Calhoun for
letting his players beat up Murphy. That could have been considered assault
and the blood on his jersey was an indication.
But it seems Jim Calhoun likes to complain. And he's very good at it.
His hands must be tired after waving them at the officials all afternoon in
disgust. And he's probably hoarse from yelling at them throughout the game.
But I guess he saved his vocal cords enough to make subtle comments about
the officiating after the game.
He was most displeased with the 28-3 discrepancy in foul shots, joking that
Notre Dame should have carried official John Cahill off the court instead of
Doherty.
Doherty also agreed someone else should have been lifted up on the students
shoulders, but he didn't mean the officials.
"As neat as it was to have to have the students lift me up, they should have
lifted those 13 guys up," Doherty said referring to his players. "But I
guess that's a lot more poundage."
Calhoun also made it a point to say that he thought his team did a good job
defending Murphy, "but there were three guys who didn't."
Surely he was referring to three guys in pinstripes.
Doherty had a simple solution to the discrepancy in fouls.
"That's the beauty of playing a zone," he said. "The other team is going to
take a lot of 3s. If they're making them, you're in trouble, but you're not
fouling them. If you press and play aggressive man-to-man you're going to
commit a lot of fouls. I think that's where we won the game [on the foul
line]."
Calhoun, however, doesn't follow logic and I'm sure he wouldn't have had a
problem if his team had the foul shot advantage or if they won. He also
didn't have a problem with El-Amin's arrogance last season when he stood on
the scorer's table at Pittsburgh after knocking down the game-winning shot.
Go figure.
Posted on 14 February 2000:
Significant events in the tenure of Notre Dame athletic director Michael
Wadsworth, who resigned Monday.
Aug. 1, 1994: Michael Wadsworth named to succeed Dick Rosenthal as Notre
Dame athletic director in the summer of 1995.
April 1, 1995: Wadsworth officially takes over earlier than expected.
November 1996: Lou Holtz abruptly resigns at head football coach and
Wadsworth names Bob Davie his replacement after a one-week search.
May 6, 1997: Notre Dame and NBC extend their contract through the 2005
season.
Summer 1997: Notre Dame's once-formidable power base in the Bowl
Championship Series begins to erode.
Sept. 6, 1997: Notre Dame plays its first game in the newly expanded
80,012-seat stadium.
March 1998: Notre Dame reports itself to the NCAA for violations involving
Kim Dunbar.
June 1998: Notre Dame loses age-discrimination trial to former coach Joe
Moore.
Summer 1998: Notre Dame gains more access to second-tier bowls.
February 1999: Notre Dame announces it will remain independent rather than
join the Big Ten.
March 1999: Irish basketball John MacLeod resigns under pressure,
replaced by Matt Doherty. Wadsworth reportedly had recommended Rick
Majerus.
December 1999: The NCAA places Notre Dame on probation for the first
time in its history.
Posted on 14 February 2000:
Michael Wadsworth's five-year reign as athletic director at Notre Dame
will soon end, Wadsworth and University president Rev. Edward A. Malloy,
C.S.C. announced yesterday.
"We have come through the NCAA matter," Wadsworth said. "We are reaching the
end of the current five-year plan in the athletic department, and my
personal five-year commitment to the University also is about to end."
Malloy said the University is restructuring the administration of the
athletic department in response to the violations found by the NCAA in the
Kimberly Dunbar investigation. Notre Dame lost two scholarships and received
probation due to the improper gifts given to Irish football players by
Dunbar, a former booster, who embezzled more than $1.2 million from her
employer.
"Mike Wadsworth and I have reached this agreement based on a number of
factors," Malloy said. "I stated in December that the University's response
to the recent problems in our football program had included a comprehensive
external review of our athletic policies and procedures.
"As a result of that review, I have decided to institute a substantial
restructuring of administrative responsibilities in athletics," he
continued. "In light of this restructuring, Mike's five-year commitment, and
the conclusion of the current five-year plan in athletics, he and I agree
that now is the time for a fresh start for us both."
"Reflecting on the timing of all these events with the restructuring that
Father Malloy intends to carry out," Wadsworth said, "I believe it's in both
the University's and my best interests to end my tenure this year."
Wadsworth met with coaches and staff of the athletic department to announce
his resignation Monday. The news was unexpected, according to members of the
athletic department.
"I think we're all saddened that we're losing a great boss and a great
leader for the department," associate athletic director Melissa Conboy said.
Head track and field coach Joe Piane added his surprise at the announcement
of Wadsworth's departure.
"Probably a little bit of surprise," Piane said. "He's done a fine job. Too
much has been made of one or two small incidents, but under his five years,
the athletic department certainly has flourished. Restructuring is upon us."
Wadsworth's role as athletic director was questioned last year when
University officials rejected Wadsworth's endorsement of Utah coach Rick
Majerus to replace men's basketball coach John MacLeod.
Some Notre Dame fans also criticized Wadsworth when legendary football coach
Lou Holtz resigned in 1996, to be replaced by Bob Davie. Davie has a 21-16
record during his three years at the helm for the Fighting Irish football
team.
But perhaps the biggest complaints came when Notre Dame's commitment to
ethical standards was questioned. The University received probation from the
NCAA for violations in the Dunbar case, and was found guilty of age
discrimination in the firing of former assistant football coach Joe Moore.
"There is no denying that problems often lead to accomplishments being
overlooked, and that certainly has been true with respect to Mike Wadsworth,
whose contributions to Notre Dame have been substantial," Malloy said. "As I
said in December, Mike and Father Beauchamp and I all are committed to doing
everything we can to uphold Notre Dame's high standards for the conduct of
athletics."
Wadsworth, a former Notre Dame football player, laid out a five-year plan
for Irish athletics upon taking the position of athletic director.
During Wadsworth's tenure, Notre Dame made its debut in the Big East
conference. Notre Dame has won the Big East commissioner's trophy for men's
athletics every year since joining the league, as well as the women's trophy
each of the past three years.
Wadsworth helped strengthen women's athletics at Notre Dame, adding lacrosse
and crew to the list of varsity sports. Since Wadsworth took over at
athletic director, the women's soccer and women's basketball teams advanced
to the final four, with the soccer team qualifying for the finals twice. The
University also increased the number of scholarships for women's sports by
22.
Notre Dame continued its commitment to athletics and academics, with 35
athletes earning Academic All-American status since Wadsworth became
athletic director. Notre Dame shared the distinction with Stanford of being
the only universities to rank in the top 20 of the U.S. News & World Report
survey of educational excellence and average at least a top 20 finish in the
Sears Directors' Cup standings for all-sports accomplishments.
No names have been released as possible Wadsworth replacements.
"I will soon appoint and chair a committee to conduct a search for a new
athletic director, who will report to me," Malloy said.
Posted on 14 February 2000:
SOUTH BEND --- While the high-profile shortcomings of the Notre Dame
football program will likely be his legacy, it's the day-to-day successes of
the overall athletic program that have earned Irish athletic director Mike
Wadsworth respect among his coaches.
Monday's announcement that Wadsworth would be leaving his post after five
years caught many head coaches by surprise.
An attempt to speak to Wadsworth, who hurriedly rushed into his office after
meeting with the coaches, was met with a hastily-closed door. He is not
expected to be available to the media until today via telephone from a
Philadelphia hotel. Associate athletic director Bubba Cunningham refused to
comment on the situation.
"It's an extremely demanding job," Notre Dame lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan
said of the athletic director position. Corrigan has a keen insight into the
particulars of the job since his father, Gene, was athletic director at
Notre Dame before Dick Rosenthal. Wadsworth succeeded Rosenthal in the
summer of 1995.
"It's also a job in which you're a lightning rod for a lot of things over
which you have no control," Corrigan said. "I think Mike was that in the
time he was here."
The most thunderous bolts came early in his tenure, late in the fall of
1996, where Wadsworth was painted as the villian in football coach Lou
Holtz's departure, even though Holtz had a good deal to do with the
orchestration.
Holtz's leaving, Bob Davie's hiring and subsequent frustration on the field,
the Joe Moore age-discrimination trial, the "mis-hiring" of basketball
coach Rick Majerus and, ultimately, the NCAA problems have all tarnished
Wadsworth's public image.
Davie was out of town and unavailable for comment.
But internally, according to several coaches, the Irish athletic program is
on solid ground and heading in a positive direction.
"The coaches from different sports are pretty supportive of each other,"
volleyball coach Debbie Brown said. "(The new athletic director) will be
coming into a situation... It's not like... I don't think they're coming
into a sinking ship, at all. I think they're coming into a pretty good
program, good coaches, a cohesive department. We're not fragmented by any
stretch of the imagination."
For the second time in just a couple weeks, Notre Dame head coaches were
dealt some alarming news in a meeting. First it was the sudden death of
men's soccer coach Mike Berticelli, now it was Wadsworth's leaving.
"Everybody in the room was pretty shocked when he made the announcement,"
baseball coach Paul Mainieri said. "The bottom line is you work for the
university and they have the right to make those decisions. Whoever makes
those decisions, we work for them. We're going to roll with the punches and
we'll do our job.
"What went through my mind? This was the second coaches meeting in a row
where we were given some pretty major news. The first thing I thought of was
how much Mike has done for the baseball program."
Women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw was hired by Gene Corrigan in May of
1987, one month before Corrigan yielded to Rosenthal. She has seen Notre
Dame's Olympic sports programs grow to be very competitive nationally.
"I felt Mike was a great administrator," McGraw said. "He was someone I
could always talk to. In our program, in terms of gender equity, I think
things have grown tremendously. He really listened. He could really hear
what you were saying. He wanted to do whatever he could for you."
Men's basketball coach Matt Doherty was surprised at the announcement.
Wadsworth and his wife accompanied the team on their flight to Pittsburgh on
Saturday and they attended the game at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Doherty was not
informed of the decision until Monday.
"I owe a lot to Mike Wadsworth for bringing me to this great University,"
said Doherty. "It's a sad day for me personally but at the same time I wish
he and his wife all the best in the future."
All the coaches agreed that the restructuring of the athletic heirarchy,
which bypasses executive vice-president Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C.,
and has the athletic director reporting directly to university president
Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., won't have a trickle-down impact.
"That's way beyond us," Corrigan said. "I don't think that will be a factor
on our level."
Posted on 14 February 2000:
SOUTH BEND -- No one knows yet whether Michael Wadsworth saw the end coming.
No one knows whether he could sense one of the most seismic athletic
department shake-ups in memory at th. Presidene University of Notre Dame,
manifesting itself in conversations and in whispers to which he wasn't
privy.
The university release Monday, announcing the impending resignation of
Wadsworth as N.D.'s athletic director, offered only a manufactured good-bye.
That's more than what was afforded to Rev. E. William Beauchamp, university
executive vice president, who will retain his title but will move out of
athletics for good in the coming weeks.
"My theory about top management positions in academic situations is that
they shouldn't have tenure," N.D. President Edward A. Malloy said Monday. "I
think the same is true of coaches and athletic directors and people who are
in positions of leadership in which the rewards are great and the challenges
are great.
"I think it's important that I am reviewed on a periodic basis. ... I think
anyone who pursues this profession realizes it has a certain precariousness
to it."
Wadsworth's nearly five-year span of athletic director, which is expected to
end soon after Notre Dame names his successor in late spring in or early
summer, was filled with precarious moments. None of them were bigger than
the 21-month-long NCAA investigation into the Irish football program that
carried more sting than the resulting probation.
The process didn't stir Malloy to reconsider a restructuring of the athletic
department, but it gave the notion much more urgency. Malloy said Monday
that Notre Dame had been pondering a change since the Knight Commission and
its findings in the early '90s began to change the face of college
athletics.
Notre Dame was one of the few schools at the time that did not adopt the
commission's recommendations, at the center of which was control and
accountability for college athletics at the level of the university
president as opposed to coaches and athletic directors.
The new power structure at Notre Dame will see an athletic director
reporting directory to Malloy, with the N.D. president involved in every
fundamental decision, including hirings and firings of coaches.
"I've always been involved in most major decisions," Malloy said. "But it
will be a clearer line of reporting."
The new athletic department model was proposed and adopted at a meeting with
Malloy and the university's board of trustees this past weekend in Orlando,
Fla. Malloy approached Wadsworth following the meeting and said he gave
Wadsworth a choice as to whether he wanted to be a part of the new
structure. The two men made a mutual decision Monday that it was best to
part company.
"We've had to face a series of issues that we haven't had to face in our
history," Malloy said, and we simply wanted to figure out now what we can do
to make sure, in as far as humanly possible, that we don't have to deal with
these kinds of instances in the future.
"There was not a lot of attention on Mike Wadsworth as a person. It really
had to do with the structuring of athletics and looking to the future. There
was almost no analysis of the past or personalities, or anything like that."
Malloy said the search for a new A.D. would commence as soon as possible and
that experience in the athletic director's role would be given the greatest
emphasis.
"I think it's unfortunate that Mike has had to deal with some very
complicated and difficult issues," Malloy said. "In the midst of sometimes
unpleasant situations, I have an absolute sense that Mike has always tried
to be a person of integrity.
"Sometimes you get credit for things you have no responsibility for.
Sometimes you get blamed for things you have no responsibility for. That
happens on occasion for all of us. Life isn't always fair."
Posted on 6 February 2000:
Garron Bible, RB/DB, 5-11, 186, Kingwood, Texas. Bible was an All-District
performer who rushed for more than 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns as a
senior. He didn't play defense this season but could in college. He was an
all-district cornerback his junior year. Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.43.
Chose Notre Dame over Oklahoma, Texas Christian and Texas Tech.
Kyle Budinscak, DL, 6-4, 250, Bridgewater, N.J. (Raritan). Budinscak was
relatively unknown until he verbally committed to the Irish on Dec. 14.
Budinscak was recruited by several Big Ten schools and almost chose
Minnesota over Notre Dame. He registered 68 tackles and 10 sacks playing
defensive end this past season. Aspires to be an Academic All-American and
has the grades to do so (has 3.0 grade-point average and 1,250 SAT score).
Jared Clark, QB, 6-4, 225, Sarasota, Fla. (Cardinal Mooney). Clark could end
up being Notre Dame's quarterback of the future, if not the present. Already
a strong candidate to possibly challenge Arnaz Battle in the fall. This past
season, Clark threw for 1,372 yards (89-of-151) and 17 touchdowns while
rushing for 741 yards on 109 carries and 10 more scores. Strong runner who
also possesses great speed (runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6). Ranked 62nd on
recruiting analyst Tom Lemming's Top 100 list of prep prospects.
Jerome Collins, WR, 6-4, 218, Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton-Warrenville South).
Collins is an imposing physical specimen who could play any of a number of
positions, including tight end and outside linebacker. Didn't have a
spectacular year, with just 35 catches for 446 yards in an offense that
produced two, 1,000-yard receivers in Collins' junior year. Has great
potential, according to recruiting gurus. Is ranked No. 94 on Tom Lemming's
Top 100 list.
Lorenzo Crawford, WR, 5-11, 185, Prospect Park, N.J. (Paterson Catholic).
Crawford committed to North Carolina in the summer but changed his mind
after Tar Heels offensive coordinator Steve Marshall was fired. The
all-state selection caught 37 passes for 858 yards and 14 touchdowns, He
rushed for 362 yards and six more scores for Paterson Catholic this past
season. Played in the defensive backfield and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4.
Derek Curry, LB, 6-3, 230, Sealy, Texas. Curry was named the Houston-area
Defensive Player of the Year by several publications. Notched an amazing 140
tackles, along with four interceptions and three fumble recoveries from his
middle linebacker spot. Well-rounded individual who is a semifinalist for
Texas' Christian Athlete of the Year award. Could end up being a spiritual
leader for the Irish in the future. Also wants to play baseball at Notre
Dame.
Vontez Duff, RB/DB, 5-11, 186, Copperas Cove, Texas. Duff wants to run the
ball but is willing to play defense, if necessary. He rushed for 1,204 yards
and 13 touchdowns this season after running for more than 2,000 yards as a
junior. For his career, the two-time all-state selection had 733 carries for
5,011 yards and 51 touchdowns. Duff also passed for 412 yards and totaled
515 receiving yards at Copperas Cove. Duff is rated No. 61 on Tom Lemming's
list of Top 100 prospects.
Mike Goolsby, LB, 6-4, 228, Elwood, Ill. (Joliet Catholic Academy). Goolsby
was rated one of the top five linebackers in the nation heading into the
season and ended up the 20th-ranked player on recruiting analyst Tom
Lemming's Top 100 list of prep prospects. Finished the season with 74
tackles for a state championship team that boasted four Division I players.
Comes from the same school that produced former Irish standout Tom Thayer
and storied walk-on Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger.
Preston Jackson, CB, 5-10, 175, Brandon, Fla. (Tampa Hillsborough). Jackson
played at one of Florida's most successful prep football schools. He tallied
60 tackles and five interceptions for a 12-1 team. He also played well on
special teams, returning several kicks for scores. One of four talented,
Div. I football players to come out of that school this season. Hillsborough
also produced baseball greats Dwight Gooden and Gary Sheffield.
Omar Jenkins, WR, 6-2, 183, Dallas, Texas (Jesuit Prep). Jenkins was the
surprise find for the Irish. Notre Dame was looking at three other receivers
in Texas but ended up taking Jenkins. He excelled at a small private school,
catching 45 passes for 811 yards and nine touchdowns. Jenkins runs the
40-yard dash in 4.48. He chose Notre Dame, despite favoring Stanford most of
the recruiting season. Wants to study mechanical engineering.
Matt LoVecchio, QB 6-3, 195, Oradell, N.J. (Bergen Catholic). LoVecchio was
the first player to commit to the Irish in this class. LoVecchio committed
in the summer, following his strong showing at Notre Dame's football camp.
This past season, LoVecchio led Bergen to the state Parochial 4
championship, the second in a row for the school. He passed for 1,503 yards
and 17 touchdowns while rushing for more than 500 yards for a 10-1 squad.
For his career, LoVecchio threw for 3,267 yards and 48 touchdowns.
Billy Palmer, TE, 6-4, 255, Heathrow, Fla. (Orlando Lake Highland Prep).
Palmer was used primarily as a blocker in a triple-option offense, Palmer
caught eight passes, one of which went for a touchdown. Also played
defensive end, compiling more than 50 tackles. His brother, Jesse, will
likely start at quarterback for the University of Florida next season and
his father, Bill Sr., played in the CFL and is friends with Notre Dame
athletic director Michael Wadsworth. Was a teammate of Max Starks, a star
offensive lineman and the son of former Notre Dame All-American Ross Browner
who turned down the Irish in favor of Florida or Florida State.
Greg Pauly, DL, 6-5, 275, Waukesha, Wis. (South). Pauly is the most
celebrated athlete of this recruiting class. Pauly was a first-team, USA
Today All-American and the Gatorade Player of the Year in Wisconsin. His 17
sacks this past season were one fewer than Notre Dame had as a team in 1999.
Pauly also registered 39 solo tackles, 20 tackles for losses, two fumble
recoveries and two interceptions. Pauly is rated No. 17 on Tom Lemming's Top
100 list. Pauly's plan is to join the FBI after football ends.
Ron Rodamer, WR, 6-4, 190, Morgantown, W.Va. Rodamer has drawn comparisons
to another star receiver from the state of West Virginia, Minnesota Vikings
All-Pro Randy Moss. Rodamer caught 35 passes for 660 yards and 15 touchdowns
this past season before separating his shoulder last in the season. A
first-team all-state selection who chose Notre Dame over Clemson. Rodamer
was a high school teammate of Notre Dame tailback Chris Yura.
Jason Sapp, LB, 6-4, 230, Bridgeport, Conn. (Notre Dame). Sapp, a speedy
linebacker, chose the Irish over Virginia Tech and Miami (Fla.). Runs the
40-yard dash in 4.55 and used that speed to register 92 tackles, eight sacks
and three interceptions. Also played tight end, where he caught 28 passes
for 389 yards and three touchdowns. Bench presses 315 pounds. Is the second
cousin of Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro defensive lineman Warren Sapp .
Jovan Witherspoon, WR, 6-4, 200, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Bishop Luers).
Witherspoon could end up being the premier catch out of this crop of
recruits. The all-state selection caught 70 passes for 1,240 yards and 12
touchdowns, aiding Luers to the Class 2-A state title. He also led the state
on defense with 11 interceptions, playing safety. Rated No. 25 on Tom
Lemming's Top 100 list. Also a standout basketball player who ranks among
the top 100 hoops prospects in the Midwest. Witherspoon's father is sports
agent Roosevelt Barnes, a former football/basketball standout at Purdue.
Posted on 1 February 2000:
Once upon a time there was a king and his jester. This king had power
over a vast empire of students, alumni, and rabid fans. And wherever the
king went, his jester was by his side.
The king and his jester enjoyed being entertained and thus attended many
sporting events.
If at all possible, such as at football games, the king stayed far from the
townspeople in the comfort of luxury boxes with other members of the
aristocracy, sipping the finest drinks and dining on the best food. Most
importantly, he was protected from the masses by tinted windows and locked
doors.
Not all sports offered these luxuries though. The king enjoyed basketball
very much, stemming from his days as a player. If he was to enjoy a
basketball game, though, he would have to grace his subjects with his
presence. And so he attended his beloved game sitting near the court in the
finest seats in the building. His loyal subjects sat behind him with his
jester by his side.
And so the king and his jester came faithfully to nearly every game.
One would think that this sort of enthusiasm and support would be
appreciated by his subjects for it isn't often that a king would lower
himself to being that close in proximity to the proletariat.
But there was something wrong with the king and there was something wrong
with the jester. At least it appeared as if there was something wrong.
For the king and his jester simply sat and stared, arms folded, eyes glazed,
looking as if they didn't want to be at the game. Looking as if they didn't
want to be near their subjects.
The team competed, occasionally looking unbeatable, occasionally looking
incompetent. The subjects cheered, celebrating the good times and roaring
their encouragement through the bad times. But the king and his jester
refrained and simply stared ahead.
After the game, the loyal subjects filed out of the arena, some days
smiling, some days shaking their heads in disapproval. But the king and his
jester didn't change their expressions, they just picked up their coats and
left. They didn't even clap.
OK, so storytelling isn't my cup of tea. I'll spare you the sequel.
In case the metaphor wasn't clear enough for you, I'll explain. Something
strange happens at every Irish men's basketball game. To the left of the
remarkably loud student section and in front of a group of children loyal to
the Dome, who scream for their heroes, is what has affectionately become
known as "the power box."
"The power box" is filled with a majority of the decision-making power on
campus - Father Mark Poorman, Father William Beauchamp and even Father
Edward Malloy. While Poorman, the newest member of "the power box," showed
signs of life, cheering as a real fan does, the other two prominent figures,
Malloy (our king) and Beauchamp (his jester) appeared less lively than the
statue of Moose Krause lounging outside of the Joyce Center.
They just sat there staring ahead, arms folded, chins tucked down, nearly
asleep.
Troy Murphy threw down a thunderous dunk and they sat there in silence.
Ted Valentine made a "Ted Valentine" call and they sat there.
The results of the game didn't matter. They just sat there.
It baffles me that two such prominent Notre Dame figures could sit and be so
apathetic toward their team. No, they weren't just apathetic. They were
rude.
At one point, Beauchamp pushed the leprechaun, who was trying to rouse the
aforementioned youngsters, out of the way because the leprechaun stood in
Beauchamp's line of sight. No "excuse me," just a shove.
Malloy refused to acknowledge a group of students chanting for him to stand
up and join them in rooting for the school he runs. He just ignored them.
As a player for Notre Dame from 1961-1963, Malloy should have an idea what
the players are enduring on the court and how beneficial a loud crowd is to
creating a tough atmosphere for opponents to play in. He should also know
what it's like to play before a crowd that looks as bored as he and his
executive vice president have looked this year.
Beauchamp, on the other hand, should know the importance of success of our
teams.
His primary responsibility is to act as a link between Malloy and the
athletic department. Their success reflects upon the quality of his job. Why
would he act so catatonically at the game?
At what point in becoming important did these two men forget how to have
fun? The games are played so that spectators can enjoy them, not endure
them.
We can all agree that it's admirable for the two of them to attend games
with the regularity that they do. But attendance is not enough. Anyone can
attend class, but it is only those who listen that get anything out of it.
Don't simply attend the games. Be a fan. It's OK for important people to
smile and have fun.
If acting like you're enjoying the game is too much of a chore, then I urge
you to stay home. Leave those seats open for the kids behind you. At least
they look like they're alive.
Posted on 23 January 2000:
To hear Joe Ferrer tell it, Notre Dame football was one good stylist away
from cutting into the Top 10 last season.
Ferrer, in case you've already forgotten him, observed that coach Bob
Davie's refusal to let him braid his hair in corn rows represented just one
of the ways he felt stifled at Notre Dame.
He apparently believed the team was not only poorly coached, but also poorly
coifed.
So the starting defensive end left the Irish, pursuing a more liberal
Division 1-AA program where Ferrer can worry about hair today and not be
gone tomorrow.
Talk about your bad hair days for Davie.
He did not need this, does not deserve this, but cannot avoid this.
A starter who would have been a fifth-year senior publicly blasts his policy
decisions in the middle of recruiting season and says that Irish teammates
share his unhappiness. The lice of dissension, Ferrer implies, threatens to
infect the locker room.
The implication probably merits more Davie attention than his snide
dismissal of Ferrer's leaving, but not much. Any football player preoccupied
with spending time in the hair salon needs more enforced time in the weight
room.
This borders on the ridiculous. Ferrer leaving has nothing to do with hair
styles or individuality.
It has everything to do with winning -- or lack thereof.
When coaches of winning teams institute appearance guidelines that players
adhere to, they become known as sticklers to detail. Taskmasters. Tough guys
who take no bull. Winners who leave no doubt which road -- my way or the
highway -- leads to success.
But when coaches of losing teams try to instill the same standards of
decorum, they earn reputations as guys who do not allow their players to
have fun. Bores. Small men with big thumbprints. Losers who drive away
potential stars over pettiness.
Coaches who lose football games also lose the benefit of the doubt, not only
from the public but from the players, too.
Bet that if Notre Dame were coming off a 10-2 record instead of a 5-7 one,
Ferrer would have found a way to harness all that burgeoning independence he
speaks of for one more season. If the Irish were coming off an undefeated
season, he probably would shave his head if Davie asked.
The swagger Ferrer claims Notre Dame takes away from its players did not
disappear because the coaching staff stifled their step. It disappeared
because Tennessee and Boston College and Pittsburgh and Stanford, among
others, knocked it out of them. You have to win big before you walk big,
otherwise your strut just seems like selfish grandstanding.
"I like to let my personality flow when I play ... I'm a wild guy, I like to
talk trash,'' Ferrer said. "You can't do that at Notre Dame.''
Sure you can. Ask Bobby Brown. He celebrated all the fun right out of Notre
Dame's season last September in Ann Arbor. That little bit of individuality
after a two-point conversion cost the Irish 15 yards, a victory on the road
against a team that would win 10 games, and any semblance of September's
greatest resource -- momentum.
Two seconds of expression led to two months of excruciating disappointment.
You could even make the argument, if Notre Dame had had a little less fun
and been a little more serious that day and all season, maybe the Irish
would have been one of those bowl teams that Ferrer saw frolicking on TV.
Yes, Florida State lets its hair down. Miami looks cavalier. Even Nebraska
seems to be one happy bunch of Huskers, despite their coach, Frank Solich,
looking like he swallowed a lemon.
But the minute those teams lose by 10 or suffer through one of those 6-5 or
5-7 years, all of a sudden the word will be they are undisciplined.
Uncoachable. Out of control. As much abuse as the NCAA's intercollegiate
system receives for using student-athletes to make millions -- and the abuse
is often deserved -- it is only fair to point out a case when a
student-athlete uses the system.
This is one of those cases.
Ferrer obtained a $100,000 Notre Dame degree for free and now will complete
his fifth year elsewhere rather than sticking it out to help the institution
that provided his education.
Cry not for the Irish defense. The bad news is they are losing a defensive
starter. The good news is that starter played on a defense that was so bad
last year it couldn't stop a clock.
It made many an Irish fan want to pull out their hair, grayer by the game.
University-imposed rules and coaching-staff policies represent two different
things entirely. While Notre Dame could use some modern-day revisions to the
former, the latter do not seem unreasonable nor worthy of the bashing Ferrer
gave them.
To leave a program because the coaches did not let you taunt to your
pleasing sounds frivolous. To complain publicly because they did not let you
style your hair a certain way is just silly.
Football, as all sports, comes down to what's between the ears much more
than what lays on top of them.
Posted on 23 January 2000:
Any Notre Dame student who read the media coverage of the NCAA sanctions
placed on the Irish football team must have been shocked when they returned
to campus and found that everything was continuing normally and the Dome
hadnot collapsed.
With the NCAA announcement that Notre Dame would lose one football
scholarship each year for the next two years and be placed on probation for
two years, almost every sports columnist in the country suddenly felt
compelled to condemn the University and declare its downfall. Many led the
American public to believe that, due to the sanctions, Notre Dame would
practically cease to exist.
According to most sports columnists, the actions of certain football players
intertwined in the Dunbar saga forever destroyed the University and its
image.
"If there was any lingering question whether the Notre Dame of grainy black
and white newsreels still existed, whether the Fighting Irish of the earnest
days from Rockne to Rudy somehow could have endured, that issue was
officially, eternally closed Friday," Malcolm Moran wrote in the Chicago
Tribune (Dec. 18, 1999).
But as every Notre Dame student learned upon returning for this semester,
probation changed nothing.
Students still go to class, rectors continue to enforce parietals and most
students are more concerned with class schedules than Kim Dunbar's bank
records.
Students at Notre Dame know an important fact that seems to be beyond the
grasp of most sports writers: Notre Dame is more than a football team, and
the football team is much greater than the actions of a few players who let
their greed and libido control their actions.
"Now, [Notre Dame] is just another college that plays football ... And,
worst of all, without much honor either," Mike Vaccaro wrote in New Jersey's
Star-Ledger (Dec. 19, 1999).
While sports columnists rant and rave about probation stealing away the
football team's honor, Grant Irons, Bobby Brown and Jabari Holloway will
continue to make every Notre Dame supporter proud with their athletic
ability, scholastic success and overall integrity.
In most cases, without ever having spoken to a Notre Dame football player or
spending any time on this campus, sports columnists across the country
declared themselves experts on what Notre Dame stands for.
One writer for the Washington Post was so knowledgeable on Notre Dame that
he did not even feel it was necessary to spell the football head coach's
name correctly (it's Bob Davie, not Bob Davies).
The perception of most of the media is that Notre Dame has never committed
an NCAA violation and spends all of its time bragging how great it is.
According to Vaccaro, "Notre Dame has been tsk-tsk-tsking others for the
past 80 years."
This is completely ridiculous. Only the most ignorant Irish fan could
possibly believe an Irish athlete has never violated an NCAA rule in some
manner.
What Notre Dame has always prided itself on was swift and immediate action
taken against any student who broke a rule, whether that rule is an NCAA,
University or state law. Since athletes at Notre Dame are students, they
fall under the same rules and regulations as any other student.
When Brock Williams, Tony Driver and Lee Lafayette broke rules, they were
appropriately punished. But the national media ignore these University
actions.
Instead, the media point at the poor decision-making of Eric Chapell who
tried to sell his complementary tickets, and at Darcy Levy, who a Chicago
Tribune source has revealed to be the player who paid a friend to write a
paper for him. The media ignore the fact that Chapell was kicked off the
team for abusing his privileges as a football player and Levy left school.
The University will tell you that Levy transferred, but if you believe that
his transfer wasn't highly encouraged by Student Affairs, then there is a
bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in purchasing.
With the Kim Dunbar situation finally at a close, Notre Dame can still feel
proud. While the actions of a few individuals shamed the University, the
actions of the University should be commended. The NCAA concluded that
members of the coaching staff and administration were not involved in any
scandal and took the appropriate steps to investigate and turn over all
information related to the investigation.
Unlike Alabama and Wisconsin, who have been put on probation in the past
year, the Irish coaching staff had nothing to do with the scandal.
No one ever said that Notre Dame was perfect, but even when problems arise,
the Irish still do things the right way.
So for the moment, members of the administration must hang their heads and
turn the other cheek as Notre Dame detractors have their day in the sun. But
when the leaves turn from green to gold and a blue, gray sky blankets
northern Indiana, the stadium will fill and the band will strike up the
fight song. When the football team rushes from the tunnel, no one will
notice the loss of one scholarship and the Irish will still have their
honor.
Posted on 23 January 2000:
SOUTH BEND -- Football used to be fun for Joey Ferrer.
Then he came to Notre Dame.
"Whenever you put on the gold helmet, there's an image that goes with it,''
the outside linebacker said Monday. "There's an image that goes with the
school. You take on a lot when you put on the gold helmet.''
Ferrer, who has one year of college eligibility left, has put on the gold
helmet for the last time. He said he has left the program and will transfer
from Notre Dame after the spring semester. He will head to an undetermined
Division I-AA school, where he won't have to sit out a year, with degrees in
sociology and computer applications already in hand.
"Joey Ferrer has been at Notre Dame for four years and has had the
opportunity to play football for four years," Irish coach Bob Davie said.
"We appreciate the contributions he made to the program in his role as a
defensive player.
"If he feels after receiving his degree he wants to play at a lower level,
we wish him nothing but the best."
"A lot of guys come to Notre Dame playing with a swagger,'' the 6-foot-2,
235-pound Ferrer said. "But that's taken away. There's no room for that on
this team. I like to let my personality flow when I play. I'm a wild guy, I
like to talk trash, to celebrate. You can't do that at Notre Dame. That's
not part of the image.''
Ferrer even had a problem with the hairstyle constraints at Notre Dame.
"You can't have corn rows at Notre Dame,'' Ferrer said. "Why? What do corn
rows have to do
with the image of Notre Dame? Why can't you be the person you really are?''
"I've never seen anywhere where the way you wear your hair correlates to
success," Davie said. "With success comes fun. I've been a part of a lot of
great defenses and I never thought you had to trash talk and point fingers
to play harder or project an image. It's a team game."
Ferrer, from Casselberry, Fla., emphasized that his departure had nothing to
do with playing time, and he had nothing against the coaching staff. This
past season, the drop linebacker started the last six games of the season
after slipping past sophomore Rocky Boiman on the depth chart. He made 27
tackles and three tackles for loss. A big game against Arizona State, which
included a quarterback sack, lifted him into a starting role.
"Every year everybody talks about how next year is going to be so much more
fun,'' Ferrer said. "Every year, it's the same thing. I'm tired of that.
I've got my degrees now. I couldn't see coming back and going through
another year of this. Next year is for me. It will be fun, a chance to go
out on the field and be myself.''
Ferrer said his sentiment is shared by several other players, but they
aren't in a situation where they could make a similar move.
"So many guys are scared to make a mistake,'' Ferrer said. "For me, if I
made a mistake, I'd get pulled right away. When you're scared of making a
mistake, you don't take chances. When you don't take chances, you don't make
big plays.
"I watched the defenses play in those bowl games. They weren't worried about
making mistakes. They were out there having fun and making plays. You could
see the difference between them and us right away.''
"Notre Dame is a place where we do things with class," Davie said. "Notre
Dame is not for everyone. Maybe we do have a higher standard."
Ferrer said his decision had no basis on the team's 5-7 record this past
season or on anything else associated with the campus, academically or
socially. It was rooted in a personal desire to enjoy himself more on the
field.
Ferrer, who did not play as a freshman, got his first career start as a
sophomore in the Independence Bowl against LSU when Lamont Bryant, ahead of
him at rush linebacker, sustained a knee injury in the final regular season
game in Hawaii. Ferrer played in every game that year, recording 14 tackles
and three tackles for loss. In his junior season, Ferrer appeared in 10
games and the Gator Bowl, recording 26 tackles, three for loss.
Ferrer's 27 stops ranked 11th on the team this season.
Boiman will likely move into the starting role at drop linebacker with
Justin Thomas backing him up.
Posted on 18 January 2000:
NEW HAVEN, Conn.-- Seven Notre Dame football players are among 83 college
football greats named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-Century
team.
Quarterback John Lujack, receivers Tim Brown and Raghib Ismail, defensive
linemen Ross Browner, Leon Hart and Chris Zorich, and defensive back John
Lattner are the Irish players who were honored. Browner and Hart were
designated as first-team selections.
Michigan was also well-represented with receiver Bernie Oosterbaan,
offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf and cornerback Charles Woodson. Michigan State
placed defensive tackle Bubba Smith and kicker Morten Anderson.
The team was chosen by a survey of current and retired college football head
coaches, sports information directors and selected members of the sports
media.
"The selection of the All-Century Team was strictly based on the players'
college performances and their selection to a Walter Camp All-American
Team," said Stanley W. Konesky, Jr., President of the Walter Camp Football
Foundation.
ALL-CENTURY TEAM
*First Team Selections
OFFENSE
Quarterback
*Roger Staubach, Navy, Doug Flutie, Boston College, Tommie Frazier,
Nebraska, John Lujack, Notre Dame, Peyton Manning, Tennessee, Davey O'Brien,
Texas Christian
Running Backs
*Red Grange, Illinois, *O.J. Simpson, Southern California, *Herschel Walker,
Georgia, Doc Blanchard, Army, Jim Brown, Syracuse, Glenn Davis, Army, Tony
Dorsett, Pittsburgh, Archie Griffin, Ohio State, Bo Jackson, Auburn, Barry
Sanders, Oklahoma State, Doak Walker, Southern Methodist, Ricky Williams,
Texas
Receivers
*Don Hutson, Alabama *Johnny Rogers, Nebraska
Fred Biletnikoff, Florida State, Tim Brown, Notre Dame, Raghib Ismail, Notre
Dame, Keith Jackson, Oklahoma, Larry Kelley, Yale, Bernie Oosterbaan,
Michigan, Howard Twilley, Tulsa
Center
*Dave Rimington, Nebraska, Mel Hein, Washington State, Jim Ritcher, North
Carolina State
Guards
*John Hannah, Alabama, *Dean Steinkuhler, Nebraska, Brad Budde, Southern
California, Jim Parker, Ohio State, Aaron Taylor, Nebraska, Will Shields,
Nebraska
Tackles
*Orlando Pace, Ohio State, *Ron Yary, Southern California, Dan Dierdorf,
Michigan, Bill Fralic, Pittsburgh, John Hicks, Ohio State, Bob Gain,
Kentucky
DEFENSE
Defensive Line
*Ross Browner, Notre Dame, *Hugh Green, Pittsburgh, *Steve Emtman,
Washington, *Leon Hart, Notre Dame, Bruiser Kinard, Mississippi, Bob Lilly,
Texas Christian, Merlin Olsen, Utah State, Mike Reid, Penn State, Lee Roy
Selmon, Oklahoma, Bubba Smith, Michigan State, Randy White, Maryland, Chris
Zorich, Notre Dame,
Linebackers
*Dick Butkus, Illinois, *Tommy Nobis, Texas, *Chris Spielman, Ohio State,
Chuck Bednarik, Pennsylvania, Cornelius Bennett, Alabama, Brian Bosworth,
Oklahoma, Lee Roy Jordan, Alabama Jerry Robinson, UCLA, Mike Singletary,
Baylor
Safeties
*Kenny Easley, UCLA, *Ronnie Lott, Southern California, Tommy Casanova, LSU,
Terry Hoage, Georgia, Tim McDonald, Southern California, Jack Tatum, Ohio
State
Cornerbacks
*Deion Sanders, Florida State, *Jim Thorpe, Carlisle, Dre Bly, North
Carolina, Nile Kinnick, Iowa, John Lattner, Notre Dame, Charles Woodson,
Michigan
SPECIALISTS
Placekickers
*Morten Anderson, Michigan State, Kevin Butler, Georgia, Sebastian
Janikowski, Florida State, John Lee, UCLA
Punters
*Ray Guy, Southern Mississippi, Reggie Roby, Iowa, Todd Sauerbrun, West
Virginia
Posted on 19 December 1999:
Very soon the NCAA is expected to render its decision on possible rules
violations by the University of Notre Dame regarding the interactions of
Kimberly Dunbar with members of the school's football team. To date, the
media have been derelict in their reporting of the issues and proceedings,
failing to describe accurately even the most basic core of facts. This fact
sheet is intended to provide members of the media with an accurate synopsis
of the events and proceedings in order that they can responsibly inform the
public. The information contained herein can be independently substantiated.
It is our hope that you take seriously the integrity of your position and
will research these facts before you form your opinion and write or
broadcast this very important college football story.
The preponderance of the media reports on the subject have been inadequate
in their description of Ms. Dunbar, simply terming her a "booster" when in
fact her relationship with the University did not resemble the common
connotation of the word. Without proper perspective, the story becomes
unfairly distorted and readers are deprived a true understanding of the
circumstances of the case.
Kimberly Dunbar was a girlfriend who had serial sexual relationships with
various players. Her interests were prurient and not athletic. NCAA rules
and regulations at issue were intended to prevent those with a vicarious
interest in the success of a college's athletic programs from buying a
competitive advantage for their team. The very word "booster" conjures
images not of a libidinous twenty-something, but of a cigar-chomping,
glad-handing wealthy alumnus purchasing automobiles for players and giving
$100.00 handshakes to recruits. There is no evidence that Ms. Dunbar had any
interest in the success of the Notre Dame football team, nor is there
evidence that her actions advanced those interests. She was not an alumna;
no one from her family was an alumnus; she was not employed by the
University; she rarely if ever attended a football game at the University of
Notre Dame. She was merely a local girl who had a manifest and aggressive
attraction to athletes. The NCAA's rules are simply not germane, and it will
be navigating uncharted waters if it chooses to police personal sexual
relationships, however unsavory they may seem.
The basis upon which the NCAA found Ms. Dunbar to be a "booster" is quite
dubious. The NCAA has focused on her $25 donation to the Notre Dame
Quarterback Club, but this club did not, in fact, raise money for the
football program. Rather, it used the good will of Notre Dame's football
program to raise money for a local charitable organization. Members received
no tickets, no memorabilia, no benefits whatsoever except a discount on a
luncheon each Friday before home games to hear the coach speak.
The extraordinary procedural history of this case sheds light on the
weakness of the NCAA's determination. This weakness is illustrated by the
split vote of the NCAA Enforcement Committee, which, during its
deliberations to determine whether Dunbar was ever a booster, needed three
separate votes to render a decision. Even the final vote was deadlocked,
requiring a tiebreaker for resolution. The intense media scrutiny
surrounding Dunbar's trial and conviction of embezzlement from her employer
cannot be dismissed as possibly contributory to the committee's final
judgment. Clearly the NCAA felt pressure to appear firm with such a high
profile program and failure to find Dunbar a booster would have ended the
investigation altogether.
Recognizing the uniqueness of the facts, and that Notre Dame gained no
competitive advantage from Dunbar's actions, the NCAA enforcement committee,
made up of NCAA employees with no association or allegiance to member
institutions, ruled the affair a minor violation. This is where the
procedural irregularities become more vexing, if not suspicious. The NCAA
Infractions Committee, made up not of NCAA employees but of representatives
of member institutions, took the highly unusual step of overruling the
findings of the neutral Enforcement Committee, and ordered further
investigation into the matter. It merits mentioning that the representatives
on the infractions committee included representatives from universities that
have incurred severe sanctions at the hands of the NCAA. Their motivations
are certainly open to scrutiny.
In summary, the Dunbar affair itself and the flagrant distortions of this
story that have surfaced in the media have already brought considerable
embarrassment to the University of Notre Dame and its football program. This
reality dwarfs the loss of football scholarships or other potential
NCAA-imposed penalties. The actions and poor judgment of the players
involved sully the reputation of the University. However, it is
irresponsible and inappropriate for journalists to gloss over the salient
facts of this matter in their haste to sensationalize the story. The public
is quite capable of understanding the unvarnished and undistorted truth of
Ms. Dunbar's association with the players and forming their own opinions
regarding Notre Dame's culpability and the reasonableness of the NCAA
investigation into this matter. It is your duty to provide your readers with
sufficient, objective and accurate information to make such a judgment now
that this matter is about to fill the airwaves for what we hope is the final
time.
Posted on 19 December 1999:
The end of the century may finally bring about an end to the Notre Dame
scandal. The NCAA is expected to hand out its ruling on whether any
violations were committed by supposed booster Kimberly Dunbar in her
relationship with several Irish players.
Now let me be the first to say that I am no big fan of Notre Dame. I have
complete respect for everything the school has accomplished on the field. I
am just not a big fan.
With that being said, I think that any action the NCAA takes against the
Irish is completely unfair. The fact that they are calling Dunbar a booster
borders on ridiculous.
Just because she pays $25 to be a member of the quarterback club, she isn't
a booster. That membership entitles her to go to a luncheon once a year for
the football team, but I hardly think it qualifies her as a booster.
I realize that rules are rules, and if she was a booster of any sort, there
has to be some form of punishment. But there also has to be some common
sense in the application of those rules.
If she is not found to be a booster, as I think it should be, her only
violation is being a young woman who was looking for affection. I know that
she embezzled over $1 million, but that is completely unrelated to the
football team. Yes, the money she embezzled did go toward paying for
football players to take trips and giving them gifts, but they were not
responsible to know where that money came from.
The problem that the NCAA has with the situation is, it needs to know if
Notre Dame knew what was going on, when it happened. If they didn't know,
the NCAA thinks that they are wrong for not knowing, and if they did know,
the NCAA thinks they should have reported it.
I strongly disagree with this stance. It is none of the team's business who
the players are dating. No school should get involved in the personal
affairs of its players. It is too "big brother," and it is unfair to expect
Notre Dame to be that involved.
The next question is, what will the punishment for the Irish be? Well, I
think that they will probably lose a couple of scholarships and maybe a
recruiting visit or two.
There is no way that NBC, which has a contract with Notre Dame, will allow
the NCAA to pull any games off television. I also don't believe that the
school will get barred from any bowl games.
The coach at the time of the incident was Lou Holtz, and he admits that the
biggest problem facing college athletics is agents and not boosters. So he
says he was not aware of the situation at the time. He was too busy making
sure that no agents got their meat hooks into any of his players, so he had
no time to delve into their personal lives.
So to the NCAA I say, hand down your punishment if you must, but anything
more than a slap on the wrist will be a miscarriage of justice.
Posted on 19 December 1999:
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA---The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions
has placed the University of Notre Dame on two years of probation
and reduced athletic grants-in-aid in the football program by one each
for the next two years for NCAA violations involving the provision of
extra benefits to student-athletes.
The committee considered two series of events in the case, which occurred
between the summer of 1994 and summer of 1999. The first series of
violations primarily concerned the provision of extra benefits to
football student-athletes by a representative of the university's
athletics interests. The second involved attempts by a student-athlete
to sell complimentary tickets, the provision of extra benefits to
student-athletes by a university employee, and academic fraud.
The university and the NCAA's enforcement staff contended that the
violations in this case were secondary in nature. Through its
deliberations, the committee concluded that the violations in both sets
of violations were major.
A secondary violation is one that provides only a limited recruiting or
competitive advantage and that is isolated or inadvertent in nature. All
other violations, specifically including those that provide an extensive
recruiting or competitive advantage, are major violations.
In the first set of events, a representative of the university's athletics
interests provided numerous extra benefits to several football student-
athletes with whom she was romantically involved and their student-athlete
friends from June 1995 to January 1998. Some of the extra benefits provided
included airfare, accommodations, meals and tickets to various events in
such locations as Las Vegas, New York and Chicago. The representative also
provided gifts, such as a ring, a charm and camcorder to student-athletes
and in one case, to one of their relatives.
The individual provided other gifts before June 1995; however, the
individual was not considered a representative of the university's
athletics interests at that time and those activities were not considered
to be NCAA violations by the committee. The provision of gifts became
violations subsequent to the individual joining a university booster club
in June 1995.
The committee said it concluded the violations were major because of the
length of time over which they occurred, the extravagant nature of gifts
and benefits that were provided to the football student-athletes, the
competitive advantage gained by the university in as much as the university
continued to use student-athletes who were later declared ineligible, and
the fact the violations were neither isolated nor inadvertent.
In its deliberations, the committee considered exchanges between the
university and the NCAA's membership services group regarding an
interpretation of bylaws regarding provision of benefits from an individual
who is "romantically involved" with a student-athlete. The committee
determined that in this specific situation, gifts provided to a student-
athlete during a romantic relationship were not a violation of NCAA bylaws.
The committee believes, however, there are occasions when relationships are
developed specifically to allow for the provision of gifts and stressed the
importance of considering each situation on a case-by-case basis.
In considering whether the woman involved in the case became a
representative of the university's athletics interests by joining a
university football booster club, the committee said actions taken by
the university made it clear that the university was aware that members
of booster clubs were representatives of athletics interests.
The university said it previously had notified members of its booster
clubs that they were representatives of Notre Dame's athletics
interests. However, from the evidence presented, it appeared to the
committee that the individual in this case was not notified of her status
as a representative of the institution's athletics interests when she
first joined the club. She also reported she was unaware she had attained
this status.
A third issue deliberated by the committee was the level of seriousness
of the violations. The committee concluded the violations were major
because Notre Dame gained a competitive advantage by allowing a number of
football student-athletes to compete while ineligible, because a number of
student-athletes received a large number of gifts, and the violations were
not isolated in time but occurred over a period of years.
In the second series of violations, a student-athlete attempted to sell
complimentary tickets to a football game and attempted to exchange
complimentary tickets for the repayment of a loan. The student-athlete also
was romantically involved with a woman employed as a part-time tutor by the
university who completed academic coursework for another student-athlete in
exchange for a small fee, and provided various student-athletes with meals,
lodging and gifts. These violations also were determined by the committee to
be major in nature.
The violations found by the committee were:
On June 4, 1999, representatives of the enforcement staff and the
institution appeared before the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions.
Subsequent to the hearing, the university provided additional information
to the committee about the first series of violations, and also self-
reported a second series of violations. The committee agreed to merge the
two cases and issue one infractions report.
As it determined penalties in the case, the committee considered corrective
actions taken by the university:
The committee did not impose all of the presumptive penalties available,
acknowledging the actions taken by the university to institute corrective
measures and the fact that only one representative of the university's
athletics interests and one university employee were involved in
providing extra benefits.
The additional penalties imposed by the committee are:
During the period of probation, the university will continue to implement an
educational program on NCAA legislation; submit a preliminary report
establishing the compliance and education program to the NCAA; and file an
annual compliance report.
The university president will recertify in a letter to the committee that
all of the university's current athletics policies and practices conform
to all requirements of NCAA regulations.
As required by NCAA legislation for any institution involved in a major
infractions case, the University of Notre Dame is subject to the NCAA's
repeat-violator provisions for a five-year period beginning on the
effective date of the penalties in this case, December 17, 1999.
The members of the Division I Committee on Infractions who heard
this case are: Jack H. Friedenthal, committee chair and professor law,
George Washington University; Frederick B. Lacey, attorney and retired
judge, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, Newark, New Jersey; James Park,
Jr., attorney and retired judge, Brown, Todd & Heyburn, Lexington,
Kentucky; Yvonne (Bonnie) Slatton, former committee member and chair,
department of physical education and sports studies, University of
Iowa; David Swank, former committee chair and professor of law,
University of Oklahoma; and Thomas E. Yeager, commissioner, Colonial
Athletic Association.
Posted on 12 December 1999:
My family is good friends with one of the most prominent wide receivers
in the South Florida area. This wide receiver is being recruited by all
the big guys. Recently Ohio State came and visited him and his
family. When asked what other schools he was interested in, he told them
that he might also be interested in Notre Dame. Supposedly, (and this is
coming right from the family), one of the coaches then pulled out
a printed statistic showing that only 48% of Notre Dame football players
graduate. If that doesn't piss you off...listen to this. The WR's mother
then explained that their financial situation and expressed concern
about expensive airfares they would have to pay if they wanted to go watch
their son play. The Ohio State coach told her not to worry about it
because things could be arranged. These coaches can manipulate statistics
and make uninformed recruits, and their families believe anything they
want. These big time recruits are hearing a thousand different things
and its hard for them to differentiate the truth from complete lies.
Please understand that I have not exaggerated anything and this comes
directly from the family.
Posted on 12 December 1999:
Throughout the month of August, Notre Dame football fans had an opportunity
to vote for the 20 greatest moments of the 20th century. Host
Communications,
in conjunction with the university and Meijer, compiled the fans' choices.
No. 1: Notre Dame 31, Miami 30, Oct. 15, 1988: It was more than Pat
Terrell's last-minute defensive play. It went beyond Tony Rice-to-Ricky
Watters for a 44-yard touchdown.
It was about electricity. The Notre Dame student body caught football fever
and carried it through the mid-'90s.
Knocking off the top-ranked Hurricanes was a major step in the national
title run and in building the legacy that became Irish lore with head coach
Lou Holtz.
No. 2: Notre Dame 35, Houston 34, Jan. 1, 1979: Chicken Soup became part of
Notre Dame legend in this Cotton Bowl matchup.
Quarterback Joe Montana, battling the frustration of a bad first half and
early stages of hypothermia from the 16-degree temperature (minus 10 wind
chill) used chicken soup to regain his strength.
A blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown and a quick scoring drive
by Montana closed a 34-12 deficit to 34-28. It came down to one play -- an
eight-yard pass to tight end Kris Haines -- that "iced" the victory on the
game's final play.
No. 3: Notre Dame 31, Florida State 24, Nov. 13, 1993: The hype for this
game was as good as it gets.
No. 1 vs. No. 2.
Notre Dame issued a record 732 press credentials, dozens more were turned
down. The top-ranked Seminoles swaggered into South Bend on top of the
world. The Irish were determined to make their mark.
Adrian Jarrell's 32-yard touchdown run on a reverse and a pair of
interceptions from Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward that were turned
into touchdown runs by Lee Becton and Jeff Burris allowed the Irish to lead
21-7 by halftime.
As the Seminoles mounted a desperate run at a tie, cornerback Shawn Wooden
swatted away Ward's 50th pass of the day to ice the outcome and elevate
Notre Dame to the No. 1 spot in the country.
No. 4: Notre Dame 12, Army 6, Nov. 10, 1928: "The Gipper" made his presence
felt in this famous ploy of coach Knute Rockne.
After a scoreless tie at halftime, the Irish went into the Yankee Stadium
locker room and were treated to a dramatic speech by Rockne imploring the
boys to "win one for The Gipper."
The Cadets scored first after the kickoff, but N.D. halfback Jack Chevigny
scored to even the score. Johnny O'Brien caught a pass from Johnny Niemiec
from the Army 32 and split several tacklers to dive into the end zone for
the game-winner.
No. 5: Notre Dame 49, USC 19, Oct. 22, 1977: Coach Dan Devine unveiled the
now-fabled "green jerseys" for what turned out to be an epic performance
against Notre Dame's most hated rival.
After conducting warmups in the normal blue jerseys, the Irish emerged
through the tunnel with bright green jerseys and were greeted by a
thunderous ovation.
That momentum carried over into a sound thrashing, leading 22-7 by halftime
and coasting to the victory. While quarterback Joe Montana led the offense,
the Irish defense had a star-studded crew including Willie Fry, Ross Browner
and Luther Bradley.
No. 6: Notre Dame 18, Ohio State 13, Nov. 2, 1935: Notre Dame's first "Game
of the Century" didn't start out that way.
Ohio State, an offensive machine that ruled the nation, appeared well on its
way to another destruction. The Buckeyes steamrolled the Irish in the first
half, gained a 13-0 lead and gave coach Elmer Layden reason to pull his
starters out of frustration and send in his second unit.
The ploy worked. The Irish responded with new enthusiasm and cut the Ohio
State lead to 13-12. That's when Jim McKenna, a youngster who had been cut
from the team twice but sneaked aboard the team train, caught a key pass
from Bill Shakespeare to set up a game-winning toss to Wayne Millner.
No. 7: Notre Dame 24, Michigan 19, Sept. 16, 1989: "Rocket" Ismail stole the
show.
The speedster from Wilkes Barre, Pa., returned two kickoffs for touchdowns
to allow the top-ranked Irish to escape No. 2 Michigan.
Notre Dame managed a 7-6 halftime lead when Ismail caught the opening
kickoff of the second half on the 12-yard line and served notice that he was
a force to be reckoned with.
No. 8: Notre Dame 13, Army 7, Oct. 18, 1924: Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen"
rode into history thanks to sportswriter Grantland Rice.
Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden were
immortalized after this monumental collision at the Polo Grounds in New York
City.
Layden scored the first touchdown and Crowley ran for the second to send the
Cadets to their only loss of the season.
No. 9: Notre Dame 10, Michigan State 10, Nov. 19, 1966: Notre Dame came into
the game at 8-0, ranked No. 1 in the country. The Spartans were second at
9-0.
Coley O'Brien, a week after he was diagnosed with severe diabetes, replaced
quarterback Terry Hanratty and responded to the challenge. He led the Irish
back from a 10-0 deficit to tie the game late.
Irish coach Ara Parseghian was widely criticized for what was perceived as
his decision to settle for a tie and run out the clock rather than going for
the win with a long pass on the game's final play.
No. 10: Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23, Dec. 31, 1973: Former assistant coach Tom
Clements gained his spot in Notre Dame history as a player in this Sugar
Bowl matchup.
Clements engineered the victory, then preserved it in the final seconds with
a gutsy 38-yard pass from his own end zone to tight end Robin Weber. The
crucial pass deflated last-ditch hopes of the Crimson Tide.
No. 11: Notre Dame 7, Oklahoma 0, Nov. 16, 1957: Oklahoma had won an
NCAA-record 47 consecutive games, not having lost since the opening game of
the '53 season when Notre Dame prevailed. Included in that streak were a
pair of national championships.
The Irish came into the game with a 4-2 record as well as a determined
spirit. The two teams battled in a scoreless tie until late in the fourth
quarter when, with less than five minutes to play, Dick Lynch ran three
yards on fourth down for the score that ended the Sooners' streak.
No. 12: Notre Dame 31, Michigan State 8, Sept. 19, 1987: This game belonged
to Tim Brown -- and may have ultimately catapulted the receiver/kick return
standout to the Heisman Trophy.
In a strange game in which there were two safeties, Brown ran back a pair of
punts for touchdowns and accounted for 231 all-purpose yards. In all he
returned four punts for 156 yards.
No. 13: Notre Dame 17, Penn State 16, Nov. 14, 1992: Every impact player at
Notre Dame has his defining moment. This one was quarterback Rick Mirer's
time to shine.
The Irish trailed, 16-9, with 4:25 left, but the former Goshen High
quarterback was confident. On the final drive, Mirer hit Jerome Bettis for a
21-yard pass play, scrambled twice for 22 yards and hit Ray Griggs with a
17-yard completion.
As a snow squall swirled around Notre Dame Stadium, Mirer was faced with
fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line. On a broken play, Mirer found Bettis
in the end zone for a touchdown. On the conversion, Mirer's first three
options were covered, but Reggie Brooks, who was generally regarded as
having "hands of stone," was open in the right corner and caught the pass
for the winner.
No. 14: Notre Dame 35, Army 13, Nov. 1, 1913: College football was
revolutionized forever by the Notre Dame passing combination of Gus Dorais
and Knute Rockne.
Up until this game, which was given as much attention as any college
football game of its time, passes were only thrown to stationary receivers.
Coach Jesse Harper devised a plan to have the receivers thrown to while they
were running at full speed. The ploy resulted in the Irish completing 13 of
17 passes for a then-unheard-of 243 yards. A 40-yard hookup between Dorais
and Rockne was the longest completion in the seven years since the forward
pass was legalized.
No. 15: Notre Dame 0, Army 0, Nov. 9, 1946: As "Games of the Century" go,
this one was pretty good.
Top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Army had fantastic
running backs Doc Blanchard, the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner, and Glenn
Davis. Notre Dame came into Yankee Stadium led by quarterback John Lujack,
who had suffered a sprained ankle earlier in the week in practice.
The game came down to a breakaway run by Blanchard. Lujack tripped him up
with a game-saving ankle tackle that kept the Cadets scoreless.
No. 16: Notre Dame 38, Texas 10, Jan. 2, 1978: Notre Dame came back from a
very unspectacular 2-1 start of the season, which included a loss to
Mississippi, to win the national championship by pounding top-ranked Texas.
The Irish jumped from No. 5 in the poll with the convincing win.
Six Longhorn turnovers allowed Notre Dame to have scoring drives of 50 yards
or fewer four times. Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell rushed 29 times for
116 yards, but Texas could do little else.
No. 17: Notre Dame 34, West Virginia 21, Jan. 1, 1989: Notre Dame's most
recent national championship was manufactured by a host of personalities.
>From quarterback Tony Rice, to backs Mark Green, Anthony Johnson and Rodney
Culver, to tight end Derek Brown and speedy receiver "Rocket'' Ismail, to
defensive standouts Chris Zorich, Mike Stonebreaker, Wes Pritchett, Frank
Stams, Todd Lyght and Stan Smagala -- the Irish were loaded with talent.
Rice just relaxed and did his job. Four big pass plays to Brown, Ismail,
Ricky Watters and Green staked the Irish to a 26-6 third quarter lead that
allowed them to coast to the crown.
No. 18: Notre Dame 13, Alabama 11, Jan. 1, 1975: The "Era of Ara"' came to
an end on a happy note.
Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian announced he was stepping down at the end of
the 1974 season after 94 victories and two national championships.
Wayne Bullock scored on a short run after a Crimson Tide fumble and Mark
McLane scored from nine yards out to give the Irish a 13-0 second-quarter
lead. John Dubenetzky and Reggie Barnett had key interceptions in the fourth
quarter to save the victory.
No. 19: Notre Dame 29, Michigan 27, Sept. 20, 1980: Harry Oliver became an
unlikely piece of Notre Dame history.
The junior kicker, who struggled through most of his career, connected on a
51-yard field goal --- after having missed a key extra point earlier in the
game -- to allow the Irish to beat eighth-ranked Michigan.
What made the story even better was that, as Oliver lined up for the kick, a
stiff 20 mph wind in his face completely subsided to allow him to boot his
way into Irish lore.
No. 20: Notre Dame 39, Florida 28, Jan. 1, 1992: In the buildup before the
Sugar Bowl, Irish coach Lou Holtz allegedly was at home in Orlando, Fla.,
dining in a restaurant. As the story goes, Holtz said a waiter told him a
joke: "What's the difference between Notre Dame and Cheerios? Cheerios
belongs in a bowl."
The indignant Irish, No 18 with three losses, were spurred by that joke to
beat the No. 3 Gators.
Trailing 16-7 at halftime, the Irish -- in white jerseys with green
numbers --relied on 250-pound fullback Jerome Bettis. The bruising runner
battered his way into the national spotlight by scoring two touchdowns in
the final five minutes to help Notre Dame get the last laugh.
Posted on 12 December 1999:
Hi, my name is Peter Fratoni, my girlfriend Vickie Mooty and I went to
the Navy game this year and of course had a great time visiting as many
places on and off campus as possible.
We drove up from Mocksville, N.C., on the Wednesday before the game, rested
at a nearby motel then ventured over to the bookstore for our souvenirs. We
then had some dinner and off to meet the players after practice for pictures
and autographs.
Trying to get as many as we could, we found ourselves at the stadium waiting
for the rest of the players to come out after they changed for more
autographs and pictures.
All the while we were conversing with the student managers. I noticed that
one manager was wearing "The Shirt."
I asked him where he got the shirt, he responded, "At the bookstore." I told
him I have all of the previous years' shirts, but the employees at the
bookstore told me that they were all out of them and did not expect to get
any more in. I was very disappointed because my collection was in jeopardy.
As time went by that Thursday evening and the players were filtering out and
off to their destinations, Vickie and I continued talking with Mr. Dan
Cooley, about Notre Dame football of course.
Mr. Cooley was preparing to lock up the facility, and as he did so he walked
with us part way around the stadium. He asked if we would be coming back
this year. I replied, not this year, but we will be back next year.
Mr. Cooley, then, without hesitation, literally gave me "The Shirt" off his
back so I can continue my collection.
The spirit at Notre Dame lives on, now and forever. Yes, folks, it's not
just a University, it's the University of Notre Dame.
Peter Fratoni
Posted on 28 November 1999:
For my own sake, I wanted to get this written down before I forget
all of the details. This is a classic story about how being
associated with Notre Dame can benefit you in the most surprising
ways. It is a true story. How do I know? Because it happened to me
yesterday. Most of the quotes are pretty close to word for word, I
remember this event so well right now. Hope you enjoy it at my expense....
I joined my Dad and a friend of the family in South Bend this past
weekend to see what would eventually turn out to be an exciting Notre
Dame win over Navy. Having enjoyed a leisurely Sunday morning following
gameday, we were driving into Chicago early in the afternoon. I was
driving and my Dad and his friend were reading the game recaps and
editorials of the South Bend tribune. All three of us were in some
heated discussions about the game, so much so that I was essentially
driving on auto-pilot, not paying much attention to the road.
We had just entered the Chicago Skyway, when before I had even seen
him coming, all of a sudden my rear-view mirror was full of flashing
red and blue lights. I was indeed going about 75mph on the 55mph
Skyway. I made my way over to the shoulder and of course the cop followed
me over. "Sh!t, busted."
Of course I sit there in my car and roll down the window and wait for
the cop to come over.
"Good morning. I got you speeding," was all he said as he approached.
"Can I see your license?"
I gave him my license and he immediately asked me to step out of the
car and come back behind the car. This freaked me out because I have never
had a cop ask me to exit the car before. So I put the car in park and get
out of the car. His car is still mostly in the right lane so that it is
blocking traffic from coming close to my car.
"Mr. Owens, where are you coming from?" "South Bend," I say. At this
point, I should mention that I am wearing a Notre Dame cap, a Notre
Dame shirt, and there is a Notre Dame sticker on my car.
"That was quite a game yesterday," he says, "Are you football player,
did you play in the game?"
"No," I say, "but we were there cheering them on."
"Who's in the car there with you?"
"My Dad, and a friend of his."
At this point I really can't figure out what in the heck is going on.
This is the most bizarre pullover I have ever heard of. But then it
gets even more weird.
"Well, Mr. Owens, I am going to give you a chance to get out of this
ticket. Would you like to get out of this ticket?" And let me say that
this guy had one of the thickest South Side Chicago accents that I
have heard in quite awhile.
"Sure," I say, with no hesitation whatsoever (knowing that 20mph over
is gonna cause me to lose my license for a significant time).
"Well, Mr. Owens, nothing makes my happier on a beautiful sunny Sunday
afternoon like we got here today, than to hear the Notre Dame fight
song. Would you be willing to sing that song for me in order to get
out of this ticket." I just start laughing. He doesn't change his
expression. I think I said something to the affect of, "Are you
serious?" before readily agreeing to do so.
"Wait right here Mr. Owens, I am going to pull my car up onto the
shoulder to get it out of traffic, and then you are going to sing
the Notre Dame fight song for me."
So he gets in his car and pulls it completely onto the shoulder while
I am left standing there behind my car. At this point, my Dad and
friend have not left the car and have heard none of this exchange.
They still think I am getting ticketed and cannot figure out why the
policeman is pulling his car off the road.
I was expecting for the guy to get out of his car and come back over
so that I could sing it for him, but that's not what he did. He
stayed in his car and motioned for me to come over. I walked over
to the passenger side of the car and he promptly told me to get in
the back seat. I am confused by this, but let me tell you that my
Dad became really concerned at this point. He later told me that he
thought he would be driving my car the rest of the way home and that
I wouldn't be with him. He thought that maybe I had a few priors that
I hadn't told him about.
So I get in the back seat and the cop picks up the handset to his
radio. I think, "Oh, sh!t! He is going to make me sing this to all of
his buddies on the radio." But instead, he turns on the car's
loudspeaker and says, "Mr. Owens!" My dad turns around in my car and
looks back at us. "Mr. Owens. Is this your son in the back seat of my
car?" My dad, with a bewildered look on his face, nods. "Mr. Owens.
Your son is now going to sing for us the Notre Dame fight song." At
this point my Dad and his friend start laughing, because for the first
time they know what is going on.
The guy hands me the handset and tells me to press the button and go
ahead. I am laughing so hard at the fact that I am about to belt the
fight song over a police car loudspeaker over the entire Chicago
Skyway on a Sunday afternoon, that I have trouble starting. But
eventually, I get it going and start singing. My dad is dying with
laughter, the policeman is so excited that at one point he starts
waving his hands to the song like a conductor, and I am laughing so
much that I screw up a couple of the lyrics.
I finish up with a resounding "...onward to victory." and when I am
finished, he takes the handset from my hand and with a big smile on
his face shouts, "One more time!" and hands it back to me. Not even
putting up a fight at this point, I get right back into it and, to
give myself credit, nail every single verse perfectly this time.
Once finished, I hand him back the handset, and say, "So, I take it
you're a fan?"
He says, "Absolutely. You did good. Get out of here and keep the
speed down."
Laughing the whole way, I get out of the police car and get back in
my car and drive away.
True story. You never know when that Notre Dame education is going
to pay off.
Posted on 2 December 1999:
I want to thank those that came out to support our program during
"Friday Night Live." I thought it was a great event that gave everyone an
opportunity to see the energy that our basketball program wants to inject
into the Notre Dame community. We need your support, and you showed us that
you are willing to take a step forward by showing up and making a lot of
noise that night.
I need a favor from you! I need you to be our sixth man! By showing up at
games in force, with your high level of energy and creativity, you can help
raise the level of our play, while making it a difficult place for our
opponents to compete. This will greatly aid in giving us that home court
advantage that Digger Phelps' teams used to enjoy back in the '70's and
early '80's. You make a difference. You also make a difference in
recruiting. When we bring prospects on campus for games and they see a rowdy
student section, it excites them to think about being a part of such a fun
environment.
Again, you make a difference. You can make a big difference in Notre Dame
basketball. I ask that you take another step closer in supporting our
program. I promise we will not let you down.
"Coach D"
Posted on 19 November 1999:
George Perles didn't care how many sacks the young Notre
Dame offensive line had surrendered this season.
He wasn't concerned that Irish football coach Bob
Davie's reservoir of after-dinner jokes might not
be any deeper than, say, Father Beauchamp's.
He was willing to overlook the stigma that a chronic NCAA
probe has brought, a near loss to Navy, an ugly loss to
Tennessee, a crushing loss to Pittsburgh.
The CEO of the Motor City Bowl embraces Notre Dame,
warts and all.
"The question is, are they up to the challenge?" puffed
Perles, the former longtime Michigan State head coach
before moving into the bowl business.
"Notre Dame has always said they wanted to play the
highest ranked team available," Perles continued. "Well,
Marshall should be in the top 10 by the time our game is
played. I'm not sure what their deal is with the Big East. I
guess I better do my homework. But we'd love to have
them, whatever their record is."
So would the four other bowls with the proper language
in their contracts to land the Irish -- Gator, Insight.com,
Music City and Aloha.
It's all up to Notre Dame (5-5).
With their 37-27 stumbling at Pittsburgh Saturday, the
Irish need to win out against Boston College next
Saturday and at Stanford on Nov. 27 to qualify for any
bowl, per NCAA rules, even though Perles' group would
probably accept an 0-11 Irish team if given the chance.
"Notre Dame is our top choice," Perles said. "But you've
got to have a Plan B."
It will come in handy. The Motor City Bowl, set for Dec.
27 in Detroit, is the most unlikely destination for a
bowl-eligible Irish team. The fledgling bowl pits the
Mid-American Conference champion against an
at-large team.
For starters, Notre Dame is obligated first to its
agreement to the Big East bowls -- Gator, Insight.com
and Music City -- if any of those games invite the Irish.
In the unlikely event they all snubbed Notre Dame, the
Irish could chose to stay home, figuring they have
nothing to gain and everything to lose by playing a
Mid-American Conference program -- even one that is
unbeaten and ranked in the top 10 nationally.
Notre Dame's most likely bowl scenario would
land the Irish in the Insight.com Bowl on Dec.
31, opposite the Big XII's fifth-place team.
Teams that might fit that profile to meet the
Irish in Tucson, Ariz., are Colorado, Texas
A&M, Texas Tech and the Oklahoma team
the Irish rallied to beat, 34-30, on Oct. 2.
"Oh gosh, we'd love to have Notre Dame,"
gushed Jill Conway, associate executive
director of the game that reincarnated out of
the old Copper Bowl.
"There are no guarantees in the bowl business,
but we're very high on them. We don't care
who they've lost to."
But the Big East has written rules about
numbers of losses. The Big East-affiliated bowls can
only bump a Big East school for Notre Dame if the Irish
have only one more loss than the team in question.
Should Boston College finish 8-3, the Insight.com Bowl
would have to take the Eagles, no matter what the Irish
did the rest of the season.
That would knock the Irish down to the Big East's
lowest-tier bowl -- the Music City Bowl in Nashville,
Tenn. The most likely opponent in the Dec. 29 game
would be Kentucky or Vanderbilt.
That's not a typo.
"A significant reason why we decided to affiliate with the
Big East this year was its affiliation with Notre Dame,"
said Scott Ramsey, Music City Bowl executive director.
The Music City committee could take Syracuse, but
would not be obligated to do so, now that the Orangemen
lost to a winless Rutgers team Saturday.
"We would not pass on Notre Dame," Ramsey assured.
Which would all but eliminate the Aloha Bowl, one of
the two Dec. 25 games in Honolulu. The game's date
poses a problem as well, being too close to the end of
N.D.'s final exams.
As ludicrous as it sounds, the Irish still could end up
playing on Jan. 1, back in the Gator Bowl, against last
year's opponent, Georgia Tech.
In fact, had the Irish finished 8-4, it would have been an
absolute.
At 7-5, two things must happen.
Miami (Fla.) must finish 7-5 or worse. The Hurricanes
(5-4) have games left with Rutgers (1-9), Syracuse
(6-4) and Temple (2--7).
Boston College must lose its finale with Virginia Tech.
"We're not worried about a repeat of last year's
matchup," Gator Bowl executive director Richard Catlett
said. "In fact, in might be kind of attractive.
"Obviously, we've got a title sponsor (Toyota) and
network (NBC) to make happy, but Notre Dame is
America's team -- even at 7-5."
Posted on 19 November 1999:
Anybody who has watched Notre Dame go 5-4 this season understands the
effects of laughter. When the sense of direction appears in doubt, it pays
to have a sense of humor.
Even Bob Davie, usually tighter than a Windsor knot, tried loosening things
up the other day.
"I think first of all, after watching George (W.) Bush Jr. get ambushed last
Thursday, we probably ought to put some parameters on this press conference
from now on,'' Davie began earlier this week. "I am not going to answer any
questions about who heads foreign countries.''
Ba-dum-bum.
Though Davie might want to pay attention to that Hussein guy in Iraq for
tips on how to survive in times of unrest.
"Joe Doyle (Tribune sports editor emeritus), I only go back to 1994 as far
as Notre Dame facts and trivia,'' Davie continued, "so don't be ambushing me
with any questions I don't know the answers to.''
Nothing historical has happened to Notre Dame football since 1994 anyway, so
Davie need not worry. But in the interest of fair play, how about providing
some of his recent answers and then we'll provide the questions.
Davie: "Did Tennessee play better than us overall? Probably not. Who played
harder, who was prepared, who was this -- probably not. But they made enough
plays that they won the game 38-14. But the point is, we have got enough
talent to win each and every week. . .we have a lot of good football players
on this team, a lot of talent. Enough talent to beat Tennessee.''
Question: If you want to accept that flimsy premise that Notre Dame indeed
had enough talent to beat Tennessee but lost by 24, then are we to assume
coaching is the problem?
Is it wise for a head coach to admirably accept responsibility for a defeat
even if it insults the intelligence of anybody who watched last Saturday's
game?
Davie: "They (Tennessee) are the No. 1 team in the country to me,
particularly in that stadium. They are a much better team watching them on
tape than what you might see on television sometimes.''
Question: So, to get back to that talent thing, how does a Notre Dame team
that its head coach believes has enough talent to beat the No. 1 team in the
country have four losses in nine games?
Or, to rephrase, how has a team with that much untapped potential not have a
win this season over a team currently ranked in the top 25?
Davie: "Jim Sanson is our kicker this week.'' (David Miller is injured.)
Question: Is that because the Notre Dame women's soccer season isn't over
yet?
Davie: "Julius Jones (freshman tailback) is special. You can see that.''
Question: Why not give Jones, Notre Dame's most exciting freshman big-play
threat since Raghib Ismail, the ball 20 times a game for the remaining three
must-win games of the season? Is there any doubt that, besides Jarious
Jackson, Jones has had as much impact on this season as any Irish offensive
player?
Davie: "Five and four doesn't turn me on a whole lot. Just like it doesn't
turn anyone else on as far as Notre Dame football.''
Question: Has he been getting the Alumni office's mail by mistake again?
Davie: "I can't look one of those players in the eye and say, well, guys, I
am worried about next year now. That is just not fair. We have got too much
football left this year and these kids have too much invested in it. So it
is Jarious Jackson because he gives us the best chance to win this year.''
Question: Would you agree that one more loss makes winning next year more
important on Davie's personal priority list than winning this year? Remember
that Texas A&M, Nebraska, Michigan State and Purdue will be the first four
defenses Arnaz Battle sees?
Davie: "I have wracked my brain trying to figure what it is (a five-game
road losing streak), but what I see it being is we are a team that we have
got to play perfect to win. That is where we are. That is not always easy
and the one thing would be the communication where we have had some
breakdowns.''
Question: Which scenario provides clearer communication: A.) A fifth-year
senior quarterback with a new offensive line (this year); B.) a new
quarterback with an experienced offensive line (next year); or C.) none of
the above.
Davie: "Certainly having that (bowl) agreement with the Big East gives us
life, so you would be looking at the Bowl in Tucson, the insight.com Bowl
and I guess the Bowl Game in Nashville (the Music City Bowl).''
Question: Since this season has unfolded for Notre Dame sort of like a
country music song ("We got smoked in the Smokies and blown away by the
Brees; would you give us a road win if we just said please. . .), wouldn't
Nashville be the most appropriate venue?
Davie: (paraphrasing) It's not fair to look at that first class of recruits
(the 1997 group of 19, of which only 12 are available to Davie this season).
We took the job in December, signed a class in February, and four players
already were committed (from the Lou Holtz regime).''
Question: Wasn't recruiting continuity one of the main reasons offered for
moving so swiftly when Davie was hired?
Davie: "Sometimes we all talk about the negatives a lot more than we talk
about the positives. We got a lot of positives right now on this football
team; got a lot of good players. The challenge is to go win a football game;
get this thing back on track.''
Question: Does the clock-ticking seem louder, or is it just me?
Posted on 19 November 1999:
For the classes of 2002 and 2003: Cut this out and save it. Put it in
an
envelope marked "November 2, 2001." On November 2, 2001, open the envelope
and read it again. The next day, go watch Notre Dame play Tennessee.
You will have a responsibility over the next two years to educate the
classes of 2004 and 2005 about what happened last Saturday and what they
need to do on November 3, 2001. They need to know how important the game is
and how important the message is that needs to be sent that day.
You don't have any responsibility for the football team - that belongs to a
group of gentlemen that are paid to be there and prepare the football team.
They will be the ones charged with beating a team who ran the score up to
sweeten their ranking.
Your responsibility will be to send another message - off the field.
I'm not sure who of you went to the game in Knoxville. If you didn't, find
someone who did and ask them what it was like after the game in that city.
I've seen hostile environments. My class went to Columbus, Oh. for the great
tear gassing of 1995 and an upset win in Ann Arbor in 1993. They were
nothing compared to Knoxville.
One of my friends described the scene as "a pack of animals." Another as
"the most classless, disgusting group of people" she'd ever seen. My school,
family and religion were all verbally abused. We were threatened with
physical abuse and an empty bottle of beer that just missed my head on a
side street. Cars slowed down so passengers could yell and throw trash.
In two years, when the game is over and the last chord of the victory march
resonates through Notre Dame stadium, the students will have their day. Each
of you, when you're out celebrating, should go and quickly find a Tennessee
fan (trust me, they'll be there). Walk up to them, look them in the eye,
extend your right hand and say, "Good game. Have a safe trip home." Then go,
find your friends and do what we do best - celebrate who we are, where we
are fortunate enough to go to school and the tradition our school is founded
on.
On November 3, 2001, a message will be sent. Our football team will tell
Tennessee: "Today, we're better than you." Our student body will say: "Every
day, we're better than you."
Ken Chardos
Class of '96
Posted on 10 November 1999:
I feel it is my duty to unveil yet another cancer on the Notre Dame
football program. I feel very confident that Moose Krause would never utter
the words "Get a life" to a Notre Dame alumnus, yet that is exactly what
Michael Wadsworth said to me on Saturday when I confronted him about the
lies he has told the Notre Dame community regarding his firings of Lou Holtz
and John McLeod. (Lest any of you doubt me, John McLeod confirmed that he
"resigned" because he was asked to.) As for Lou Holtz, I'd like to point out
that someone does not resign from the only job he ever wanted without giving
a reason, have a complete emotional breakdown at his last press conference
and take another job two years later unless that resignation was a forced
one. Ask yourself what Mr. Wadsworth has accomplished. The only thing I can
find is a stadium that reeks of overkill with a press box that can only be
described as obscene - all purchased with money that could have been used to
bring University support staff up to a competitive wage. He forced the
resignation of an outstanding football coach who had a burning love for this
university, and we can clearly see what he replaced him with. If I had
committed age discrimination and forced my employer into a costly lawsuit
and national embarrassment, I would have been fired - yet Bob Davie has his
contract EXTENDED. What I saw Saturday was further proof of our coaching
staff's ineptitude - 130 yards in penalties, much of which resulted from
personal fouls, and not one player was removed from the game and given a
talking to. When the winning touchdown was scored, putting us up by a margin
that could be overcome with a field goal unless the extra point attempt was
made, the head coach could not be found to instruct his team on the
conversion. As usual, he was too busy running down the sideline playing
cheerleader with his assistants. Is this how we want to be represented?
Mr. Wadsworth, YOU get a life - I have one. I have a job that I have the
appropriate qualifications for. I'm not a habitual liar. I love my Alma
Mater too much to ever let it be embarrassed, and I would never stab a
friend in the back. I challenge you to come clean on the Holtz firing and to
do the right thing for this university by replacing Bob Davie with a coach
who has proven himself on the field, and, more importantly, off of it. Then,
when you have righted your wrongs, do your Alma Mater a favor by submitting
your resignation and returning to Canada where you can do no more harm.
Kevin Keane '88
Hammond, Ind.
Posted on 31 October 1999:
All that was missing were parents, a couch, and a living room. Otherwise,
Bob Davie's sales pitch sounded in mid-January form.
"One of the great things we sell is that when you come to Notre Dame,'' the
Irish football coach preached Tuesday, "you truly are a member of the
student body ... That's what makes this place unique.''
Looks good on a leaflet. Makes a nice commercial.
Davie says it like he believes it, and you sense he does.
But the university's recent five-game suspension of running back Tony Driver
actually suggests evidence to the contrary; that Driver is no ordinary
member of student body.
How many ordinary students get personally notified by university athletic
personnel on a Sunday morning, as Driver reportedly did after the Michigan
State game, to remind him of an X-ray?
As the story goes, the notification revealed that a female was in Driver's
room at a time campus rules prohibit members of the opposite sex from being
in the dormitories. Driver apparently already had a similar violation on his
record.
So the university booted him out of the dorms and off the Irish football
team for the remaining five games of the season.
You wonder how empty the Notre Dame dorms would be if somebody policed the
rooms of every student on every floor every night.
That does not justify Driver's lapse in judgment, it merely suggests that
Driver getting caught in a web of bureaucratic policy does not necessarily
mean he was a more careless resident than his peers.
It means he got caught.
As a result, a popular 22-year-old student-athlete hailed by Davie and other
coaches for his maturity and leadership suddenly has been deemed unworthy of
the university's trust.
Which are we to believe, the football program's branding of Driver as a
young man of high character or the university's labeling of him as a
disciplinary risk?
Because that is what Notre Dame has done to Driver -- label him. Only
because Driver had the gumption to talk openly about the violation did we
know it was not something more severe than a dorm violation.
By attempting to protect Driver's privacy, the university instead left open
the possibility that Driver had done something far worse than flaunt
residence hall restrictions.
What makes even less sense than the arguably antiquated dorm guidelines is
the punishment.
What does a university do with a student-athlete it has determined cannot
follow regulations? Why, of course, banish Driver off campus into an
unstructured environment where no guidelines exist. And, for good measure,
give him all the free time he wants by kicking him off the football team.
Explain that logic, please.
Explain how a university can allow its football team to keep a kicker
convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol over the summer but
suspend a running back caught with a girl in his room during the season.
Explain the mixed signals sent by a university system that treats
student-athletes like anything but the high-character, highly motivated
young adults that they profess them to be.
"It's like Father (Theodore) Hesburgh used to say,'' Davie said. "This place
(Notre Dame) not only teaches you how to make a living, but how to live.''
Today we live in a seven-day-a-week, 24-hour society where you can make a
bank deposit at 1 a.m. if you need. We live in a world where men not only
work with women but for them, and some men even stay at home with the kids.
We live in a world that more and more rewards responsibility with freedom,
productivity with trust.
We live in a world much different than it was when the University of Notre
Dame implemented its policies for on-campus students.
As much as people want it to be under the Golden Dome, it is not 1949. It is
1999, and if Notre Dame ever wants its football program to catch up to the
calendar, the university must re-examine a structure that makes personal
freedom nothing more than a notion on brochures.
It could start by re-instating Tony Driver.
A five-game suspension for a non-violent, non-criminal violation? Is there
not a place on campus for middle ground?
Driver's penalty is as overboard as the Florida State University decision to
play convicted thief Peter Warrick after a two-game layoff is lenient.
If the two players switched sentences, that would be more appropriate given
the offenses.
Heck, if Driver got caught with a girl in his room at Florida State, they
would not call it a violation. They probably would call it a tutoring
session.
Notre Dame need not totally abandon its high standards when dealing with
student-athletes. It can still be tough and be fair.
Suspending Tony Driver the last five games of his junior year was tough but
hardly fair.
"He'll be a better player and better person because of it,'' Davie said.
Really?
He's off campus, off the team, and temporarily off track of his goal of
playing in the NFL.
What lesson did he likely take away from the entire university overreaction?
Next time somebody tries to reach Driver on a Sunday morning, expect him to
pretend to be sleeping.
Posted on 11 October 1999:
TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Sources close to the Florida athletic department
revealed today that the University of Notre Dame has asked for and
received permission to speak with men's football head coach Steve
Spurrier about Spurrier's interest in replacing Bob Davie as Notre
Dame's head coach.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, report that Spurrier
has met twice with Irish athletic director Michael Wadsworth over the
last three weeks, and is intrigued by the possibility of putting his
mark on such a historic program.
Reportedly, Spurrier's contacts with the Irish began informally over
the summer when he was paired with Notre Dame assistant athletic
director Bubba Cunningham at a Naples country club. During the round,
the two discussed the current state of their programs, and Spurrier
first learned of the current dissatisfaction with coach Davie felt by
Notre Dame's athletic department.
When Spurrier expressed interest in the job, Cunningham brushed him
off with the comment that Spurrier's "reported problems with
sportsmanship" would probably preclude his hiring. Spurrier left
the course, however, with a promise from Cunningham that University
president Fr. Edward "Monk" Malloy and executive director Fr. William
Beauchamp would be apprised of Spurrier's interest, and that marked
improvement in Spurrier's attitude towards opponents would increase
his employment chances.
According to the quoted sources, Spurrier's new sideline attitude has
not gone unnoticed in South Bend, and the official call to establish
a dialogue was made shortly after Notre Dame's game against Purdue
September 18th. A more formal meeting with Frs. Malloy and Beauchamp
is scheduled for the weekend of October 23rd, when both the Irish and
Gators have an open date on their schedules. If those meetings go
well, an official announcement is expected following the SEC
Championship Game in Atlanta on December 4th. Spurrier's interest in
Notre Dame is said to be acute. "He feels he's accomplished all he can
at Florida," reported the athletic department source, "and he wants to
set himself among the pantheon of college coaches." Tired of a
perceived second-fiddle standing to Bobby Bowden in his home state,
Spurrier is very interested in "coaching the dominant football program
in a state, where he doesn't have to expend unnecessary energy
countering another strong program's recruiting." Spurrier is
reportedly concerned, however, about the recent interview
problems between Notre Dame and Utah men's basketball coach Rick
Majerus. Majerus was reportedly ready to accept the job as Notre
Dame's coach, but was rejected by Malloy and Beauchamp after being
recommended by Wadsworth. "If that situation arises here, he
[Spurrier] will be very upset," reported the source. "He's gone to
great lengths and effort to improve his image on the Florida
sidelines, and doesn't want to have wasted that effort, especially
considering our schedule this season so far and the opportunities
he's had." When asked about the Notre Dame situation at his weekly
press conference, Spurrier issued a terse "no comment". Notre Dame
athletic department personnel and Florida Director of Athletics
Jeremy Foley declined to comment on the report.
Editor's Note: When asked about this article, Pimpi, a U of
Florida employee, stated, "That rumor originated out of Tallahassee
following the Warrick/Coles scandal as a way of FSU to 'get back'
at Florida."
Murphy learns about more than basketball in Hawaii
Source: The Observer
By: Kathleen O'Brien
Date: Sept. 5, 2000
Wear green to the Nebraska game
My name is Eric Reichle and I am going to be a senior at Notre Dame this
coming
year. A large number of alumni, students, and fans have been discussing
ways
to increase the excitement at this year's football games and to really let
the
team know that we are 110% behind them. We threw out hundreds of ideas that
we
bounced around, and landed on one plan that we feel could be a huge success
if
publicized correctly.
Class of 2001
A Man of Substance
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tom Noie
Date: July 30, 2000
Montana's Magic Passing into Hall History
Source: South Bend Tribune
Date: July 29, 2000
Players Believe Brey Will Run a Well-oiled Machine
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tom Noie
Date: July 15, 2000
Brey, All the Way
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tom Noie
Date: July 15, 2000
N.D.-Bound Thomas Impresses
Source: South Bend Tribune
By:Tom Noie
Date: June 23, 2000
Cornette Picks Irish; Kline to I.U.?
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tom Noie
Date: June 2, 2000
Thomas Opens Door for Irish in Indiana
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tom Noie
Date: May 21, 2000
Whasssup? Try N.D. Basketball
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: David Haugh
Date: May 17, 2000
Davie Denies Latest Rumors About Job
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Al Lesar
Date: June 2, 2000
Davie on the way out?
Posted on 30 May 2000:
Heilman Has Eye on Future
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: David Haugh
Date: May 12, 200
Doherty Scores Big with Students in Bookstore Basketball
Source: The Observer
By: Ted Fox
Date: Apr. 12, 2000
Former Irish Quarterback Rice Seeks First Title
Source: The Observer
By: Kerry Smith
Date: Apr. 11, 2000
Murphy Expected to Stay at N.D.
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tom Noie
Date: Apr. 7, 2000
Will He Stay or Will He Go? Murphy's Time Frame Expands
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tom Noie
Date: Apr. 6, 2000
Murphy Should Stay for Last Two Years: Odom
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tom Noie
Date: Mar. 30, 2000
Discovering There is a 'Notre Dame Family'
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Katie Sanders '02
Date: Mar. 31, 2000
Sophomore, Farley Hall
Stay With Us Troy Murphy
Source: The Observer
By: Brian Churney
Date: Mar. 24, 2000
Abuse of Power Shatters Public Trust
Source: The Observer
By: Jason McFarley - Observer writer
Date: Mar. 22, 2000
Holding Out Hope in Students and Alumni
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Four young ladies from the future Class of '02
Date: Mar. 6, 2000
Sophomore, McGlinn Hall
Sophomore, Pasquerilla East Hall
Sophomore, Pasquerilla East Hall
Sophomore,Pasquerilla East Hall
Reaction to 'Waterboy' is Shameful
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Ryan Moodie '02; Anhtuan Do '02
Date: Mar. 6, 2000
Sophomore
St. Edward's Hall
Sophomore
Keough Hall
Community Thanks Students at Book Fair
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Liberty Elementary School PTA
Date: Feb. 15, 2000
Mishawaka, Ind.
Students' Behavior Unacceptable
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Rev. Mark L. Poorman - Vice President for Student Affairs
Date: Mar. 3, 2000
Classy Sportsmanship Needed
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Paul McDonnell '77
Date: Mar. 3, 2000
Throwing the Game
Source: The Observer - Inside Column
By: Mike Connolly
Date: Mar. 2, 2000
Adios, Wadsworth
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Peter W. Murray, '64
Date: Feb. 11, 2000
Notre Dame Parent, '89 and '93
Search Committee Forms for AD
Source: The Observer
By: Picked up off the wire
Date: Feb. 17, 2000
Alumni Support Resignation
Source: The Observer
By: Mike Connolly
Date: Feb. 9, 2000
Fans Aren't Only Ones Out of Line
Source: The Observer
By: Brian Kessler
Date: Feb. 20, 2000
Coach D Applauds Student Enthusiasm, Encourages Respect
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Men's basketball coach Matt Doherty
Date: Feb. 16, 2000
UConn Chants Were Not That Bad
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Bill Fenton '74
Date: Feb. 16, 2000
Officials Respond to Rude Behavior
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tribune Staff
Date: Feb. 16, 2000
Connecticut's Calhoun needs to stop complaining
Source: The Observer
By: Brian Kessler
Date: Feb. 14, 2000
Events Under Wadsworth
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Tribune Staff
Date: Feb. 8, 2000
Wadsworth Resigns
Source: The Observer
By: Kathleen O'Brien
Date: Feb. 8, 2000
Starting From Scratch
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Al Lesar
Date: Feb. 8, 2000
Athletic Department Shake-up Includes Beauchamp's Role
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Eric Hansen
Date: Feb. 8, 2000
Capsule Looks at Irish Recruits
Source: South Bend Tribune
Compiled by: Vaughn McClure
Date: Feb. 2, 2000
'Power Box' Needs to Cheer on Irish Basketball Team
Source: The Observer
By: Briahn Churney
Date: Jan. 27, 2000
Ferrer's Style Points Don't Add Up
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: David Haugh
Date: Jan. 21, 2000
Sanctions Change Nothing
Source: The Observer
By: Mike Connolly
Date: Jan. 19, 2000
N.D.'s Ferrer Says Farewell
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Al Lesar
Date: Jan. 18, 2000
Seven Irish Selected to All-Century Team
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Sports media
Date: Dec. 30, 1999
Dunbar Clarifications
Source: ND website messageboard
By: Concerned Alumni and Friends of Notre Dame
(A letter supposedly sent to a plethora of sports editors and college sports reporters)
Date: Dec. 15, 1999
Decline the Penalty
Source: FOX Sports News
By: Kellen Winslow
Date: Dec. 13, 1999
Division I Committee on Infractions Assesses Penalties Against
University of Notre Dame for Violations in Football Program
Source: NCAA
By: NCAA
Date: 17 December 1999
Posting on a Message Board of an ND football website
Source: ND Unlimited
By: login name...IrishFootball
Date: Dec. 4, 1999
Top 20 Moments in ND Football History
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Voting done by the fans
Date: Released in conjuction with last home game
'Shirt' Off Manager's Back is a Great Guest Gift
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Peter Fratoni
Date: Dec. 1, 1999
Mocksville, North Carolina
Classic Notre Dame Story
Source: the alum in the story
By: the alum in the story
Date: after the Navy game
"Coach D" Thanks Student Fans
Source: The Observer - Letter to the Editor
By: Notre Dame Men's Basketball Coach Matt Doherty
Date: Nov. 18, 1999
Matt Doherty
Head Basketball Coach
Bowls Still Want Irish
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: Eric Hansen
Date: Nov. 14, 1999
Davie's Answers Don't Add Up
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: David Haugh
Date: Nov. 12, 1999
Remember The Score in 2001
Source: The Observer
By: Ken Chardos '96
Date: Nov. 9, 1999
Wadsworth A Cancer at Notre Dame
Source: The Observer - Letter To The Editor
By: Kevin Keane '88
Date: Oct. 31, 1999
Off campus, Off team? Driver Penalty Off Target
Source: South Bend Tribune
By: David Haugh
Date: Oct. 27, 1999
Spurrier to replace Davie?
Source: Unknown
By: Unknown
Date: Unknown