Campus News:
The old bookstore has been razed. As has been the livelihood of the head of the Human Resources department for the University. The 51-yr old cretin was turned in by 2 female laws students for stalking. Apparently he was following them, constantly driving by their home, and even hiding under their front steps. Seems he's had a history of being a dolt and it has been swept under the rug because of his rank within the University. Well, no more. GET ON THE BUS!
Hall Notes:
So the posse has been assigned to their roles in the July 22, 2000 wedding of Mr. Fincutter and Miss Kerney...
NDSportscenter:
A few weeks ago an article appeared in the Chicago Tribune about Lou Holtz and the University. Here are a few quotes........ "...the admininstration has sent clear signals that it believes Holtz's staff should have done more to remain in touch with its players and prevent the embarrassment of the last year: the dirty laundry displayed in the Joe Moore age-discrimination suit, the slippage in the graduation rate, and the already costly largesse of Kim Dunbar..." The article also stated the University was "...distancing itself from an icon it created"...."The more Holtz worships the school, the more his persona haunts its leadership..." Also "assistant coaches on Bob Davie's staff are now evaluated on their supervision of players on and off the field, a revealing departure from the structure under Holtz." The article mirrors the rumor that the University got rid of Holtz's because they felt he was out of control. They brought in Davie so they could call all the shots. "Davie's staff are now evaluated" seems to be a direct order from Big Brother. Majerus was likely categorized Holtz-like. I seriously doubt the University will ever hire a big name coach again.
Campus News:
The new iMACs have flooded campus. DeBartolo, the Library, Fitzpatrick, and the Center for Continuing Education are just a few of the locations inundated with purple and turquoise. The computer clusters have that retro-'70s feel. In addition to that, computer consultants are required to wear bell bottoms, greet each other with peace signs, and driver new Volkswagon bugs. Groovy.
Hall Notes:
Manish Patel ('95) has been accepted into the ND MBA program and will be back on campus this fall. He applied to ND, UConn, and Case Western in Cleveland. All 3 wisely accepted him. At the end of July he will leave his current job as an energy consultant. It's a 2 year program with the classes for the first being decided. Dogg will take classes the 2nd year for a general management concentration with an emphasis on finance and/or marketing. After those 2 years he will seek the job of..... digging himself out of debt.
NDSportscenter:
More men's basketball news...Coach Doherty landed another Croatian recruit in Jere Macura, a 6'8", 205 lb. forward. For the last 4 years he played for the Basketball Club of Split and was a part of 4 Croatian national championship teams. He led them in scoring and was the team MVP in '96 and '97. The true small forward was a member of the '95 Croatian national team that won the 16 and under European championship. He was the youngest member of the team at 15. He is currently a member of the national 19 and under team.
Doherty also lured our first transfer in 27 years. Ryan Humphrey, a 6'8", 235 lb. forward, transferred from Oklahoma where he started at center the past 2 seasons. He will sit out next year, but will practice with the team. The transfer still has 2 years of eligibility. Humphrey transferred so he could play forward, but was also looking for a solid education. He plans to be on campus immediately, taking summer school classes.
Campus News:
Reunion weekend took place on campus last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Alums young and old took in the new sites. In honor of that here are a few notes on some of our famous alums, who all happen to be former Irish gridiron greats...
Joe Montana recently appeared on Capitol Hill to give a public service announcement for The Arthritis Foundation. He is lending his name to the group in search for a cure. Osteoarthritis, a common form of the disease, overcame the 42 year old 10 years ago. As for Joe's future...He has not desire to coach or be a General Managere. Instead he enjoins his retirement and is raising show horses.
A short time ago Jerome Bettis underwent an emergency appendectomy. However he should be ready for training camp on July 29 without a problem.
Rocket Ismail signed a 7 year, $21.5 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys. The deal included a $5 million signing bonus.
Reggie Brooks and Chris Zorich are back on campus. Brooks is taking grad classes and Zorich is in the law school.
Hall Notes:
Classic moment in Vermin history (as I was told)...Setting: O'Leary and Pimpi's room. Scenario: We are losing to Boston College. Q, a native of Massachusetts, is in disgust. (We all know how anti-ND that region of the country is, especially for those Domers born and raised there.) Q states, "I can't go home." Pimpi, who is from the B.C. mecca of Puerto Rico and never one to miss an opportunity to play himself, counters that with... "YOU can't go home. I can't go HOME." Yeah, Puerto Ricans, when they aren't combatting devastating hurricanes, are known for taking to the streets exhibiting vast displays of golden eagle pride.
NDSportscenter:
The ND baseball team won the Big East regular season, but were upset in the Big East Tourney. However they advanced to the newly expanded 64 team NCAA tournament. The final eight teams go on to the College World Series. The Irish played host to the 4-team NCAA South Bend Regional. It was a round robin tourney, with 2 losses required for elimination. They beat Creighton 8-1, but then fell to #3 Cal State Fullerton and Michigan. Three of the players (SS Ust, C Wagner, LHP Kalita) were selected in the recently completed major league draft.
Campus News:
Reckers, the school year 24-hr hangout on the south end of SDH, remains open during the summer. The hours are abbreviated, though, going from 7 am to 7 pm. In addition to the 2 TVs, menu (burgers, pizza, sandwiches, etc.), and plentiful, comfy furniture are....daily newspapers (Chicago Tribune, New York Times), a "Cyber Area" that includes 2 Sony Playstations, 2 Nintendo 64 systems, 4 computers with email and internet access, and a music listening area that has two seats beneath what appear to be two saloon hair dryers. A person sits in the chair and selects 1 of 6 CDs and the music is funneled directly to the listener. There are 2 such contraptions and, therefore, 12 different CDs to sample.
Hall Notes:
I ran into Father Sullivan on campus last weekend. He had a good first non-rector year. He had been a rector for 26 years (13 yrs. high school, 13 yrs. ND). He still teaches full time (4 classes) and hope to do so until he's 70. Father is 57 and is liking his retire retirement.
NDSportscenter:
Of course the news this week was concerning the NCAA hearing on the Dunbar issue. The 5 hr. Friday hearing was attended by Monk, Beauchamp, Wadsworth, and Davie. No one said a word to the media at its conclusion. A reply is expected in 4 to 8 weeks. The University hired a law firm (Bond, Schoeneck, & King of Overland Park, KN) with experience in matters of this nature. This firm was previously hired by Michigan State, Missouri, Michigan, Florida State, and Louisville. Those schools reportedly paid more than $500,000 for services. Ours will be less, though, as we conducted our own investigation. Beauchamp issued a statement saying "we have disbanded not only the QB club, but also all fan organizations in all sports." One bad apple...
The main sticking points are the money and gifts given to Allen Rossum. The other gifts were to players she was romantically involved with. So the Rossum gifts counted as one count under the extra benefits provision. Also of note were 5,000 to 10,000 pages of documents concerning Dunbar and players that were gathered for the civil suit, but NOT requested by the NCAA. ESPN continued to railroad us by stating: "school officials have maintained that the contact did not constitute a major violation. NCAA enforcement officials agree...But the Committee on Infractions decided to handle the case as a possible major violation anyway." But Chuck Smrt, the NCAA enforcement director, said he "didn't feel a significant competitive advantage was gained." That implies a secondary violation, as it was isolated and inadvertent in nature. David Swank, head of the Committee on Infractions, mentioned that a penalty such as lost TV exposure was too extreme. He also downplayed the national impact (the opposite of ESPN) and stated that he "wouldn't categorize this as a high-profile case."
Campus News:
Junior-to-be Michael Brown will be next year's leprechaun. Why is that news? The business major from Milwaukee will be the first African American mascot. He was one of nine to tryout. Brown has been a very active Domer as he's participated in interhall football, choir, and a student dance group. Sounds like he will be a fantastic representative of the University. (Of note: no woman has ever been the leprechaun. Only one has tried out.)
Hall Notes:
Mr. Robert Fincutter and Miss Karen Kerney became engaged on May 21, 1999. It occurred in the presence of 8 other '97 grads at a point on the north side of St. Mary's Lake where the Dome, Basilica, and Grotto could be observed. The Hotel loomed to the west behind some trees, overlooking the party with pride. The day and event were perfect. The ring was second in beauty only to the woman who's finger it was placed upon.
NDSportscenter:
The Miami Hurricanes baseball team was at Eck Stadium a week and a half ago to take on the #24 Irish. We lost the first game 5-3 after leading up until the final innings. The next day we won 1-0 as 3 Irish pitchers threw a combined one-hitter. There was a no-hitter going into the final out. Miami had been scoring about 10 runs a game and was batting 0.348.
The baseball team won the Big East regular season with a record of 20-4 (40-12 overall).
On May 17, ESPN reported the final roster for the USA women's World Cup soccer team. Kater Sobrero ('98) will represent the Red, White, and Blue in the tourney which is being held in the U.S. this summer.
Campus News:
Graduation for the class of 1999 occurred this weekend. The campus is empty. Ah, I love this time of year. The undergrads are absent, the quads are gorgeous, the sun is warm, and I'm the only non-Asian in the computer lab. I love America.
Hall Notes:
Former Vermin Jarious Jackson was named the solo captain for the '99 season. It marks only the 3rd time in 32 seasons with the last being Rodney Culver in '91. Jarious was 13th nationally in passing efficiency and 31st in total offense. He has the 2nd best passing efficiency in ND history and is 2nd in interception avoidance.
NDSportscenter:
Notes on men's basketball...The last spring signing day for recruits was May 15. Two players already in the fold signed letters of intent back in November and are coming despite MacLeod's departure. Matt Carroll, a 6'6" shooting guard from PA, averaged 26.5 pnts, 7.3 rebs, and 2 assts a game as a senior. He's rated as a top 50 player and has competed in numerous All-Star tourneys. He is second in career points in SE PA to Kobe Bryant. He's the 1st baller to win consecutive Big School Players of the Year honor as the AP. Other single winners were Bryant, Danny Fortson, Donyell Marshall, and Rasheed Wallace.
Mike Monserey is a 6'5" point guard who grew up an ND FB and BB fan. He averaged 19.8 pnts, 7 assts, and 5 rebs a game his senior year. He led his team to the Division I Ohio State title over the 9th ranked team in the nation.
Just a few weeks ago we landed Ivan Kartelo, a 6'11", 236 lb. center. The Croatian native chose us over BC. He averaged 13 pnts, 11 rebs, and maintained a straight A average. He was also accepted to Harvard, but....come on....we are ND.
Sophomore Leviticus Williamson asked for a release in March from his scholarship, but still hasn't made up his mind yet. It is believed he will follow through with the transfer.
Hans Rasmussen left due to homesickness. Peter Okwalinga was booted because of grades, or lack there of. Williamson is transferring. Martin Ingelsby is the only remaining scholarship player from the class of 2001.
Coach Doherty has been a hit on campus. He played Bookstore with some seniors from Alumni after they wrote him a letter. He led them to one victory before they were bounced from the tourney. He also played in the Hall of Fame game before the Bookstore final. Nice PR, coach.
The Irish have 4 scholarships remaining.
Campus News:
A few weeks ago Newt Gingrich was a guest speaker at Stepan. One week later Lou Holtz was back giving a lecture entitled "What I Wish I Knew About Leadership 25 Years Ago." It was the second lecture of the "Leadership for Competitive Advantage and Personal Success" series established through the Ron and Shirley Burns Family Endowment for Excellence in Leadership. Six hundred people crammed into the 350 person Jordan Auditorium in COBA to hear his one hour lecture. Coach Holtz was also back to purchase 2 plots in the campus cemetary. Lou stated, "It's appropriate I should be buried here because alums used to bury me every week."
Hall Notes:
More news about Tim Ridder. Apparently he was going to be in summer school and possibly coming back next year to play basketball. However that's all on hold as he was picked up by the Colts. It's not guaranteed that he will make it but his chances have increased recently...in an unfortunate way. The Colts 3rd round pick, a guard, was killed in an automobile accident.
NDSportscenter:
The latest on the Dunbar issue...It was originally reported that the NCAA saw the incident as a secondary matter, not a major one. A secondary violation carries probation without penalties or a minor loss of scholarships. a hearing, though, was still required before a decision. But recently the Universiy received an official letter of inquiry (our first ever), which always hints at a major infraction. Apparently the NCAA Enforcement Staff saw it as secondary. However, they don't run the show. The Infractions Committee will make the call and they believe there is the possibility of major infractions. ESPN ran this story on Wednesday and threw in the new names of Allen Rossum and Randy Kinder. ESPN claimed that WE said the infractions were secondary. No. We just stated what the NCAA Enforcement Staff claimed. Chuck Smrt, director of enforcement for the NCAA said on Wednesday: "Notre Dame wanted us to accept this case as a secondary infraction investigation, but the committee on infractions would not..." The article then contradicted itself later by stating the "NCAA enforcement officials sent a recommedation to the committee on infractions last month that the contact be considered secondary violations." Come on, chumps, we report a recommendation from the NCAA and all of a sudden we are labelled as trying to pull a fast one on the NCAA. We are getting raked over the coals.
ND officials are scheduled to appear on June 4th before the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
Campus News:
Fight the Power. Earlier this week at roughly 1 AM, power went out in every residence hall except McGlinn. The power came on about 40 minutes later, but the damage was done. With the power out, hordes of students took to the campus to drink and set bonfires. Two students were apprehended. Six fired were set. A 12 ft blaze erupted before Fisher Hall and a tree caught fire at a Main Circle flame-fest. Lofts, couches, toilet paper, and liquor bottles fueled the flames. The crowd was estimated at around 1,000 people. No one was hurt. On North Quad a student was given a minor and placed in a campus security car. In response students gathered around the car and yelled at the officer. A second officer placed another student in the car as the other students crowded around the car even more. The vehicle drove off. WNDU purchased a student's home video for $2000. Bill Kirk will also have access to the tape. Security and fire fighters were actually obstructed by a few students that purposefully stood in the way. As fire crews extinguished some fires, some students moved on and set new ones. The couches and loft wood were supposed to have gone to charity. Apparently someone in Zahm (surprise, surprise) threw firecrackers at the crowd. Security officers threatened arrests, but most students ignored them. Students only moved when another fire was discovered. They ran to the new blaze. Clothing was supposedly discarded by a few students. A few students also were observed dumping water and other substance on officers responding to a fire.
Hall Notes:
Paul Lewis' wedding went off without a hitch as he got hitched. The bride, Holly Vinklarek, is soon to be a Texas A&M grad. The ceremony took place in Houston, Texas. Willie was the Best Man. Slimmer was another groomsman. The pallbearers, or ushers as some prefer, were Brin Buoye, Butler, Big Joe, Mitchell, and Karam. Other Vermin in attendance were Rangers, Ratliff, Stegmaier, and Todd Kuczaj. The honeymoon was a cruise to Mexico and Honduras. The two plan to live in Rhode Island where Paul currently works for Raytheon.
NDSportscenter:
Bookstore Basketball XXVIII...The 1999 champions were Malicious Prosecution, the law school team. The best player in the tourney was Jeremy Cole. He led Malicious and was named MVP. The runner- up was Versatility, a team that was unranked to begin the tourney and the #12 team after the re-seeding of the final 16 teams. They were composed of a junior, 3 sophomores, and a freshman. Last year's champ, Primetime, could not survive the loss of a player who is now on a D-II team. They lost in the final four to Versatility. Raam Jani of Primetime was named Mr. Bookstore. The best team in the tourney, Keyplay.com, unfortunately was not at its best and lost to Malicious in the final four. This year's champion was the worst of the last 6 years. A glowing example of this is taht Jamey Haigh, an average player, was named First Team All Bookstore. Basketball seniors Phil Hickey and Antoine Wyche participated. Hickey apparently is not only afraid of flying, but also of playing defense and going beyond the 3-point line. (I forget, Phil, aren't you 7 ft tall?) His team lost to Versatility and did not advance to the round of 32. Wyche, who numerous people went postal on (his shots were stamped "RETURN TO SENDER"), lost in a torrential downpour in the round of 16. Ridder's team lost to hacks before getting to 64 as they were without a drafted Rosenthal. The best Vermin showing was EGO who made it to 32. Most of the refereeing was handled by actual refs from 64 through to the final. The weather through the opening rounds was terrible. Play was actually suspended one day because of threatening lightning. The Elite 8 through the final were held on glorious days. The Observer coverage was even more pathetic than last year's, which was horrible. There was even a halftime show...the dance squad Troop Eating Disorder ND.
The All-Davie Team: Tony Fisher, Benny Guilbeaux, Dan O'Leary, John Teasdale, Jabari Holloway.
Only one football player (O-lineman Teasdale) was in the final four. None were in the final.
Campus News:
A powerful explosion occurred at the on-campus power planet due to a fire in the cooling tower. It was originally believed that the fire caused a transformer to overheat and explode but that was ruled out. The cause is still under investigation, however, it seems doubtful that one will be discovered. Two staff members were injured in the blast. One broke a collarbone and the other suffered a fractured wrist and ankle. It is estimated that the fire caused $1.35 million in damage. Air conditioning produced by the cooling tower is expected to be out until the summer of 2000.
Hall Notes:
Current Vermin junior Lewis Dawson, brother of Lake Dawson, has decided to leave school. He will graduate this summer and then transfer to a small school and finish out his remaining 2 years of eligibility while taking grad classes.
NDSportscenter:
Items of note on the Blue-Gold game and spring ball in general.... For the first year in a long time all players were able to play this spring as none were academically ineligible. DB Brock Williams, however, was held out because of a violation of team rules until just last week. DT Antwon Jones is coming back for a 5th year which means every D-lineman is back from last year. Because of that and the lack of experience at linebacker, the defense is now going to a 4-3. Tony Driver has been moved back to offense, but is still in heavy competition for the starting tailback positions.
Game notes...Tom "The Beast" Lopienski is the man. He's the 260 lb backup fullback. Don't be surprised if the becomes the starter. The offense used the fullback a lot. He's got great hands out of the backfield. He broke through the line and ran AWAY from the secondary for a touchdown. A fast 260 pounder! He also is a helluva blocker. A D-lineman came through untouched. He stopped him in his tracks, picked him up, and planted him on his back. Starting D-line looks solid. The 4-3 looks more like a 5-2. One backer is always over the tight end and we have 2 middle backers. Those middle backers (Denman and Nicks) were delivering some pops. Big hitters. We have no punter. The incoming frosh better be good. Tailbacks still not hitting the hole at full speed. Didn't run any crossing routes. All outs and ups. Still no screens. Jarious looked tough. His play action was perfect. Battle struggled. Chappell...well...Q summed it up best stating, "I like Chappell's color-blind," as he continued to throw the ball to the wrong colored jersey. The game was nip and tuck, but luckily the Irish pulled it out in the end.
The following were the Irish players selected in the NFL Draft...
Marc Edwards was traded from the 49ers to the Cleveland Browns.
Bookstore wrap-up next week.
Campus News:
Tuition is up another 5.4%. With room and board, the total for next year will be $27,500. Football tickets for the '99 season are up about 6%. Each general admission is now $35. 80,000 seats x $35 x 7 home games = $19.6 million in ticket receipts alone.
Hall Notes:
The basement of The Hotel has been renovated. It has been painted and carpeted. Couches are present, as will be a new 51" television in a day or two. Two other additions are a new foosball table and a dartboard. The new Carroll sign has also reappeared. One day it was mysteriously discovered in the basement. Gee, it sure was nice of the University to finally give the Vermin back THEIR sign. The sign is set to be hung above the television, probably until next fall when the dorm hopes it will become the new posted outdoor Carroll sign.
NDSportscenter:
The 70th annual Blue-Gold Game is slated for Apr. 24.
Senior hockey star Benoit Cotnoir was named 2nd team All-American. He is the first Domer to be named so in 16 years and is our 7th hockey All-American. He played for Team USA vs. Canada in the April 10-11 North America College Hockey Championship.
Sophomore Ruth Riley, starting center on the women's basketball team, was a unanimous 1st team All Big East selection and was also named a 3rd team AP All-American. She finished first in the nation in field goal percentage with 68.3%. In doing so she established a record mark, destroying the previous record that was 63.9%.
Campus News:
It has been brought to my attention that ticket applications were supposed to have been mailed out over Easter. A thing of note concerning the football season is that another game has been added. A seventh home game against Kansas (4-7 last year) will be played on Aug. 28. The game is the Eddie Robinson Classic, and it marks only the second time ND has had 7 home games in a season. The other was '88. Things that make you go hmmm...
Hall Notes:
The Carroll sign is being held hostage. That comes from current dorm President Jim Kwiatt. A new sign (larger than the old, with a maroon background and gold lettering courtesy of a current creative sophomore) was supposed to have been put up. However after the removal of the old sign, the University made it known that a new one could not be put up without approval from the Board of Trustees. It must be put on their agenda next fall.
NDSportscenter:
Ruth Riley, the center on the Irish women's basketball team, became the only Big East sophomore to ever be named the Defensive Player of the Year.
The Fencing team again finished second in the nation to Penn State for the fourth straight year. The men's and women's teams produced seven individual All-Americans.
Campus News:
Bookstore basketball is about to get underway. Some preliminary games have already been played. Last years champ, Primetime, returns 4 players and is the #1 seed. The tourney gets in full swing this week. Remember the good ole days as students? As in our day, they had off this past Good Friday and have off this coming Monday. This working world is cramping my style. Grad school anyone?
Hall Notes:
Tim Ridder is again teaming up with Mike Rosenthal in bookstore. Surprisingly, a few senior football players are stepping on the courts. Usually those awaiting the draft or free agent tryouts do not take the chance of getting injured in the tourney. But Big Tim and his Vermin skills are going to be on display for the 12th ranked "Still Crackers."
NDSportscenter:
Here's the low down on the new Dunbar allegations. Granted it's old news, but here are the new claims...Derrick Mayes and Bobby Taylor are the players in question. ESPN produced a credit card receipt with Mayes and Dunbar's names for plane tickets to Las Vegas. Dunbar also said she gave Mayes plane tickets to Minneapolis, a video camera, a chauffeured limo trip to a Valentine's Day dinner in Kalamazoo, a weekend trip to Chicago with accommodations at the Chicago Hilton Hotel, clothes, shoes, meals, car repair bills, and cash. Taylor was supposedly given $5000 from Dunbar to repay an agent who had given Taylor money. Mayes and Taylor had denied taking anything. Mayes had testified before a grand jury. Mayes' attorney said Derrick had made an "honest mistake" about the dates he testified to and changed his testimony.
The new men's basketball coach is 37-yr-old Matt Doherty, a former Kansas assistant coach. In his playing days, he was recruited by ND but chose North Carolina instead. He started on the '82 natioal championship team that featured Michael Jordan and James Worthy. At Kansas he played a major role in recruiting as he assisted in landing 8 McDonald's All-Americans in his 7 years there.