So I planned on having a much more thorough run-down of the night, but given that it’s been a week I thought I would just hit you all with the highlights of Lou Holtz and Charlie Weis on the podium.

Lou stepped up to the podium after Ara and spent his time discussing his foundation, and how it’s really based on the “do something nice for someone, and then ask them to pass that along” mentality.  You see, when Lou was an undergrad at Kent State he was hitching back to school.  It was a freezing winter night and the snow was coming down so hard he could barely see.  He had been dropped off at an intersection by a trucker, and was stuck out there.  No one around and no cars coming by.  He made it to an old diner, but it was shut down for the evening.  Luckily, the two workers had yet to head home.  They offered Lou a ride, and got him all the way there.  “How can I repay you?” Lou asked.  “Just do something nice for someone else, pass it on.” 

And that was Lou’s message:  pass it on.

Of course, Lou came at us with a litany of great one-off jokes.  Here are a few samples:

• Before heading to California, Lou and his wife had a chat about his busy schedule.  She said to him: ” You can’t please everybody.  But you sure can please me!”
• Lou felt a bit bashful about writing an autobiography.  He said it felt like writing a book telling everyone about his problems.  And the issue with that is that 90% of people don’t care about those problems, and the other 10% is glad you have them!  (’course, Lou wrote the book, and all the proceeds went to his Foundation)
• Lou mentioned that he was excited when ND had a great QB in Steve Beuerlein.  He had set passing records, but Lou told Steve that he liked a fast, athletic QB.  Steve protested and said he wasn’t all that slow.  “How slow do you think I am Coach?” he asked.  Lou answered:  “Steve, you’re so slow that if you entered a race with a pregnant woman the best you’d place would be 3rd.”
• Lou also talked about how special Notre Dame was.  To highlight his belief in this, he told another story.  It was 1988 and Miami was in town to play ND with national title stakes on the line.  There was a visiting Miami priest that gave the invocation at the luncheon that week, held for the big boosters and the team.  In that speech, the priest talked about how God loves all of us, and how He certainly didn’t care who won the game that Saturday.  Lou’s speech followed the invocation and he got up and opened with: “I agree with our good friend from Miami.  He’s right - God doesn’t care about who wins this game.  But His Mom does.”

Lou of course was hilarious.

Charlie was the last speaker of the night, and he talked a little football and a lot of Hannah & Friends.  Charlie’s message was pretty simple:  people with special needs are people as well, and we all need to treat them as such.  It’s an important message, and one that’s too often over-looked.  These kids, and adults, don’t choose to have special needs.  It’s thrust upon them by luck, by genetics, by any number of environmental and/or hereditary factors.  But one thing is for sure:  it’s not their fault.  So when we meet these people, see them, treat them well.   Treat them like people.

Charlie struggles with this discrimination and the treatment of his daughter Hannah, who has global development disorder, and he spoke about it at length.  He says that when kids treat Hannah meanly, he gives them ‘the evil eye’.  I don’t know about you, but I would not be into that if I were an 11-year-old kid. 

Charlie also talked some ND football, and his first message was a humble one:  that Charlie does not believe that he should be mentioned in the same sentence with Lou and Ara.  “Mention me along with them when I’ve actually done something.”  Charlie’s undying desire to win was clear that night - a couple 10-win seasons is not good enough, and he’ll be happy to stand along Lou and Ara when he’s done what they have.  Won National Championships. 

Charlie also had a good one-liner.  He was there with his beautiful wife Maura who helps run Hannah & Friends and he quipped:  “Who wondered if I would be a good recruiter?  Look at my wife.  Now look at me. I can recruit!” 

Yes, Charlie, good recruiting.

Finally, Charlie relayed some of his thoughts about his career so far, and how he’s had such good fortune to work with so many top-level, legendary quarterbacks so quickly.  First, there was Joe Montana.  Now Joe was a student at ND when Charlie was, so he clearly didn’t coach him.  But, he said, he did have a good time saran-wrapping Joe’s dorm’s toilet bowls a few times.  So that’s when his relationship with great QB’s began.  Next, of course, he worked with Tom Brady at New England.  You could tell by the way he talks about him that Charlie really loves “Tommy Brady” (as a Pittsburgh Fan, he is not loved in any way by me, but I could hear it in Charlie’s voice), and that he really considers him family.  And then, finally, Brady Quinn.  There was a great moment when Charlie was talking about Brady.  Brady was in the first row, and Charlie said “No matter what I do from here on out.  No matter what great Quarterbacks I work with or who has what record, there will not be a single player that will mean more to what I do at Notre Dame, than Brady Quinn.” 

Don’t forget to check out Hannah and Friends and to call The Lou Holtz Foundation at (407) 857-6811 (Lou really needs a web site - volunteer people!) to find out how you can help these two great ND coaches support their organizations.

                               

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