These quotes are taken from the narrated tour of campus you can find at faith.nd.edu

“I don’t want to become you. I don’t want to speak your language, I don’t want to celebrate your holidays, I sure as hell don’t want to cheer for your soccer team!”

This quote is taken from Lou Holtz’s comments at the Republican National Coalition for Life event today. Maybe his swag bag last night gave him the liquid courage needed.

Lou Holtz seriously brought a bottle of Crown Royal into the Republican National Convention. Pro old man move. pic.twitter.com/bjL5vTPcOX

— Ross Bolen (@WRBolen) July 19, 2016

We here at HLS have been critical of Lou, of late. In February, we hit his appearance at Michigan’s National Signing Day. In May, we went after his endorsement of The Donald.

While I’m holding out hope that all of 2016 has been the work of a Lou Holtz impersonator and not the sincerely held beliefs of our collective grandfather, I’m officially over the guy.

I feel incredibly sad about this. The grandson of Ukrainian, German and Irish immigrants, Lou’s very name honors his son-of-immigrants-uncle, Lou Tychonievich. No word on whether he was forced to watch soccer. Which if you’ve ever watched Rangers, or England take penalties in a major tournament, can be very painful to watch, indeed.

(correction: the original text of this post has been corrected, changing “Russian” to “Ukrainian.”)

When you’ve made the money you have off of not just coaching THE IRISH but off of your reputation as the head coach of THE IRISH, you just can’t speak in such broad-brush strokes.

I guess WE ARE ND means something different to Lou.

The post The Surprising Descent of Lou Holtz appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

via @LTorbin

Corbett Family Head Football Coach Brian Kelly can look back on 2016 and enjoy the moment. With seven players selected in the most recent NFL draft, a solid recruiting class (ranked twelfth by Rivals, sixteenth by ESPN), and a ten-win season behind him, the case that Coach Kelly belongs in the pantheon with Lou and Ara and Knute has only gotten stronger.

In addition to the seven drafted players, which included Notre Dame’s highest pick since 1993, Ronnie Stanley, six players signed free agent contracts with NFL teams over the weekend, giving Notre Dame thirteen players with opportunities to play professionally. That the Dallas Cowboys’ were willing to take such a chance with their pick on Jaylon Smith speaks to the quality of the emergency orthopedic care Smith received at the Fiesta Bowl and to the player’s strength, both physical and mental.

Brian Kelly’s motto for the 2015 season was “culture beats scheme.” From his earliest days in South Bend, when he mandated locker organization, Brian Kelly has been instilling a championship mentality in his players. At the same time, he has had to deal with circumstantial challenges unlike any faced by his coaching predecessors.

This is where KeiVarae Russell’s selection as the Chief’s second pick comes in. Russell was one of 2014’s “Frozen Five,” players who were suspended for violations of school policy that likely involved the honor code and something called “peer editing.” Sidelined for an entire season, Russell roared back in 2015 as a starter, notching two interceptions, four pass breakups, and sixty tackles. While Russell will not graduate before going pro, he’s made enough remarks about being the first in his family to graduate from college “when” he does, that he can rightly be considered one of the better redemption stories to come out of the locker room in a long time.

Sure, the Irish lost to tOSU in the Fiesta Bowl. But they did so without Jaylon Smith and Jerry Tillery on defense, and that they got there at all was due to the depth Coach Kelly developed at the quarterback position. No one thought a playoff spot within reach when Zaire went down at Virginia, but there was Kizer, ready for prime time. He wouldn’t have been without Coach Kelly and his staff.

With fifty-five wins in six seasons, Brian Kelly is just one shy of Lou Holtz’s win total, and while he lacks the national championship Lou, Ara, Devine, and Leahy were all able to manage by their third-season, you have the sense that Coach Kelly has the Irish were the program needs to be to compete for championships every couple of seasons. I wouldn’t bet against 2016 being one of them.

The post The Case for Brian Kelly…Grows Stronger appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Whether it was the unforgivable 58-7 humiliation that was Gerry Faust’s last game or the near riot prior to the 1988 thriller, the games were hard-hitting, emotion-fueled, big-play dramas. While games in both 1988 and 1989 largely decided the national championship, the 1990 game was actually ranked #3 by fans for the best games in Notre Dame Stadium in a 2005 poll.

It also played a huge role in propelling the Irish to a #1 ranking that they would hold on two different occasions during the 1990 season. Ultimately, an upset at home at the hands of Penn State and an Orange Bowl defeat would derail the Irish national title dreams. Nevertheless, the Irish win was notable for denying Miami a shot at a repeat national championship and it was the last meeting between the two until the 2010 Sun Bowl.

After locating and dusting off this old VHS gem from my archives, I was immediately reminded of a few things.

First, the ND in the end zone for home games in 1990 looks completely out of place in my book. Much like the critiques of “The Shirt” when it deviates from traditional colors, the end zones at Notre Dame should feature slashed lines…period!

I cannot express how much I miss Notre Dame coverage on CBS from the 80s.

I loved the sideline shots that they always had and the open microphones. After a key stop in the second half, you can hear Scott Kowalkowski exhorting his teammates with “good stop” and a fist pump.

For all the benefits of the NBC coverage we no longer get that close up. Perhaps in an era where coaches have billboard sized play cards covering their mouths, they just won’t let the cameras have that much access.

Finally, Notre Dame Stadium was bedlam in the this game. It was loud and stands appeared wild. For years, I’ve heard the crowds at Notre Dame are pedestrian. In all my trips to the stadium, I’ve never seen a crowd like this particular Miami game. I would argue the night game last year vs. USC seemed like a church gathering compared to this game.

Rick Mirer

The game itself was a classic and at the same time it shocks me that this particular Notre Dame team went 9-3. The running backs alone on this day for the Irish may be the greatest collective assembled in college football history. Dorsey Levens the listed starter got 0 carries. Nevertheless, he and the remainder of the group – Rodney Culver, Tony Brooks, Ricky Watters, Rocket Ismail (who while not a true running back was second in carries in this game), and Jerome Bettis – all played in the NFL.

The defense which was also much maligned coming into the game also featured a number of future NFL players.

The Irish would enter the game ranked #6 while Miami would enter the game with a #2 ranking. This particular contest dubbed the “Final Chapter” by some (the teams would end their series following this game) was true to the form of the other Miami/Notre Dame clashes in that it featured big plays, great athletes, and a few surprises.

Two of the bigger questions leading up to this game were whether Notre Dame could run the ball effectively vs. Miami and whether their defense – which had struggled to this point – would have any answers for a potent Miami offense.

The Shirt for the 1990 ND-Miami game

The Irish answered both questions with a resounding yes. On the day, the Irish shredded a Miami run defense – that had to date yielded just 62 yards per game – for a whopping 315 yards on the ground. The defense, though it gave up 473 total yards, forced four Miami turnovers and held the Hurricanes to 6 points on three trips inside the 10.

The final trip which resulted in a Leonard Conley fumble at the Notre Dame 2 proved to be the final undoing of Miami. Despite the run game and defense, a mainstay of the Holtz era may have been the biggest difference in the outcome.

Special teams play was absolutely brilliant for the Irish on this day as Craig Hentrich booted 5 field goals and Rocket Ismail accounted for 158 yards of kickoff return yardage highlighted by a brilliant 94 yard scamper. The kickoff return tied the score at 10-10 and seemed to stabilize the Irish after their offense had struggled greatly in the early going. On the day, Ismail would account for 268 all-purpose yards on his way to a season that featured over 1700 all-purpose yards and a second place finish in the Heisman race. How he lost the Heisman to a guy who threw 28 interceptions I’ll never understand, but that is a story for another day.

Lou Holtz would improve his record at this point in his tenure at Notre Dame to 18-8 vs. teams in the Top 20, underscoring his greatness in preparing for and playing in big games. In the build up to this game, it was well reported that Lou spent a ton of practice time working individually with the defense. On this day, it paid off as the Irish held Miami to just 3 second half points. When asked about the game and the crowd afterwards, Holtz responded, “There is something special about playing here.” There was something special about playing Miami too.

The post Film Session: Notre Dame vs. Miami, 1990 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Coach Lou Holtz [Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport]

I was a child of the Lou Holtz years, when Notre Dame was in the hunt for a national title almost every season. That has not been the case at any point since Holtz left.

In this article, I’m going to look at some of the stated “hurdles” and determine if they’re relevant. Then, I’m going to answer: What is a reasonable expectation for Notre Dame football on an annual basis?

Schedule

“We won nine games two years out of the five. I think the difficulty is sustaining that year after year with the schedule that you play. Particularly the early season schedule is difficult.” – Bob Davie, on the day of his firing in 2001.

If you examine the Sagarin strength of schedule (SOS) over the last five years, the information is somewhat telling.

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

Notre Dame schedules, with the exception of last year, have fallen outside of the top 20 during the past five years. This would seem to indicate that a difficult schedule has not and should not be a barrier to being competitive, simply because the schedules have not been that difficult in relation to other top programs.

Graduation Rate

“But what matters most is excellence. Notre Dame stands for doing things the right way, and in this age of college football factories exhausting players’ eligibility with 50 percent graduation rates, questionable degrees, and long rap sheets, the ND way has never been needed more as a beacon for the rest of the sport.” – Jim Lefebvre

For years, admission standards have been bandied about as an obstacle to Notre Dame competing year in and year out – in that limits who the Irish can actually recruit.

A look at graduation success rate for football players over the last four years seems to indicate schools with top graduation rates do not typically factor into the national championship mix on a year in and year out basis.

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

Recruiting

“So I put those out to you because there are a lot of components that go into the recruiting today. And here at the University of Notre Dame, we clearly have our vision as to the kind of player that we’re going to recruit at the University of Notre Dame.” – Brian Kelly, 2010

Many of the top analysts have suggested that Notre Dame cannot recruit the “top players” on a regular basis as compared to some of the top football powers. While I’m not a fan of looking at recruiting rankings, we can at least look at how 247 Sports has ranked each year’s class to gauge how effective Notre Dame is recruiting as compared to top programs.

2011

2012

2013

2014

A couple of items come to mind here when I examine recruiting. First, a highly rated class doesn’t get you anything. I could throw a list of people together in my head who were high profile recruits at many schools (including ND) but never really panned out. Secondly, from 2011-2014, Notre Dame posted two top 10 classes – not exactly indicative of school that can “no longer recruit.”

Conclusion

Simon Chun

So what can we expect or what should we expect from Notre Dame football teams in light of this? Are there obstacles or hurdles for Notre Dame?

In the way of scheduling and recruiting I might argue they are well-overplayed. Notre Dame continues to recruit in the top 20 consistently. The schedule argument, as I mentioned earlier, also seems exaggerated. The graduation rate is there and is a real figure. I do agree with the anecdotal aspects that suggest there are certain players that Notre Dame cannot and will not recruit. They should be applauded for this.

Given this information, I think it is likely we will not see Notre Dame in the hunt year and year out.

Now before I get blown up here and in the other forms of social media, that does not mean they will not be in the hunt regularly. In 2012, they went to the national championship game. In 2013, they took a step back. I would argue only injuries and some sloppy play (2014) and a couple of soul-crushing road losses (2015) kept them out of the hunt in those years.

Add it up and you get a team that has been on the cusp of breaking through a couple of times in the last four years. That is what I believe is a likely norm in this age of Notre Dame football. As such, a reasonable expectation should be Notre Dame teams that frequently play in big bowl games and make a runs at the title, combined with the occasional team that experiences a drop off year. This will become the norm given Notre Dame and the cyclical nature of modern college football.

The post What Should The Yearly Expectations Be For ND Football? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

I’m told this fellow attended no fewer than three colleges. Though he learned about criminal justice at one of them, he obviously did not major in communication studies at any of them.

I understand that newspapermen can be a tough crowd. Plenty of Notre Dame officials and student-athletes have had to face the glare of the bright lights and the shouted questions of the rabble, defended by nothing more than a podium and their wits. As an educator, I will take this opportunity to show how one should handle the loyal opposition…er…I mean the media. I present to you a hypothetical press conference.

[We enter in medias res.*]

Coach Kelly’s contract was just renewed for another five years. Since he hasn’t won a championship, hasn’t produced a Heisman winner, and lost his most recent bowl game to a far superior coach whom you couldn’t lure to Notre Dame, isn’t it clear that you’ve settled for annual mediocrity and given up on Irish football greatness?

You must have graduated from the University in the 1960s. Brian Kelly is an excellent coach. He has over 200 victories, 55 of them with the Fighting Irish. We competed for the National Championship in 2012, a season in which we were ranked first on the football field and first in graduation success rate. That had never been done before. He is a good family man, a pillar of the community, and a snappy dresser with a dazzling array of tartan sport coats. Though in the past he may have toyed with the idea of coaching a professional football team, he has come to appreciate what Ara Parseghian knew, Dan Devine experienced, and Lou Holtz learned the hard way – it’s far more rewarding to stay at Notre Dame than to go anywhere else. The NFL isn’t for everyone…just ask Nick Saban.

I have a follow-up screed. But Kelly obviously can’t recruit. He had a lackluster class this year, falling far behind the likes of Alabama, Florida State, and even Michigan. By the way, did you see the glory and majesty that was Michigan’s “Signing of the Stars?” You must admit that Jim Harbaugh is indeed touched with the purest magic.

Since there was no interrogative sentence in there, I can’t really answer a question. But I can reflect on your flight of fancy. Coach Kelly recruits what he needs, and develops what he recruits. Isn’t that the goal? Coach Kelly does not oversign, does not revoke scholarships, and does not deceive his players. They will have to work as hard in the classroom as on the field, and graduation is their ultimate goal. After all, this is Notre Dame, not Alabama.

Since I’m fixated and rude, I’ll continue my panegyric to The Harbaugh, blessed be he. How could Notre Dame have fallen so far, that no less than Lou Holtz joined The Harbaugh on stage to serenade the Michigan recruits and fans with a ballad to the greatness of Big Blue? Clearly Notre Dame’s shameless and dastardly cancellation of the series with Michigan caused one of its most devoted acolytes to convert to the one true faith in The Harbaugh, all praise and honor to him.

While you befoul yourself in ecstasy, let me point out once again, that scheduling difficulties on both sides of the Notre Dame-Michigan series necessitated a temporary hiatus. It is out of the ordinary that Notre Dame initiated this pause in the action, since it was Michigan that created the original 33-year rift after Fielding Yost became inconsolable in the face of his first defeat by Notre Dame. But Michigan fans really need to have some self-respect and stop acting like jilted lovers who hate their former paramours so much that they can’t stop thinking and talking about them. Harbaugh should be happy that he has had the opportunity to get his (clay) feet under him without having to fight the Irish. The series will commence again, and Harbaugh will have his shot, since his electronic leash doesn’t allow him to be farther than 50 feet from his Michigan keepers.

As for Lou Holtz, he was returning a favor as any man of integrity is expected to do. Michigan had him for a day, but since Holtz has a reservation in Cedar Grove, we have him for eternity. Besides which, Holtz was talking about his experience coaching against the Wolverines; he had no part in recruiting players for Michigan. He remains loyal to Notre Dame, but he is free to participate in events of his choosing. That said, I will not be joining in Jesuit Vocation Awareness Week.

Since my colleague from Ann Arbor has collapsed in a spittle-flecked trance, I’d like to redirect our focus to Notre Dame’s real rival, USC. Pat Haden is stepping down as athletic director, meaning that the momentary stumble before Notre Dame in football will immediately return to a decade of Trojan victories. Ready?

Allow me to wish Pat Haden well. He is a gentleman and a scholar. For several years he called Notre Dame games from our press box along with that older Hammond lady who, I presume, is his wife. May they both have a happy retirement together. Pat did the best he could at USC, but he was truly like Daniel in the Liars’ Den. I would need medical attention, too, if I tried to do that job. As for a replacement, I understand the Manziel fellow is looking for work these days. I know he doesn’t have a college degree, but let’s face it – USC athletics has never been about education. And Manziel’s lifestyle would fit quite nicely with the USC campus ethos. In the alternative, Urban Meyer could take over as USC’s athletic director, since he’s been at Ohio State for four years, and that’s far too long for him to remain at any dream job. Besides, if Urban left the Big Ten, Harbaugh would sleep better…in whichever recruit’s bunk bed he is camping out.

A junior on the football team has just been elected Student Body President. How can he do both?

If Knute Rockne could teach chemistry; serve as athletic director; run the business office and the ticket office; coach track and football; design football equipment, uniforms, and the Stadium; write newspaper columns and books; broker stock and sell Studebakers, all while raising four children, I think our Robinson lad can make the Dean’s List, make the catches to score the touchdowns, and faithfully execute the office of Student Body President all at once. That’s why we recruit scholar-athletes – they’re just more interesting.

Back to Harbaugh. Michigan will be holding football practice over Spring Break in Florida. Isn’t that a hoot! How brilliant of them! But the University of Florida is saying that’s not fair. What’s their problem, and why is Notre Dame so backward?

After a long and cold first half of the semester studying and keeping themselves fit, our scholar-athletes have earned a week’s respite. The University of Florida is angry because it is school policy that Spring Break is for lewd and lascivious behavior, hospitalizations, and arrests, not football practice. And Harbaugh needs to get a life and let his players have their own – one of them is going to take out a restraining order against him sooner or later.

At a recent basketball game, your students stormed the court after defeating top-ranked North Carolina. But don’t Notre Dame students rush the field and storm the court too much? Isn’t it too dangerous?

It’s a game, it’s excitement – deal with it. If we have rules for when and how to spontaneously express emotion, we’ve really gone way too far (though I wouldn’t put it past the Oberkommando der Student Affairs). Games are for cheering, yelling, and when you come from behind to win, running onto the court to celebrate. If you don’t like that, betake yourself up to that quaint little club overlooking the court where you can enjoy a genteel aperitif and canapés without those obnoxious students and fans. And just wait until we open the Decadence Boxes in the Stadium addition – fainting couches and intravenous booze delivery will make it more silent that a church on Good Friday.

How can a supposedly Catholic school permit an event like the Keenan Revue which annually manages to insult everybody and crosses every boundary of taste and decorum?

It’s vulgar, obscene, and bawdy. It’s just what this place needs. For those offended, I have extra Holy Water to use as eye-wash and ear-rinse. I would make the Holy Oils available, but the dancing lads would just grease themselves up for that smutty kick-line. It’s filth…but it’s our kind of filth.

That’s all the time I have for now. Your questions have been patronizing, condescending, and offensive. I have tried to respond in kind.

And now I’m going to drink a lot of Budweis cheap red wine.

EFS CSC

* This is Latin, students. You would be able to translate it if we still required you to study the great Classical Languages. If you don’t think it’s cool to study Classics, I would remind you that the Englishman who sang at halftime of the Super Bowl graduated with a degree in Latin and Greek…trusa illud in fistulam tuam et id fuma!

Padre’s book Father Sorin Says: The Founder Comments on Today’s Notre Dame, is available from the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore and Amazon. Don’t give it to a Michigan or USC fan…or may be you should…

The post Good Fridays w/Padre: Bad Question appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Illustration by @phillykelly

Last week, Notre Dame announced it had extended the contract of head football coach Brian Kelly through 2021.

Kelly already has 55 wins at Notre Dame and has the most career victories of any coach currently coaching a FBS subdivision program (226). If he stays for the entirety of his contract*, it’s likely he could eclipse Lou Holtz for games coached (132) and Knute Rockne for wins (105).

But there will be no Brian Kelly statue erected outside Notre Dame Stadium when the coach retires.

COMPARING BRIAN KELLY TO LEGENDS

Here’s the hot take: Brian Kelly is the worst coach Notre Dame has ever allowed to oversee its football team for at least 78 games.

WINS

Fans and alums want nothing more than for their football team to win.

Coach Lou Holtz [Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport]

There is a major difference, however. Holtz won a national championship in his third season. Kelly went to the national championship in his third season; we all know what happened next.

Here’s why I remain skeptical that Kelly will best Holtz. Lou wins his next 17 games – #79 to #95 – before the Boston College stunner in 1993.

If Kelly goes 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 and 12-1 or better in the next five years, that would not only be awesome. It would give him the exact record of Lou Holtz.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

Brian Kelly said recently that he wanted to keep playing the Alabamas, Ohio States and Clemsons. I commend him, because that’s the only way you’re going to figure out what is keeping your team from being elite.

Kelly has faced tough adversaries who win a lot of football games. The only person with a tougher schedule? Lou Holtz.

Nearly 45 percent of Lou’s first 78 games were against teams ranked in the AP Top 25! Holtz went 21-13-1 against those squads, and 13-9-1 (.587) against those in the top 10.

Kelly is 11-12 against those in the AP Top 25 and 1-5 against those in the top 10. (The lone win was against then-#8 Oklahoma in 2012.) Simply put: While at Notre Dame, Brian Kelly almost never wins games against big opponents.

DAVID VS. GOLIATH

My experience is that Notre Dame fans hate to lose. The pain of that loss, however, is dulled if it’s a good team. Any loss to a team that fans consider “inferior” creates a lot of message board bluster about firing coordinators and head coaches.

To Kelly’s credit, he didn’t lose to an unranked opponent in 2015. The sixth-year coach is now 26-3 when his team is ranked and his opponent is not. The losses are to South Florida in 2011 and Northwestern in 2014; both teams finished with a sub-.500 record. The third is to 7-6 Pittsburgh in 2013 (the game during which Stephon Tuitt was tossed for targeting).

Kelly is 18-8 (.692) when both his team and his opponent are unranked at game time, which is also last among the six coaches we’re examining.

THIS IS OUR HOUSE

A home win is the perfect capstone to a weekend odyssey to South Bend. No one should come to your house and push you around.

In this respect, Holtz and Kelly boast similar records. Holtz was 30-7-1 in his first 78 games, while Kelly has been 29-8. Holtz’s losses were to #3 Michigan, a 5-5-1 Pittsburgh team, and #3 Penn State in 1986; a 5-6 Stanford team and #18 Penn State in 1990, #13 Tennessee in 1991 and #18 Stanford in 1992. That loss to Stanford in 1990 was Holtz’s only loss to a team that ended the season under .500. (He was 47-1 at ND).

Kelly’s home losses: 7-6 Michigan, #16 Stanford, 10-3 Tulsa in 2010; 5-7 South Florida and 10-2 USC in 2011; #14 Oklahoma in 2013; and 5-7 Northwestern and 9-4 Louisville in 2014.

ROAD DOGS

It’s satisfying to go into an opponent’s house and silence their crowd in a dominating win. My experience with our fan base, however, is they tend to forgive road losses more than home losses (unless they are against opponents deemed inferior).

Kelly’s teams have struggled in true road games. They are 14-11, which puts him well behind the legends.

CURB STOMPING

Fans constantly implore the Irish’s head coach – through their televisions – to keep his foot on the accelerator.

Brian Kelly doesn’t coach those kind of teams. Nearly half of his wins – 23 – at Notre Dame were by 9 points or fewer. If you’re old enough to remember Lou Holtz, only a quarter of his wins in the time period studied were by less than 10 points. And if you’ve been a fan since Ara Parseghian, Kelly’s margin of victory has to feel extremely frustrating. Through 78 games, Parseghian-coached teams won 27 games by 30 or more points!

YOU ARE MY BITTER RIVAL

Beating a historical rival is a feel-good elixir for many of us. I studied six historical opponents – most are considered rivals; a few are not.

Here’s how each coach is doing through 78 games, with the caveat that Notre Dame has zero control over the ultimate successes or failures of other institutions during certain eras

vs. USC

• Lou Holtz: 6-0-0 (1.000)
• Frank Leahy: 5-1-1 (.786)
• Brian Kelly: 4-2-0 (.667)
• Ara Parseghian: 2-4-2 (.375)
• Knute Rockne: n/a

vs. MICHIGAN

• Lou Holtz: 4-2-1 (.643)
• Frank Leahy: 1-1-0 (.500)
• Brian Kelly: 2-3-0 (.400)
• Ara Parseghian & Knute Rockne: n/a

vs. MICHIGAN ST.

• Lou Holtz: 6-1-0 (.857)
• Brian Kelly: 3-1-0 (.750)
• Knute Rockne: 3-1-0 (.750)
• Ara Parseghian: 5-2-1 (.688)
• Frank Leahy: 2-1-0 (.667)

vs. NAVY

• Lou Holtz: 6-0-0 (1.000)
• Ara Parseghian: 7-0-0 (1.000)
• Frank Leahy: 8-1-1 (.850)
• Brian Kelly: 5-1-0 (.833)
• Knute Rockne: 0-0-1 (.500)

vs. PURDUE

• Lou Holtz: 7-0-0 (1.000)
• Knute Rockne: 6-0-0 (1.000)
• Brian Kelly: 5-0-0 (1.000)
• Frank Leahy: 4-1-0 (.800)
• Ara Parseghian: 4-4-0 (.500)

vs. STANFORD

• Frank Leahy: 1-0-0 (1.000)
• Ara Parseghian: 1-0-0 (1.000)
• Knute Rockne: 1-0-0 (1.000)
• Lou Holtz: 3-2-0 (.600)
• Brian Kelly: 2-4-0 (.333)

DISCLAIMER

It is completely unfair to compare coaches from different eras because almost all aspects of the game have changed during the past 100 seasons. There are several issues that a head coaches can’t directly control: academic issues, injuries/luck and transfers, to name a few.

However, I undertook this amateur analysis because I believe fans do this sort of “apples-to-waffles” comparison, especially those who look back at the “good old days” with a certain reverence.

LOGISTICS

Notre Dame Stadium has just one gate that isn’t already dedicated to a former coach.

Gate A belongs to Devine; Gate B to Parseghian; Gate C to Leahy; Gate D to Holtz, and the north tunnel to Knute Rockne.

Leahy’s Lads raised funds for a statue of their coach, which was erected in 1997 on the stadium’s east side. A sculpture of a seated Moose Krause, the former coach and athletics director, was added in 1999 outside the Joyce Center.

The university’s Monogram Club expressed interest in erecting statues in honor of all Notre Dame football coaches who won one or more titles. Parseghian’s went up in 2007; Holtz in 2008; Rockne in 2009 and Devine in 2011. All five coaches are also in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Is Brian Kelly a strong candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame if he wins more than 100 games at Notre Dame and close to 300 overall? Absolutely. But, lacking a national championship, I don’t see a vestige of Brian Kelly cast into bronze and placed outside Gate E.

CONCLUSIONS

Flawed as it may be, I compared Brian Kelly and the four legends in 83 statistical categories. I assigned 1 point to the coach who had the most wins, least losses, most ties, best win percentage and so on. The coach in last place in each category received five points. As in golf, the lower the score, the better.

Here are the results:

1. Frank Leahy (1941-43, 1946 to game #1 of 1951): 193 points
2. Knute Rockne (1918 to game #3 of 1926): 195 points, 2 points behind Leahy
3. Ara Parseghian (1964 to mid-1971): 207 points, 12 points behind Rockne
4. Lou Holtz (1986 to game #5 of 1992): 226 points, 19 points behind Parseghian
5. Brian Kelly (2010-2015): 286 points, 60 points behind Holtz

By the metrics I selected, Brian Kelly is unquestionably the least successful coach who has been employed at Notre Dame for at least 78 games. My findings should not be construed as advocating for Kelly’s firing. (I personally believe the opposite; I really like Brian Kelly.) I’d imagine Brian Kelly will be perfectly content with being a good, but not legendary, Notre Dame coach.

LOOKING AHEAD

If Notre Dame is successful this year, they will play either 13 or 14 games. Here’s how each past coach did in games #79-92:

• Knute Rockne: Now coaching in his ninth year (1926), Rockne compiles an 11-2-1 record in a 14 game stretch. His team hands Northwestern and Army their only losses of the 1926 season, and Georgia Tech its only defeat of the 1927 campaign. His team ties an undefeated Minnesota team, 7-7, in 1927 and loses to 19-0 to Carnegie Tech in the penultimate game of the 1926 season and 18-0 to Army in Yankee Stadium the following year. (The team is 11-1-1 in the next 13 games).
• Frank Leahy: Leahy has also begun his ninth year, and there’s some surprising struggles. The ’51 team loses, 27-20, to a Southern Methodist team that will finish the season with a 3-6-1 record. It ties Iowa, 20-20. The Hawkeyes finish the year 2-5-2. Leahy’s Lads are also blown out by #5 Michigan State, who finishes the season undefeated.
  The 1952 campaign is more successful, including wins over #5 Texas and #9 Purdue who, frankly, did not deserve to be ranked that high. Leahy is 9-3-2 in his next 14 games. (The team is 8-3-2 in the next 13 games).
• Ara Parseghian: Parseghian’s 79th game as Notre Dame coach is near the end of his eighth season. He’ll compile a 11-3 record in the next 14 games. In this stretch, Parseghian’s teams plays only three teams that will end the season with a winning record – and lose to two of them (#14 LSU at the end of ’71 and #1 USC near the end of ’72). (The team is 11-2-0 in the next 13 games).
• Lou Holtz: Lou’s done with losing for a while. His ’92 and ’93 teams will go a perfect 14-0 during this stretch, including wins over previously undefeated (and #4 ranked) Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl and then #3 Michigan to open the road slate in 1993. The streak would extend to 17 before being snapped by…yes…Boston College. Notre Dame’s opponents during the 14-game stretch would finish their seasons a combined 75-88 (.460).

—
* As Blue & Gold Illustrated’s Lou Somoygi noted:

“Whether Kelly actually lasts the full six years on the deal is debatable. … Contracts are mainly statements of buyout or compensation for a given number of years. With virtually any college coach, the objective is an ability to publicize that he is under contract at a minimum of four more years in order to “sell” it on the recruiting trail. To believe that it is gospel is naiveté at its finest.”

The post There Will Be No Brian Kelly Statue appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

@isiahhole / Twitter

Lou Holtz, Notre Dame’s legendary and revered Hall of Fame coach, was a featured guest at the University of Michigan’s “Signing of the Stars” event. Holtz had his good reasons for participating, including supporting a charity dedicated to eradicating children’s cancer.

But Lou didn’t go to make jokes at the expense of the Michigan men. He went there AND KISSED THEIR PATOOTIES.

Here is a list of eight times we rolled our eyes, cringed or puked in our mouths when Lou Holtz was praising Michigan football.

8. “I don’t think there’s any doubt – the best is yet to come. If you look at wherever he’s been, it just keeps getting better and better. What a tremendous year. What tremendous leadership. Not only that, he’s been able to bring in great coaches. And he’s given the players great – he has a vision of where he wants to go and a plan of how to get there. He’s done it everywhere he’s been. I’m just glad I wasn’t at Notre Dame when he was at Michigan.”

7. “I’ve known Jim for a long time. Not many people realize – the first game I ever coached against [sic] Notre Dame, we had them beat. He throws a fade route with two minutes to go to end up beating us. And then we played a lot of golf.”

6. “The quarterback is nothing more than the reflection of the head football coach. I’d say to the quarterback: ‘If you and I are on the same page, I don’t care if nobody else on our team shows up. We’ll find a way to win.’ That worked except when we played Michigan.”

5. “You’re putting together the whole complete team. You can’t just do it with one position, etc. Jim’s done a great job of bringing what I think will be a championship team together.”

4. “When you get a pass rush, when you get a big defensive lineman like that, that’s where championships start. And with a great defensive staff you have, they made a wise choice to come here because they’ll be very well coached. And they’ll become better here than had they gone anywhere else.”

3. “If you want to ruin some coaches day, video this whole damn affair you got, including the athletes coming in. Coaches ain’t going to sleep. Plus the number of stars that support Big Blue and the enthusiasm you had in here. I’m glad I wasn’t aware of that when we came up here.”

2. “Let me tell the fact that impressed me the most about this class – the number of signees that you have that are relatives of coaches or relatives of successful players in the past, but are also team captains. You not only have football – when you read this, you have stats – you also have character and integrity.”

1. “I see how excited you are to see those athletes here. But I want you to also realize how excited the family must be. Number one, they got a $200,000 gift to educate. There isn’t going to be any debt when they get out. But more importantly, that’s not a four-year decision. It’s a 40 year decision. It’s the second most important decision you’ll ever make in life. And as a parent to have your son come into this environment with 100,000 people each week, getting a great education, and have a great future, I just think how excited the family has to be.”

The post The Most Unforgivable Things Lou Holtz Said at Michigan Signing Day appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Now, if these young alumni will graduate in 2029, that means they will enroll as freshmen in 2025. While I haven’t any doubt whatsoever that each of these fine, leprechaun-sized scholars will make it to Our Lady’s University, Notre Dame will necessarily be a different school nine years from now. In 1879 we had a pile of charred timbers and blackened bricks; in 1888 we had a Golden Dome. One walk across campus today, and you realize that, as Heraclitus said, you can’t step into the same quad twice.

Thus, let us consider what our beloved Notre Dame will look like when Ms. Allison Silva’s third-graders begin their four-year adventure under the dome in 2025.

*** The bronze statue of Brian Kelly is unveiled outside the southwest tower of StadiumCity. The fifteen storey structure, now renamed the Kelly Tower, appropriately houses the Department of Irish Language and Literature, as well as Westish Dining Hall, the 150-bed McCorquodale Residence Allotment for Men, and part of Grounds-and-Maintenance. Kelly Tower matches the southeast tower of StadiumCity, itself recently renamed Burj Hesburgh. Retired head coach Brian Kelly himself was on-hand for the unveiling ceremony, during which he reminisced about the 2017 Championship Season which, at 17 games, was the longest Notre Dame football season on record.

*** Head Footbal Coach Louis Leo “Skip” Holtz, Jr., praised his predecessor in his own remarks during the event, but reminded Kelly that he – Skip – already has a bronze statue of himself outside StadiumCity, as one of the players standing behind his father Lou. Considering that The Arbiters of Excellence (formerly known as college football playoff selection committee) now require independent football teams to go undefeated for two complete seasons before being granted a playoff berth, there are alumni rumblings that Skip Holtz may have to wait a while to see a statue of his own. Fortunately, proud father Lou Holtz is able to watch all of Skip’s home games from the St. Andre Tower of StadiumCity, which houses the Alumni and Honorary Alumni Retirement Village and Assisted Living Resort and Spa.

*** The statue unveiling and tower christening were presided over by Father George Rozum, C.S.C., now in his fifth year as President of the University of Notre Dame. Commenting on the amazing energy of the spry 86-year-old university leader, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Condoleezza Rice said, “Making Fr. George President was the only way we could get him out of Alumni Hall.” Rozum’s tenure as President of Notre Dame has seen continued growth of the University. The StadiumCity project was completed, making the home of the Fighting Irish the “Biggest, Tallest, Most Complicated” athletic, academic, residential, food-selling, pastoral care, self-sufficient “UniversiPlex” in the country.

*** Fr. Rozum has also tried to bring an end to the vicious cycle of ‘Musical Dorms,’ that began under his predecessor Archbishop John Jenkins, C.S.C.. This seemingly never-ending shuffling of student populations around the campus began with the opening of two new residence halls on Dragon Quad (so named because its remote location prompted campus map illustrators to write “Here be Dragons” to mark the site). The men’s dorm, Hesburgh Hall – affectionately called Teddy by residents who don’t want people to think they live in the library – sits next to New Pangborn Hall, which was filled with residents of the dorm previously named Pangborn in the original cultural experiment. The old Pangborn was renamed Pothole Hall, since anything would fill it. First Walsh and then Badin women were moved into the Pothole during major renovations; but the whole system broke down when the Morrissey men were scheduled to spend a year in the ‘Hole. When work began on the “Manor,” a construction worker removed a transom over a door and the whole structure nearly collapsed in a steaming heap. It has taken an international team of architects and engineers, a Novena-marathon in Sacred Heart, and roughly $14.5 million to save Morrissey, but Fr. Rozum hopes to reopen the hall next year. In the meantime, the Manor-Tent-Camp continues to occupy the remains of the Burke Golf Course, while the men of Zahm have moved into Pothole Hall (now without windows, because of the stench). When Fr. Rozum exempted Alumni Hall residents from having to move anywhere, Dillon seceded from the University and posted armed guards, prompting the administration to treat Dillon like Carroll and ignore it completely.

*** All of this barely controlled chaos is to be settled by the start of next year, in preparation for the visit of Pope Leo XIV, Class of 1981. The former Charles Cardinal Brown, previously the Nuncio to Ireland and Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education, is a loyal son of Notre Dame, and also the first American Pope (though that is only of mild interest to the alumni). He will visit his Alma Mater in 2026, and will say Mass in StadiumCity, further consecrating the already hallowed ground. Much of this landmark event has been organized my University President-Emeritus Archbishop John Jenkins, now in charge of the Pontifical Council for Economic Expansion, also known as “Vati-Development.” Pope Leo will dedicate the new glass dome on the basketball arena with the help of Muffet McGraw and Mike Brey, two of the longest serving coaches in Notre Dame history. McGraw has vowed to coach until she wins her fourth National Championship; and though Brey has found his way to two Final-Fours and two Championships, he has stated repeatedly that he will not retire until he finds a fetching necktie.

*** As much as things have changed, much has stayed the same. The University remains a premier institution of higher education and a powerful force for good; the Dome still reflects both the sunlight and the hopes and dreams of millions; voices raised in prayer have never ceased to echo from the Grotto;  snow remains possible from October to April; parietals are still in force; and Notre Dame is always Our Mother.

That is just a guess at what Our Lady’s University will look like in 2025, when the young men and women of Ms. Silva’s class enroll. But don’t ask me what Notre Dame will look like by the time they graduate in 2029 – that’s four whole years later.

EFS CSC

Post-Script: The football game played on the weekend of the Kelly statue dedication saw the Irish defeat the Michigan Wolverines by the unusual score of 37-0, when Coach Holtz successfully went for three after the fifth touchdown.

Padre’s book Father Sorin Says: The Founder Comments on Today’s Notre Dame is available from the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore and Amazon. A gift for loyal students, alumni, and friends of the University – a punishment for fans of all other teams.

The post Good Fridays w/Padre: 2025 A.D. appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Courtesy of ESPN

This entry is part of Her Loyal Sons’ continuing Fiesta Bowl preview series: Defensive preview, Ezekiel Elliott accident, Costume Gameday, offensive preview, Injured Irish returning, comprehensive bowl overview. Today, we examine the coaches.

By almost all metrics, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer has had a more successful career recently than Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly. Let’s compare:

HEAD-TO-HEAD (ON THE FIELD)

Kelly and Meyer have never faced each other. The pair were on a collision course to the 2010 Sugar Bowl, with Kelly’s Cincinnati squad emerging as a undefeated Group of 5 powerhouse and Meyer’s team blemished only by a loss to #2 Alabama in the SEC title game. Kelly scuttled those plans, however, when he left the university to accept the job at Notre Dame. Meyer’s Florida squad dismantled the Bearcats, 51-24. Jeff Quinn, now an offensive analyst for Notre Dame, replaced Kelly as Cincinnati’s coach that day.

CURIOUS CONNECTIONS

@CoachBrianKelly/Twitter

Meyer announced an indefinite hiatus from coaching before the Sugar Bowl, citing health and family reasons. (Kelly reached out to the departing coach after he was hospitalized.) During that break – and under the auspices of Kelly at Notre Dame – Meyer was the featured presenter at the university’s football coaches clinic.

Meyer had strong ties to the university, having once served as an assistant under both former Irish coaches Lou Holtz and Bob Davie. Then-athletic director Kevin White had a meeting with Meyer to discuss the Irish’s head coaching vacancy after Ty Willingham’s dismissal, but Meyer had already made up his mind to coach at Florida for “family reasons.”

As recently as 2008, Meyer still considered being Notre Dame’s head coach to be his “dream job.” Although never officially confirmed, Meyer allegedly asked Notre Dame to consider relaxing academic requirements so that he could recruit better players.

Meyer also holds strong ties to Cincinnati, where Kelly coached before Notre Dame. It’s his alma mater. It’s his father’s alma mater. He met his wife there. His sister, Gigi Escoe, is vice president of undergraduate affairs. Meyer even attended practices at Cincinnati while Kelly was coaching there.

Four of Meyer’s current coaching staff have worked previously for Kelly.

Kelly knows that he coaches in the shadow of Meyer, as some Irish fans wonder what could have been. He even joked about it, in a press conference soon after the bowl pairing was announced:

We’re going to wrestle, arm wrestle before the game, and whoever wins gets the Notre Dame job. No, I mean, I think that’s just great talk for the fans, and Urban is a great coach. Who knows; I’m not going to be here forever. Maybe he’ll get a chance one day to coach at Notre Dame if that’s what he wants.

JUST WIN, BABY

Here’s a welcome coincidence for comparison purposes: Urban Meyer and Brian Kelly have coached 77 games against FBS-level opponents in their last six years of coaching. For Kelly, this encompasses his entire tenure at Notre Dame. For Meyer, it’s his last two seasons at Florida and his first four at Ohio State.

Urban Meyer is a more successful coach than Brian Kelly in that 77 game stretch.

Urban Meyer teams scored more points than Brian Kelly teams in that period.

Urban Meyer teams won more games against ranked opponents than Brian Kelly teams in that time.

Urban Meyer teams won more big games than Brian Kelly teams.

Ranked vs. Opp Ranked
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Vs. Teams Over .500
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Via ESPN

But as Lou Holtz is fond of saying, “You don’t have to be the best team in the country. But we do have to be the best team in the stadium today.”

Kelly does have one statistical advantage. He’s 12-3 in games played on neutral sites, while Meyer is just 8-3. That’s a bit misleading. Kelly’s neutral site games were mostly against Navy and underwhelming competition in the Shamrock Series. Meyer’s teams were playing for conference titles, big bowl wins and national championships.

HEAD-TO-HEAD (OFF FIELD)

(Photo via @NDfootball)

Brian Kelly’s student-athletes are more successful in the classroom than Urban Meyer’s, although Meyer has been trending up.

In the early 2000s, the NCAA created the Graduation Success Rate for Division I colleges. Here’s a quick explanation before we get to the numbers:

The GSR holds colleges accountable for those student-athletes who transfer into their school. Second, the GSR does not penalize colleges whose student-athletes transfer in good academic standing.  Essentially, those student-athletes are moved into another college’s cohort.

Meyer’s Florida team from 2009-10 scored a 67, while his 2010-11 team scored a 76. At Ohio State, he’s logged GSRs of 75, 78 and 81.

Kelly’s team remains among the standard bearers for successful student-athletes. Since 2010-11, Kelly’s teams have scored 97, 97, 93, 94 and 93.

***

Since Meyer joined Ohio State on Nov. 28, 2011, he and Kelly have battled repeatedly for prized midwest recruits.

In total, 77 student-athletes held offers from both Ohio State & Notre Dame and ultimately chose one of those two schools. (My data is collected from Scout.com.)

Urban Meyer and his recruiting team have won 43 head-to-head battles, while Brian Kelly and his staff have prevailed in 34 contests. Winning a national championship has certainly helped: Meyer has landed 13 commits who also held a Notre Dame offer since taking the trophy; Kelly has landed 8 in the same time period.

Meyer’s big splash in his return to coaching also convinced many high schoolers to sign on the dotted line. Ohio State won 9 consecutive recruits against Notre Dame between December 2011 and February 2012. (The player to break that streak – Davonte’ Neal – is no longer with the Irish.)

Notre Dame’s best run against Ohio State was 5, which occurred between April 2012 (Mike Heuerman) and January 2013 (Max Redfield). It’s likely no coincidence that this was also the time the Irish made its bid for the championship.

Ohio State has done an excellent job of keeping talent in state, landing 20 commits that also held competing offers from Notre Dame. Notre Dame has just six commits from Ohio who also had Buckeye scholarship offers.

Notre Dame and Ohio State have each grabbed five recruits from Florida, Meyer’s old stomping grounds and three each from Michigan, which borders both universities’ homes. Notre Dame has dominated Illinois, picking up four recruits to Ohio State’s one. The Irish also lead in their home state of Indiana, two recruits (Jaylon Smith & Josh Barajas) to one (Austin Mack).

Ohio State has grabbed five 5-star talents to Notre Dame’s 2. The Buckeyes also attract more 4-star talent: 38 commits with competing Notre Dame offers to the Irish’s 29.

The post Urban Meyer Better Than Brian Kelly In Most Ways appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

It’s completely unfair to compare coaches from different eras because of the college game has evolved in the past 80 seasons. There’s also several issues that are beyond the head coaches’ control: academic issues, injuries and transfers to name a few.

However, I’m going to do it to provide an additional perspective on Brian Kelly’s tenure (Bayou Irish kicked off the discussion Wednesday) and because I believe fans do this sort of “apples-to-waffles” comparison anyway.

I’ll be comparing Kelly, Dan Devine, Lou Holtz, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Knute Rockne through their first 65 games in a multitude of categories. Kelly, as I’ll prove, consistently fares poorly in a comparison to these legendary coaches.

JUST WIN, BABY

Fans and alums want nothing more than for their football team to win.

While Brian Kelly was 3 wins off Lou Holtz’s pace before the 2014 season started, he finished 5 behind after posting an 8-5

Picture courtesy of Robert Pernett (via Flickr)

record. I’m skeptical that Kelly can ever overtake Holtz. Lou went 9-3-1 in games #66-78 – which would be the equivalent of a 12-game regular season and a bowl game in the upcoming season for Kelly. Then Holtz won his next 17 in a row before the team lost to Boston College in 1993.

TOUGHER SCHEDULE

For all the talk about Notre Dame being “too chicken” to play Michigan or other opponents perceived as “tough,” Kelly has faced the second-hardest schedule among his predecessors through 65 games.

Ara Parseghian’s 52-9-4 record is certainly commendable, but its impressiveness is surely dulled by the fact that he was beating a lot of bad teams.

BIG GAME BRIAN? NOT QUITE.

There is perhaps no bigger obsession for fans than analyzing Notre Dame’s place in the standings. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Knute Rockne falls to the bottom of this list because AP rankings didn’t exist when he was coach.

Kelly is 9-9 against ranked opponents and 5-7 (.417) when Notre Dame and its opponent are both in the AP’s top 25.

DAVID VS. GOLIATH

My experience with Notre Dame fans is that they never like losses. But, if the team has to lose, it better be against a good team. Simply put, our team should make easy work of inferior opponents. And when that doesn’t happen: That’s when they want to put the coach on the hot seat.

Brian Kelly’s 17-3 record when his team is ranked and his opponent is unranked would be commendable, if not for the fact that the fan base tends to remember those three losses vividly (South Florida in 2011, Pittsburgh in 2013 and, of course, Northwestern last year).

Kelly is 18-8 (.692) when both his team and his opponent are unranked at game time, which is also last among the six coaches we’re examining.

BAD LOSSES

Ugh. There is simply no excuse to lose to a team than cannot finish its season with a winning record. Notre Dame has several advantages in recruiting, training and coaching. It simply should not be outclassed by a terrible opponent on Saturday.

Ara Parseghian was a perfect 35-0 against teams that ended their season with a losing record through his first 65 games as coach. Frank Leahy was 28-0 and Rockne was 18-0-1. Kelly ranks last, with a 17-2 (.895) record. Those “bad losses” were to two teams that would finish their seasons 5-7: South Florida in 2011 and Northwestern last year.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE

A win at Notre Dame Stadium is a perfect capper to a great fall weekend in South Bend. The thinking goes: No one should come to our house and push us around.

Kelly is 23-8 at Notre Dame Stadium, which almost exactly mirrors Dan Devine’s home record through 65 games. It still puts him last on this list.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Photo courtesy of OSU Special Collections & Archives (via Flickr)

It’s admittedly also satisfying to steal a win in someone else’s place, although my experience with the fan base is that they tend to value home wins more. Kelly’s 11-9 record in games played at the opponent’s home stadium is not very impressive. (He’s 11-3 in games played at neutral sites.)

STOMP ON THEIR THROATS

I’ve been a fan of Notre Dame football for more than 25 years now. I can’t recall many instances where Notre Dame just absolutely blew the doors off an opponent. I can recall many instances where we as fans pleaded with Notre Dame to curb-stomp a team. It just doesn’t happen a lot. Here’s the scoring differential in each coaches’ first 65 games.

Ara Parseghian was whooping on opponents. Knute Rockne was annihilating opponents. Frank Leahy was destroying opponents. Brian Kelly? At a touchdown differential per game, his teams are just not running away from people. (I recognize this is an imperfect stat to draw the conclusion I’m making, but the data backs it up.)

IT’S STILL A SUCCESSFUL SEASON IF WE BEAT USC

Beating a historical rival is a feel-good elixir for many of us. I studied six historical opponents – most are considered rivals; a few are not.

Here’s how each coach is doing through 65 games, with the caveat that our coach has no control over the ultimate successes or failures of other institutions during certain eras:

vs. USC

• Lou Holtz: 5-0-0 (1.000)
• Frank Leahy: 4-0-1 (.900)
• Brian Kelly: 3-2-0 (.600)
• Ara Parseghian: 2-2-2 (.500)
• Dan Devine: 1-4-0 (.200)
• Knute Rockne: n/a

vs. MICHIGAN

• Lou Holtz: 4-2-0 (.667)
• Dan Devine: 2-1-0 (.667)
• Frank Leahy: 1-1-0 (.500)
• Brian Kelly: 2-3-0 (.400)
• Ara Parseghian & Knute Rockne: n/a

vs. MICHIGAN ST.

• Frank Leahy: 2-0-0 (1.000)
• Lou Holtz: 5-1-0 (.833)
• Dan Devine: 5-1-0 (.833)
• Brian Kelly: 3-1-0 (.750)
• Knute Rockne: 3-1-0 (.750)
• Ara Parseghian: 4-2-1 (.643)

vs. NAVY

• Lou Holtz: 5-0-0 (1.000)
• Frank Leahy: 7-0-0 (1.000)
• Ara Parseghian: 6-0-0 (1.000)
• Dan Devine: 6-0-0 (1.000)
• Brian Kelly: 4-1-0 (.800)
• Knute Rockne: n/a

vs. PURDUE

• Lou Holtz: 6-0-0 (1.000)
• Frank Leahy: 4-0-0 (1.000)
• Brian Kelly: 5-0-0 (1.000)
• Ara Parseghian: 3-4-0 (.429)
• Dan Devine: 5-1-0 (.833)
• Knute Rockne: 6-0-0 (1.000)

vs. STANFORD

• Frank Leahy: 1-0-0 (1.000)
• Ara Parseghian: 1-0-0 (1.000)
• Knute Rockne: 1-0-0 (1.000)
• Lou Holtz: 3-1-0 (.750)
• Brian Kelly: 2-3-0 (.400)
• Dan Devine: n/a

CONCLUSIONS

I’ve acknowledged that this sort of comparison is greatly flawed because of the evolution of college football. However, I went forward and compared these coaches in 83 statistical categories. I assigned 1 point to the coach who had the most wins, least losses, most ties, best win percentage and so on. The coach in last place in these categories received six points. Like golf, the lower the score, the better. Here are the final results:

1. Frank Leahy: 172 points
2. Knute Rockne: 211 points, 39 behind leader
3. Ara Parseghian: 228 points, 56 behind leader
4. Dan Devine: 259 points, 87 behind leader
   4(t). Lou Holtz: 259 points, 87 behind leader
   6. Brian Kelly: 329 points, 157 behind leader

By the metrics I selected, Brian Kelly is least successful coach who has been employed for 65 games or more. My findings should not be construed as advocating for Kelly’s firing. (I personally believe the opposite; I really like Brian Kelly.) Instead, the only conclusion I can safely make is: They’re not putting a statue of Brian Kelly outside Notre Dame Stadium when he retires.

I’d imagine Brian Kelly is perfectly content with being a good, but not legendary, Notre Dame coach.

LOOKING FORWARD

If Notre Dame is successful in 2015, they’ll be invited to a bowl game, which would be their 13^th contest. Here’s how each of Kelly’s five peers did in games #66-#78.

• Knute Rockne: Rock starts the 1925 season with wins over Baylor, Lombard and Beloit, before a decisive loss to Army in Yankee Stadium. He’ll finish 1925 at 7-2-1. His first three games of the 1926 season are all wins, bringing his record in this 13-game period to 10-2-1.
• Frank Leahy: Leahy’s team is #1 by game #66, which occurs during the last half of the 1949 season. He beats Iowa and USC at home and SMU on the road. His team is again ranked #1 heading into the 1950 season, but falls to Purdue in its second game. By the end of a disappointing 4-4-1 season, the Fighting Irish are unranked. Leahy’s squad, ranked #14 in the pre-season of 1951, wins its home opener against Indiana. His record in this 13-game stretch is 8-4-1.
• Ara Parseghian: Ara’s 66^th game as head coach pits the #3 Fighting Irish against #18 Missouri. It’s a decisive three-touchdown win on the road, followed by wins against Navy (in Philadelphia), Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and LSU. An end-of-season loss to unranked USC spoils a perfect season, but the #6 ranked Irish beat top ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Ara opens the 1971 season with a #2 ranking and five straight wins, but drops the sixth game to an unranked USC team (again!). His record during this 13-game period is 11-2-0.
• Dan Devine: It’s the end of the road for Devine, who will coach just 5 more games in his Notre Dame career. He finishes with a 2-2-1 record, including wins over Alabama and Air Force and losses to USC and a Herschel Walker-led Georgia team in the 1981 Sugar Bowl.
• Lou Holtz: As previously mentioned, Lou compiles a 9-3-1 record during his 13-game stretch that starts in mid-1991 with wins against #12 Pittsburgh, Air Force, USC, Navy, Hawaii and #3 Florida in the Sugar Bowl. His #3 ranked Irish tie #6 Michigan the following year and lose to #18 Stanford at home.

The post Let’s Give ‘Em Something To Talk About: Notre Dame Coaches at 65 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.