Photos of Mike Brey through the years

Hopefully, this are what you think of when you think of the Irish coach.

[autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] established his legacy at Notre Dame a long time ago. From being named national coach of the year to making back-to-back Elite Eights to passing [autotag]Digger Phelps[/autotag] as the Irish’s winningest coach, the list of accolades is an impressive one. However, there have been too few positives for the program lately, and even he has started to doubt his effectiveness. We don’t know for sure if that factored into his decision to retire at the end of the season, but that decision has been made either way.

While many Irish fans are happy to see a new voice in charge on the horizon, they shouldn’t forget all the good Brey has brought to South Bend. You don’t achieve everything he did by chance. It takes real coaching ability to hold a job like this for as long as he has. Whatever you think of the job he’s done lately, Notre Dame won’t be the same without him.

Before Brey inevitably takes his rightful place in the Purcell Pavilion Ring of Honor, here are some of the best images of him as Irish coach over the years: