Tag: Knute Rockne

Notre Dame Football: All-Time Losingest Coaches

The program has lost more than 300 times in its history. So which coaches are responsible for most of those?

Notre Dame has a long football history that fans nationwide flock to.  “Win one for the Gipper”, the Four Horsemen, and the “Play Like a Champion Today” sign are all parts of Fighting Irish lore.  In that long football history that has been played at the university since an 8-0 loss to Michigan in November of 1887, it hasn’t always been national championships and 10-win seasons.

In fact, Notre Dame has lost a total of 330 times in the more than 13 decades they’ve been playing football.  We know which coaches won the most of those games as Brian Kelly set that record before leaving in 2021.  But who has lost the most as Notre Dame’s head coach?

Marcus Freeman isn’t there – yet – but with five in 13 career games he’s already in the top 16.

We went ahead and listed the the top 13 in program history as that’s how many have lost double-digit games at Notre Dame.  Here they are, the all-time losingest coaches at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame football: History of Notre Dame clues on ‘Jeopardy!’

Post how many you got right in the comments.

It has been established more than once on this site that I am fanatical about game shows. With Notre Dame athletics on hiatus until fall save for the track team at the NCAA championships, I have time to try ideas I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. One of them was planted in my head after our own Nick Shepkowski reported on a “Jeopardy!” category that was about ACC schools. I’ve decided to take that idea and narrow the focus to “Jeopardy!” clues about Notre Dame.

Using the site J-Archive, which has records of nearly every game during the show’s current run, I have come across several Notre Dame clues. Many of them were repeats because that’s what happens when you’ve been on for 39 years. However, I feel like I’ve compiled a diverse list of clues that you should be able to respond to if you have even a basic knowledge of Notre Dame, particularly the football program. Check the end of this list for the correct responses:

Memorial Day: The story of Notre Dame’s Jack Chevigny

Take a moment and remember an American hero and great Notre Dame man this Memorial Day.

When you hear the name [autotag]Jack Chevingny[/autotag] what comes to mind?

I’ll be honest, it wasn’t until not long ago that literally, nothing did for me.  I hadn’t heard of him, didn’t know who he was or why he was important.  But on Memorial Day it feels like the right time to share his story.

Chevigny was a favorite of [autotag]Knute Rockne[/autotag], a blocker for the Four Horseman, and screamed “That one is for the Gipper!” upon crossing the goal line and tying the legendary 1928 game with Army.

After college, he was Rockne’s right-hand man, believed to be the heir apparent of the legend but a feud between himself and Hunk Anderson caused Chevigny to depart the Irish staff at just 24 years old.  The star coach in the making that left Notre Dame and became the head coach of the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals and eventually the University of Texas Longhorns, where’d he lead Texas to an upset victory at Notre Dame Stadium in 1934.

Those feats alone would make him a legend compared to most of us, but where it ultimately mattered he was even more heroic.

After resigning from the Longhorns job Chevigny found employment as a deputy attorney general in Texas before working on the legal side for a friend’s oil business in Southern Illinois.

Chevigny tried to volunteer his services when the United States entered World War II but was turned away because of a knee injury he sustained while playing football at Notre Dame.  As the war wore on though the restrictions became more relaxed and Chevigny reported for duty late in 1943 at 36 years old.

Chevigny opted to be where the action was, asking to serve in the Pacific theater.  Ultimately those requests were answered as he was one of 26,000 United States Marines lost on Iwo Jima.

Jack Chevigny was a star and folk hero in his football career but what he did away from football made him a true American hero.

For more information on Jack Chevigny:
The Last Chalkline: The Life & Times of Jack Chevigny
“One More for the Gipper” – Nov. 11, 2014

Knute Rockne, American Icon

To learn more about Knute Rockne, visit the Knute Rockne Memorial Society page at rocknesociety.org. #NotreDame #USC

USC-Notre Dame is as American as apple pie.

Knute Rockne, more than any other man, gave rise to the Notre Dame-USC rivalry. Interestingly enough, he was courted vigorously by USC in the mid-1920s, but he was still under contract at Notre Dame, so a possible deal to become USC’s new head coach did not get finalized. Rockne stayed at Notre Dame. Howard Jones became USC’s head coach and the man who, with Rockne, launched the Irish-Trojan rivalry which has meant so much to college football over the past 96 years, and which is always a great rivalry when both teams are at or close to their peak.

This year’s game will bring back some of the flavor of Notre Dame-USC.

We talked to Jim Lefebvre, the director of the Knute Rockne Memorial Society, about Rockne and his legend and the USC deal which almost was. The Rockne Society will have its annual Spirit of Sports Awards Celebration this Friday, Nov. 25, at the Center at Cathedral Plaza on 555 West Temple Street in Los Angeles. The festivities begin at 11 a.m.

Here is our podcast with Jim Lefebvre:

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Creator of the USC-Notre Dame rivalry will be remembered Friday in Los Angeles

Friday in L.A., one day before #USC vs #NotreDame, a special event will recognize Knute Rockne, who started the ND-SC rivalry and so much more.

Knute Rockne and Howard Jones launched the Notre Dame-USC football rivalry, arranging the game in 1926 which gave birth to one of the most special college football rivalries of all time.

USC-Notre Dame hasn’t been nationally relevant on both sides for most of the past 15 years. There were a few years in the early part of the century (2002-2006) when the rivalry had some significant games, but the vast majority of ND-SC games over the past 30 years have not been mega-events.

This 2022 game comes close, but with Notre Dame at 8-3, the Irish are spoilers more than title contenders.

We can say the game is a bigger deal than in the recent past, but it sure isn’t 2005, either. We can also say that if Notre Dame and USC play with both teams in the national title hunt, few college football games pop with significance and meaning more than this one.

Knute Rockne created this rivalry with Jones nearly 100 years ago. The coaches of Notre Dame and USC gave rise to something special.

This is part of why the Knute Rockne Memorial Society is bringing its awards celebration to Los Angeles this Friday. Learn about this event. You might want to attend and learn more about a part of Notre Dame-USC history:

Some of my favorite moments from ‘We Are Marshall’

Some clips from an inspiring movie

Notre Dame has “Knute Rockne, All American” and “Rudy” to be associated with. The Irish’s upcoming opponent, Marshall, has “We Are Marshall”, which was born out of circumstances far more tragic than those of a legendary coach or an inspiring walk-on. This movie deals with the aftermath of the plane crash that killed nearly every player and coach for the 1970 Herd. The effort to rebuild the program makes you get behind it.

I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of my favorite football movies. I guess I’m just a sucker for these feel-good movies, even if this one doesn’t happen against the best backdrop. After all, this isn’t something anyone in their right mind would wish on any community.

With the Irish and Herd about to have their first meeting, I thought this would be a good time to look at a few memorable moments from the flick:

Notre Dame star tight end not fearful of Ohio Stadium

Calm, cool, and collected.

It’s guaranteed to be one of the craziest crowds the entire 2022 college football season should see on Saturday, Sept. 3 when No. 2 Ohio State hosts No. 5 Notre Dame, but Fighting Irish tight end [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] doesn’t think he’ll be phased entering the Horseshoe.

“I don’t think it’s any different than the other stadiums we’re going to be playing in this year. To me, it’s like, ‘home game, away game, just go play football.’ I’m not worried about it.”

-Michael Mayer on August 24, 2022

Mayer met the media after Notre Dame’s fall camp session on Wednesday and delivered that.  Some will get out there and call it bulletin board material but can we all be adults here and admit that if you need some kind of bulletin board material or [autotag]Knute Rockne[/autotag] styled pep-talk before a game like this, that big-time college football probably isn’t for you?

I love that Mayer said it, now I just hope he and the rest of Freeman’s squad go and back that up in just under 10 days.

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Sneak peak of new turf at Notre Dame Stadium tweeted

Think you’ll like this?

The 2022 season is coming, but not fast enough. We know you want to see the field at Notre Dame Stadium sooner rather than later, either in person or on TV. Well, when the season does arrive, the field might look a little different than it has recently. If this tweet from Matt Freeman of Irish Sports Daily is to be believed, new turf has been put down:

If there is anyone out there who somehow believed that Notre Dame Stadium has had the exact same playing surface since [autotag]Knute Rockne[/autotag] coached there, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

All joking aside, it’s nice to see this happen and also appropriate given that [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is about to coach his first full season. There’s just something about symbolism in sports that makes all of it more romantic. If you can’t find the beauty in that, maybe it’s time to find a new hobby.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame football: Ara Parseghian through the years

With there being 95 days until Notre Dame starts the 2022 season we take a look back at a legend who won 95 games as Notre Dame’s head football coach.

There are 95 days until Notre Dame opens the 2022 college football season at Ohio State and today we continue the countdown with a look back at [autotag]Ara Parseghian[/autotag] through the years as the legendary head coach won 95 games during his time with the Irish.

Notre Dame football was a shell of itself when it hired [autotag]Ara Parseghian[/autotag] following the 1963 season.  That year the Irish went just 2-7 under Hugh Devore and were seemingly light years away from the perennial national championship contender they once were.

Hired that year was Northwestern head coach Ara Parseghian who went 36-35-1 with the Wildcats which may not seem all that impressive but by comparison the program was just 7-28-2 in the four seasons before his hiring.  Parseghian also went 4-0 against Notre Dame in that time which certainly left an impact on the brass in South Bend.

1964 saw Parseghian lead an incredible turnaround as the Irish went 9-1 and were just minutes away from clinching a national championship before giving up a late touchdown at USC in the season’s final game.  Quarterback John Huarte was still named the Heisman Trophy winner that year and only Tim Brown has won a Heisman at Notre Dame since.

Parseghian would get his first of two titles in 1966 after running out the clock at Michigan State in the famed 10-10 tie.  Just how good was that ’66 team?  They pitched six shutouts in 10 games, had just two games finish within a 23 point margin, and four of those 10 games came against teams ranked in the top 10.

1973 was the second of Parseghian’s national titles with the Irish, culminating in a 24-23 thriller over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, his first of two wins against Paul “Bear” Bryant and the Crimson Tide, the second being Ara’s final game as Notre Dame’s head coach, as the Irish beat Alabama to cap the 1974 season in the Orange Bowl.

Parseghian finished his Notre Dame career with 95 victories which trailed only [autotag]Knute Rockne[/autotag] at the time of his retirement, although [autotag]Lou Holtz[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] have both passed Ara since.

One of the best to ever do it at Notre Dame and the key in turning around a program that was on the brink of irrelevance, Parseghian was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

Take a look back at Parseghian through the years below:

Did the mob bomb Knute Rockne’s plane?

Yes or no?

I feel like I’m a very passionate Notre Dame fan and know a lot more than just the current day stories.  It was as much the history and mystic of the football program that drew me in as a fan in the early-nineties as it was [autotag]Lou Holtz[/autotag]’s teams competing for national championships.

From the [autotag]Four Horsemen[/autotag] to [autotag]Frank Leahy[/autotag], [autotag]Ara Parseghian[/autotag], and [autotag]Rocket Ismail[/autotag], I thought I had heard and at least been aware of everything major in Notre Dame’s football history.  I certainly realized I was wrong semi-recently in regards to the man most responsible for Notre Dame football being what it is today, and how that man died.

Or at least a belief some hold about that.

I’m talking about the most notable head coach in college football history of course, [autotag]Knute Rockne[/autotag], and the belief that the mob was responsible for the plane crash that took his life.

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