Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1007651
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2018 5 FAN FORUM FOR PETE'S SAKE! After reading Lou Somogyi's arti‑ cle "Heir to a Tradition" in the June/ July edition on quarterback recruit Phil Jurkovec's basketball talents, I immediately thought of Pete Holo‑ han from Liverpool, N.Y. Pete was the first player in New York state history to be named first team in football and basketball. Pete was recruited as a quarterback, but he be‑ came a wingback for Dan Devine on the 1978‑80 Notre Dame teams, catch‑ ing 63 passes for 983 yards in his career, a 15.6‑yard average with two touch‑ downs — plus the game‑ winning two‑point con‑ version in the 18‑17 win versus South Carolina in 1979. (In that same game, he completed a 47‑yard pass off a reverse.) He then went on to the NFL and as a tight end he caught 363 passes for 3,981 yards and 16 touchdowns in his 12‑year career with four teams. On the basketball side, I understand he was among a group of players who used to scrim‑ mage Digger Phelps' team. At one time, Digger was supposed to have said that had Pete devoted himself to basketball, he would have been a two‑ year starter for the Irish. Go Irish! Richard T. McKenna Sherrill, N.Y. Mr. McKenna, Holohan was one of six quarterback recruits in the 1977 class that included two Parade All-Ameri- cans in Mike Courey and Tim Koegel. Holohan was the No. 3 quarterback for the Irish JV team as a freshman in 1977 before starting at flanker the next season. LADY JUSTICE I liked Mr. Welch's suggestion in the June/July issue for the Victory March to now say, "While her loyal sons and daughters march on to victory." As to BGI's concern about the rhythm/words challenge for the opening line, why not simply substi‑ tute the word "all" for "sons." Instead of "Rally sons of Notre Dame," it can be "Rally all for Notre Dame." Problem solved — gender neutral, all‑inclusive Notre Dame Victory March! Thanks to all at BGI for the con‑ tinuing excellence in coverage of Notre Dame athletics. Wayne LeSage Paoli, Pa. Mr. LeSage, well done. We second your suggestion. ALL 'OVER' AGAIN On page 11 of the June/ July issue, in the "By the Numbers," you note that Vegas odds put Notre Dame's win total at 9.5 (for the regular season). You then state that if the Irish go 9‑3 and you bet the under you would lose. That is not correct. You would, in fact, win in that scenario. Tom Derengoski Lansing, Mich. Mr. Derengoski, the moral of the story is don't gamble with us. Thank you for the correction. FROM THE WEBSITE In the 68 football seasons since 1950, Notre Dame has finished a regular season unscathed (no loss or tie) only three times: 1973 (10-0), 1988 (11-0) and 2012 (12-0). That is an average of once per approximately every 23 years. So a hypothetical that was put out in July on BlueandGold.com is choosing the following two situations as a better potential College Football Playoff option for Notre Dame. Here is a small sample. Patrick1010: Let's say you could guarantee 1 of 2 things: 1: Win 2 of the 3 'big' games (Michigan, Stanford, USC) 2: Win AT LEAST 8 of the other 9 (Ball State, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Navy, North- western, Florida State, Syracuse) Big-game wins, or a guaranteed 8 of 9 (leaves door open for 9 of 9) in the week-to-week grind of our schedule? Chamgel: Give me 2 wins in our 3 biggest games and I like our chances the rest of the way. Bcnd: I'll take the minimum 8 for 9, which likely ends up at 9 for 9. There's a good chance ND takes all 3 "big games," so agreeing to 2 for 3 may hurt them. Jbm19: Boy, everybody is forgetting Florida State. I know it's home in November — and I hope it's 30 degrees and spitting snow. Littlearmy84: #1. We need wins on the résumé that actually count. If we lose to a good team the play- off committee will view it as a situation in which ND lacks the talent/team to win against the big boys. We drop a random game but win all the "big" games, we have a better playoff argument in my opinion. 4Simm: Take the 2-1 vs. the toughest three. Brian Kelly has consistently shown those are the games he loses. If he beats Michigan and Stanford and runs the table in September, it bodes well for the postseason. Bigteve79: If BrandonWimbush takes to the challenge of becoming a better passer, the two toughest games could well be Stanford and FSU. USC and Michigan are both talented but aren't led by experi- enced top-flight QBs. The talent of the '18 team and a schedule that doesn't have any "Goliath" teams could end really well if the mental attitude of the Irish is what it needs to be. It's early, and I hope. BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Blue & Gold Illustrated / Letters P. O. Box 1007, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Suggestions about the Notre Dame Victory March becoming more gender inclusive have picked up some momentum among our readers. This includes, "While her loyal sons and daughters march on to victory." PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA