Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 AUGUST 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME U.S. Senior Open To Be Held At Notre Dame Former Notre Dame football greats Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis — both enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8, 2015 — have been named honorary chairmen of the 40th U.S. Senior Open Championship. The United States Golf Association will conduct the U.S. Senior Open on The Warren Course on the campus of Notre Dame June 27-30, 2019. In 1987, Brown became the seventh Notre Dame player and the first wide receiver to earn the Heisman. He was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009. Bettis starred at fullback for the Irish from 1990-92 and then played for 13 years in the NFL, highlighted by helping the Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XL in 2006. The Warren Course at Notre Dame will be the first collegiate facility to host a U.S. Senior Open. Tickets are now on sale at 2019ussenioropen.com/tickets/. DAVE MITCHELL: 1958-2018 Dave Mitchell, a vital reserve fullback for the 1977 national champions who has worked at South Bend Memorial Hospital the past 32 years as a re- spiratory therapist, passed away May 31 at age 59 following a brief illness. Sidelined as a freshman in 1976 with a knee injury, the Phoenix native and a fellow third-team player, quarterback Joe Montana (also injured in 1976), came to the rescue in 1977. Favored to win the 1977 national title, the Irish offense sputtered out of the gate, losing 20-13 at Mississippi in game two and trailing Purdue 24-14 at the start of the fourth quarter the following week. Injuries and the need for a spark resulted in Mitchell and Montana getting inserted. Montana completed 9 of 14 passes for 154 yards with a score, and Mitchell remained in the backfield — tallying the game-winning touchdown with 1:08 re- maining on a five-yard run for a 31-24 victory. The next week against a stout Michigan State defense, Mitchell rushed for what would be a career-high 91 yards and scored the game's lone touchdown on a nine-yard run in the hard-fought 16-6 win. Mitchell would be the blocking back for Jerome Heavens the next week when he rushed for a school-record 200 yards in a 24-0 win versus a 7-4 Army team, and then in the famous "Green Jersey Game," a 49-19 trouncing of No. 5 USC, Mitchell opened the scoring with a four-yard run. He fin- ished the season as the third-leading rusher with 303 yards and four touchdowns, plus he caught 10 passes for 106 yards before injuries later truncated his career. After graduating with an economics degree, Mitchell entered the world of finance and taught at the Baylor School for Boys in Chattanooga, Tenn., but then decided to attend Bio Systems School for Respiratory Therapists in his native Phoenix before returning to Memorial and marrying his wife of 32 years, the former Dorothy L. Allen, with whom he raised a son and daughter. The two also were the owners of Mitchell's Country Care for the Elderly in South Bend from 1996-2013. Irish greats and Pro Football Hall of Famers Tim Brown (left) and Jerome Bettis (right) will serve as honorary chairmen of the United States Golf Association's 40th U.S. Senior Open Championship, which will be held on the campus of Notre Dame June 27-30, 2019. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH DIGITAL MEDIA WATCH LIST WATCH • Senior tackle Jerry Tillery and senior linebacker Te'von Coney were on the 84-man watch list for the Bednarik Award (nation's top defensive player). Coney also joined fifth-year senior Drue Tranquill as one of the 51 players on the watch list for the Butkus Award (country's top linebacker). • Junior cornerback Julian Love was among the 35 players that made the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award (nation's top defensive back). Tillery, Coney and Love also were all named to the watch list for the Nagurski Award (nation's best defensive player). • Fifth-year senior Sam Mustipher was one of 58 players named to the watch list for the Dave Rimington Award (nation's top center). Tillery, Mustipher and fifth-year senior guard Alex Bars made the watch list for the Outland Award (country's top interior linemen). • Senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush was one of 85 players selected to watch list for the Maxwell Award(nation's top player). • Senior Alizé Mack was one of 24 players to make the watch list for the John Mackey Award (country's best tight end). NOTRE DAME STADIUM TO HOST GARTH BROOKS CONCERT One of the main purposes of the Campus Crossroads project that was completed this past year was to use Notre Dame Stadium more than a half-dozen times per year for football games. The university announced this July that six-time and reign- ing Country Music Association entertainer of the year Garth Brooks will perform at Notre Dame Stadium at a date to be announced. It will be the first time in the 88-year history of the edifice that a music artist will perform a full, stand-alone concert at the venue. "Notre Dame Stadium has seen so many iconic moments!" said Brooks, the No. 1-selling solo artist in U.S. history. "I look forward to bringing a new kind of crazy to the party."