Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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54 OCT. 29, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED A t no Football Bowl Subdivision school is integrating modern elements to complement longtime tradition more challenging than Notre Dame. T h i s w a s r e f l e c t e d again during the week of preparation for the Pitts- burgh game Oct. 13 when E S P N ' s Ry a n M c G e e noted the modernization of Notre Dame Stadium — from piped-in rock or hip-hop music, to Field- Turf installed in 2014, to a 5,200-square-foot HD video board, to more com- fortable seating — as a reflection of the "new Notre Dame." Unfortunately, to many in the old guard, such additions are a breach of tradition and everything that made Notre Dame what it was in football as a unique brand. Upon further review through his- tory, however, one would find that the greatest "tradition" in Fighting Irish annals has been to be bold, even pro- active, while moving away from stag- nancy in an effort to remain relevant. It began with new athletics director and head football coach Jesse Harper and the national scheduling model for the football team in 1913. He could have stayed the course and attempted to remain provincial while saving some much-needed money at the same time … but dared to be different. Anyone who knows anything about Knute Rockne recognizes that he was one of the premier innovators of marketing during his time as the Notre Dame head coach from 1918-30. While he often pushed the envelope that would make the good fathers at Notre Dame uncomfortable, his au- dacious spirit elevated the football program to the pinnacle of American sports, along with the New York Yan- kees, during his time. This included the construction of Notre Dame Sta- dium, which was considered a "white elephant" on campus with way too much seating (just more than 50,000). Two years after Rockne's death in 1930, only 8,369 attended the home opener. In fairness, that was during the Great Depression, but even in new coach Frank Leahy's opener in 1940, merely 22,670 showed up. What a waste! And speaking of Leahy, in his sec- ond year in 1942, he committed one of the most egregious acts against tradition when he scrapped Rockne's long-standing Box formation and replaced it with what he believed would be the future of the game, the T formation. This came despite finishing un- beaten his first season (8-0-1) with the traditional Rockne look, and Leahy even went to the school president to request permission/blessing to make the change. It resulted in an 0-1-1 start while scoring only 13 points, and only seven of the 11 games were won that season, temporarily hospi- talizing Leahy and his frayed nerves (and audacity). The reality is no one would have approved of the change more than Rockne for "thinking outside the box." In December 1963, Notre Dame went against a 45-year tradition of hiring either an alumnus or Catholic (preferably both) when it brought in Ara Parseghian, who was neither. Perish the thought of finally admit- ting women to the school in 1972. A main trepidation about hiring Lou Holtz in November 1985 is he wanted to run some option football, which "isn't Notre Dame football" (even though it was used some by Parseghian). This November, a movie will be re- leased about one of my favorite bands, Queen, a group once rejected that had to become innova- tive. A defining line in the film is "fortune fa- vors the bold." Notre Dame was not necessarily bold for mak- ing the changes inside the stadium, but was more in a reactive mode that the status quo was no longer good enough. There was plenty of noise and excitement in championship years too without all the bells and whistles, but there also comes a time where one cannot be- come so steeped in tradition that it suffocates the present. I have no hesitation or qualms in stating that if Rockne would see what has been done, his lone pro- test would be "what took so blasted long!?!" I am as much a "traditional- ist" as anyone, but the charge and at- mosphere in the "new" Notre Dame Stadium has been refreshing. That's not why the Irish are win- ning now, but becoming bolder (in- cluding replacing a quarterback who was 3-0 this year) is an essential part of the Notre Dame fiber. "It has always been an interesting balance to walk here at Notre Dame — to push this program forward into the future as part of the mod- ern game of college football, while still taking advantage of and paying tribute to a history that is second to none," Kelly told McGee. "That's not just a challenge for the head coach, the same goes for the administra- tion, the fan base and, ultimately, the players. "A lot of people have spent a lot of time over the last few years working to find that balance. I think we're see- ing the benefits of that work." Ultimately, striving to win cham- pionships the right way is the most important tradition of all. ✦ 'New Notre Dame' Actually Has The Old Feel THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Notre Dame Stadium, which opened in 1930, not only underwent massive renovations on the exterior, but the energy level inside has had a boost as well. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN