Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1092184
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2019 13 UNDER THE DOME 55 Years Ago: April 8, 1964 First-year head coach Ara Parseghian's open- ing practice in spring drills is held in blustery and freezing conditions while attempting to rebuild a moribund team that had not finished above .500 the previous five years and was 2-7 the season prior. Before that initial practice, he reads the team a letter from former half- back Don Hogan, who led the 1962 team in rushing but suffered a crippling vehicular acci- dent on Christmas less than a month later that prevented him from playing football again. It is a "One For The Gipper" type request more than 40 years after the original. Wrote Hogan: "If ever a practice seems too long or you get tired along about that third quarter, just think for one second that a guy named Hogan would give anything to trade places with you. … Then after you think it over, give that second and third effort, bring Notre Dame football back where it belongs. And someone in the crowd will get the message of your extra effort, and that someone will be mighty pleased and proud." By the conclusion of the first scrimmage April 12, Parseghian decides on senior John Huarte as his quarterback despite him finishing on the third unit in 1963, starting only once and not earning a monogram his first two years. A bevy of position switches also are made, among them backup quarterbacks Tom Longo and Tony Carey becoming starting defensive backs, halfback Jack Snow (three carries for 26 yards plus seven catches in '63) shifting to receiver, halfback Paul Costa moving to defensive end, fullback Pete Duranko working at linebacker, and tackle Dick Arrington aligning at guard (plus starting on defense later in his career). Later, another halfback — Nick Rassas — would be stationed at safety. Huarte would eventually win the Heisman Trophy, while Snow, Carey, Duranko, Arrington and Rassas would become All-Americans. 25 Years Ago: April 23, 1994 With four new assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Bob Davie and offensive coordina- tor Dave Roberts, Notre Dame concludes spring practice with a 31-0 victory by the No. 1 Blue team. Quarterback Tom Krug earns Offensive MVP honors by completing 12 of 16 passes for 106 yards, but freshman classmate Ron Powlus — the 1992 High School National Player of the Year who sat out Notre Dame's 11-1 season in 1993 because of a broken clavicle — is the main buzz. Inserted later in the scrimmage, Powlus' first pass is a perfectly lofted 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pete Chryplewicz in the end zone. Word was Powlus would have started over the now gradu- ated Kevin McDougal, the school's all-time passing efficiency king the previous season. "The only thing I worry about is how much frustration he has experienced in his life," said head coach Lou Holtz, 64-9-1 his last six years, after the scrimmage of Powlus. "That always concerns me when everything is going well for somebody, because it isn't always going to go well for you here." Five Years Ago: April 8, 2014 In a national title matchup of unbeatens, the 37-0 Fighting Irish women's basketball team loses 79-58 to No. 1 UConn in Nashville, Tenn. Earlier in the NCAA Tournament, senior center Natalie Achonwa suf- fered a torn ACL in the victory versus Baylor that advanced Notre Dame into the Final Four. However, the 37-game winning streak marks the longest in any sport at Notre Dame in true head-to- head matchups. The fencing team from 1975-80 won 122 straight dual meets, and the female fencers had 89 consecutive from 2009-11, but the NCAA championships in that sport are determined by indi- vidual titles adding up to a team victory, not just head-to-head matchups. The 1946-49 football teams were unbeaten in 39 games (37-0-2), but because there also were two ties sandwiched among 21 victories in a row, it was not more than the 37 straight by the women's basketball team. — Lou Somogyi Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: April Ara Parseghian began his first spring practice at Notre Dame in 1964 with an inspirational message from former Fighting Irish halfback Don Hogan. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS DID YOU KNOW... Your home address will be automatically changed to the mailing address on file with the US Postal Service? ALL addresses are cross-referenced with the USPS National Change of Address database. It can take up to 7 days for the USPS to update your address in their database? To prevent missed issues, please notify the US Postal Service ASAP. Your postal forwarding order expires in 60 days or less? Most forwarding requests expire in 60 days and DO NOT always include periodical mail. Issues are discarded at their discretion. You should call your local post office to verify your delivery address? Don't assume the post office knows your vacation or moving schedule. AVOID COSTLY DELAYS & REPLACEMENTS! Blue & Gold Illustrated Customer Service: 1–800–421–7751 We are happy to assist, but due to privacy laws all postal address changes must be completed by you.