Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2019 11 UNDER THE DOME Metal Detectors Added To Notre Dame Athletic Events On April 11, the University of Notre Dame announced that walk-through metal detectors will be used at all gates of Notre Dame Stadium during the 2019 football season. The move is part of the university's efforts to increase security and safety, and also will be instituted at men's and women's basketball games, plus hockey games. "As we continue to analyze our safety and security procedures, the introduction of metal detectors adds another layer of protection for guests, teams and staff," said Mike Seamon, vice president for campus safety and university operations. "Most fans have likely experienced this added safety precau- tion when attending games at other college or professional venues. "This technology aligns Notre Dame's fan safety procedures with industry best practices." Metal detectors were used at the Notre Dame Stadium Jan. 1 during the NHL Winter Classic hockey game. They've also been used for university commencement ceremonies at the stadium where promi- nent figures were in attendance, such as the 2017 commencement, in which vice president Mike Pence was the speaker. Notre Dame has already implemented a policy requiring clear bags at sporting events. Now, after bags are checked, guests will pass through the metal detectors and then have their tickets scanned for entry into the venue. They will not be required to remove belts, cell phones, coins, jackets, jewelry, watches, wallets, shoes or other small objects while passing through the metal detectors. CENTER LUKE JONES LEAVES NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL PROGRAM Following Notre Dame's April 6 spring practice, Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly confirmed that current freshman center Luke Jones has de- cided he will transfer to another school after the spring semester concludes. Redshirted this past season to preserve a fifth year of eligibility, the 6-5, 305-pound Little Rock, Ark., native was projected to contend for the start- ing center spot vacated by graduated three-year starter (2016-18) and 2018 captain Sam Mustipher. However, while Jones has been slowed by an in- jury, freshman classmate and former No. 2 left tackle Jarrett Patterson was shifted prior to the start of spring drills to center, where he apparently has earned himself a starting role with his progress the past two months. Also expected to vie for snaps this year at center was fifth-year senior Trevor Ruhland, who had ap- prenticed behind Mustipher throughout his career but also started five games at left or right guard last season. Slowed by a litany of shoulder injuries throughout his career, Ruhland did not partake in any action this spring, which was another rea- son the move of Patterson was made. Late in the spring, rising junior 6-7, 310-pound guard Josh Lugg also began taking snaps at center as a poten- tial option if needed. "We didn't just say he's the backup center, but he's going to be the guy that can be first man in in a number of different roles," Kelly said of Lugg. In other words, Lugg could be in 2019 what the 6-4, 293-pound Ruhland was in 2018, except a larger version. Also working extensively as a backup center this spring was early enrollee Zeke Correll, whose 6-3, 275-pound frame likely will go through a redshirt season, as is the case with 95 percent of offensive linemen at Notre Dame. The departure of Jones took Notre Dame's 2019 football scholarship count to 87, still two over the NCAA limit of 85 that must be reached by the start of the season. Notre Dame Stadium will feature more security surveillance when the 2019 season begins with the first home game Sept. 14. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN JOHN MACLEOD: 1937-2019 Shortly before this edition of Blue & Gold Illustrated went to print, news was received about the April 14 death of 1991-99 Notre Dame men's basketball head coach John MacLeod in Arizona. He was 81. MacLeod began his head coaching stint at the University of Oklahoma in 1967 before getting hired as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns in 1973. During his 14-year career there, MacLeod won a franchise-record 579 games and was inducted into the Suns' Ring of Honor in April 2012. His tenure was highlighted by reaching the 1976 NBA Finals, where Phoenix lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. He later coached the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks before accepting the head coaching job at Notre Dame in 1991. The program was at its bleakest era then as a basketball independent. Notre Dame finally joined the Big East in 1995, but it took several years to find its footing. MacLeod was 106-124 during his nine seasons with the Fighting Irish, but assembled a strong recruit- ing class in 1998 with future NBA star Troy Murphy, David Graves and Harold Swanagan, and added another future NBA player in Matt Carroll a year later. That set the table for much more prosperous days at the turn of the century. Jones — a 6-5, 305-pound native of Arkansas — decided he would transfer from Notre Dame about halfway through spring practice. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL