Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 SEPT. 16, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI T hroughout the Bob Davie head coaching era at Notre Dame from 1997-2001, there often was conversation about the talent drain during his tenure when com- pared to Lou Holtz's glory years from 1988-93. In those six specific seasons under Holtz when Notre Dame was 64-9- 1, the Fighting Irish had 21 players drafted in the first (10) or second rounds (11) by the NFL. That didn't even include Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, who went to the CFL after his junior season and eventually ended up spending nine years in the NFL. In Davie's five specific seasons when Notre Dame was 35-25, that number dropped to two — one in the first round and one in the second. Here is our starting lineup for the All-Davie team during his tenure: Quarterback: Jarious Jackson Jackson directed a 9-1 start in 1998 prior to a freak injury while taking a knee in the end zone for a safety to help almost run out the clock in a 39-36 shootout win versus LSU. That setback led him to miss the USC fi- nale, which resulted in a 10-0 defeat without his presence. The following year, the dual-threat figure broke Joe Theismann's 29-year single-season school record with 2,753 passing yards and added 464 rushing yards, highlighted by rallying Notre Dame from 30-14 and 24-3 deficits to defeat Oklahoma and USC, respec- tively. Alas, he alone wasn't enough to avert a 5-7 record in 1999. Running Back: Autry Denson Notre Dame's all-time leading rusher played his last two seasons (1997-98) for Davie, totaling 2,675 rushing yards (including both bowls) and 30 touchdowns in that span. Honorable mentions to Tony Fisher (1,858 rushing yards from 1998-2001) and Julius Jones (1,780 rushing yards from 1999-2001), who didn't fulfill his potential until returning from aca- demic ineligibility after Davie had been fired. Wide Receivers: Bobby Brown, Malcolm Johnson and David Givens Brown caught the most passes (97) for the most receiving yardage (1,489) and touchdowns (12) under Davie, but Johnson's numbers were nearly identical with 95 for 1,380 yards and eight scores. Givens was underutilized with 76 catches for 837 yards, although his blocking and special teams work also were an asset. He turned out to be a productive pro, winning two Super Bowls as one of Tom Brady's favor- ite targets, highlighted by catching touchdowns in seven straight playoff games and both Super Bowls. Tight End: Jabari Holloway Speaking of underutilized, the four- year starter who played five years in the NFL averaged a robust 16.9 yards on his 41 career catches (six scores). Honorable mention to Dan O'Leary (32 catches, 383 yards, four touch- downs, three years in the NFL) and John Owens, who played eight years in the NFL despite nabbing only six passes for 79 yards at Notre Dame. Offensive Linemen: Jeff Faine, Jordan Black, Mike Gandy, Luke Petitgout and Mike Rosenthal Tight end recruits Petitgout and Gandy started 110 and 106 games in the NFL, respectively, and Petitgout was the lone player to finish his career under Davie to become a first-round pick. Faine, a center, also became a first- round selection, but that was after Davie was no longer the coach. The versatile Black started three seasons under Davie and had the longest NFL career (10 years and 40 starts) among the linemen. Like Black, Rosenthal could start at guard or tackle. Rosenthal earned All-America notice and played eight years in the NFL (58 starts). Honorable mentions to three-year starting center John Merandi (1997-99) and Jerry Wisne (1997-98). Defensive Linemen: Anthony Weaver, Lance Legree and Melvin Dansby Weaver started from day one, a 36- 20 upset of No. 5 Michigan with Tom Brady in 1998, and earned Freshman All-America honors. The second- round pick also was the team MVP in Davie's final season, recording 21 tackles for loss (seven sacks) in 2001. Legree started 28 games for Davie at nose tackle (119 tackles) and played six years in the NFL. Dansby played only one season for Davie (1997), but including the bowl loss to LSU he recorded 117 tackles (13 for loss) — which would be a Notre Dame single-season record by a de- fensive lineman if bowl games had been included back then. It is difficult to omit two-time cap- tain Grant Irons, who played five years in the NFL. But in his final two seasons as captain he missed the last 11 games of 2000 with an injury, and then as a fifth-year senior in 2001 was limited to six starts and 22 stops. Brad Williams started three years from 1997-99 and displayed immense heart. The All-Bob Davie Team Recalling the best players from his 1997-2001 era as head coach Under Davie's watch in 1999, quarterback Jarious Jackson broke Joe Theismann's 29-year- old school record with 2,753 passing yards in a single season. Along the way, he rallied Notre Dame from 30-14 and 24-3 deficits to defeat Oklahoma and USC, respectively. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS