Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2021 17 UNDER THE DOME 35 Years Ago: August 1986 The United States Postal Service announces that former Fighting Irish head coach Knute Rockne (1918-30) will be honored with a com- memorative stamp in 1988, the year that marks the centennial anniversary of his birth. Rockne becomes only the sixth person to be honored with a commemorative stamp in the sports series, joining golfer Bobby Jones and all-around women's phenom Babe Didrikson Zaharias, baseball players Babe Ruth and Ro- berto Clemente, and football/track superstar Jim Thorpe. Rockne's Notre Dame teams compiled a 105-12-5 record for an all-time best Football Bowl Subdivision (to this day) .881 winning percentage. The unbeaten Irish won consen- sus national titles in 1924, 1929 and 1930, and his 1919, 1920 and 1927 squads also received some national title recognition. He died March 31, 1931 at age 43 in an airplane crash. 25 Years Ago: August 1996 Lou Holtz begins his 11th season at Notre Dame by meeting with the media to preview the year. He says it's difficult to believe he will match Fighting Irish coaching icons Frank Leahy (1941-43, 1946-53) and Ara Parseghian (1964-74) for second place at Notre Dame in most years as the head coach (Knute Rockne's 13 from 1918-30 were the most). However, Holtz describes it as his "senior year," or fourth season with the program. That's because Holtz was 35-2 (.946) in the three seasons of 1988, 1989 and 1993, with a national title and two debatable No. 2 finishes. The other seven he was 57-25-2 (.690). "The alumni think I've coached here only three years, and the other seven I took a sabbatical or just watched," he quipped. 20 Years Ago: Aug. 15, 2001 Head coach Bob Davie enters his fifth season at Notre Dame a lot less on the hot seat than the year prior after a 21-16 record his first three seasons, notably 5-7 in year three. In his fourth year (2000), Davie led the Irish to a 9-2 regular season, highlighted by winning the final seven games with freshman quarterback Matt LoVecchio, replacing the injured Arnaz Battle and then former and future tight end Gary Godsey. This prompted a five-year contract extension through 2005 from first-year director of athletics Kevin White. However, a 41-9 loss to Oregon State in the Fiesta Bowl put a damper on the finish, and questions linger about whether LoVecchio or sophomore classmate Carlyle Holiday, a dynamic runner, will run the offense. It's not unlike 15 years later where after sophomore DeShone Kizer did an exemplary job replacing the injured Malik Zaire early in the season — including a bid to the Fiesta Bowl, where Notre Dame was throttled by another OSU (Ohio State) — the job is still open. Davie joked that he and LoVecchio were like transplanted brothers-in-law. "Whether you're the head coach at Notre Dame or whether you're the quarterback, Notre Dame fans love to discuss the issue of who is going to replace you and how quickly," Davie said. "Matt is caught up in that same deal I am a little bit. We're kind of brothers-in-law in a sense. I guess misery loves company." The schedule is Davie's most daunting yet, opening at Nebraska (which would go on to play for the national title), followed by a trip to defending Big Ten champ Purdue, hosting Michigan State (which had defeated the Irish four straight years) and a journey to Texas A&M (Davie's old stomping ground). Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: August Legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne became only the sixth person to be honored with a commemorative stamp in the United States Postal Service's sports series. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS 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.