Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2022 61 Miami were under another Hall of Famer, Sid Gill- man. In 1947, he received honors as an all-Ohio and Little All-American. DAN DEVINE (1975-80) Age when hired by ND: 49 Previous HC experience: Arizona State (1955-57), Missouri (1958-70), Green Bay Packers (1971-74) College: Duluth State Teachers College, QB, 1946-48 Today, it's Minnesota-Duluth, a perennial NCAA Division I hockey power. Devine came from nearby Proctor, Minn., to quarterback the Bulldogs in the State Teachers College Conference of Minnesota. After two seasons as an undefeated high school coach in Michigan, he was hired as a Michigan State assistant by Clarence "Biggie" Munn, and helped the Spartans for five seasons, during which they won the 1952 national championship. GERRY FAUST (1981-85) Age when hired by ND: 44 Previous HC experience: Cincinnati Moeller HS (1962-80) College: Dayton, QB, 1955-57 The wisdom of hiring a high school football coach to lead Notre Dame has been debated for decades. But Faust's prep record was astounding: 178-23-2 with five state titles. Ironically, his coach one year playing at Dayton was Devore, in a forgettable 3-6 season in 1955. LOU HOLTZ (1986-96) Age when hired by ND: 49 Previous HC experience: William & Mary (1969-71), North Carolina State (1972-75), New York Jets (1976), Arkansas (1977-83), Minnesota (1984-85) College: Kent State, LB, 1956-57 Holtz had a more distinguished military than football career at Kent State. He trained under Kent State's Army ROTC and earned a commission as a field artillery officer in the United States Army Reserve upon graduation. By 1960, Holtz was an assistant coach at Iowa. BOB DAVIE (1997-2001) Age when hired by ND: 42 Previous HC experience: None College: Youngstown State, TE, 1973-75 Davie had a very brief stay as a player at Ari- zona before returning to be closer to home at Youngstown, where he was the starting tight end for three seasons. His first position-coaching job was back in Tucson, where he was linebackers coach in 1978-79. TY WILLINGHAM (2002-04) Age when hired by ND: 48 Previous HC experience: Stanford (1995-2001) College: Michigan State, QB/WR, 1973-76 Willingham was a backup quarterback at MSU for two seasons, completing 30 of 45 passes, be- fore switching to wide receiver for his final year, when he caught 14 passes. He started his coaching career as a Spartans graduate assistant in 1977. CHARLIE WEIS (2005-09) Age when hired by ND: 48 Previous HC experience: Franklin (N.J.) HS (1989) College: Notre Dame (non-athlete) 1978 After graduating from Notre Dame, Weis spent several seasons as a New Jersey high school assis- tant coach, before catching on as a graduate assis- tant at South Carolina, while earning his master's degree. From 1990-2004, he was an NFL assistant. BRIAN KELLY (2010-21) Age when hired by ND: 48 Previous HC experience: Grand Valley State (1991-2003), Central Michigan (2004-06), Cincin- nati (2006-09) College: Assumption, LB, 1979-82 After playing small-college football for Assump- tion in Worcester, Mass., Kelly stayed on to coach linebackers, and became defensive coordinator, in addition to coaching the school's softball team. He then spent four years as a Grand Valley assistant before taking over as head coach. ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com Your book order supports the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. Order your autographed, inscribed copy of these books TODAY by visi ng www.RockneSociety.org/Shop or calling 612-242-3581 Get the full story on these iconic Notre Dame figures These books make great gi s for any Notre Dame fan "A must-read real jewel… wonderfully researched and detailed." --SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE "The defini ve piece on this American hero." --COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME Loyal Sons: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions Winner – Independent Publisher Book Awards Coach For A Na on: The Life and Times of Knute Rockne Winner – Independent Publisher Book Awards