Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509252
12 OCT. 14, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME IRISH GREAT, FIELDTURF DONOR JIM MORSE DIES AT 87 Jim Morse, a former University of Notre Dame foot- ball captain, an Irish radio network analyst and the 2004 winner of the Moose Krause Distinguished Ser- vice Award, died Sept. 28 at the age of 87. A generous university benefactor, Morse was fi- nancially active in campus projects dating all the way back to the 1960s. Most recently, in 2014, Morse per- sonally donated about $10 million to replace the old grass turf at Notre Dame Stadium with the safer and more modern FieldTurf, a move celebrated by Irish head coach Brian Kelly at the time because of safety concerns for his players with the old and pocked grass field deteriorating fast. A three-year starter for the Irish from 1954-56, Morse shared a locker room with a who's who of Irish greats, including quarterback Ralph Guglielmi, fullback Don Schaefer, offensive guard Al Ecuyer, two-way standout Jim Mense and 1956 Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung — a classmate of Morse's. "There were just a whole lot of great football players when I was there," Morse recalled in a 2021 interview with Blue & Gold Illustrated. "You kind of take it for granted at the time, especially at a place like Notre Dame. But looking back now, you realize how blessed you were to play with some of these greats." Morse's long list of gifts to Notre Dame includes the Morse Family Scholar- ship Fund, which supports about 12 students annually; funding for football and baseball scholarships; an endowed fellowship for MBA students; and a significant donation to create the Morse Recruiting Lounge in the Gug- lielmino football complex, a second-floor space that features banners to recognize Notre Dame's 11 consensus national football titles. "I think it is important to give back," Morse explained. "And I think it is par- ticularly important to give back and help some of these kids that otherwise would not be able to go to Notre Dame because of the cost." — Todd Burlage Notre Dame has been waiting to land a recruit who can rewrite the narrative of what the Fighting Irish are or aren't relative to being a hard-nosed program in the paint. Head coach Niele Ivey and company might have secured that player. Kate Koval, a 6-foot-5 center who's ranked as the No. 5 overall recruit in the class of 2024 by ESPN HoopGurlz, committed to Notre Dame Oct. 4. Koval is from Ukraine but plays her prep basketball at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y. Koval was named the 2022-23 Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 15.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game. She shot 60.7 percent from the field. "Kate is truly one of a kind," Long Island Lutheran head coach Christina Raiti said in a press release. "An excellent teammate, she's grown into a tremendous leader. She has elite footwork with her back to the bas- ket but also has the ability to step out and knock down shots behind the arc." Ivey told Blue & Gold Illustrated in an ex- clusive interview on Sept. 7 that recruiting, signing and home-growing a post player was "absolutely" at the top of her list of priorities. The last three seasons, including the upcoming one, the Irish have relied on transfers to occupy the post, from Maya Dodson in 2021-22 to Lauren Ebo and Kylee Watson in 2022-23, and Watson and Becky Obinma in 2023-24. Starting in 2024-25, Koval could be a four-year starter in a Notre Dame uniform. "That's my recruiting pitch," Ivey said. "I want to grow with my team." Koval is the first commit in Notre Dame's class of 2024. In the class of 2023, the Irish inked three top-20 players according to ESPN. Guard/ forward Cassandre Prosper enrolled early and played in 22 games last season, and guards Hannah Hidalgo and Emma Risch arrived over the summer and will contribute immediately for Ivey's squad. Hidalgo will probably be the team's starting point guard when the season starts in Novem- ber with junior Olivia Miles coming back from knee surgery performed in April. A core group of Miles, Sonia Citron, Prosper, KK Bransford, Hidalgo, Risch and Koval makes for an elite group of seven for Ivey to tinker with in 2024-25. Forward Maddy Westbeld could be back for a super senior season, and Watson also has another year of eligibility to play with. And with the way Ivey has been recruiting in the last two cycles, Notre Dame probably isn't done adding to the class of 2024. She has a profound vision for what she's building with her program. "I want to be able to develop somebody com- ing in as a 17- or 18-year-old and see their improvement and watch them turn into the best versions of themselves through our program," Ivey said. "That's number one for me. I have that with Liv and Sonia." — Tyler Horka WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LANDS PLEDGE FROM 2024 FIVE-STAR CENTER Kate Koval, a 6-foot-5 center Long Island Lutheran High School in New York, is rated as the No. 5 overall recruit in the class of 2024 by ESPN HoopGurlz. GRAPHIC COURTESY ESPN Morse passed away in late September at the age of 87. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS