Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2024 15 60 Years Ago: April 8, 1964 First-year head coach Ara Parseghian's opening practice in spring drills was held in blustery and freezing conditions, while he attempted to rebuild a moribund team that had not finished above .500 the previous five years and was 2-7 the season prior. Before that initial practice, he read the team a letter from former halfback Don Hogan, who led the 1962 team in rushing but suffered a crippling vehicular accident on Christmas less than a month later that prevented him from playing football again. It is a "One For The Gipper" type request more than 40 years after the original. Wrote Hogan: "If ever a practice seems too long or you get tired along about that third quarter, just think for one second that a guy named Hogan would give anything to trade places with you. … Then after you think it over, give that second and third effort, bring Notre Dame football back where it belongs. And someone in the crowd will get the message of your extra effort, and that someone will be mighty pleased and proud." By the conclusion of the first scrimmage April 12, Parseghian decided on senior John Huarte as his quarterback despite him finishing on the third unit in 1963, starting only once and not earning a monogram his first two years. A bevy of position switches also were made, among them backup quarterbacks Tom Longo and Tony Carey becoming starting defensive backs, halfback Jack Snow (3 carries for 26 yards plus 7 catches in '63) shifting to receiver, halfback Paul Costa moving to defensive end, fullback Pete Duranko working at linebacker, and tackle Dick Arrington aligning at guard (plus starting on de- fense later in his career). Later, another halfback — Nick Rassas — would be stationed at safety. Huarte would eventually win the Heisman Tro- phy, while Snow, Carey, Duranko, Arrington and Rassas went on to become All-Americans. Parseghian's first team finished 9-1, losing its final game of the season at USC, 20-17. The Irish were ranked No. 3 in the final AP and Coaches polls and named national champions by the Na- tional Football Foundation. Hogan had to be "pleased and proud" of the squad's efforts. 30 Years Ago: April 23, 1994 With four new assistant coaches, including de- fensive coordinator Bob Davie and offensive co- ordinator Dave Roberts, Notre Dame concluded spring practice with a 31-0 victory by the No. 1 Blue team. Quarterback Tom Krug earned Offensive MVP honors by completing 12 of 16 passes for 106 yards, but freshman classmate Ron Powlus — the 1992 High School National Player of the Year who sat out Notre Dame's 11-1 season in 1993 be- cause of a broken clavicle — was the main buzz. Inserted later in the scrimmage, Powlus' first pass was a perfectly lofted 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pete Chryplewicz in the end zone. Word was Powlus would have started over the now graduated Kevin McDougal, the school's all- time passing efficiency king the previous season. "The only thing I worry about is how much frustration he has experienced in his life," said head coach Lou Holtz, 64-9-1 his last six years, after the scrimmage of Powlus. "That always concerns me when everything is going well for somebody, because it isn't always going to go well for you here." 10 Years Ago: April 8, 2014 In a national title matchup of unbeatens, the 37-0 Fighting Irish women's basketball team lost 79-58 to No. 1 Connecticut at Nashville, Tenn. Earlier in the NCAA Tournament, senior center Natalie Achonwa suffered a torn ACL in the vic- tory versus Baylor that advanced Notre Dame into the Final Four. However, the 37-game winning streak marks the longest in any sport at Notre Dame in true head-to-head matchups. The fencing team from 1975-80 won 122 straight dual meets, and the female fencers had 89 consecutive from 2009- 11, but the NCAA championships in that sport are determined by individual titles adding up to a team victory, not just head-to-head matchups. The 1946-49 football teams were unbeaten in 39 games (37-0-2), but because there also were two ties sandwiched among 21 victories in a row, it was not more than the 37 straight by the women's basketball team. 5 Years Ago: April 5, 2019 The No. 1-ranked Notre Dame women's bas- ketball team rallied from down nine points in the fourth quarter to knock off No. 2 UConn 81-76 in the Final Four at Tampa, Fla. The game featured 26 lead changes and nine ties before the Fighting Irish pulled away. The Irish moved to 5-3 all time against the Huskies in NCAA Tournament play, including a 5-1 mark in the national semifinal round. The five postseason wins stood as the most against UConn and more than double the next highest team. This victory marked Notre Dame's ninth against UConn since 2009, while all other Division I teams combined for just eight. Senior guard Arike Ogunbowale scored 14 points in the final quarter to finish with a game- high 23. Graduate student forward Brianna Turner chipped in with 15 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, senior Jessica Shepard notched 20 points and 13 boards, and senior guard Marina Mabrey contributed 12 points and a career-best — and a NCAA-record for a national semifinal game — 12 assists to aid the Irish comeback. Two days later in the national championship game, Notre Dame lost to Baylor, 82-81. UNDER THE DOME First-year head coach Ara Parseghian tabbed John Huarte to be his starting quarterback in 1964 despite the fact he finished on the third team the year prior. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: April