Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531388
BY TYLER HORKA N otre Dame director of athletics Pete Bevac- qua spoke to the media for the first time since tak- ing over for Jack Swarbrick last March. He flat owned the wide-ranging press opportunity. The event took place a few days before South Bend hosted the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff game, a 27-17 win for the Irish over Indiana. Bevacqua covered everything from head coach Marcus Freeman's recent — just two days old at the time — con- tract extension to the outlook for Fighting Irish athletics moving forward. Everything he said was poignant and thoughtful, with a few jokes sprinkled in for levity. "I think back to the men's national championship in lacrosse last spring — and two years in a row. I remember telling [Notre Dame president] Father Bob [Dowd] at the time, 'This is easy. I've only been in the job for about three or four weeks, and we have a national championship,'" Bevacqua quipped. "That was a great way to start." A great way to start indeed. Here are some things we learned from Bevacqua. NOTRE DAME HAS NOT SOURED ON THE ACC Bevacqua didn't sound like an athletics director who feels pushed to jump ship and join the Big Ten for fear of missing out on anything, monetary or otherwise. When people clamor about Notre Dame's in- dependence not being of any use in the current climate of collegiate athletics, too many of them seem to completely overlook the fact that the football team is literally the only team on cam- pus that's independent. And even then, there's a partial agreement to play a handful of ACC opponents every year that results in money in Notre Dame's pockets. MANIACALLY OBSESSED It hasn't been a year since Pete Bevacqua assumed the role of Notre Dame AD, but he's fitting right in 16 FEBRUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED When revenue sharing starts in college sports next fall, Bevacqua explained that Notre Dame expects to have $20.5 million to distribute to its athletes, with most of it going to football. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER