Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543321
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2026 13 95 Years Ago: March 31, 1931 A nation was in grief when Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne, who turned 43 earlier in the month, and seven others perished in a plane crash over Bazaar, Kan. The plane was en route from Kansas City to Wichita prior to Rockne traveling to California. In newspaper accounts and according to Mrs. Seward Baker, on whose farm the crash occurred, the plane burst into flames at a height of about 2,100 feet and spiraled to the ground. Three months earlier, Rockne had celebrated a consensus third national title in seven seasons, a second straight unblemished campaign and a 19-game winning streak. His final season also marked the opening of Notre Dame Stadium. With a 105-12-5 record, Rockne compiled a .881 winning percentage, which remains among the best in NCAA Division I history. 55 Years Ago: March 20, 1971 In Austin Carr's final college game, a 119-106 loss to Houston in a consolation outing in the then 25-team NCAA Tournament, he scored 47 points. In seven NCAA Tournament games at Notre Dame, Carr averaged 41.3 points a contest — which remains unbroken in NCAA annals. Princeton's Bill Bradley is second at 33.7 (nine games) and Cincin- nati's Oscar Robertson third at 32.4 (10 games). 45 Years Ago: March 28, 1981 First-year Notre Dame head coach Gerry Faust opened spring practice with what became known as "Faust Fever" when Sports Illustrated, ABC's Wide World of Sports and hundreds of specta- tors showed up to the open session that featured nearly perfect weather. Wrote SI of the debut practice: "Look out America, here comes the human dynamo, the whirling der- vish of college football. During his four months on the job — he succeeded Dan Devine, who retired — Faust has seemed bent on proving that a man can go in 17 directions at once — 18 if you count his daily visits to church for Mass and communion. … "Listen up, America, because if Faust's rookie season is anything like his spring debut, you should get to know him before he's canonized for succeeding in the most visible job in sports." 40 Years Ago: March 14, 1986 Sports Illustrated was present again for the first day of spring practice five years later under a new Notre Dame head coach, Lou Holtz. Unlike Gerry Faust's first practice in 1981, the damp, dreary day had not a single ray of sunshine. "What a great day, today," Holtz cried out while walking among the players doing their stretching work at the outset. "I am so glad to be alive. This is better than a vacation." SI writer Douglas S. Looney (who seven years later would eviscerate Holtz in the book Under The Tarnished Dome) did a six-page spread several weeks after his visit to the practice. The plan was to feature Holtz on the cover — until 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus shot a 65 on the final day of The Masters to win his 18th Grand Slam tournament. 25 Years Ago: March 16-30, 2001 On March 16, Notre Dame men's basketball (with head coach Mike Brey making his debut) received its first NCAA Tournament bid in 11 years and recorded the program's initial NCAA Tournament win in 12 seasons with an 83-71 vic- tory over Xavier before losing 59-56 to Ole Miss in the second round. On March 30, the No. 2 women's basketball team rallied from 16 points down, and 12 at halftime, to defeat No. 1 Connecticut and advance to the national title game for the first time in its history. All five Irish starters scored in double figures, led by point guard Niele Ivey's 21. Alicia Ratay tal- lied 20 while going 4 of 4 from three-point range, highlighted by the shot that put Notre Dame ahead for good (61-60) en route to a 90-75 vic- tory. National Player of the Year Ruth Riley netted 18 points, and forwards Ericka Haney and Kelly Siemon finished with 15 and 11, respectively. 15 Years Ago: March 2011 A monumental month in Irish athletics began on March 13, when the Notre Dame men's bas- ketball team received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament after a 26-6 campaign. It was the program's highest seed since it was No. 2 in 1981 under Digger Phelps. The Irish defeated No. 15 Akron 69-56 in the first round but fell 71-57 to No. 10 Florida State in the second round. On March 27, the Notre Dame fencing team claimed the program's eighth national champi- onship over Penn State 174-168 in total points. In addition, the Notre Dame ice hockey squad knocked off New Hampshire 2-1 to claim a spot in the Frozen Four. It was the Irish's second appear- ance in the national semifinals, after finishing as the national runner-up in 2008. On March 28, the No. 2-seeded Fighting Irish women's basketball squad earned the program's second-ever trip to the national championship game with a 73-59 win over No. 1 Tennessee in Dayton, Ohio. Notre Dame entered the contest 0-20 all time against the Volunteers, but sopho- more guard Skylar Diggins, a South Bend native, scored a season-high 24 points to help snap the Vols' 25-game winning streak. 10 Years Ago: March 18-27, 2016 Notre Dame men's basketball advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the sec- ond straight year. The No. 6-seeded Irish knocked off No. 11 Michigan (70-63), No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (76-75) and No. 7 Wisconsin (61-56), before falling to No. 1 North Carolina (88-74) just shy of a Final Four berth. Nonetheless, it marked the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 that Notre Dame had reached the round of 16 two straight seasons. In addition, the six wins in the NCAA Tournament over the last two years was the most ever for the Irish, besting the previous high of five from 1978-79 (Notre Dame produced its lone Final Four berth in '78). UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: March ✦ 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. ✦ Your postal forwarding order expires in 60 days or less? Most forwarding requests expire in 60 days and DO NOT include periodical mail. Issues are discarded at their discretion. ✦ It can take up to 7 days for the USPS to update your address in their database? Don't assume the post office knows your vacation or moving schedule! To prevent missed issues, please notify the US Postal Service ASAP and verify your delivery address with your local post office. DID YOU KNOW ... Ninety-five years ago, Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne and seven others perished in a plane crash over Bazaar, Kan. PHOTO COURTESY KANSAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY