Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SUMMER 2026 43 to become a coach, first as a graduate assistant, then as Notre Dame's first Black full-time assistant. Blache followed his initial stint at Notre Dame with a five-year stay at Tulane, coaching the offensive line, linebackers and secondary. In 1981, re- turned to Notre Dame as running backs coach, then made a career-defining shift to defense, guiding the Irish defen- sive line in 1982-83. He made his first foray into the NFL with Jacksonville in 1984-85, followed by college stops at Southern University and Kansas. In 1988, Blache began a six-year run as defensive line coach of the Green Bay Packers. In his time in Green Bay, the Packers improved from a 4-12 season to a playoff appearance in 1993. He fol- lowed that with stints coaching for the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins, ascending to de- fensive coordinator with Chicago and Washington. During Blache's tenure with the Bears, his defenses forced 138 turnovers, in- cluding 37 in 2001, the most by a Bears defense since 1990, and accounted for 13 touchdowns. He coached and men- tored Brian Urlacher, who became a close friend for life. His 2001 Bears defense led the league in fewest points allowed, and in 2005 Washington was in the top five. In 2003, Blache was a finalist for the San Francisco 49ers head coaching po- sition, which went to Dennis Erickson, who went on to post a 9-23 record. Blache was known for guiding hard- nosed defenses with an old-school toughness. Yet he always had a healthy perspective on the game and was known for his colorful quotes on the action. "I owe a lot to Coach Parseghian," Blache said. "He showed me, and every- one, what it meant to truly connect with the players you're coaching. That when everyone follows the plan and works together, good things happen." Since retiring from coaching, Blache and his wife have lived on a lake in northern Wisconsin, enjoying outdoor activities. A far cry from the sometimes frenzied world of coaching football, and a healthy reward for an outstanding career. ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com Blache — who served as the first Black assistant coach in Irish history from 1972-75 — went on to a 22-year coaching career in the NFL (1988-2009), including serving as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. PHOTO COURTESY CHICAGO BEARS jo i n us green bay in Rockne-Lambeau Football Festival The Knute Rockne Memorial Society is pleased to present this multi-day, multi- event celebration of the deep football connections between the University of Notre Dame and Green Bay, Wisconsin. To keep informed on all that is planned, please drop a line to Jim@NDFootballHistory.com or call 612-242-3581. Go Irish! Sept. 3-6, 2026 – Green Bay, WI