Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 19, 2026 7 UNDER THE DOME BY ERIC HANSEN D avid Guidugli's unrelenting tough- ness was his calling card. His heart was his legacy. The magic of the life that was cel- ebrated Sept. 10 at the Gymnasium at St. Stephen's Holy Spirit Parish in New- port, Ky., was the way he brought those two worlds together, making an impact on seemingly everyone who crossed his path. Including his oldest of four sons, Gino, the Notre Dame's fourth-year QBs coach. "He kind of gave himself to everybody else," Gino said Sept. 9 after practice, "and helped people realize the potential that maybe they didn't see." And that gift apparently passed in- tact from one generation to the next. In Gino's Notre Dame chapter of his career, he's been that potential-revealer to first Sam Hartman in 2023, then to Riley Leonard in 2024, and most recently to CJ Carr in his second season as Notre Dame's starting quarterback. "There's a different aspect to all those birds," Gino said with a smile. "Sam's like the ultimate pessimist, so you've got to kind of talk Sam off the ledge. Riley's like a golden retriever. You can cuss him out. You can kick him. He's going to come back wagging his tail. CJ's just so dang smart. He just makes sure every day you've got to be on your P's and Q's in there, because he's go- ing to know it as well as you do. He's going to do the prep work just as well as you do. "It's like you're in there talking to an- other coach when you and him are in there going through the film and going through the game plan. All those guys I've thor- oughly enjoyed. They've all been awesome. "I'm going to be their coach for life, so I'll still stay in touch with them all and think the world of them all." Just like David Guidugli did with the lives he touched as a teacher and as a boxing coach and as a trainer. And as a father. "He was one of a kind," Gino said. David passed away at age 77 on Sept. 5, the day before Notre Dame opened its season with a 41-13 win over Wisconsin in Green Bay, Wis. Notre Dame (1-0) hosted Rice (1-0) Sept. 12. And Gino Guidugli was up in the press box, per usual, and making his dad proud as he tutored Carr and his young quarterback understudies, while giving offensive coordinator Mike Den- brock another view, from above, of how the opposing defenses were setting up. "I think a lot of us view our fathers as invincible," head coach Marcus Freeman said. "They just find a way to get through things. Unfortunately, his dad passed away. He had to really be able to put the personal hat on and do the things he needed to do for his family and himself. Then when he was at work, he had to put his work hat on. "He's a pro, and he did that. Our job is to support him. We were there, and we'll continue to be there for him. His dad was a great man. I've known him for a long time, just in my time at Cincin- nati. Boxing coach, he's a tough dude." David's obituary backs up that impres- sion, stating that "he faced his final days as he lived much of his life: fighting until the very end with a positive attitude." "I wouldn't be where I'm at to- day without his influence," Gino said, "without the way he pushed me, with- out the experiences he put me in as a young child. I grew up in a boxing gym working out with NFL players as a 10- and 11-year-old. They're busting my nose with a medicine ball, doing drills, and that was the expectation. "You were going to be up on Saturday morning, and you were going to go work out with these guys. Now, next thing you know, you're in that setting when you're in college, and it's like, 'This is nothing.' "I've worked out with NFL offensive linemen since I've been 10. I've played basketball with [former University of Cin- cinnati All-American and 10-year NBA forward] Danny Fortson since I was 11 years old. It's like you get into that next setting, and you don't blink. It's just like, 'This is where I belong.' He's going to be missed, man. It's going to be a huge void in my life, for sure." With a powerful imprint that will outlast the pain. David taught Gino to be tough enough to keep believing in himself even when the subtleties of his work aren't always visible from the outside — and to keep making a difference on the field, in meet- ing rooms and on the recruiting trail. "Gino is an unbelievable football coach, very intelligent," Freeman said, "has such a unique relationship with those quar- terbacks. I get a lot of my feedback from talking to the quarterbacks. "I meet with those guys, and the ones who have had multiple quarterbacks coaches, they just rave about the connec- tion, the way they learn, his intelligence, but also who he is, his character. He's a family man. He's a heck of a football coach and I'm damn grateful he's on the staff." ✦ UNDER THE DOME A LASTING LEGACY A father's impact echoes powerfully through Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli Guidugli's father, David, passed away Sept. 5 at the age of 77, but the lessons he learned from him live on in his work with CJ Carr and Notre Dame's quarterbacks. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER