Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/163197
Under the Dome ✦ Gimme Five With the victory Aug. 31 against Temple, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly became the second-youngest head coach at the collegiate level to reach 200 career victories. On Aug. 31, Kelly was 51 years and 310 days (he was born Oct. 25, 1961). Only Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner, whose coaching career began at the University of Georgia in 1895 and concluded, ironically, at Temple (1933-38) was younger when he reached his 200th victory en route to 319 overall. While 118 of Kelly's victories from 1991‑2003 came at the Division II level (Grand Valley State), the NCAA counts them alike. Courtesy of the NCAA and Notre Dame's media relations office, here are the five youngest coaches to reach 200 victories in college football history, with the school where he was coaching at the time in parentheses: Coach Age In Years-Days 1. Pop Warner (Pitt) 46-240 2. Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) 51-310 3. Jim Tressel (Ohio State) 54-298 4. Vince Dooley (Georgia) 56-84 5. Tom Osborne (Nebraska) 56-224 Photo by Joe Raymond Bennett Jackson Irish Pick Three Captains Head coach Brian Kelly had plenty of options when searching for his team captains for the 2013 season, but he ultimately decided on three players to wear the "C" on their jerseys — fifth-year senior left tackle Zack Martin and seniors TJ Jones, a wide receiver, and Bennett Jackson, a cornerback. Martin returns for his second goround as a captain, only the 18th player to do that in program history. Jones and Jackson are both first-timers. Kelly said he landed on that trio because of their hard work and their ability to communicate well with all of their teammates, not just those on their side of the ball. "There's not really just a box of checked lists that I go through. I look at everything," Kelly said when asked about his criteria for picking those players. "I try to make the best decision for the team and the best fits that I see across the board. I think you could make a case for a number of guys that may not be captains. But I look at everything and it's both on the field, off the field, all of those things are important to me."