Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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the fifth quarter lou somogyi are addicted to following every day, whereas back then, everything was much more quiet or better kept behind closed doors. Yes, even at Notre Dame back in the 1970s and 1980s there were yearly transfers, drunken behavior, substance abuse, shoplifting, academic impropriety and many, many other such matters just like there are now. Generally, they were a blip on the screen or not even in the news. In interviews I've done with a lot of former players, they have a common reaction of, "Thank God I was playing then and not now, because people now follow everything you're doing." Yeah, Brian Kelly spoke with the Eagles in January. But he's back. He's smart enough to know his job isn't finished at Notre Dame. It was one of 18 staffs in the country where every member from 2012 is back in 2013. Yeah, Manti Te'o was laughed at. He's also a millionaire. It doesn't affect the current Notre Dame football program. Gunner Kiel leaving? Nearly twodozen quarterbacks have left the Irish since 1977 (about one every 1.5 years), and some went on to play in the pros or have stellar college careers. That's the nature of the position. In 40 years of following this program, I've estimated that you can count on about three transfers per year. That's the way competition works. It's just "high drama" now — "Hey, what's going on out there?!?" — compared to an inevitable occurrence back then. The Everett Golson incident was a jolt this May. Nobody ever likes to lose the incumbent starting quarterback, and that could hurt in 2013. But who really knows? I seldom saw Lou Holtz more ashen or crestfallen than when he announced that freshman demigod Ron Powlus broke his clavicle a week before the 1993 opener. That also happened to be the same week the infamous Under The Tarnished Dome: How Notre Dame Sold Its Soul For Football Glory hit bookstores. The Irish still finished a controversial No. 2 that year despite beating No. 1 Florida State in November. Holtz often said at least three crises will occur in the offseason — and probably three more during the season (not even including losses). Ara Parseghian (1964-74) said he used to greet his secretary each morning with the comment, "Where are the fires today?" It's part of the job description. There was a six-month period from January 1988 through June 1988 in which Notre Dame lost four potential starters, plus several others, to transfer. They survived with a championship despite a 43-36-1 record the previous seven years. That's big-time football. The football teams that aren't in the news for setbacks are the ones who don't dare to be great (or don't have the recruiting budget or cachet to do so). Notre Dame attempts to do a lot, and it will consequently have plenty of negative news occur because of it. The day it doesn't happen is when no one will care anymore. ✦ Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com