Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Brooks, his little brother. The elder Brooks had left Notre Dame in the spring for personal reasons, at- tended summer school and performed well in the classroom. "This university has done so many great things, and all you have to do is look at the product and look at how many successful people it has turned out," Holtz said when addressing the personnel setbacks. "Do I have remorse? I have tremendous remorse. Do I feel down? Do I feel depressed? I feel tremen- dously depressed. "Am I bitter at the university? No. … You wonder many times if the punishment fits the crime, but nobody can make these decisions unless they have all the facts. I don't have all the facts and the public doesn't have all the facts." Led by quarterback Tony Rice, flanker Raghib Ismail and running back Ricky Watters on offense, and nose guard Chris Zorich, linebacker Ned Bolcar and cornerback Todd Lyght on defense, the Irish still remain a preseason favorite to stay atop the polls. 10 Years Ago: Aug. 9, 2004 Third-year head coach Tyrone Willingham downplays any talk of him being on the hot seat after coming off a 5-7 record that included demolitions against Michigan (38-0), USC (45-14), Florida State (37-0) and the finale against a 5-6 Syracuse team (38-12). The dismal campaign led to a well-publicized letter sent by "Notre Dame Nation," represented by sev- eral hundred alumni, to the administration on the program's direction and leadership. "Yes, we got beat," Willingham responded. "Yes, some of the scores were sizable. But unless we are wrong, it is truly only one loss. … Fans are very quick to praise or perish. Coaches kind of see the long haul and see things as they really are. I see great opportunity for our football team." — Lou Somogyi