Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/366772
1 Ranking of Notre Dame's Brian Kelly by Forbes in its "best coach for the money" ratings this August. The magazine notes how Kelly has posted a 21-5 record the last two seasons while earn- ing about $1.09 million per year. No. 2 Jimbo Fisher of Florida State is 26-2 over the same span (with the 2013 national title), but earn- ing approximately $2.75 million per year. Alabama's Nick Saban is No. 3 with a 24-3 mark (and defeating Notre Dame in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game) while earning an enormous $5.54 million. Among the variables used are Sagarin-rated win percentage and a coach's share of football expenses. 2 Consecutive years Notre Dame has finished among the top 25 football teams in the Associated Press poll, after a No. 4 place- ment in 2012 and No. 20 last year. It is attempting to do it three straight seasons for the first time since the seven in a row from 1987-93. The Fighting Irish began this season No. 17 in the AP poll released Aug. 17 — but those votes were cast before the revelation of the limbo status of four players because of alleged academic fraud. 9 Victories are the most ever produced by a Notre Dame head coach in his fifth season. Frank Leahy (1947) and Lou Holtz (1990) both reached that number, with Leahy's Fighting Irish win- ning their second consecutive national title while going 9-0. Holtz's Irish were ranked No. 1 on two separate occasions during the year but finished 9-3 after falling 10-9 to No. 1 Colorado in the Orange Bowl. Other records by top Notre Dame coaches in year five were Knute Rockne 8-1-1 (1922), Elmer Layden 8-1 (1938) — while losing the national title in the finale at USC — Ara Parseghian 7-2-1 (1968) and Dan Devine 7-4 (1979). 14:42.64 The clocking by former Notre Dame 10- time All-American Molly Huddle (2003- 06) in the 5,000-meter run July 18 at an IAAF Diamond League meet in Monaco, which broke her own American women's record. The 29-year-old Huddle finished sixth while shattering the mark of 14:44.76 she set at a Diamond League meet in Brussels, Belgium, on Aug. 27, 2010. 17 Career receptions by Notre Dame junior Chris Brown. If senior DaVaris Daniels is not allowed to play this year, UNDER THE DOME BY THE NUMBERS