Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Digger Phelps spent 20 seasons as Notre Dame's head coach prior to retiring in 1991. He then served as a college basketball analyst for ESPN from 1993 until his retirement this past spring. He lives in South Bend with his fiancée, Linda, and stays involved with the Irish program. Blue & Gold Illustrated: How did Notre Dame develop into a national program during your time in South Bend? Phelps: "When I got the job I asked [TVS Television Net- work executive] Eddie Einhorn, 'What can I do to get 10 week- ends [televised]?' He said, 'Get a national schedule and get rid of the Midwest schools.' "We toned it down and went national with Maryland, we had Kansas on there, UCLA twice, South Carolina, North Carolina State, all the powers on there and just played them." Blue & Gold Illustrated: What kind of role has university president emeritus Fr. Ted Hesburgh played in your life? Phelps: "He's been such an inspiration in my life. To be the godfather of the Civil Rights Act, and now he's got me from coaching basketball to coaching the streets, it's living out the Civil Rights Act for him. "I went for a blessing before I went in for [pros- tate cancer] surgery [a few years back]. He looks at me and says, 'Have the courage.' I've got it written in my wallet. That man's got a way with words to inspire you and get you to believe. That's why I think he's a living saint." Blue & Gold Illustrated: Why did you start the community initiative to prevent youth violence a couple years back? Phelps: "When you get a kid at age 6, it's a 10- year investment, so by the time he or she is 16, they see there are other options. We're always going to have some sort of violence. … But we can get kids focused to pull it down to where it's not [as bad], and say, 'Enough's enough,' and show these young people there are other options." Blue & Gold Illustrated: What did it mean to go into the Ring of Honor last year? Phelps: "To me it's more of a reflection of what went on in that time period and it was the fans, the students, the cheer- leaders, the leprechauns. "Yeah, it was the players, the coaches, the trainers, but it was all those moments that were created. … This ring is for every- one who was a part of that for 20 years." Blue & Gold Illustrated: Why do you think the ACC is the best fit for Notre Dame's non-football sports? Phelps: "Nothing against the Big Ten or the Big 12, but the power structure for us as a university with alumni clubs is Chicago and Milwaukee to New Orleans east of the Mississippi and from Maine to Florida. "That's who we are. The majority of our clubs and power bases, especially for development and fundraising, are east of the Mississippi." — Andrew Owens Five Questions With … FORMER MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH RICHARD "DIGGER" PHELPS Phelps was added to Notre Dame's Ring of Honor in Purcell Pavilion last January to recognize his achievements at the university. PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS