Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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He faced a virtually impossible task as Rockne's successor amid tragic cir- cumstances. • Terry Brennan (1954-58) — Speak- ing of the impossible … the 26-year- old Brennan, after just one season as the 1953 freshman coach, was the hand-picked successor by school pres- ident Rev. Theodore Hesburgh C.S.C. for Frank Leahy, who had six unbeaten campaigns in his 11 years. Brennan finished in the top 10 three times in five years, but in his final three seasons the Irish were 15-15. • Bob Davie (1997-2001) — Similar to Brennan, he had to replace a Hall of Fame coach (Lou Holtz) who was at the Notre Dame helm for 11 years. Like Brennan, he lasted five years (35-25 overall, and 19-18 in his last 37 games). Unlike Brennan, he eventually did get back into coaching and enters his fourth season at New Mexico with an 11-26 mark. Terry Brennan was hired to coach the Notre Dame freshman team in 1953 before succeeding Frank Leahy the following year at age 26. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS THE LOYALISTS No Irish head coach had greater con- tinuity in his staff than Ara Parseghian from 1964-74. Three of his assistants — backfield coach Tom Pagna, defensive backs coach Paul Shoults and defensive line coach Joe Yonto — were with him all 11 seasons at Notre Dame. In Parseghian's final six seasons from 1969-74, he had only one change on his staff. Offensive line coach Jerry Wamp- fler took the head coaching job at Colo- rado State in 1970. Two members of Kelly's orignal staff that arrived at Notre Dame in 2010 re- main with him in year six: Associate head coach/wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock and linebackers coach/re- cruiting coordinator Mike Elson, who is now working a 12th consecutive season with Kelly. NO ORDINARY JOE The record for most years as an Irish assistant was 19 by Yonto. He coached 17 straight during the Parseghian and Dan Devine years (1964-80), and then the first two under Holtz (1986-87). In between, he served in an admin- istrative capacity for Gerry Faust from 1981-85, meaning he was in the Notre Dame football office in one capacity or another 24 straight years. What's amazing is Yonto had no col- lege coaching experience when Par- seghian hired the Notre Dame graduate from the high school ranks. He gradu- ally moved up the ladder, first as a de- fensive line assistant to John Ray from 1964-68, then as coach of the entire line when Ray took the head coaching po- sition at Kentucky in 1969, and then defensive coordinator in 1977.