coaches upon their hiring. An abbrevi-
ated version of the two-minute speech
appeared in Sports Illustrated in 1983:
"You've got five years. We won't say
boo if you lose. I think you'll have the
tools here to win more than you lose; it
seems to work out that way. But if you
don't [win], you won't hear from me.
You will hear from me if you cheat. If
you cheat, you'll be out of here before
midnight."
In that same article, SI concluded
"Notre Dame has a leadership that
knows how to appreciate football as
much as it knows how to control it."
That leadership may have not al-
ways been popular, but it turned out
to be right more often than not in its
approach to excellence and integrity.
"I assume that the only way to avoid
criticism is to do nothing," Hesburgh
told C-SPAN's Brian Lamb in 1991.
"So I do what I think I ought to do,
and if I get criticism, I get criticism."
Hesburgh weathered many a storm
in all arenas, and the respect and es-
teem past, present and future gradu-
ates have for him grew exponentially.
The great ones truly do stand taller
than ever over the test of time, and
his impact on his beloved Our Lady's
school will be eternal. ✦
Thousands of students, alumni and admirers flocked to the University of Notre Dame campus
March 3-4 to pay their respects to Hesburgh.
PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS
