Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME third in which he promises the Blessed Mother that if he fulfills his dream of becoming the head coach at Notre Dame, he will visit the Grotto every day he is in South Bend. Three weeks later, Faust receives a call from Notre Dame executive vice president Rev. Ned Joyce, C.S.C, who requests a private audience with him in Cincinnati. In the meeting, Joyce reveals that current head coach Dan Devine likely will be leaving at the end of the 1980 season — and then asks if Faust would be interested in being the successor. Faust answers that that has been his dream all along. Joyce tells Faust to keep the conversation confi‑ dential and he will remain in touch. 15 Years Ago: May 1, 2000 With Notre Dame coming off a 5‑7 season and a sixth straight finish outside of the top 10, Sports Il- lustrated runs a headline cover that asks: Whatever happened to Notre Dame football? In a multi‑page spread that features Notre Dame admissions director Dan Saracino in a defiant cross‑ armed pose, author Tim Layden writes how the combination of stringent academics, difficult schedules and head coach Bob Davie's inexperience as head coach endangers Notre Dame's place in college football. During the 1920s, Notre Dame and the New York Yankees became the eminent sports dynasties. Wrote Layden: "At the turn of the 21st century, the Yankees are thriving, having won three of the last four World Series. They haven't simply adapted to the changes in the way baseball business is conducted, they have exploited those changes. The same can't be said for Notre Dame … There's a feeling that while Notre Dame's football program is still significant, its aura is fading — as measured in sliding television ratings and mediocre results — and that once that magic is gone it will be irretrievable." — Lou Somogyi