Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/514677
WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? Former All-American had an amazing combination of size and quickness BY LOU SOMOGYI D uring the early 1970s, Notre Dame assistant coach Brian Boulac often took up residence in the greater Cin- cinnati area while recruiting premier high school talent. Rising power Archbishop Moeller under head coach Gerry Faust was es- pecially a prime spot, and Faust would mark down the numbers for Boulac to watch when he gave him game film. While watching Moeller standout Steve Sylvester (who would start for the 1973 national champs and play on three Super Bowl champions), Bou- lac was even more thunderstruck by another Moeller product, and asked Faust why he didn't list him. "You can't have him," Faust shot back, before adding, "He's only a sophomore." That was linebacker Steve Niehaus, a man-child that left even the most grizzled college coaches in awe. Nie- haus still remembers in amazement how Michigan head coach Bo Schem- bechler fell to his knees in his office to beg Niehaus to become a Wolverine. "People don't believe that, but he did," Niehaus recalled. "In fact, he pulled a dollar out of his pocket and Steve Niehaus, 1972-75 Defensive Lineman Niehaus' 290 career tackles at Notre Dame are the second most ever by a Fighting Irish lineman. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS