Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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line. On that night in a rare victory, Brown scored on a kickoff return, punt return, reception and also by rushing. "In 27 years of playing football, the only time I played and I scored four touchdowns was when Notre Dame came to recruit somebody else," he noted. "We chose the University of Notre Dame not because we thought that we could win a championship, but because we thought it could give me a great education. … I was a mama's boy. I wanted to stay in Texas and play football. "And when I got there, I wanted to prove to everybody that it was about education. My very first game in the Notre Dame uniform my freshman year, the opening play of the game I fumbled the opening kickoff. So I told everybody, 'Hey, I told you I was com- ing here for education.'" Brown caught 28 passes as a fresh- man, but only 25 as a sophomore when the Irish finished 5-6 and lost 58-7 in the finale at Miami to end the Faust regime. It took only a few days in pads before the new head coach, Holtz, informed Brown that he could become the best player in the country. "I thought this guy had lost his mind," Brown said. "I said, 'Whose film have you been watching?' Day af- ter day, he would bring me in his office and show me what I was doing on the practice field. "Finally, he said he told the media that I was the most intelligent football player he had ever coached. I felt as if he had more confidence in me than I had in myself. He believed in me more than I believed in myself." Over the next two seasons, Brown compiled all-purpose yardage that still ranks one-two on Notre Dame's single- season list. "I can tell you without the great Lou Holtz, I would not have won the Heis- man Trophy," Brown said of his prized 1987 award. "I would not have been a first-round pick in the NFL. I probably would have gotten drafted, but I would have just been a guy. The things that he instilled in me made me a better man. "Gerry Faust. Coach, I don't know if you're here, but Gerry some kind of way convinced my mom to let me go FOR THE RECORD: JEROME BETTIS Bettis turned pro after his junior season at Notre Dame in 1992 and was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. During the 1991 season and as only a sopho- more, he established program records for most touchdowns (20) and points (120) in a season and holds Notre Dame's bowl game records in rushing yards (150) and rushing touchdowns (three) after leading the Irish to a 39-28 win over Florida in the 1992 Sugar Bowl. • Like Brown, he made an instant splash as rookie when he ranked second in the league in rushing yards (1,429) and was the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year and United Press International NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year. • At the time of his retirement, his eight 1,000-plus-yard seasons were tied for third- best in NFL history. • Bettis finished with 3,479 rushing attempts for 13,662 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and 91 touchdowns. • Bettis added 200 receptions for 1,449 yards and three scores over his 13-year NFL career. • Bettis was a member of the Super Bowl XL championship team that won it in his hometown of Detroit in his final NFL game.