Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FAN FORUM CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE You could sense in Ara's Parseghian first year as head coach at Notre Dame in 1964 he would take the football pro‑ gram to No. 1. He did not have a terrific year in 1965 (7‑2‑1), but you just knew outstanding years were coming. And even though Lou Holtz had a 5‑6 record in his initial year at Notre Dame in 1986, you could just tell by his hands‑on coaching that he would eventually capture a national title. Ever since Brian Kelly arrived at Notre Dame, I have never felt the same as I did with Ara and Holtz during their beginning years. Even though Kelly took the team to the national title game after the 2012 season, I do not believe he has that extra "something" that can put ND in the No. 1 position. The slow starts on the road dur‑ ing the regular season (exception be‑ ing Oklahoma in 2012) have been his Achilles heel during his Notre Dame tenure, and once again it haunted him against Clemson. It's really too bad for the team and fans, because this team in 2015 is deep with talent. Even if Notre Dame wins out, the Power Five conferences hold the cards for the final four spots for the national title. Notre Dame's September wins mean almost nothing due to the op‑ ponents' collective win‑loss record to date. Brian Sontchi '75 Via the Internet Mr. Sontchi, when you use an Ara Par- seghian or a Lou Holtz as the base to com- pare coaches, about 95 percent of them are not going to measure up. It's like blaming someone's wife for not having the figure of Kate Upton. There are six coaches among 128 BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Letters Blue & Gold Illustrated P. O. Box 1007 Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Brian Kelly had the seventh-best winning percent- age (.756, 93-30 record) among head coaches on the Football Bowl Subdivision level over the past 10 years as of Oct. 16. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND