Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/616353
UNDER THE DOME down to a simple ques‑ tion: How many of the Midshipmen and Owls would Notre Dame have seriously recruited, and how many could have started here? The answer probably would be less than five. This is not to margin‑ alize the 2015 achieve‑ ments. It's just that in 2015, there wasn't that one, "Wow, that was a victory over a top team they will be talk‑ ing about for decades" conquest. That doesn't mean the season wasn't a success, but the impact might not be as power‑ ful — at least not in the regular season. Yet with a victory against 11‑1 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, the 2015 Fighting Irish could separate themselves by first joining the 1993 and 2012 editions as the only three since 1990 to win at least 11 games and, sec‑ ond, be the first team in 22 years to win a major bowl. Everyone has his own definition of what con‑ stitutes a great or at least a successful football season at Notre Dame. Much of it is colored by his own past with the program. If you were around during the Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine or Lou Holtz years, you became used to high standards and might have a much more stringent bar. If you began follow‑ ing Notre Dame in the 1990s, a great season might be interpreted dif‑ ferently. Not all 10‑2 regu‑ lar seasons are created equal, and there is not a right or wrong answer on what one might de‑ fine as "success." The 2015 regular sea‑ son can be summed up as a fun, exciting ride. Anytime you are still in the national title con‑ versation the week of Thanksgiving, it's grati‑ fying. Yet for it to be more fulfilling, it needs that major bowl triumph against a premier brand such as Ohio State. Otherwise, it might be categorized similar to 2002 and 2006: good regular season, some memorable moments to cherish, but a frustrat‑ ing/disappointing finish and the two‑game los‑ ing streak would leave too much a void to rank among the classics. ✦ RONNIE STANLEY NAMED POLYNESIAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR After returning to school for his senior season, left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, presented annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry that epitomizes great ability and integrity. Stanley, a Las Vegas native, is the son of Ron and Juli Stanley, who is of Tongan descent. "On behalf of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Board of Directors and the Selection Committee, we congratulate Ronnie on this historic accomplishment," Polynesian College Football Hall of Fame Co-Founder Jesse Sapolu said. "He truly represents the very best of our Polynesian culture." — Andrew Owens STANLEY