Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/638727
Notre Dame coaches with AP top-10 finishes (one apiece), which is why the standards at the school remain so high: • In 11 seasons, Ara Parseghian (1964-74) had nine top-10 placements, highlighted by national titles in 1966 and 1973, to lead the way. He also was No. 2 in 1970 and No. 3 in 1964. • Also in 11 seasons, Lou Holtz (1986-96) had five top-10 finishes, most no- tably No. 1 in 1988 and near misses with the runner-up slot in 1989 and 1993. • Tied for third place with three apiece are the trio of Elmer Layden (1934-40), Terry Brennan (1954-58) and Dan Devine (1975-80), none of whom coached more than six years in the AP poll era. Had the poll begun in 1935, Layden's 7-1-1 Irish also would have finished in the top 10 to give him four. It shows how demanding this job can be. Layden left after seven years despite a .770 winning percentage (higher than both Holtz and Devine); Brennan was fired after five seasons; Devine stepped down after six cam- paigns amidst constant complaints that he was not Parseghian. — Lou Somogyi UNDER THE DOME Former Irish LB Darius Fleming Plays Hero After Car Crash Former Irish linebacker Darius Fleming played an NFL playoff game with 22 stitches in his right leg two days after he said he rescued a woman from a smok- ing car near the New England Patriots' stadium in mid-January. Fleming, who contributed mostly on special teams for last year's Super Bowl champions and also played at times for the squad that lost in the AFC Champi- onship Game this season, is in his fourth season in the NFL. He said a large truck making an unexpected right turn led to three cars col- liding in front of him. "I was about to go around it, but I noticed the lady in front of me, she kind of was jumping around the car, passenger seat, back seat, and I noticed smoke building up inside the car," Fleming told reporters. "I tried to open the doors and it wouldn't work. So then I was just like, 'I have to get her out of here. I don't know if this lady can breathe or what.' "I started banging on the window. It wouldn't break. So then I started to kick in the window and eventually it broke." The Walpole, Mass., police said there was no fire involved in the crash, but that the air bag deployment can look as if there is smoke in the vehicle. According to ESPN, Fleming registered 16 snaps of special teams duties in the win over the Kansas City Chiefs that weekend. — Andrew Owens