Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME 85 Years Ago: March 31, 1931 A nation bows in grief when Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne, who turned 43 earlier in the month, and seven others perish in a plane crash over Bazaar, Kan. The plane, a Fokker F‑10 tri‑motor, was en route from Kansas City to Wichita prior to Rockne traveling to California. In newspaper accounts and according to Mrs. Seward Baker, on whose farm the plane crashed, the plane burst into flames at a height of about 2,000 feet and spiraled to the ground. Three months earlier, the 43‑year‑old Rockne had celebrated a consensus third national title in seven seasons, a second straight unblemished campaign and a 19‑game winning streak. His final season also marked the opening of Notre Dame Stadium. With a 105‑12‑5 record, his .881 winning percentage still remains the best in major college football history. 35 Years Ago: March 28, 1981 First‑year Notre Dame head coach Gerry Faust opens spring practice with what becomes known as "Faust Fever" when Sports Illustrated, ABC's Wide World of Sports and hundreds of spectators show up to the session that features nearly perfect weather. Wrote SI of the first practice: "Look out America, here comes the human dynamo, the whirling dervish of college football. During his four months on the job — he succeeded Dan Devine, who retired — Faust has seemed bent on proving that a man can go in 17 directions at once — 18 if you count his daily visits to church for Mass and communion. Subsisting on four hours of sleep and one meal on the run a day, Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: March