Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/669106
UNDER THE DOME "In all my years in sports, I've never seen such a magnetic personality," said longtime Notre Dame sports information director Roger Valdiserri — who had worked with Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian — in an interview with Sports Illustrated, which featured a huge spread on Faust just for spring practice. Parseghian served as the honorary referee for the coin toss, and at halftime 1949‑81 Notre Dame athlet‑ ics director Ed "Moose" Krause, who was retiring prior to the start of the new school year, was presented a new Cadillac. The game itself began with a 97‑yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Chris Stone, brother of top 1980 rusher Jim Stone. Quarterbacks Blair Kiel (5‑of‑9 passing for 75 yards), Tim Koegel (6‑of‑11 passing for 106 yards) — who played for Faust at Moeller — and Scott Grooms (7‑of‑8 passing for 76 yards), all former Parade All‑Americans, take turns working with the first team. The attendance remained a record until 2007, when "Jimmy Clausen Fever" attracted 51,852 to the spring finale. Such "fevers" were not healthy, as the Irish finished 5‑6 in 1981 (their first losing season in 18 years) and 3‑9 in 2007 (the most losses in a season). 20 Years Ago: May 11, 1996 Former Notre Dame running back/ captain Rodney Culver and wife, Karen, are among the passengers who died in the crash of ValuJet Flight 592, a DC‑9 that went down in the Florida ever‑ glades near Miami. The 26‑year‑old Culver saw action as a freshman fullback for the 1988 national champions, scoring a touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl win over unbeaten West Virginia. He led the 1990 Fighting Irish in rushing and was the lone captain se‑ lected on the 1991 team that would defeat No. 3 Florida in the Sugar Bowl. Culver was on the San Diego Chargers' roster when he perished. "Rodney was as good as they come," Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard said. "No matter what you do in football, you've got to have people like Rodney Culver to build a champion‑ ship team. "He was such a model person, in life and football. He never asked for any‑ thing. A great example of a team guy." — Lou Somogyi In May 1996, the Notre Dame community mourned the loss of former football team captain Rodney Culver after a plane crash ended his life. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS