Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/76097
"I Initial Stage Of "Inevitability" Avoided THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI much about this industry that you won't recognize in 10 years. We must be at the forefront in that. We must participate in dictating that change. Notre Dame cannot have that dictated to it. And I love the chal- lenge of accepting that responsibility." — Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick, July 16, 2008 giate athletics has indeed experienced dramatic shifts since Swarbrick's "freshman year" as AD at Notre Dame in 2008-09 to the time he "graduated" this summer to cap his senior year. And when it came to dictating Notre Dame's future as a football independent, Swarbrick made summa cum laude. Throughout the past few years, particu- The landscape of colle- accept this job on the threshold of extraordinary change in intercolle- giate athletics in America. … There's ACC, finally aligning with the Big Ten … or maybe even joining the Big 12 as a par- tial member. Notre Dame football over the past de- Notre Dame's independent status in foot- ball is as much of an icon as the golden dome at the center of campus. Irish AD Jack Swarbrick has so far suceeded in his goal to keep it that way. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS cade was beginning to resemble Notre Dame men's basketball for much of the 1980s and into the 1990s, drifting almost aimlessly during the regular season, liv- ing too much off its past glories — a giant-killers reputation rather than titles — sweating out postseason bids (even to the NIT) … until finally it began its affiliation with the Big East in 1994-95 in an attempt to forge a new identity. The Notre Dame foot- larly the 2011-12 school year, the word that seemed consistently associated with the Notre Dame football program was "inevi- table" — as in it's inevitable that the Irish will have to join a BCS conference, be it saving the Big East, matriculating to the called more into question than ever before with the seismic shifts in conference affili- ations and a [still] wary and vigilant eye toward future movement. Amidst it all, Swarbrick remained in the ball "brand" will always maintain relevant in col- lege football, even if the Irish aren't in the rank- ings. Nevertheless, it was forefront, as promised, and the Irish did not get caught in the crossfire. After the dust settled (at least for now) and a four- team playoff was approved for the start of the 2014 season, Notre Dame's status as a AUGUST 2012 116