Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 MARCH 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FAN FORUM TURNING THE PAGE Here's wishing DeShone Kizer the very best in his NFL career. How- ever, I hope he hasn't given up on one of his stated reasons for attend- ing Notre Dame. As I vividly recall, he said one of the reasons he signed with Notre Dame was to one day attend its school of law. Since viewing that video, I've been impressed with how Mr. Kizer has conducted himself through all the ups and downs of being a QB at Notre Dame. America certainly could benefit from another Alan Page. Good luck, DeShone, and "Go Irish." Matt Hart Trenton, Mich. THE FORK Notre Dame appears to be reaching the fork in the road. How can you maintain the myth of a highly valued academic insti- tution and simultaneously bring in over $100 million in football related dollars? At this point, Notre Dame is failing and dare I say, failing badly. The TRUE ND fan is very disap- pointed by the current Notre Dame administration that seems so devoted to the mighty $, that one at times is not sure that this school was founded on religious principles versus some form of greed. Some areas to ponder: 1. What is really the value of not being in a conference (in football) when 1988 was the last national championship? Who are we trying to fool? 2. If we pursue the path of inde- pendence, then water down the schedule with only two to three real games, but don't expect me to attend to see Miami (Ohio), Toledo, etc. Frankly I prefer that we join a con- ference like the Big Ten and force the NCAA to have eight divisions of eight teams so that there is a real playoff or path to the national cham- pionship. (That still leaves five non- conference games per season). Fans enjoy rivals, since cupcakes can be made at any house in America. 3. It is time to realize that the pro- fessional life span of a player is very short. Therefore, any four-star or above recruit expects to be in college no more than three years. Develop an academic program that supports this approach. After all, college is not the goal but the foundation for future success or contributions to society. I would then recruit other players with a five-year approach to balance off the roster. A 12-game or more season requires 60 players in good health. I am shocked that Coach Kelly tried to go through this season using only 40 players until the season fell apart. 4. Coaching is a full-time job. Over the past seven years, Coach Kelly has gradually been distracted and lost contact with his team. The USC game was a sad example and as a Notre Dame grad, I hope this does not represent current Notre Dame students or team chemistry. If Coach Kelly does not have time to devote 100 percent of his effort to ND, then ND/Kelly should part ways. 5. The ND administration needs $1 million plus a day to run ND. No surprise there. However, when you lose track of your basic ND fan by pricing them out of the home games, or by not providing individual seats in addi- tion to the $200-plus charges once you drive on campus; then you have forgot what made Notre Dame great by always staying true to its alumni and "friends" of ND. BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Letters Blue & Gold Illustrated P. O. Box 1007 Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Quarterback DeShone Kizer had a brief Notre Dame career, playing just two seasons before electing to forego his final two years of eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA