Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 91 (three), and for the first time in school his- tory it allowed more than 170 rushing yards per game for a third consecutive season. No way fortunes can change at Notre Dame without the defensive line returning to its glory days. When The D-Line Ruled To resuscitate a floundering Notre Dame program in 1964, Parseghian's first priority was a championship defense, particularly the front line. That year, he made the rare move of start- ing four sophomore defensive linemen — Alan Page, Kevin Hardy, Tom Regner and Don Gmitter — to help the Irish improve from 2-7 to 9-1 and a share of a national title. Page, Hardy and Regner would all be NFL first-round picks, and Regner and Gmitter would later move to offense to make room for converted linebacker and future All-American Pete Duranko, plus fourth- round pick Tom Rhoads. It was the beginning of Notre Dame's rep- utation as "Defensive Line U" from 1964-80 under head coaches Parseghian and Dan Devine — with the common thread in both regimes the presence of defensive line coach Joe Yonto. During those 17 seasons, Notre Dame won three consensus national titles and vied for numerous others while posting a 148-33-5 mark (.809 winning percentage). • After the graduation of Page, Hardy and Duranko, the 1967-69 defensive lines in- cluded No. 2 NFL pick Mike McCoy and Bob Kuechenberg, who would be a six-time Pro Bowl player on offense. • In the 1968 recruiting class alone, the Irish inked two defensive linemen who be- came first-round picks — Walt Patulski, who went No. 1 overall, and Mike Kadish — plus Greg Marx in round two, Fred Swendsen in round three and Mike Zikas in the seventh. That kind of haul in one class might never again be matched anywhere. From 1971-76, the Irish championship as- sembly line along the defensive line continued: • Mike Fanning (first-round pick, No. 9 overall) and Kevin Nosbusch (fifth round) were signed in 1971. • Steve Niehaus (first-round pick, No. 2 overall) inked in 1972, as did future co- captain Jim Stock. • Ross Browner (first-round pick, No. 8 overall) and Willie Fry (second round) in 1973, both All-Americans and captains. • Jeff Weston and Ken Dike in 1974, plus Mike Calhoun and Jay Case in 1975. Weston and Calhoun are among the top five in career tackles made by Irish defensive linemen, and all four rotated as tackles for the 1977 national champs. • Scott Zettek in 1976. The Associated Press first-team All-American end helped lead a defense that in 1980 set the school record for most quarters not permitting a touchdown (23), breaking the mark of 21 that was set in his freshman season in 1976. Although the Irish temporarily floundred under head coach Gerry Faust from 1981-85, the school's reputation of developing pre- mier defensive linemen continued with play- ers such as first-round pick Eric Dorsey, second-round selections Mike Gann and Wally Kleine, or even a nine-year pro such as Mike Golic Sr. When Notre Dame finally broke through in 1988 with a national title under third-year head coach Lou Holtz, the centerpiece was the rebuilt front line on defense that featured three future second-round picks in rush end Frank Stams, nose guard Chris Zorich and tackle Jeff Alm. The 1993 defensive line that finished No. 2 nationally despite defeating No. 1 Florida State featured three defensive line- men — Bryant Young, Jim Flanigan and Oliver Gibson — who each played at least 10 years in the NFL, led by first-round pick and four-time Pro Bowler Young. Point: D-Line Remains A Problem The Holtz era was finished at Notre Dame in 1996, and paralleling his departure was the end of an era along the Irish defensive line. In the spring of 1997, Renaldo Wynn be- came the most recent Irish defensive lineman picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. In the seven ensuing years from 1998-2004, the lone Irish D-lineman drafted was Anthony Weaver (2002, second round). Since 2000, Notre Dame's inability to consistently land premier defensive line- men has been deemed a main albatross from reaching the elite level on the gridiron. In 2001, the Irish found a diamond in the rough with Justin Tuck. And in 2003, they signed a pair of stalwarts in Victor Abiamiri and Trevor Laws — both future second- round picks. Their presence, along with Derek Landri, helped lead Notre Dame to its lone AP top-10 finish from 1994-2011 (No. 9). Had Tuck returned for a fifth season that year (2005), it might have been higher. But other than in 2008, the Irish defen- sive line recruiting in the six-year period from 2004-09 was the vulnerable spot of the program. Joe Yonto — standing next to head coach Ara Parseghian — helped Notre Dame win three national championships and coached 12 All-American defensive linemen from 1964-80. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS