Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2020 15 UNDER THE DOME 40 Years Ago: Aug. 15, 1980 One week after the start of practice, sixth-year Notre Dame head coach Dan Devine tells ABC-TV reporter Dave Diles during a Friday night nationally televised NFL preseason game between Pittsburgh and Atlanta that he will step down from his post at the end of the season. The 55-year-old Devine — at the time the oldest head coach ever at Notre Dame — said the move is because of "family considerations and personal reasons." Hired in 1975, Devine's 44-14 career record (.759 winning percentage) with a 1977 national title is still not considered up to the standards of predecessor Ara Parseghian, who was 95-17-4 (.836) with two consensus titles, a shared third one and No. 2 finish in a fourth campaign. Devine also denies there is any pressure from a 7-4 finish the previous year, the most losses by the Fighting Irish since a 2-7 showing in 1963. Notre Dame is not expected to fare much better in 1980, perhaps even worse while trying to find a new quarterback — freshmen Scott Grooms and Blair Kiel, the No. 1 and No. 3 All-Americans according to Parade are two of the top candidates; replacing all-time leading rusher and first-round pick Vagas Ferguson; and retooling a defense that allowed the most rushing yards by the program in 22 years. Furthermore, the schedule includes No. 9 Purdue and Michigan (which would win the Big Ten and Rose Bowl) in the first two games, road trips to Michigan State and Arizona, plus other excursions to two-time reigning national champ Alabama and perennial superpower USC. 30 Years Ago: Aug. 22, 1990 An emergency press conference is held in response to a Sports Illustrated feature written by Rick Telander in which former Notre Dame player Steve Huffman reveals that "almost half" of the lettermen at Notre Dame used steroids, at the behest of the coaching staff. Director of athletics Dick Rosenthal and head coach Lou Holtz vehemently deny the accusations. Meanwhile, players from the past and present admit to "isolated" incidents that led to expulsions, and claim the feature was mostly exaggerated. "If I told you nobody ever tried it, I'd be a liar — and if you believed me, you'd be a fool," stated 1988-89 captain and linebacker Ned Bolcar. "But no way did Notre Dame, Coach [Lou] Holtz or anybody else suggest the use of steroids — or any drug for that matter." 25 Years Ago: Aug. 21, 2010 For the third time in four years, Notre Dame does not appear in the Associated Press preseason top 25 rankings, this time under first-year Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly. Named Home Depot's National Coach of the Year the previous season while leading Cincinnati to a 12-0 mark before accepting the Notre Dame position, Kelly said returning to prominence is going to be first decided by internal choices. "All the things that detract you from winning, how do you live your life?" Kelly said. "Are you a guy that likes to drink beer on Thursday night and think you can do that and be the best you can be on Saturday? Are you somebody that likes to hide during practice and pick your spots when you're going to turn it on? "So I look for all those things that can keep you from winning because I know how to win and I know what the things are that needed to be put in place here. ""Our players right now have cut out a lot of the losing things. To me, that's how you win. It's not just about what the scoreboard says; it's about how you go about doing your job seven days a week, 24 hours a day." — Lou Somogyi Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: August One week after fall practice started in August 1980, Notre Dame head coach Dan Devine announced he would step down from his post at the end of the season. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ISSUE $12.95 ✦ WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM LAYING IT ON LAYING IT ON THE LINE THE LINE Veteran unit will be leaned on to lead the way Veteran unit will be leaned on to lead the way for Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes for Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes Liam Eichenberg Liam Eichenberg Aaron Banks Aaron Banks Robert Hainsey Robert Hainsey Tommy Kraemer Tommy Kraemer Jarrett Patterson Jarrett Patterson Irish fans, do you want the best, most in-depth preview of the upcoming football season? With 160 full-color, glossy action- packed pages of Notre Dame football information, this magazine is a must-have for the upcoming season! • Player Features • Historical Articles • Detailed Position-by-Position Analysis • Opponent Previews • And much more! plus shipping & handling $ 12 95 ORDER NOW: THE 2020 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL PREVIEW GET THE DIGITAL EDITION! Only $ 5 00 ORDER AT BlueGoldonline.Com OR CALL 800-421-7751