The last time Notre Dame cast its Irish eyes toward Cincinnati in search of a coach it focused on Gerry Faust, who had won five state titles in six seasons at Moeller High School. Yes, high school.
You want to know how college football has changed in the past three decades, Gerry Faust is it. If the move was controversial then (1980), imagine if someone tried it now? The Internet might collapse if a program the caliber of the Irish hired a high school coach. Soon after, protesting mobs might bring Notre Dame Stadium down with it.
Faust lasted five middling seasons, was fired and then spent nine more years not doing much better at the University of Akron.
He was the start of the curse of the modern Notre Dame program – they’re good at a lot of things in South Bend but hiring coaches isn’t one of them. Only Lou Holtz has been a strong choice since the days of Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine.
Rivals.com
11/10/9
