Holtz Is a Man Who Can Get Around

When the story broke that Lou Holtz had been named the football coach at Notre Dame, an Ohio State alumnus on The Times’ sports staff was visibly upset.

“You know,” he told a fellow staffer, “Notre Dame is back on their schedule. That means they’ll have to face Holtz in a few years.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” said the other staffer. “By that time, he’ll be the coach at Ohio State.”

Notre Dame will have plenty of motivation Saturday at Miami as it tries to win the last one for Gerry Faust, but the Hurricanes appear to be motivated, too.

Said Alonzo Highsmith, who also was recruited by the Irish: “I wasn’t into all that Notre Dame hype. I didn’t feel like living in the shadows of all the players who’ve been there. Personally, I don’t like Notre Dame, at all. And I’m not afraid to say it. I’m just not a Notre Dame fan.”

More to the point was Melvin Bratton, who said: “I don’t like Notre Dame. I hate them. I don’t like all that tradition junk.”

Trivia Time: Charles White is the sixth running back who has won the Heisman Trophy to play for the Rams. Name the other five. (Answer below.)

For the Record: After its football win over the Daily Trojan last Friday, the Daily Bruin reported that it was the first time in the history of the series that the visiting team had won.

Not so. In 1942, the Daily Trojan won, 6-0, at Spaulding Field as sports editor Bill Carter scored the only touchdown.

Today, he’s William H. Carter of Century City, and he recalls that his celebration was short-lived.

“The next day,” he said, “Bob Waterfield led UCLA to a 14-7 win over USC, the first Bruin win in the series.”

Add Forgettable Quotes: Said Larry Bird in an NBA release that arrived Wednesday: “I’m not going to score as much this year, because last year I thought I hurt the team. Our guards weren’t involved that much. This year, I’m trying to keep the ball moving and make the guards take the outside shot, because all our guards can shoot.”

That night, Bird scored 47 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons, 132-124. Bird took 31 shots. Guards Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Sam Vincent, Jerry Sichting and Rick Carlisle took a combined 18 shots.

Add Celtics: After the game, Kevin McHale, a Minnesota graduate, was being interviewed by Peter May of the Hartford Courant as Isiah Thomas of the Pistons stood by.

McHale, asked about Lou Holtz’s defection to Notre Dame, said he couldn’t blame him and added: “If the Lakers wanted Isiah, he’d just say, ‘Where do I sign?’ ”

Isiah got a laugh out of it, but he didn’t dispute it.

Trivia Answer: Tom Harmon, Bruce Smith, Les Horvath, Glenn Davis and John Cappelletti.

Quotebook

Skip Holtz, 21, Notre Dame business administration major, on his father being named the new head football coach: “I’m excited about it to have my family in town and eat dinner with them and take my laundry there.”

Boom Boom’s bust--West German Boris Becker (above) agonizes as he is upset inthe Australian Open Thursday by Dutchman Michiel Schapers (right). Story on Page 26.