This Job Made Holtz Dig Deep

He’s been called a great salesman, but Lou Holtz doesn’t want to hear about it.

Said the Notre Dame football coach: “In 1963, I was an assistant coach at William & Mary, but it was a 9-months-a-year job, and for the other 3 months I got a job selling cemetery plots.

“I’ve never had a tougher job. That summer, as a matter of record, I sold our car, our stereo, our TV, our radio. I sold virtually everything we owned, but I have yet to sell a single cemetery plot.”

Anyone notice that the MVPs of the championship games in college and pro football both were named Rice? Tony Rice won the honors in the Fiesta Bowl when Notre Dame beat West Virginia, and Jerry Rice won the vote in the Super Bowl when San Francisco beat Cincinnati.

Trivia Time: Jerry Rice has joined what two other wide receivers as Super Bowl MVPs? (Answer below.)

Unlikely Hero: John Taylor, who caught the winning pass in the Super Bowl, was so lightly regarded as a New Jersey prep that he went to Delaware State as a walk-on. He was a third-round draft choice of the 49ers in the 1986 draft--the 76th player chosen overall. He was suspended for the first 4 games this season because of substance abuse.

Would-you-believe-it Dept.: In 3 Super Bowl games, Joe Montana has not thrown a single interception. He’s thrown 93 passes, an average of 31 a game. The record for most interceptions is 7 by Craig Morton in 2 games. He threw 3 with Dallas and 4 with Denver. Fran Tarkenton threw 6 in 3 games with Minnesota.

Add Montana: Said 49er tackle Bubba Paris of the game-winning drive: “When we came into the huddle, we looked into Joe’s eyes and we saw Super Bowl rings on everybody’s fingers.”

For What It’s Worth: Cincinnati quarterback Boomer Esiason had a 15-0 record as a pitcher his senior year at East Islip (N.Y.) High School and won the Carl Yastrzemski Trophy as Long Island’s top high school player.

Says Esiason, who wears No. 7: “I loved guys in New York who wore No. 7. When I was a kid I followed Ed Kranepool and wanted to play first base for the Mets in the World Series. No. 7 is why I loved Rod Gilbert of the Rangers.”

Wait a Minute: When Indiana basketball fans threw coins on the floor to protest a couple of technical fouls against Coach Bob Knight during Saturday’s game against Michigan State at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., Knight grabbed the microphone and admonished the fans.

“Keep in mind we don’t throw things here,” Knight said. “I don’t care what the quality of officiating is, we don’t throw anything here.”

Didn’t somebody once throw a chair in Assembly Hall?

Greg Haugen, International Boxing Federation lightweight champion, asked about the Hector Camacho-Ray Mancini fight scheduled March 6, told Michael Marley of the New York Post: “Mancini never could fight. I don’t think he can spell defense. He gives guys like me a bad name. He’s a piece of garbage.

“And Camacho is a sissy. I guess Mancini got to fight because he can’t get no work as an actor.”

Trivia Answer: Lynn Swann of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Fred Biletnikoff of the Oakland Raiders.

Quotebook

Bill Glauber of the Baltimore Sun, on Dick Vitale: “He’s college basketball’s answer to the Jerry Lewis Telethon.”