Advertisement

No Holtz Barred in His Search

Share

Notre Dame needs a new coach, if indeed Lou Holtz is about to announce that he is leaving. This means Holtz’s last football game could be the Nov. 30 date in Los Angeles, where the Fighting Irish could hang around to interview two strong coaching candidates:

--Terry Donahue, who could take the Notre Dame job, just so he could coach against USC again, like his UCLA days, or . . .

--John Robinson, who could take the Notre Dame job, just so he could have a fighting chance to beat UCLA.

Advertisement

I always am curious how Notre Dame picks a new coach, because in South Bend, it’s kind of like picking a new Pope. You see everything but white smoke coming through the chimney.

I have seen the Irish choose everybody from a guy who coached high school football to a guy who coached the New York Jets . . . which is the same thing, now that I think about it.

It isn’t an easy gig.

Notre Dame needs someone who will embody everything you ever wanted in a leader, from Knute Rockne to Newt Gingrich.

It needs someone who will recruit large boys, mold them into mature men, and, as often as humanly possible, beat the snot out of Purdue.

The university is also increasing its stadium size, partly due to revenue received from NBC, which televises Irish football exclusively under its “Must-See Notre Dame TV, Week After Week After Week” contract.

I wouldn’t want to exaggerate this school’s importance to the network, but at NBC, it is Notre Dame that is considered the real third rock from the sun.

Advertisement

Donahue’s name has already surfaced as a possible replacement for Holtz as coach, even though Lou hasn’t confirmed that he needs replacing.

I appreciate the fact that Donahue happens to be Irish Catholic. Some of my best friends are Irish Catholic.

I also don’t care if the next Notre Dame coach happens to be Greek Orthodox, or if he’s Norwegian Buddhist. All that matters is that he knows his X from his O.

Donahue would be nuts not to consider the job.

He is happy as a broadcaster, but hey, Terry, there are thousands of broadcasters. My aunt’s cousin’s nephew’s neighbor is a broadcaster. But how many guys get to coach Notre Dame?

I remember Terry back when he was a candidate to coach amateur teams, like the Atlanta Falcons.

Imagine him preparing the Irish, for next fall’s visit from the school he still loves to call “Southern Cal.”

Advertisement

Notre Dame opens next season at home against Georgia Tech, a school that still bears the shame of having a player tackled by that pee-wee Irish walk-on, “Rudy,” the only time he stepped on a field.

The USC game falls Oct. 18, a nice little warm-up for a trip to LSU, home of college football’s most noisy fans, and to Hawaii, home of college football’s most suntanned fans.

Holtz has two games left on this season’s schedule, against Rutgers and USC, the best of which is, tragically, probably Rutgers.

Then could come a bowl game. Donahue could broadcast Holtz’s final Notre Dame game, and then Holtz could broadcast Donahue’s first Notre Dame game. Sounds OK to me.

If they had spoken sooner, Donahue could have waited a year, then traded jobs with Holtz, who could now be coaching UCLA.

Meanwhile, I am looking forward to next Saturday’s UCLA-USC game. It’s a rivalry big as Army-Navy, regardless of the fact that, for the first time I can remember, Army and Navy both are better than UCLA and USC.

Advertisement

A week later, USC will play host to Notre Dame in the newly remodeled Coliseum, which is preparing for Mayor Riordan’s secret plan to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles by the year 2525.

Holtz is expected to say this week if he is leaving.

It should affect the USC game, especially if his players are told to go out there and win one for the Holtzer.

Advertisement