Where Have You Gone, Notre Dame? A Fan's Look At The Last 20 Years

Part of this, of course, can be blamed on Tim Brown.

When I started following football in High School, I also started to follow college football....and being from South Dakota, where we don't have any major Schools (NAIA Affiliates), I started to watch the Notre Dame games. This was the time of Lou Holtz, with players like Brown, Ismail, and Tony Rice. Being before the days of the internet, i'd go to the library, and study the football history, and discovered how much of a legacy had gone on in South Bend.

But, like all teams do, they have ups, and they have downs.

By 1996, Lou Holtz had reached the end of his coaching stint, and the team would go in a new direction. Bob Davie, his replacement, would last less than half Lou's time, only five years.

Tyrone Willingham? Three.

Kent Baer? One.

What would be next.....two games?

No....Charlie Weis, fresh from the Patriots coaching staff, stepped into the picture.

His first two seasons were an interesting mix, of plays, creative gameplans, and a lot of work, by Brady Quinn, now of the Cleveland Browns.

However, his third season, after Quinn's departure, wasn't so hot.

The team limped to a 3-9 record...and Notre Dame, to this date, hasn't won a Bowl game since the Cotton Bowl, January 1st, 1994.

So, we've had multiple Coaches, some decent players, and a dry spell.

Solution? Keep the coach around, to develop his players. Don't keep swapping them out, it's hard for players to develop otherwise.