Color Me Impressed

"Color Me Impressed by Jack Swarbrick's resume and accomplishments.

But the piece of paper in which I'm most interested is not Swarbrick's vitae, it's the job description for Notre Dame's athletic(s) director.

Once upon a time, numb from the disaster that was Michael Wadsworth, I took Kevin White's hiring as a very encouraging sign. I reasoned that a man with such an impressive resume, currently holding a rather prestigious position at an institution seemingly with great potential, would be highly unlikely to take a position as a lackey to Malloy, as Wadsworth had done.

Obviously, I couldn't have been more incorrect.

Swarbrick's prerogatives will be constrained by his superiors, as had been the case at Notre Dame for at least 55 years. It seems that most here believe that's a good thing, as calls here for complete autonomy for Notre Dame's athletic director are about as common as admonitions for Across and sprack to "get a room."

The most important question remains in what ways the powers-that-be will constrain Swarbrick.

The second-most important question is how Swarbrick himself envisions Notre Dame football. While the immediate die is already cast, including the newly-extended NBC contract and its provision for seven home games in addition to a neutral-site prime-time game, the athletic(s) director has the opportunity and responsibility to be an internal advocate.

The saga of Gene Corrigan and Gerry Faust well illustrates the limitations upon the athletic director and the imperative that the athletic director be creative, decisive and effective notwithstanding those limitations.

When Corrigan was unable to convince Fr. Hesburgh and Fr. Joyce that retaining Gerry Faust beyond his third season was not in Notre Dame's best interests, Corrigan made sure that when the opportunity to replace Faust did arise, he would be prepared to do so swiftly and effectively. Not only did Corrigan identify Holtz (not necessarily a big deal), but he suggested the out-clause in Holtz's Minnesota contract (apparently at the suggestion of Moose Krause) and just as important, timely persuaded Fr. Hesburgh and Fr. Joyce to authorize Holtz's hiring.

I choose to hope that in addition to his impressive record, Swarbrick does not believe that the football program and the entire University are best served by our current scheduling philosophy, and that he can bring his seemingly considerable talents to bear upon changing the thinking that is reflected by the NBC extension.

Phone calls to Stanford, Purdue and Michigan State in the next 60 days would go a long way toward convincing me that my dreams might come true. - CJC"

Notre Dame Football, Charlie Weis, Sugar Bowl