Q & A With Notre Dame Football Super Fan Dr. Ira Rish

Friday morning before July 4th, I got together with Dr. Ira Rish, one of Notre Dame's great football fans, for a one-on-one interview. I had been trying to meet with him for about a year, and finally got the chance. We met at a coffee shop along the beach in Boca Raton, Florida at about 9:00 AM. The following is the transcript of the interview:

JK: Dr. Rish, what would you prefer I call you?

DR: My good friends call me Doc. Please call me Doc.

JK: Doc, I'd like to start by asking you how you got to be such an Irish football fan.

DR: It started back in New York. I was about nine years old, and me and a friend snuck into Yankee Stadium to see the 1933 Notre Dame-Army game. I wasn't really a big Irish fan at that time—I had been a Columbia Lions fan—but by the end of the day I became hooked.

It was one of the most famous games in our history. Army was undefeated that year. I believe they were 9-0. We didn't have a very good team, we were 2-5-1, and a huge underdog.

We won the game 13-12, and ruined Army's season. Since that day it has been one big love affair.

JK: How do you stay up to date with Notre Dame Football?

DR: There's about 150 of us and we get together for all the games at Murphy's Clam Bar on Glades Road. We've been meeting there for about 20 or so years.

When I retired and moved to Florida, I had to find some Notre Dame fans, and it took me about two weeks until I heard about Murphy's. And, I'm not the oldest one there. There's about three fellows well into their '90s.

JK: I know your time is valuable, someone told me you have a 12:10 tee time, so I want to get right down to it, if that's okay with you.

DR: Fire away!

JK: Doc, I don't know about back in your day, but there seems to be a lot of hate directed toward the Notre Dame Football program, and I wanted to know what you thought about it.

DR: Well, Notre Dame is the most hated football team in the country, and it always was. I don't know if we're on the same level as the Yankees, but we're pretty close.

JK: Why is Notre Dame so hated?

DR: It's pretty obvious—you win as much and for as long as we have and you become everyone's target.

But, contrary to what your question leads me to think, being hated is a good thing. It's the highest of compliments a team can receive, and it comes with the territory. Get used to it, embrace it.

For the last 10 or 15 years, Notre Dame has been playing sub-par football, but it's not going to erase or tarnish decades of success—not yet. 

We're still going to be hated by everyone who's not a fan.

Let me add: there are some other reasons why they hate us, or shall I say reasons they think they hate us.

They don't like the fact that we have our own television network. They don't like it because we have always been able to recruit nationally. They don't like to see us get, and I have to admit they have a point about this one, favoritism in getting to big bowl games.

They probably have a valid point about the bowls, but it's not Notre Dame's fault!

The other reason they perceive us as worthy of hate is that old argument about not belonging to a conference. But you must remember, when it gets down to the bottom line the reason they hate Notre Dame is all about winning. They wouldn't care about all these other issues if we didn't win so much.

Did you ever hear anyone say "it's not fair, Navy should join a conference?"

JK: Can I get you another coffee?

DR: Only if I can pay for it.

JK: Sure!

DR: You know, since you brought up "hate," I believe that because we've been on somewhat of a slide over the last decade or so, there are some other teams that have a chance of actually passing us and taking over the title of "college football's most hated."

What about Florida? Don't you think they are racing to the front of the hate list? They became highly successful in 1990 when Steve Spurrier, who was a brilliant coach, took over and won six SEC Championships and a National Championship.

JK: Do you think he is still a brilliant football coach?

DR: Yes, I do. But getting back to Florida; Urban Meyer comes along in 2005, after the Ron Zook experiment, and now he's already won two National Championships.

And this Tim Tebow guy, he's won one Heisman Trophy, and has a good chance for another this year. A lot of people probably hate these guys!

JK: But Doc, they don't have their own television network, and they belong to the SEC. What do the Gator haters blame their success on?

DR: Good question! There are a lot of things these, as you say Gator haters, complain about.

They don't like the fact that Florida never leaves the state for non-conference games. You know how we travel all over the place—they don't.

A lot of people still remember Spurrier throwing that visor on the ground every time his quarterback made a bad decision.

I've heard stories about all the player arrests, and I was reading an article on the Internet that was written by a reporter for the Atlanta Constitution-Journal about how Florida football lowers the SAT score requirement more than any other BCS school.

I'll tell you something else that I don't like about them. Last year they kicked a late field goal against the Hurricanes, and it bothered a lot of people down here. That was a bad decision by the coach.

The coach has done some pretty questionable things in his short stay. Remember after a loss to LSU in 2005 when he cried at the press conference? Can you imagine Ara or Lou crying, ever?

Meyer also campaigned to play in the National Championship game in 2006 when Michigan had just as much right to be there. Lloyd Carr—and you know what school he coached at,  we don't like to say their name—was a real gentleman about the whole thing, and he won my respect.

You know, I've heard the rumors. If Charlie can't get the job done this year, they might replace him with Urban Meyer. I don't know about that. I don't know if he can coach players who all go to class and graduate!

JK: Good point Doc, I'm glad you could say it.

DR: Florida's not the only school that is becoming hated more each year. Oklahoma is right behind them.

Oklahoma has won seven National Championships, 42 conference championships, and don't forget that dynasty they had under Bud Wilkinson in the late 50's. They won 47 consecutive games. That's the kind of success that people hate!

But if you want to look for some other reasons, you can find them with Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has had their share of NCAA violations you know. They had a two-year television and post-season ban in 1973, another two-year television ban in 1988, and they were cited for major violations recently—July, 2007.

Stoops can't win a big bowl game, they always run the score up, and honestly, they're always over ranked. Remember the Boise State game?

JK: I bet I know another team that is becoming hated. How about Alabama?

DR: Bingo!

The Tide has, well, they claim 12 National Championships. The great Bear Bryant won six, and they've won 21 SEC Championships. They've almost had as much success as us!

But I didn't like the way they fired Don's son Mike so abruptly, and hired that Saban character. Did you ever see one of his press conferences? I don't think I've seen one where he didn't chew out someone from the media.

And Alabama's right up there with Oklahoma in the NCAA violations department, and they've had a lot of arrests.

You know this text book scandal where they were made to forfeit 21 games? This is the fourth time in the last 14 years where they've been penalized by the NCAA.

You know, when you get down to it, if you took Vanderbilt out of the SEC, you'd have trouble finding any team that wasn't penalized by the NCAA regularly.

And last year Alabama was over-ranked, and they showed it against Utah in the Sugar Bowl.

JK: Doc, aren't you forgetting someone? What about that school north of us?

DR: You mean Michigan?

JK: Yes!

DR: I was just getting to them. You have to hate the team that has won the most college football games in history. Hell, they've even won more games than we have!

And I've got some other reasons for hating them.

Show them a Rose Bowl, they'll find a way to lose it. 

And people don't like us for recruiting nationally—they do the same thing. 

The face of their program is still Bo Schembechler, and that guy was a monster on the sideline. I know Lou once pulled a kid's face mask, but did you ever watch a Michigan game and not see Schembechler throw at least one fit?

Now they got Rich Rodriguez. He leaves West Virginia in the middle of the night, and then tries to get out of the buy-out clause in his contract. Michigan ends up paying most of it.  

This team could end up passing us by on the hate list, especially if they start winning again.

JK: I think you're right.

DR: I'll give you one more. It's one that's not quite there yet, and most people can't equate hate with this team—Oklahoma State.

Have you heard of T. Boone Pickens? This guy has donated over $400 million to the school, of which $265 million has gone to the athletic department.

It appears that T. Boone wants to buy a National Championship, and the good will he has shown towards his alma mater is being looked upon in a "Stienbrennerisk" way. A lot of people hate George Steinbrenner. Yogi Berra did

Don't forget that 2007 "I'm a man, I'm 40" outburst by Mike Gundy. That didn't help either, but Pickens has catapulted Oklahoma State right to the top of everyone's hate list.

But, we'll never hate them totally because if they get better they'll beat Oklahoma a lot more.

JK: I want to move on to another issue Doc, can you quickly name anyone else who might become as hated as the Irish?

DR: Well, Oregon, if the Nike money becomes a factor at that school. BYU because of that bogus National Championship they won in 1984, and don't forget Duke basketball.

JK: Duke Basketball? I thought we were talking college football!

DR: Anytime the word hate comes up in a conversation about sports—Duke belongs!

JK: Doc, I think I heard your cell phone.

DR: Excuse me for a second.

DR: I hate to do this to you, because I've really enjoyed thie short time we've had, but my tee time has just been moved up and I have to go. 

JK: I understand, and thanks for your time. Maybe we could do this again?

DK: Just call me.