Wednesday, December 24, 2008
A Hopeful Sign?
Wow. Who, after a 6-6 regular season, could have predicted the explosiveness of ND’s 49-21 domination of Hawaii? Let’s hope it can be a building block for 2009.
It was still wrong for the Band of the Fighting Irish to be left back home.
Merry Christmas to all.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Next Stop, Waikiki….Whoa, Not You Guys
This will go down as a strange football season in more than a few ways — capped by the first modern-era bowl trip that didn’t include the Band of the Fighting Irish. The negotiations and machinations that landed the Irish in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve included a decision to leave the Band on the mainland, watching the game on TV.
For seniors especially, it’s a strange way to reward four years of sacrifice and service. The endless practices, the many performances, representing the best face of the University to crowds of all kinds in many places. All while a 6-6 team votes itself a vacation to Hawaii. The Band’s paid leadership says it can’t really talk about what happened.
These are strange days indeed. It doesn’t feel like what ND is supposed to be about… family, tradition, excellence.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
A Trashy Welcome from USC
We’ll leave the dissection of the ugliness at the Coliseum today to others (and there will be many).
But there is one disaster worth noting – the performance of the USC marching band at halftime.
First, to the Band of the Fighting Irish – you were as awesome as ever, in your historic first appearance at the Coliseum. The moving, exhaust-spewing “Chevy at the levy” followed by the outline of the U.S. and fluttering flag…some of the best pieces from the Ken Dye era, wonderfully performed. You brought a huge portion of the crowd, USC fans included, onto their feet. Bravo. And kudos also for a never-die spirit that played on despite the score. You truly exemplified Irish spirit.
The USC Band…not so much. A truly tasteless halftime show chided the ND Band for not appearing in LA the past 35 years, during which the USC band traveled to South Bend. As if the current ND band members had anything to do with it. Here they gave up Thanksgiving weekend with their families, traveled into a fairly dangerous area and played their hearts out – and then get mocked by their so-called hosts.
Friday, November 28, 2008
When You Know You’ve Had Enough
Turnout for the ND Pep Rally at the hotel was pretty strong. (For possibly the only time all weekend, there were more ND fans than ballroom-dancing enthusiasts in the Anaheim Marriott). A spirited gathering, with folks eager to hear several former Irish stars talk of their days on campus, and how ND will rise again. Afterwards, we meet three young (20-somethng) ND fans, one of whom is raving about “Loyal Sons” – quoting accurately from memory. Telling his buddy it’s a must-read to understand what Irish football means. Thanks, my friend. I’m humbled at the effect the book has had on you. We go on to dissect the various elements of where the program currently stands. One of the three boldly predicts a glorious ND victory tomorrow. We decide everyone’s had their limit, and head upstairs.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Turkey Day!
An unusual Thanksgiving. Well, at least for someone used to a Midwest, home-cooked turkey feast. For some reason (still being on Central time, maybe?) we found ourselves among the first customers as the bar at the Anaheim Marriott opened at 11 a.m. Hey, it was a holiday right? A little football on the TV, and football talk with fellow patrons. One of them provides an interesting take on ND’s woes, with a definite slant on a prominent Irish player from the LA area. Not particularly flattering. Next year, we tell him, things could look a whole lot different. Hope I’m not just blowing smoke.
A New Orleans style turkey dinner at Brennan’s in Downtown Disney made the day.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Every Emotion in One Day
What a totally strange, surreal, wonderful, awful, memorable day. No doubt about it — Saturday, 11/22/08 was one for the books.
We purposely set up no signings or other activities promoting “Loyal Sons” this weekend, wanting to keep the focus on our family celebration honoring the last time one of our daughters (Liz ’09) would march on the turf of Notre Dame Stadium as a student member of the Band of the Fighting Irish. One last Friday afternoon marchout from the Dome, a final practice, Pep Rally, Concert on the Steps, March to the Stadium. And of course the “final bow” with the playing of Notre Dame Our Mother at the conclusion of halftime. The camcorder would be running. The tears, after six seasons of being proud ND Band parents, would hopefully be held in check. No promises on that.
Saturday started with something of a surprise – Joe Doyle’s excellent review of “Loyal Sons” in the South Bend Tribune – (read here). And it ended with our hosts in Granger, Bill and Claudia Toelke, excitedly informing us that, during the NBC telecast of the game, Tom Hammond and Pat Haden had talked about Rockne’s “shock troops” maneuvers…that they had read about in “Loyal Sons.”
All good. And it would have been a perfect day – even with the biting wind and six inches of leftover snow – had the Irish been able to simply close out a perfunctory dispatching of 2-8 Syracuse. Yes, 2-8 Syracuse, led by fired head coach Greg Robinson. We saw Robinson and the Orange shuffling single-file past the Main Building and the Basilica Friday afternoon – looking like just another group of tourists. Quiet. Respectful. Seemingly resigned to be the window dressing on an Irish celebration Saturday.
How they suddenly became winners will mystify Irish faithful for years to come. Down by 13 – allowed to score. Down by 6. “Somebody make a play” we exhort the ND defense. This is Senior Day. Against Syracuse. This can’t be real. This can’t be happening.
Daughter Liz: “The saddest thing is my final memory of the Stadium will be marching out for the last time, in tears, having to see that score on the scoreboard.” Syracuse 24, Notre Dame 23.
The relatives we had in for the game couldn’t really grasp how gut-wrenching it was. “Well, at least it was an exciting game,” one tried to console. “No, no, no,” I reply. “This is horrible in so many ways. It wrecks a good bowl trip. It’ll bring out all the haters. The focus will be Charlie’s job, not the team improving from last year. What an awful end for the seniors.”
Looking forward to the day when Fighting Irish spirit again simply refuses to lose a game like Saturday’s.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Will We Again Start to Value Education?
No matter what the next four years bring – and the challenges facing Barack Obama will be enormous – it is good to take a moment today and celebrate not just the breaking of the “Presidential color barrier” as it were, but also this: we will have a President who speaks clearly and eloquently, who seeks ideas, and most importantly, who values the primacy of education.
Only by dedication to quality education, by his extended family, did the President-elect reach this moment. Let it be a reminder to all – education, from preschool to post-graduate, is what makes a society work.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Proud Hometowns Celebrate A Pair of ‘Horsemen’
During the time I spent doing research for the book, “Loyal Sons,” and now during the process of getting out and promoting the book, I am gratified by those who are interested in the story, and the connection they feel to it. Today, I met a whole bunch of such folks during my stop in Defiance, Ohio.
Three interviews on three radio stations set up ND fan extraordinaire Rick Small started the day. By the time I was set up at Kissner’s Restaurant at noontime, local residents were nearly lining up to get a signed copy and chat a little about Defiance’s contribution to that memorable 1924 Irish team – Four Horseman Don Miller.
The afternoon reading and signing at the Defiance Public Library brought another round of interested readers. We actually ran out of books; but nobody complained as they placed their orders, to be shipped next week. I guess for a story written 84 years after the fact, another few days isn’t a big deal.
But the pride over one of their own was palpable, as it was earlier in the week at a speaking engagement in Massillon, Ohio, which gave us Four Horseman quarterback Harry Stuhldreher.
And it reminded us again of the importance of honoring our histories.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Launching “Loyal Sons”
An amazing day. What a great turnout of friends, supporters and especially numerous relatives of the 1924 Irish, for the launch of our book, Loyal Sons: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football’s 1924 Champions.
Thanks to the staff of the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, especially Kristin Blitch and Kevin Gibley, in setting up an excellent book-launch reception in the Café of the Bookstore. It was a perfect venue for reading from the book, answering questions and signing books.
It was a pleasure meeting so many players’ relatives. The many Kizers and Templins, relatives of both right guard Noble Kizer and right tackle Edgar “Rip” Miller (who married sisters from Elkhart, Indiana) are unique in that they’re related to two of the “Seven Mules.”
For a full report, take a look at the story headlined “LOYAL SONS Book Release Brings Together Players’ Relatives.”
Friday, August 22, 2008
ND Grads and the Journey to Adulthood
It was five years ago this month, on a warm Sunday afternoon, when my wife Joanne and I were sitting with our older daughter Kerry, along with about 50 other recently-graduated high school seniors and their parents, in an auditorium at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina, Minnesota. It was the Notre Dame Club of Minnesota’s annual send-off event, and there was a palpable sense of anticipation and excitement in the air. All of us were just days away from launching our children into their Notre Dame experience.
Shortly after settling into our seats, I noticed the tall, well-built young man with curly blond hair with his parents, in the row just in front of us. I was clued into ND football recruiting enough to reasonably guess to myself… that’s got to be John Carlson, the big tight end from Litchfield.
A little while later, I noticed across the room a prospective lineman I correctly identified as Ryan Harris, from Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul. Later, I spotted a gregarious fellow who I guessed to be Trevor Laws, the state champion wrestler from Apple Valley who was also to be among the freshman linemen at ND.
And here we are five years later, with Ryan Harris already established after a year with the Denver Broncos; John Carlson making a strong bid to play and possibly start at TE for the Seattle Seahawks, and Trevor Laws on track to stick with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Of course, they all have their Notre Dame degrees, as well as several honors and awards picked up along the way. Carlson wrote an eloquent “goodbye letter” for the Notre Dame Magazine, (Winter 2007, pg. 4-5) in which he recaps his time at ND:
“Coming in as an 18-year-old kid, you don’t fully know all the changes you’ll go through as a person, as a student and as a player because of this place. I’ve made friends I’ll cherish forever, I’ve learned a great deal in the classroom, and I learned lessons through all sorts of social interaction out of the classroom… this is truly a unique place…Even though I’ll never wear our famed gold helmet again, I’ll also never stop bleeding blue and gold for Our Lady.”
Well said.
Oh, and about that other 18-year-old I sat with on that Sunday five years ago? Well, after an amazing four years at ND, which included marching across the nation with the Band of the Fighting Irish, playing flute with the Notre Dame Symphony at Carnegie Hall, a semester in Rome and a host of other life-changing experiences, Kerry Lefebvre graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and is now enrolled in a Ph.d. program in classical languages at the University of Wisconsin.
What an amazing ride it’s been. Thanks, Notre Dame.
