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What Now?
UHND.com - Charles R. Stappenbeck
11/7/2001
Now that we are firmly into the new millennium, it is probably unfair to mention that Bob Davie has twice as many losses (24) in his 4+ seasons at Notre Dame than Knute Rockne did (12) in his entire career. Nonetheless, I want to say it. It is probably unrealistic to believe that the Irish can return to the days when it took years rather than months to accumulate 5 losses. Nonetheless, I want to believe it. It is not feasible to imagine that ND can win (or at least compete for) the national championship every year. Still, I think about it constantly. College football is not what it was in the 20’s, 40’s or even 70’s. More than ever, I want a leader who will make me believe it can be.
The reason we all love Notre Dame is because it is different. It is the one place where you can have spiritual, academic, and athletic excellence. Even the BCS knows this. Despite what anyone thinks, at the University of Notre Dame none of these elements are mutually exclusive. There is absolutely no reason why we can’t be a program that puts together top 10 teams every year. Florida State, Nebraska, Florida, et al. continue to do so every season. Don’t argue that due to our academic standards we can’t recruit the type of players necessary to follow suit. ESPN has next year’s class ranked 2nd in the nation (behind Ohio State) and we are still turning away the Casey Clausens and Zak Kustoks of the country that this coaching staff deemed incapable of competing for the Irish. Believe me, the talent isstill here. The talent even came to play for Bob. How much better will it get whenit’s Gruden or Stoops (or anyone else) walking the sideline?
When agreeing to contribute to uhnd.com, I was advised not to be overly negative when voicing my opinion. The letter and spirit of this advice is that as fans, we are not here to spew negativity. It is out of constructive criticism andanalysis that progress can be made. Even though the argument can be made that the Tennessee loss isn’t one that can be hoisted entirely on the shoulders of the coaching staff, it is obvious to everyone that Bob must go. I don’t wish the man any ill will and I hope he lands on his feet. I am forced to ponder however, at how far we have fallen when Gerry Faust is welcomed back on campus with open arms. Don’t get me wrong, I was glad to see it. Gerry knows and loves Notre Dame- he just happened to have taken a job that he wasn’t prepared for. Bob neither knows nor loves Notre Dame. He also took a position he wasn’t qualified for and now the whole country knows it as well. It is time for everyone, even his former supporters, to admit that the emperor has no clothes. It is no longer a sign of dissent to call for Bob’s termination; it is dissent to support him.
Signs of this metamorphosis occurred in the student section during Saturday’s game. For the entire afternoon, save the 3 minutes of the 1812 Overture, I stood with the student body in support of the upset. At the end of the 3rd quarter however, the time typically reserved for honoring the head coach, I sat in protest– refusing to salute Coach Davie. I noticed that I wasn’t alone, with pockets of students scattered throughout the stands recognizing the obvious and having a seat. How could we stand and salute a man that is everything a Notre Dame coach shouldn’t be? How can we, in good conscience, recognize failure the same way we recognize success? Let’s not bury our heads in the sand and pretend like everything will work itself out. Let’s embrace the future and openly accept the fact that Bob must go. Most of us have known this for a long, long time. Now, it must be readily acknowledged in even the most polite of Irish circles.