It’s Hard Not to Root for Ron Powlus
Ron Powlus may have had an up and down career that never really lived up to the unreasonable expectations that were placed upon him, but now that he is back in football as Notre Dame’s quarterbacks coach, its hard not to root for him after reading articles like the one in today’s South Bend Tribune:
“I don’t take into account, in my college experience, I don’t take into account football. I can tell you that my college experience at Notre Dame as a student was phenomenal — friends, classes, all that. You throw in football and it makes that experience 100 times better. And some people say, ‘Oh really? You got hurt and you know …’
“I don’t care. That’s life. That’s playing the game. So yeah, I missed my freshman year because of injury. What am I going to do? I missed it. I was hurt. I played four years after that. I broke my arm and I missed 2 1/2 games. Yes, I missed 2 1/2 games.”
Powlus would add:
“I had a terrific experience. I had the opportunity to represent Notre Dame and its alumni and its professors and its students and the kids that lived next door to me in Flanner Hall and the opportunity to wear the gold helmet on the field every week. I mean, that enhances my experience a hundred-fold. Just because there was a statement that was made that I was supposed to win Heisman trophies and didn’t, and got a lot of criticism for it, that doesn’t ruin my college experience.”
Quotes like that make it hard to not root for anything but success for Powlus who may have received more unfair criticism than any quarterback in Notre Dame history during his time with the Irish. Quotes like that also make me very pleased that Powlus will be at Notre Dame to coach and mentor Jimmy Clausen who will have all the pressure Powlus had and then some. Luckily for Powlus the internet was not nearly as big when he was under center for the Irish. With Clausen, however, the pressure will be even greater in this age of message boards and blogs as Jimmy is already finding out.
Here’s hoping Powlus flourishes in his new role and works his way up the coaching ladder while at Notre Dame.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
Ron always was a class act in high school at Berwick Pa, Notre Dame and for Phila Eagles as a 3rd string QB where he never got a chance to play
I was a Berwick native too and was always a pleasure to watch him play. Good luck Ron you deserve it
Always thought Powlus was a class act. Glad he’s with the staff!