Brian Kelly can match and even surpass Lou Holtz at Notre Dame.
That's pretty extraordinary stuff, given that a statue to Holtz was unveiled on campus in 2008.
The glory days have been over at Notre Dame since Holtz left after the 1996 season. He once described Notre Dame as the "Michelangelo" of college teams, and he was right.
Now, there's a new artist at the Sistine Chapel of football, and Kelly arrives at Notre Dame with a better record than Holtz did, in many ways.
I think he can surpass him as a coach, and as a leader.
It's easy to forget that both as a coach and an individual, Holtz was never far from controversy.
Many people gloss over Holtz' 3-10 record with the New York Jets, for instance, and the fact that Notre Dame was put on a two-year probation by the NCAA when he left because of alleged recruiting violations.
There was also his overt political activism, like when he appeared in ads for right-wing Sen. Jesse Helms when he was at Arkansas.
Compared to that, Kelly comes with a clean sheet and a better record at his previous coaching job than Holtz had. What Kelly did with Cincinnati was nothing short of miraculous, taking a no-hope program to BCS contention in two successive years, ending with a 34-6 record and a perfect 12-0 record this season.
Kelly will bleed Notre Dame blue and gold like Holtz did. As the first Irish Catholic since — well George O'Leary, who lasted five days — Kelly is infused with the spirit and tradition of the school.
Not since Dan Devine, who won a national championship in 1977 and showcased the incredible Joe Montana, have the Fighting Irish had a coach who fits their roots, religion and passion.
His first step after the announcement was to change his Twitter logo to blue and gold, and write: "Thrilled to be the coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Committed to stirring PEOPLE with PASSION and PURPOSE."
He will also be exciting. His no-huddle spread offense will be a tightwire act, if he brings it to Notre Dame. His first job will be to hire a defensive coordinator who can replace the powder-puff defensive schemes we saw this year.
Then, he just has to win, baby. Given his record so far, I think that this is a no-brainer. Kelly can be the coach Note Dame fans have been praying for — and and he will make them forget the Lou Holtz era. Roll on to Sept. 4, 2010 and Purdue!
4 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.edwardkeating | Dec 16, 2009, 06:25 PM EST
sean o' shea, now wait a minute. i agree with most things you report on but to add that liar george o' leary with any thing good about notre dame, thats wrong.and to say brian kelly is better than ''lou holtz'' without coaching a notre dame game. i think not. lou holtz is lou holtz. just like ''knute rockne '' is knute rockne. lets hope and see what brian kelly can do for nd football. i have been a nd fan since the 50s. so i have seen them come and go. coach brian kelly go go go, fight fight fight fight. i can't wait for the glory.
Felicia | Dec 11, 2009, 08:03 PM EST
We will just have to wait and see, won't we. I admired Lou right up there with Ara and Devine.
wjb1tex | Dec 11, 2009, 09:32 AM EST
I think this is right in line as awarding the Peace Prize to Obama. Why wait to see if there are any results. Kelly is Coach of the Year 2010.
JosephOCasey | Dec 11, 2009, 08:29 AM EST
You mention Lou Holtz "overt" political activism and don't mention Kelly's. Why is that? Kelly's liberalism must be ok, but Holtz being a conservative was not? If Kelly is pro abortion, that should be fine at a Catholic institution such as ND? Who could possibly see a conflict there? You are off your rocker. Do you think about what you publish or do you just simply type the 1st thing that pops into your head?