Irish Echoes: Terry Brennan combined youth with a championship pedigree
At 35, Marcus Freeman became the youngest head football coach at Notre Dame since freshman coach Terry Brennan was elevated to the top spot in 1954 at the tender age of 26, replacing the retiring Frank Leahy.
There is another trait that Freeman shares with Brennan, which has been virtually absent among Notre Dame head coaches in the decades since — both were championship players at the major college level.
Freeman came out of Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, in 2005, choosing Ohio State over Notre Dame. He became a 37-game starter at linebacker for the Buckeyes, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in his final two seasons, 2007 and 2008. OSU won the Big Ten championship in 2006 and 2007 and tied for the top spot in 2008.
And on Jan. 8, 2008, Freeman and the Buckeyes played on the largest stage possible — the BCS national championship game — falling to the LSU Tigers, 38-24.
Freeman’s close friend and teammate at linebacker was James Laurinaitis, three-time consensus All-American and two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year, who went on to an eight-year NFL career.
“Marcus is a tremendous athlete and he’s constantly making me work hard,” Laurinaitis said in 2008. “I’m forever grateful to have the opportunity to play with him. There’s trust among each other, which helps myself and the team play better.”
Under Leahy, Brennan had been a standout halfback for the Irish, leading two national championship teams in receiving, catching 10 passes for 154 yards in 1946 and 16 for 191 yards in 1947, while finishing second in rushing both years, with 329 and 404 yards, respectively.
Brennan began his coaching career with four seasons as head coach at Chicago’s Mt. Carmel High School, winning three city championships, before returning to Notre Dame to serve as freshman coach in 1953. Brennan’s first two Notre Dame teams, consisting largely of a roster assembled by Leahy, posted records of 9-1 (1954) and 8-2 (1955). But he was 15-15 over the next three seasons and stepped aside.
Notre Dame then went in an entirely different direction, in terms of coaching experience. Former Irish lineman Joe Kuharich, who had spent the previous 11 seasons as an NFL head coach, with San Francisco, the Chicago Cardinals and Washington, brought his pro-game mindset to South Bend. But the results were dismal, a 17-23 record over the next four years, before Hugh Devore stepped in and delivered a 2-7 record in 1963.
Since then, here’s what Notre Dame head coaches have brought, in terms of their experience as a college player and head coach:
Ara Parseghian (1964-74)
Age when hired by ND: 40
Previous HC experience: Miami (Ohio) (1951‑55), Northwestern (1956-63)
College: Miami (Ohio), HB, 1946-47
While serving in the military, Parseghian was on a service team coached by Hall of Famer Paul Brown. After the war, Ara’s two years playing halfback at Miami were under another Hall of Famer, Sid Gillman. In 1947, he received honors as an All-Ohio and Little All-American.
Dan Devine (1975-80)
Age when hired by ND: 49
Previous HC experience: Arizona State (1955-57), Missouri (1958-70), Green Bay Packers (1971-74)
College: Duluth State Teachers College, QB, 1946-48
Today, it’s Minnesota-Duluth, a perennial NCAA Division I hockey power. Devine came from nearby Proctor, Minn., to quarterback the Bulldogs in the State Teachers College Conference of Minnesota. After two seasons as an undefeated high school coach in Michigan, he was hired as a Michigan State assistant by Clarence “Biggie” Munn, and helped the Spartans for five seasons, during which they won the 1952 national championship.
Gerry Faust (1981-85)
Age when hired by ND: 44
Previous HC experience: Cincinnati Moeller HS (1962-80)
College: Dayton, QB, 1955-57
The wisdom of hiring a high school football coach to lead Notre Dame has been debated for decades. But Faust’s prep record was astounding: 178-23-2 with five state titles. Ironically, his coach one year playing at Dayton was Devore, in a forgettable 3-6 season in 1955.
Lou Holtz (1986-96)
Age when hired by ND: 49
Previous HC experience: William & Mary (1969‑71), North Carolina State (1972-75), New York Jets (1976), Arkansas (1977-83), Minnesota (1984-85)
College: Kent State, LB, 1956-57
Holtz had a more distinguished military than football career at Kent State. He trained under Kent State’s Army ROTC and earned a commission as a field artillery officer in the United States Army Reserve upon graduation. By 1960, Holtz was an assistant coach at Iowa.
Bob Davie (1997-2001)
Age when hired by ND: 42
Previous HC experience: None
College: Youngstown State, TE, 1973-75
Davie had a very brief stay as a player at Arizona before returning to be closer to home at Youngstown, where he was the starting tight end for three seasons. His first position-coaching job was back in Tucson, where he was linebackers coach in 1978-79.
Ty Willingham (2002-04)
Age when hired by ND: 48
Previous HC experience: Stanford (1995-2001)
College: Michigan State, QB/WR, 1973-76
Willingham was a backup quarterback at MSU for two seasons, completing 30 of 45 passes, before switching to wide receiver for his final year, when he caught 14 passes. He started his coaching career as a Spartans graduate assistant in 1977.
Charlie Weiss (2005-09)
Age when hired by ND: 48
Previous HC experience: Franklin (N.J.) HS (1989)
College: Notre Dame (non-athlete) 1978
After graduating from Notre Dame, Weis spent several seasons as a New Jersey high school assistant coach, before catching on as a graduate assistant at South Carolina, while earning his master’s degree. From 1990-2004, he was an NFL assistant.
Brian Kelly (2010-21)
Age when hired by ND: 48
Previous HC experience: Grand Valley State (1991-2003), Central Michigan (2004-06), Cincinnati (2006-09)
College: Assumption, LB, 1979-82
After playing small-college football for Assumption in Worcester, Mass., Kelly stayed on to coach linebackers, and became defensive coordinator, in addition to coaching the school’s softball team. He then spent four years as a Grand Valley assistant before taking over as head coach.
Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com.
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