The legacy that Gerry Faust left on Notre Dame football feels as unfinished as it is uncomplicated.
If only he could have benefited from the early growing pains coaching at ND in the early 1980s instead of them getting bigger and scarier as time wore on, perhaps Notre Dame football history would have eventually loved him back.
His hiring became a cautionary tale, plucking a mega-successful high school coach and plugging him into a job that required a much different résumé. His class in handling the aftermath of his dismissal after five seasons, in 1985, and perpetually until his death on Monday at age 89 deserves equal billing.
Faust’s family released a statement via social media confirming his passing:
“It is with tremendous sorrow that we announce the passing of Gerry Faust, loving husband, father, grandfather and coach who dedicated his life to his family, his faith and the teams and players he coached.
“Throughout an extraordinary life driven by unwavering and deep devotion to his Catholic faith, he was a beloved mentor to countless young men both on and off the playing field. His work ethic, optimism, leadership and humility were legendary.”
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Faust’s five-year bottom line at Notre Dame was 30-26-1. He succeeded a five-year run by Dan Devine, who coached the Irish to a national title in 1977, and preceded Lou Holtz, who added ND’s most recent football national title (1988) during his 11-year renaissance (1986-96).
Life after Notre Dame football meant coaching the Akron Zips, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference when he took over for the 1986 season with the program transitioning to life as a Division I independent the next season.
In year seven, the Zips joined the Mid-American Conference. After a 1-10 season in year nine, Faust’s coaching career was over, but not his love for college football — especially Notre Dame football.
His nine-year record at Akron was 43-53-3, quite a contrast with his 19-year run at Cincinnati Moeller High School. From 1962-80, Faust fashioned a 178-23-2 record with four national titles and five Ohio State championships in the state’s largest enrollment class in his final six seasons at the school.
His Notre Dame coaching debut came against LSU, with the host Irish ranked No. 4. A 27-9 Irish victory launched Notre Dame into the No. 1 spot in the polls, with Michigan providing a reality check the next game with a 25-7 upset in Ann Arbor.
The Irish never won more than seven games in any of Faust’s five seasons, and his era ended with a 58-7 humiliation from Miami on the road the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Three seasons later the freshmen on that team were seniors for Holtz when the Irish upended a No. 1 Miami team, 31-30, in South Bend on their way to the national title.
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