Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame at Ohio State is 13 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
With 13 days until kickoff, we revisit the 13-year tenure of 1918-30 Irish head coach Knute Rockne, which remains the longest in program history.
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Brian Kelly matching it once seemed inevitable.
Most coaches don’t reach a decade in this job. Those who do are often fighting burnout and the weight of expectations, at minimum. Those were factors in Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz departing after 11 years.
Kelly, though, seemed to be defying burnout. The program was at its best since the Holtz era in his final five years, going 54-9. He built a house across from campus that was completed before Year 12. He was literally moving closer to Notre Dame at a time in a tenure when most coaches are on their way out.
Then Kelly left town on his own volition – one season before he could tie Rockne’s tenure.
Kelly passed Rockne’s career wins record (105) last year. But even Kelly himself admitted the body of work in Rockne’s 13 seasons was superior to his at Notre Dame.
And maybe anyone’s.
The Irish won three national championships in Rockne’s tenure: 1924, 1929 and 1930. That first one came after a 27-10 defeat of Stanford in the Rose Bowl, their first bowl victory. They went undefeated five times and lost multiple games in a season just twice. Their most frequent opponent was Army, which they played 12 times to a 9-2-1 record.
All told, Rockne went 105-12-5. His .881 win percentage remains the highest of all time for a major college football coach. Frank Leahy, his former player and 11-year Irish head coach, is second.
Rockne was 30 years old in his first season. One wonders how long he would have stayed in the job if not for the tragic end to his career. Rockne was killed in a plane crash in March 1931 at age 43.
Current Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is an interesting candidate to stay for 13 seasons. He was named Kelly’s successor at 35, the youngest person to be hired as Notre Dame head coach since 25-year-old Terry Brennan in 1954. If Freeman coaches 13 seasons at Notre Dame, he will be the same age (48) at the end of Year 13 as Kelly was on the day he was hired. His youth should help him avoid coaching burnout if he lasts that long.
Freeman is, of course, still a wild card. He has a career 0-1 record. No first-time head coach has lasted 10-plus seasons at Notre Dame since Rockne. The last four were dismissed after Year 5. He won’t come close to double digits without sufficient results on the field.
