Flip through the Notre Dame media guide and the pictures stare back at you.
Knute Rockne. The Four Horsemen. George Gipp. Paul Hornung. Tim Brown. Joe Theismann. Joe Montana. National championship rings. Heisman Trophies.
For many generations of college football fans, those names mean something. For some, they mean everything. Notre Dame is the first thing that comes to mind for many when college football is brought up.
But that perception is changing. Television means more teams get as much exposure as the Irish. Scholarship limits have brought parity to the game and Notre Dame hasn’t challenged for a national title in a long time.
And, according to some, kids just have more to do than pay attention to the history of college football.
“I don’t think they understand the history and mystique Notre Dame carries,” Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. “Throw out a couple names and they don’t know who they are. I don’t think some of these kids have a clue. Maybe the kids who are gym rats or who collect cards. But I see less and less of that as I stay in this profession. I sometimes wonder what they study anymore.”
“I think there’s a clear divide,” Washington offensive line coach Mike Denbrock said. “There are a lot of people still that will always look at Notre Dame as the premiere place to go and play football regardless of what is going on in college football. There’s another half, like players today, that like the shiniest and brightest toy in some circumstances.”
Talk to some current Huskies and that rings true. Players still realize that Notre Dame is a big name in the college game. But many don’t think it’s any bigger than Miami, Oklahoma, USC or any other top program.
“We all still recognize Notre Dame is one of the most storied college football programs in the country and has a lot of history,” Johnny DuRocher said. “But none of those guys are playing on the team now.”
“I haven’t watched that much football in my life,” Isaiah Stanback said. “To me a lot of it is hearsay. I judge a team by how they are when I played them regardless of what they’ve done in the past. …Regardless of what they’ve done in the past, they have to play now. None of the old players are going to be on the field (Saturday).”
Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said it has less to do with Notre Dame’s standing than with the times we live in.
“It’s the culture,” Willingham said. “It’s not the fault of theirs. Today is what’s important to young people. I don’t know how much they recognize from five years ago. That’s the culture we live in. So their appreciation of those things is probably not as great as those that are 40 and older or 35 and older.”
For Washington running backs coach Trent Miles, a former Irish coach under Willingham, Notre Dame always will be special. He grew up in Terre Haute, Ind., was raised Catholic and met his wife at the school. He said he thinks perceptions today have more to do with where someone grew up.
“Some kids you recruit, their parents were brought up on Notre Dame football, watching Notre Dame highlights,” Miles said. “But I recruited Florida and their tradition is Florida, Florida State and Miami. I think it depends on the person, their family and where they’re from.”
For Willingham and his five assistants who followed him to Seattle from Notre Dame, coaching in South Bend was a special experience unique to that of coaching in other places.
“There’s a lot of tradition and things connected with the program, the stadium, with things that surround the campus,” Denbrock said. “It’s a unique and special place, no question about that.”
Willingham said using the mystique as an advantage at Notre Dame is possible, but it depends on the opponent. Some buy into it, others don’t. But he said coaching there, it’s impossible to escape the history, and for some, it’s a reason for being there in the first place.
“That’s one of the reasons I took the job,” Willingham said. “It is a place that has had some of the most prestigious coaches in the country (and had) some of the greatest accomplishments in football. You take it knowing that and hopefully you’re prepared to try to live up to that.”
Defensive coordinator Kent Baer said Willingham uses one word to describe Notre Dame football: More.
“As an outsider looking in, you always wonder what that place was like,” Baer said. “I remember the first time I coached against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium. I was at Stanford. Gosh, what a thrill to walk out of that tunnel and be in that kind of atmosphere. I remember going back in after pregame and I had some tears. If someone would have told me that I’d get to coach against Notre Dame some day, I’d say ‘Wow.’ I’ve always said Notre Dame is everything you ever thought it was, and a whole lot more.”
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