(Photo Credit: Robin Alam)
Memo to Marcus Freeman:
Want to become a legendary Notre Dame Head football coach?
Have success in year number three.
It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
From 1918-1930, the legendary Knute Rockne won 105 games lost only 12 and tied 5 and led the Irish to three national titles. Since then there have been 13 head coaches who have led Notre Dame football for at least 3 seasons. Of the 13, five of those coaches had great success in their third season, and four actually won national titles in, year three. The other eight? Well, we’ll get back them later.
Frank Leahy got his year three title in 1943 and went on to win a total of four. Ara Parseghian won his year three national championship in 1966, and then another in 1973. Dan Devine won it all in 1977, and Lou Holtz won it with a 12-0 season in 1988.
And the all-time wins leader at ND, Brian Kelly (remember him?), in year three ran the 2012 regular season table to 12-0 and a #1 ranking before, falling short in the national title game ( I know you remember that).
For all those storied coaches’ success was as easy as, 1-2-3.
The other eight since Rockne? No, national titles and not much success. And just to illustrate, during the 28-year history of Fighting Irish Preview the year three test has been flunked three out of four times. And each time the year three failing grade, signaled the end of a Notre Dame coaching career. Bob Davie year three, 1999: 5-7. Ty Willingham year three, 2004: 6-6. Charlie Weis year three, 2007: 3-9.
Davie, Willingham and Weis, 1-2-3 bad seasons in year three, and all were eventually fired.
This week Notre Dame football opens Marcus Freeman’s third season at the helm, on the road against Texas A&M, and the Irish are looking for a fast start in a notoriously difficult place to play. All the prognostications and analysis of what looks to be a promising squad will soon mean nothing as the bullets fly for real.
And Marcus Freeman, knows what needs to be done in 2024.
Win a lot and preferably all of your football games, this season. No problem, right?
History says, it’s as easy as, 1-2-3.