Those are the threewords that greet useach and every time

we enter the band building forpractice.Wewalk past them fivedays a week. Every once in awhile, I wonder howmuch any ofus think about what they reallymean:what they represent. Thesethree words epitomize what itis to be amember of the Band ofthe Fighting Irish, and yet wedon’t always seem to outwardlytake a moment to appreciate it.

Tradition is an integral part ofthe Band. The Band of theFighting Irish is the nation’s old-est University Band. Formed 162years ago, the band has per-formed at various universityfunctions since its inception.We’ve never missed a homefootball game. The band is suchan integral part of football andgame day here at Notre Dame; Ithink it would be unbelievablydifficult to separate the two. Ateach pre-game and post-gameperformance, we play musicthat has been a part of the NotreDame fabric for many years. Thestrains of “Hike,” “Notre Dame” and “DamshaBua”were heard on campuslong before I got here: they’ll continue to fill the air long after I leave. Eachtime we play one of the school songs, each time we step into our uniforms,we become the face of a tradition that has lasted over 160 years.

Excellence is also a defining characteristic of the Band. It isn’t just aquality that defines how we practice or how we perform. It is a standardthat we hold ourselves to--something not only that is expected of us butalso something that we expect of ourselves. We take pride in ourselvesand in being a part of this great organization: it is this that influences usto give our very best, day in and day out. There are definitely days whenit’s more difficult to motivate us to this level of practice and performancethan others. We are also students committed to excellence, after all. Butwe take pride in the performances that we give, thereby elevating us toa level of excellence.

My personal favorite aspect of this three-word motto is “family.” Wehear so much about family here at Notre Dame. There’s the “Notre Damefamily.” There are communitieswithin each dorm that call themselves “fam-ilies.” The band also fosters this sense of family. We spend an inordinateamount of time together.We takemeals together.We share jokeswith eachother. Some of us even choose to live together! Becausewe share somanyformative experiences here, the band becomes, for many of us, the nucle-us of our “Notre Dame family.” And I know, from looking around at the band,and especially at my own section, that we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Maybe we don’t spend a lot of time looking at those three wordswhen we walk into the band building. Maybe we don’t constantly thinkthem over in our heads. But we do exemplify those values as we prac-tice and as we play. We are Tradition. We are Excellence. But above all:We are Family.

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THE BAND OF THE FIGHTING IRISH

TRADITION. EXCELLENCE. FAMILY.Claire Wagner: Class of 2008, Falto,

Band President, Hudson, Ohio

by Claire Wagner

WELCOMEFOOTBALL FANS!

The Notre DameAlumni Association wel-comes our guests tocampus! Are you a Notre

Dame graduate or friend? Stay connected withother alumni--and the University--through yourlocal ND Club. And remember: ND Club member-ship isn’t just for alumni. Friends of the Universityalso can participate in ND club activities.

In honor of today’s gridiron match up withBoston College, we welcome the ND clubs fromMassachusetts:

Berkshire CountyBridget Hubbardbhubbard@NDirish.net

Greater BostonLauren Macklaurenmack@alumni.nd.edu

Worcester CountyJames BrighamJbrig29@aol.com

Cape CodLee Drinaneleedrinane@comcast.net

Pioneer ValleyKate Dayaerker@alumni.nd.edu

TELL YOUR STORY IN THE NDALUMNI HISTORY BOOK

In an effort to preserve Notre Dame history--and share the remarkable stories of our alum-ni--the Alumni Association is currently accept-ing submissions for possible inclusion in a newNotre Dame alumni history coffee table book.

We are seeking personal recollectionsabout your time on campus relating to topicssuch as spirituality, academics, dorm life, his-torical moments in time and life-changingevents. For more information, or to find out howto submit your story, send an inquiry to thealumni editor at alumpubs@nd.edu.

DISCOVER THE CULTURAL ANDCULINARY DELIGHTS OF FRANCE

The ND Alumni Association is offering a rareand exciting opportunity to indulge in France’sbest culture and cuisine with an exclusive culi-nary castle tour through the Loire Valley. FromMay 10-18, 2008, you can immerse yourself inFrance’s unparalleled history, culture and beau-ty as you visit its stunning châteaux and partakein its luscious culinary delights.

Your host and lecturer on this adventurewill be Professor JoAnn DellaNeva, who hasbeen a member of the Notre Dame facultysince 1982. A two-time winner of an NEHFellowship for college professors, her currentresearch focuses on French and Italian poetryof the Renaissance.

For more information, call ND Alumni Travelat 800-634-2631 or log on to http://alumni.nd.edu/travel

BUY AND SELL ND FOOTBALLTICKETS ONLINE

Irish Online brings together buyers and sell-ers of Notre Dame football tickets--all withinthe security of the Alumni Association’s web-site. Any registered Irish Online user can buytickets to home football games directly throughthe website. All users--registered or not--cansell their tickets on the site as well. For moredetails, go to http://irishonline.nd.edu

GEAR UP FOR HALLOWEENShow your team spirit during the Halloween

season! The Notre Dame Gridiron GoblinsTM

pumpkin carvingtemplates are sureto add an Irish flairto your jack-o-lanterns on gameday. Proceeds fromthe sale of the tem-plates directly ben-efit the Notre DameAlumni CommunityService Program.Order yours at http://alumni.nd.edu/irishshop

PC DISCOUNTS NOW AVAILABLEIn the market for a new personal computer?

Lenovo, the University’s official PC supplier,has extended a discount offer previouslyreserved for University students, faculty andstaff. Now all ND alumni, parents and friendsare eligible for a savings of up to 37 percent onThinkPad(r) notebooks.

The PCs are available in four different mod-els that range in power, performance and ver-satility. For more information about LenovoThinkPad notebooks and how to purchase one,log on to alumni.nd.edu/lenovo

PRAY AT GROTTO VIA WEBSITEPeople around the world can “visit the

Grotto,” thanks to the website pray.nd.edu.Pray.nd.edu is a sacred place for liturgical andgospel readings, and inspirational thoughts andprayers that are composed by Holy Cross priests.The site also encourages visitors to submit dailyprayer requests, and every week, representa-tives from the Alumni Association light a specialgreen candle at the Grotto on their behalf.

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NOTRE DAME ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONhttp://alumni.nd.edu 574-631-6000

Pray at Grotto Via Pray.nd.edu

Pete Demmerle alwaysled his life with anunquestionable level

of distinction. From his youngerdays as a record-setting

football star in NewCanaan, Conn.,

to his finaldays—as aninspiring pres-ence againstthe ravages ofAmyotrophic

Lateral Sclero-sis (ALS)—the for-

mer Notre Damestandout receiver and

highly-respected lawyerleft a lasting impression in all

facets of his daily endeav-ors. Five months ago (May 24),

Demmerle passed away at theage of 53, finally succumbing to

his eight-year battle with ALS, theneurodegenerative illness common-ly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Thirty years have passed sinceDemmerle completed his stellarcareer as a student-athlete, yetthat passage of time has not dimin-ished his unique accomplishments.He was an All-American. He wasan Academic All-American. Hereceived a prestigious NCAAPostgraduate Scholarship. And heplayed for a national championshipteam. Only five other Notre Damestudent-athletes have departedNotre Dame with each of thosefour honors on their resume.

Demmerle was honored by the Notre Dame Monogram Club with its2003 Moose Krause Award, in recognition of his distinguished servicethat included serving as a tireless advocate for ALS. The MuscularDystrophy Association’s 2002 Wings Over Wall Street gala benefit raised

$1.9 million for ALS research (the largest fundraiser in MDA history) andhonored Demmerle with the MDA’s 2002 Spirit Award.

Recent statistical figures have indicated that ALS may strike only 1-2people per 100,000—but, tragically, the Notre Dame football family hasseen two of its former greats (Demmerle and Pete Duranko) be diagnosedwith Lou Gehrig’s Disease during the past eight years. Duranko recentlyreceived the ALS Association’s Rand Prize for his courageous fight andefforts to improve the lives of those with ALS.

Demmerle was a respected lawyer with the international firmLeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P. During his years with LeBoeuf,Demmerle became the senior insurance partner and served a stint asmanaging partner of the London office when it successfully reorganizedthe Lloyd’s of London insurance market. At the 2002 Wings Over WallStreet benefit, the 1,700 in attendance included representatives of theLondon insurance market who showed their love and respect forDemmerle by contributing $65,000 to ALS research, in his honor.

“Pete’s work saved Lloyd’s of London from bankruptcy—a firm thathad been in business since 1688,” recalled his proud brother, Mark.

Cara Demmerle was on hand to accept the Moose Krause Award thatwas bestowed upon her father in 2003. Her comments to the MonogramClub gathering that night recalled her father’s upbringing as a NotreDame fan who did not fully “grasp the true meaning of the Notre Damefamily” until his illness—after which he was showered with letters, e-mails and visits from Notre Dame people throughout the world.

Demmerle was the favorite target of quarterback Tom Clements, lead-ing the 1973 and ‘74 teams in receptions. He made several clutch catchesin the 1973 victory over USC that ended the Trojans’ 23-game winningstreak and the Sugar Bowl versus Alabama saw Demmerle make threefirst-quarter catches and add a two-point conversion, helping spark the1973 team to a 24-23 win and the national title. One year later, Notre Dameagain topped Alabama (13-11, in the Orange Bowl) but Demmerle suffereda knee injury that ended his shot at a pro football career.

Demmerle graduated from Fordham Law School and married fellowlawyer Kate LaFleche in 1981 with the couple settling in Greenwich,Conn., where they raised their daughters Cara (22), Alice (20; a freshmanat Vanderbilt), Tessa (15) and Nina (14).

A second-generation Notre Dame student, Demmerle was an articulateEnglish major and voracious reader who was considered for the RhodesScholarship. His mind remained sharp in his final days, despite being con-fined to a wheelchair and communicating via a keyboard synthesizer.

“I have learned many things living with ALS,” said Demmerle, in a2003 e-mail to a reporter. “I have learned from countless acts of kind-ness from perfect strangers that, on the whole, the human condition isgood. For these reasons, I am deeply grateful.”

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A BATTLE TO THE ENDF ormer Notre Dame football standout Pete Demmerle found

himself facing an even tougher battle after his days of college

athletics, a battle he would come to lose by Pete LaFleur

Irish standout and All-American Pete Demmerle lost his battle against ALS five months ago at the age of 53.

Incoming freshmen football players had to report to school (we stayedat GraceHall for camp) before the upperclassmen players. Andwewereboth on campus weeks before the regular student body arrived. We

basically had the place to ourselves.I knew I was lucky to be at Notre Dame. I was lucky that some of my

earlier decisions as a teenager hadn’t cost me. Now I wanted to takeadvantage of that opportunity. I couldn’t screw it up. If I did, then I’d endup back in the neighborhood, in that negative environment. I told myself,I’m not going back there.

Still, I looked like a kid from Detroit. I had the $500 Pelle Pelle leatherjacket, which was so cliché in Detroit to wear something like that. But Iwore it. I had the big gold chain with an eagle dangling from the end ofit. I had the Detroit attitude: kind of flamboyant, a hustler quality.

In Detroit you’ve got to be somewhat of a hustler, because the oddsof getting out of the ‘hood aren’t in your favor. And I had been hustlingfrom Day One, from selling ten-cent candy, to selling Transformers, toselling around the block. No question, it was all part of the survival mode.

I came from a high school that barely had any white students. Now Iwas at prestigious, world-renowned, predominantly white, Catholic,affluent Notre Dame.

I knew if I got in trouble then my great opportunity was going to belost. I couldn’t let that happen, not after all the sacrifices my parents andmy relatives had made for me. I wasn’t just going to Notre Dame formyself, I was going for my entire family. I couldn’t let those people down.

Once I got to Notre Dame, I had to teach myself to suppress theDetroit in me. I had to steer clear of all confrontation in day-to-day life,which is the opposite of how you survive in the ‘hood.

I’ll give you an example.Where I grew up, if somebody bumped into you it was a sign of dis-

respect. It was crazy. You got into fights over someone bumping into you.But at Notre Dame, if a kid accidentally bumped into another kid in

the hallway, it was no big deal. One kid would say, “Excuse me.” Theother kid would say, “No problem.” That was that.

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t have anyviews about white America because I didn’t know anything about it. Howcan you have a view of something that you’re ignorant about? All I knewwas my world. And my world was changing fast.

There were twenty-three of us who reported to freshman camp. Outof those twenty-three, there were five Parade All-Americans. Fourteenof the recruits, myself included, were ranked in the top 100 of almostevery recruiting publication. I can’t think of any major recruiting analystwho didn’t rank our class as the best in the country.

Five of us—myself, Bryant Young, Aaron Taylor, Tom Carter and JeffBurris—would become first-round picks in the NFL Draft. In all, twelveplayers in the Notre Dame Class of 1994 would be selected in the draft-

nine of us in the third round or higher.Before the upperclassmen showed up, us rookies thought we were

pretty good. Then the veterans started rolling in and all of a sudden weweren’t shit. We were getting our asses handed to us.

I even got a rude awakening from one of my fellow rookies. I was car-rying the ball in practice and had my usual run-over-everybody attitude.Jim Flanigan, our big-time freshman linebacker, had his usual crunch-anybody-who-thinks-they-can-run-over-everybody attitude.

Flanigan hit me so hard he separated my shoulder. The guy was astud. He crunched me up bad. It was like, “This ain’t the public school,buddy. It’s the big time.”

Copyright (c) 2007 by JeromeBettis. From the book The Bus:My Life In andOut of a Helmet by Jerome Bettis and Gene Wojciechowski, published byDoubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

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THE BUS: MY LIFE IN AND OUT OF A HELMETn excerpt from the biography of former Notre Dame footballplayer Jerome BettisA

Irish head coach Mike Brey was part of an eight-man delegation that trav-eled to Kuwait from May 22-28 as part of Operation Hardwood IV, an eventsponsored by the United Service Organization (USO) and Armed Forces

Entertainment (AFE).Brey and a team of service members were joined during the six-day

trip by Ed Conroy of The Citadel, Jim Crews of Army, Dennis Felton ofGeorgia, ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, Mike Lonergan of Vermont, ReggieMinton of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the lateSkip Prosser of Wake Forest.

For five days, basketball and competition provided a refuge from thepressures of war for the service men and women. But for Brey, being inKuwait and in the Persian Gulf was a life-changing and powerful experi-ence; one that offered a new perspective on the men and women who risktheir lives each day to serve, protect and defend our country. Sincereturning and reflecting on his journey, he readily admits that it ranks asone of the top five experiences of his life.

A championship atmosphere surrounded the final day of competitionwhen Brey’s team squared off and lost to a squad coached by Prosser inthe title. But the final score did not reflect the whole experience; it wasmore than just about winning and losing, it was about teamwork.

Brey noted that when he arrived at Camp Arifjan, a welcome sign read,“Always forward.” -- a theme he hopes to emphasize with his team dur-ing the 2007-08 campaign.

“The amazing thing to me was here are all these soldiers, who are faraway from their families and friends, yet nobody is complaining andeverybody is doing their jobs. It was refreshing to be around and it wasan honor for me to be there.”

DAY 1 - MAY 23We arrived into Kuwait with no travel problems, although it took a lit-

tle while to get through customs. That morning we met with Colonel Alexander, the commander at Camp

Arifjan. He talked to us about strategy and what they are doing over here.It was staggering to hear about the logistical things they do, movingtroops and equipment. It was interesting that there were a couple of hardbuildings on the base, but everything else has wheels and is mobile. Thereare about 9,000 soldiers here.

The team I coached was the youngest of all the teams--they wereyoung and quick! I had a talented guard from Lansing, Mich. on my teamand another soldier from Calif., but really they were from all over.

There were teams from Camp Arifjan and teams from the Life SupportArea (one of which is coached by me). On the first day we had a heck ofa win over Arifjan 1, but lost in the second game to Virginia, which isanother base about an hour away from Arifjan.

I’ve traveled all over the world and I’m certainly used to seeing sol-diers in other countries carrying their weapons, but it was very differentto see OUR soldiers carrying their weapons--rifles in the dining hall, mytwo assistant coaches sitting on the bench with their pistols strapped ontheir backs.

One of the neat things was meeting the people from South Bend.Susan Soisson, who works in Notre Dame’s Business School, came toboth of our games and I had a chance to talk with her and tell her aboutall of the changes on campus in the last year. I met another sergeant fromSouth Bend. It was nice to play our games and see people in Notre Dameshirts behind our bench!

DAY 2 - MAY 24They took a small group of us to the Kuwait Naval Base about

30 minutes away. The Kuwait Navy runs it, but there is certainly astrong occupation by the US armed forces and they patrol allaround that area. They actually took us out on a boat and wewent up and down the coast. That is a safe harbor now. This wasthe area Iraq stormed when they invaded Kuwait. They drove usby a wall that had all these pockmarks of bullet holes still all overit. Apparently that is where they lined up the Kuwaiti soldiers for executions.

This was the first time we drove off the base. They say thatdriving off base is the most dangerous thing you can do overhere--everyone is going 90-100 mph. We drove by severalfenced-in areas just filled with tanks and humvees. It was stillstaggering to the see the amount of equipment and what it takes

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SPORTS PROFILE

OPERATION HARDWOOD IV PROVES TO BEA LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE FOR BREY

Mike Brey looks down the sights of a M-240 machine gun asArmy coach Jim Crews gives instructions as they tour a USNavy 343-foot Sea Ark patyrol boat off of the coast of Kuwait.USO photo by Mike Theiler.

by Bernie Cafarelli

NOTRE DAME

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to get it done over here. After we returned to the base, my teamplayed another game and we improved to 2-1 heading into the dou-ble-elimination tournament.

During our stay at Camp Arifjan, we stayed in the barracks, aconcrete/cinder block building and were all mixed in with the sol-diers. The barracks was about 100 yards from the gym. The dininghall was right behind the gym and the food was actually pretty good.The PX also was behind the gym, and ithad a Subway and a Baskin Robbins. Ispent many late nights talking with thecoaches I was with and some of thesoldiers about basketball. It was justlike being a camp coach.

DAY 3 - MAY 25Day three was all basketball. My

team won both of its games. I lost myvoice by the end of the second gameand went to get some hot tea at aStarbucks over at the PX. We beat theKuwait Naval Base coached by EdConroy (Citadel), and later that after-noon we beat the Arifjan 2 teamcoached by Fran Fraschilla (ESPN).

It was such a great and competitiveday of basketball. All of these troopsplay in intramurals and leagues back ontheir bases but Operation Hardwood isthe only time that all of the bases inKuwait are brought together in a tour-nament format. It’s a great chance forthese men and women to get off of their bases and really come together.The military has excellent workout and exercise facilities over here.

Throughout my trip, I ran into lots of people from from Indiana. Thetrainer who worked the tournament was from Evansville.

DAY 4 - MAY 26The only way that I could describe day four was intense and a real real-

ity check for all of us. It was one helluva a day.It was certainly more than just hoops today as we headed into to what

could best be described as a simulated war zone that serves as the stag-ing and training base for troops bound for Iraq. It’s also a hub for the heli-copters used in combat.

We were up at 6:30 a.m. and took a 50-minute helicopter ride to CampBuehring which is located 15 miles from the Iraqi border and serves as thestaging and training camp for troops bound for Iraq. It’s a real intenseplace. I felt the intensity as soon as we got there; the feeling was unlikeanything that we had encountered before on our trip.

The unit commander who showed us around was Ben Lacy, a 2000graduate of Notre Dame’s graduate school. He was wearing an ND hatwhen we got there and of course I felt very welcomed.

The training that is done there is the final preparation for the soldiersbefore they enter combat. Inside these theaters, soldiers complete exer-cises that prepare them for what they will face in the war zone. Their com-manders critique them.

We saw about 50 of these soldiers today who were between the agesof 18-20. It was an intense environment. They were in full gear and riflesand there was a guy coaching them during these simulations.

After our tour, we headed to a full-service hospital where they transportinjured solders. It’s an air-conditioned tent with surgical facilities. We thengot into tanks for our first tank ride. We did all of this before lunch and afterlunch.

Unfortunately on the hoops side, our team lost to Skip Prosser’s team,but was still in championship contention. I was running on fumes on thisday in particular and the 120-degree heat was really catching up with me,but I wouldn’t have traded my experiences over the course of the past sev-eral days.

DAY 5 - MAY 26This was our final day in Kuwait and it was all about hoops. We won our first game in the consolation bracket against Fran

Fraschilla’s team by 10 points and played really well. In the championshipgame we lost again to Skip Prosser’s team, this time by 10 points. It was agreat game and the place was going wild. It was such an awesome atmos-phere. All of the coaches came out in full military dress and what a power-ful feeling that was for me and everyone else.

In between today’s game, we met with a three-star general. That was areal powerful moment and certainly something that I won’t forget.

After the game each coach addressed the troops. We all said a fewwords and I told them that “first of all it was an honor to be here with themin Kuwait and that I appreciated them having our backs and that when theycome back to the States, we’ll have your backs.”

Over the course of the week being around 20-year-old men, I couldn’thelp but think of my own son Kyle. I thought about him 10 times a day. Itwas a real reality check and I wish that more people had the opportunityto come over here and see what these young men and women are goingthrough and the challenges that they have to endure.

What an experience it was for me and the other coaches. It’s some-thing I’ll not soon forget. I certainly have a greater appreciation for the mil-itary efforts of our troops.

Mike Brey and all of the members of the traveling party of OperationHardwood IV pose with US Army Commander Ben Lacy (far right), whograduated from Notre Dame with a master’s degree in 2000, prior to takinga flight to Camp Buehring. USO photo by Mike Theiler.

2007BREY continued

In the championship game, MikeBrey coached in full militaryarmy fatigues. USO photo byMike Theiler.

The 1957 calendar year was a special one for two different NotreDame athletic teams--as the Irish baseball squad advancedto the College World Series while the men’s cross country team

won an NCAA championship.Members of both teams have returned to campus this weekend to

celebrate the 50-year anniversaries of their historic seasons, as thememories come flooding back despite the many changes to the cam-pus that have taken place over the past five decades.

Both of those elite 1957 teams actually were back on campus dur-ing the 2001 football weekend of the game versus Michigan State. The‘57 baseball team had the chance to visit with the Irish team that waspreparing for the 2002 baseball season and that visit proved to be anominous one, as Notre Dame made a spirited run to the 2002 CollegeWorld Series (the program’s first CWS trip since 1957). Members ofthe 2002 baseball team likewise are on campus this weekend, as theycommemorate the five-year anniversary of their own special season.

THE 1957 NOTRE DAME BASEBALL TEAMAlthough the 1957 Notre Dame baseball team ended up a couple wins shy of win-

ning the national title, the accomplishment of essentially reaching the NCAA semifinalsis a significant one--in a sport typically dominated by warm-weather schools.

One year earlier, Notre Dame’s 1956 season had ended with a pair of losses atMinnesota in the NCAA Midwest District playoffs. The 1957 district round then washeld in nearby Kalamazoo, Mich., and Notre Dame--which had recovered from a slowstart (4-5) to win seven of its final eight regular-season games--won three of its fourgames to claim the Midwest spot in the College World Series. The Irish opened NCAAplay with wins over Alma (18-2) and host Western Michigan (4-2) before reboundingfrom a 9-2 loss to Northwestern by beating the Wildcats (6-1) to advance to Omaha.

Ace pitcher Chuck Symeon fondly remembers the postgame celebration thatincluded dousing head coach Jake Kline in the team shower (and in full uniform). Teamcaptain and two-time All-America catcher Elmer Kohorst then interrupted the celebra-tion by calling for a team prayer.

“Jake was all wet from the shower, but I saw the tears rolling out of his eyes,”recalls Symeon. “For me, that was the highlight of the season even though it wasn’t atOmaha--it was helping our coach make his first trip to the CWS.”

According to co-captain Jim Cusack, the team actually had felt extra motivation to“win one for the skipper” throughout the season.

“Jake told me and Elmer before the season that he wasn’t sure how much longerhe would coach,” says Cusack, who typically hit in the key three-hole. “We thought itmight be Jake’s last year and that provided a level of extra motivation.

“Next thing I know, it’s 20 years later and Jake is still coaching--so I’m beginningto think it was kind of a ruse like you used to see in those Knute Rockne football movies.It might have given us the motivation we needed, but we had experience and talent andput it all together we when we needed it.”

Kline actually had played baseball at Notre Dame during the start of the Rockne era(1915-17) and later spent 42 seasons as head coach of the Irish baseball team, from1934-75. His 23rd season did not feature the traditional southern trip during springbreak, possibly putting the 1957 squad behind the curve during the month of April. Butthe Irish closed strong, sparked by a midseason positional shift that put senior SteveJohnson at third base and moved top hitter Jim Morris to right field.

“That was the key to the season,” says Symeon. “It tightened up the defensebecause Jimmy did not handle third base very well, but he played a good right field andhit a ton. That was the turning point.”

Notre Dame entered the postseason led by four senior infielders, with Cusack andJohnson at the corners while second baseman Ed Hurley and shortstop Jim Carideoprovided air-tight defense up the middle.

“Ed and Jim were like a major-league tandem and always knew what to expect,”says Cusack. “We also had a senior catcher in Elmer, who cemented everything.

“We were more than a college team because we played together for so long. Wedid not get to play as many games as most teams, but we made up for it in experience.When you’ve got that window open, you have to go for it.”

Notre Dame’s pitching staff also rounded into form--led by a pair of strong right-handed starters in Symeon (1.30 season ERA; 5-1 record) and Bujnowski (2.37; 7-3), plusleft-handed reliever Paul Besser (1.04).

Hurley’s hot hitting from the two-hole (8-for-19; .421) paced the Irish in the fourNCAA Midwest District games, but nobody could match Morris the next week inOmaha, as he set a CWS record that still stands by hitting at a .714 clip (10-for-14)--wellbefore aluminum bats became part of the college game. Morris collected eight RBI inOmaha, with a pair of home runs and two doubles to go along with six singles.

“Everything looked so big, you could see the seams and the rotation. We had anight game and you could see the ball even at night out there. Everything was just easy--it was a dream,” says Morris, who fittingly was on hand 45 years later to see his almamater play in the 2002 CWS.

“I remember hitting one up the middle and usually I pulled everything. And thehome run that I hit a great distance just felt so good.”

His fellow outfielders also had strong showings in Omaha, as leftfielder BobSenecal hit 7-for-18 with a team-high 10 RBI, three doubles and a pair of triples whilespunky centerfielder Gene Duffy went 8-for-22 and scored four times from his leadoffspot. The Irish hit .338 as a team and totaled 44 runs in their four CWS games.

Notre Dame bounced back from a 13-8 opening loss to Iowa State by blowing outColorado State, 23-2 (the most runs ever in a CWS game). Symeon was pulled from thatgame after four shutout innings, allowing him to return the next day versus Texas. TheStamford, Conn., native responded with a solo shutout in a 9-0 win over the Longhornsthat included seven strikeouts, five singles allowed and five walks. Symeon--whopaced his outing by holding back on his fastball -erased three base runners on double-play balls and another on a pickoff play.

“Chuck had his stuff going, keeping it down and throwing it away, and the guys inthe infield were just gobbling the balls up,” recalls Senecal.

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HISTORIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS INNOTRE DAME HISTORYT hree outstanding Notre Dame teams will meet this

weekend to celebrate their 50th and five year anniversaries. by Pete LaFleur

The 1957 Notre Dame baseball team will meet this Saturday, 50 years after the historic run made at the College World Series, where the Irish nearly advanced to the championship game.

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NOTRE DAME HISTORY continuedThe next day saw Notre Dame nearly rally to earn a spot in the championship game,

as two Irish runs cut Penn State’s lead to 5-4 in the ninth inning. With the bases loadedand no outs, three straight pinch-hitters failed to drive in the tying run--as Penn Stateadvanced to the final game (a 1-0 loss to the University of California).

The most noteworthy absence at the 1957 team’s reunion in the fall of 2001 wasDuffy, who died tragically in his 30s after serving in athletic administration duties atCreighton University (in Omaha) and in the former Big Eight Conference. Duffy--who iscredited with helping popularize Omaha as home of the CWS in the 1960s--hit .333 over-all in 1957 while leading the team in runs (26), home runs (4) and triples (5), in additionto starring as a point guard on the Irish basketball team.

Morris posted the best season batting average in Notre Dame history (.386; prima-rily as the five-hole hitter) before outdoing himself in 1958 (.394). The cleanup batterKohorst added a .343 season batting average in 1957 while Senecal (.290) had a team-high 21 RBI and tied Kohorst for the team-high in doubles with 10.

“That 1957 team got along so well,” says Carideo, nephew of former Notre Damefootball star Frank Carideo. “I can’t think of one situation where there were any prob-lems. We had more fun playing the game than any team I’d been on--and we won.”

THE 1957 NOTRE DAME CROSS COUNTRY TEAMNotre Dame’s 25 all-time NCAA team championships have come primarily in two

sports--football (11) and fencing (7)--while the school’s most recent NCAA titles havebeen won by women’s teams (soccer in 1995 and 2004; basketball in 2001). Thus thechampionship won by the Irish men’s cross country team in 1957 is all the more note-worthy--with that historic moment occurring 50 years ago from next month.

Notre Dame cross country had developed a healthy rivalry in the 1950s with itsnorthern neighbor Michigan State, but the Spartans were the clear favorite as the hostteam of the 1957 NCAAs. One week earlier at the IC4A meet in New York, the Irish hadfinished as the runner-up to MSU at that annual tune-up--helping fuel the fire.

Notre Dame’s seven NCAA entrants included seniors Dale VandenBerg (thenation’s top collegiate half-miler), Ed Monnelley, John Burns and Vic Dillon, plus juniorMike Haverty and sophomores Dave Cotton and Galen Cawley. VandenBerg, Monnelleyand Haverty had been members of the Irish team that placed sixth at the 1956 NCAAs,also held in East Lansing. The team also returned seventh-year head coach AlexWilson, the top mid-distance runner in Notre Dame history who had competed twice inthe Olympic Games for his native Canada.

The Notre Dame squad had its share of Midwestern natives--Haverty (Oshkosh,Wis.), Monnelley (Chicago, Ill.) and VandenBerg (Grand Rapids, Mich.)--but there alsowas west-coaster Burns (Condon, Ore.) and two from New York in Cotton(Schenectady) and Dillon (Mineola), while Cawley had made the journey from the plainsof Lawrence, Kan.

That eclectic mix proved up to the task at the NCAAs, combining for a classic teamvictory in a sport viewed as an individualized activity. Monnelley’s time of 20:18 over thefour-mile course was good for 19th but the other four scoring finishers were scatteredamong the top-45. In the days well before electronic scoreboards and computerizedresults, the team standings were far from instantaneous.

“I remember Alex Wilsoncame into the locker room and hewas adding up the scores to figureout where we placed,” recallsHaverty. “He was eliminating theother top teams and kept saying, ‘Ithink we did it.’ It turns out he wasright--what a great moment.”

Notre Dame had turned thetables on Michigan State, finishingwith a 121-127 margin over the run-ner-up Spartans to claim the NCAAtrophy. Scoring is based on the fin-ishing spots of a team’s top-fiverunners, meaning that the final six-point margin hinged on each com-petitor doing his part for his bestfinish.

“In a race like that, everyonecan contribute,” says Monnelley.“If you move up three spaces, thatcould be the difference. We didn’thave any real stars, but we were atrue team and we were thechamps.”

One week earlier at the IC4Arace, the Irish had made a deci-sion to go out as a pack and theyutilized a similar strategy at the NCAAs. “We pushed it and guys stepped up,” saysBurns. “There was no jealousy or factionalism. We were focused on the same goal.”

Team captain VandenBerg singles out Cotton and Dillon for their strong races at theNCAAs. Even Cawley, not a member of the scoring five, played a key role by “blocking”out runners from the other competitors.

“Late in the race, I couldn’t figure out why Alex Wilson was cheering me like crazy,”recalls Cawley. “I did make up a few spots. My vision was to keep someone else fromplacing higher and hold them back.”

After the team climbed into Wilson’s car--one that easily is remembered more forconvenience then comfort--they returned to campus as NCAA champions.

“For me, the Notre Dame experience was a springboard for everything in my life,”says VandenBerg. “It was a means to an end and something I’ll never forget.”

THE 2002 NOTRE DAME BASEBALL TEAMThe Notre Dame baseball program’s dream season in 2002 had a nightmarish

beginning. The Irish started 9-10 before rallying to take the second game of double-header at West Virginia in late March. That comeback sparked a seven-game winningstreak and the Irish went on an extended run of 22-2, en route to winning the BIG EASTregular-season title and then capturing the program’s first BIG EAST tournament title.

Notre Dame had not won an NCAA regional since the late 1950s but the 2002 teamwas up to the task as the host team at the South Bend Regional. The Irish sandwichedwins over Ohio State (8-6, 9-6) around a record-setting, 25-1 victory over a SouthAlabama squad that was the top-seeded team in the regional. Freshman Grant Johnsonwas masterful in tossing a one-hitter while sophomore second baseman SteveSollmann batted 6-for-7 with seven RBI, six runs scored, a home run and two triples.

Few could have predicted the results from the ensuing Super Regional series thatsaw Notre Dame travel to top-ranked Florida State. Johnson’s strong six innings and a5-RBI game from junior right fielder Kris Billmaier helped the Irish end FSU’s 25-gamewinning streak (10-4) and the Seminoles won game-2 (12-5) before freshman right-han-der Chris Niesel picked up the 3-1 win for the Irish in the decisive third game.

Notre Dame went on to Omaha and the College World Series for the first time in 45years. Despite a pair of losses to Stanford (3-4, 3-5), the Irish provided a classic CWSmemory by rallying to knock off the new number-one team, Rice (5-3). Senior center-fielder Steve Stanley was an All-American and national player-of-the-year finalist whilefive other Irish players--Sollmann, senior catcher Paul O’Toole, junior leftfielder BrianStavisky, senior third baseman Andrew Bushey and senior DH Matt Bok--joined him inreceiving all-BIG EAST honors. The team’s unsung hero was sophomore Javi Sanchez,a prep third baseman who was pressed into the starting shortstop role after early sea-son-ending injuries to a pair of Irish players.

The 2002 Notre Dame baseball team was the firstto return to the College World Series since theteam of 1957. During this post-season run, theIrish knocked off both Florida State and Rice, thetop-ranked teams.

The 1957 Notre Dame cross

country team made history when it

captured the NCAA men’s team

championship. Members of the

historic squad will meet this

weekend, 50 years later, to

commemorate their accomplishments.

2007

Consider, please, these dots and dashes asNotre Dame football entersthe second half of its season in 2007:

• Today’s game marks the first time in 21 years and only the seventhtime in history that an unranked Notre Dame team has played host inNotre Dame Stadium to an opponent ranked in the top four nationally(Associated Press poll).

The last time it happened came in Lou Holtz’s first season as Irishhead coach in ’86 when #3 Penn State prevailed 24-19. The other fiveprevious occurrences all turned out to be Irish losses as well — 24-23to #3 Michigan in ’86 (Holtz’s first game at Notre Dame), 35-14 to #4 Navyin ’63 (the last time Navy beat the Irish), 30-24 to #2 Northwestern in ’59,40-0 to #1 Oklahoma in ’56 and 47-14 to #2 Michigan State in ’56.

• Notice how eerily similar the final stats read from last weekend’strip to the Rose Bowl compared to the only other Irish stop there 83years ago?

Check these out:— Stanford in the ’25 Rose Bowl outgained Notre Dame 316-186; this

time UCLA did the same 282-140.— Stanford in ’25 had eight turnovers — UCLA had seven.— Notre Dame’s Ed Hunsinger ran back a fumble 20 yards for a

touchdown against Stanford in ‘25 — Notre Dame’s Maurice Crum didthe same (34 yards) against the Bruins.

— Notre Dame’s Elmer Layden ran back interceptions 78 and 70yards for scores in ’25 — Notre Dame’s David Bruton in ’07 ran one backto the four, and Crum had nearly clear sailing on another late pickoffbefore finishing with a 33-yard return.

— The Irish defeated Stanford 27-10 in ’25 — this time it was 20-6over UCLA (and easily could have been 27-6 if Crum had been able tokeep his feet on the interception with three minutes left).

• If the NCAA Graduation Success Rate numbers released last weekmean anything, they bode well for the future of players on both sidelinestoday. Both Notre Dame and Boston College posted 93 GSR numbers,tying them for third place (with Stanford and Duke) among Division I-Aschools. Only the U.S. Naval Academy (95) and Northwestern (94) ratedhigher.

Those figures were based on entering freshman classes from 1997through 2000, meaning all the Notre Dame players in this year’s cumula-tive totals were recruited by former Irish coach Bob Davie.

Overall, Notre Dame saw 18 of its 22 programs post 100 scores, mark-ing the highest percentage of perfect figures (.818) of any I-A institution

(now the NCAA Football BowlSubdivision).

Meanwhile, the currentIrish football squad has pro-duced four straight semesterswith a cumulative team aver-age above a 3.0 grade-pointaverage, the first that has hap-pened at Notre Dame.

• Check out these schedulenotes: Notre Dame in ‘07 is theonly school in the country thatopened with its first threegames against opponents whoplayed in Jan. 1 bowl games a year ago. The Irish are the only team inthe country to play their first eight games in ’07 against teams from thetraditional Bowl Championship Series conferences (no one else start-ed with more than four).

• This is the highest a Boston College team ever has been rankedwhen facing Notre Dame. The only previous times the Eagles haveranked higher than the Irish coming into their previous meetings werein the ’83 Liberty Bowl (a 19-18 Irish win over #13 Boston College) and1999 (#25 Boston College won 31-29). The only other time an Eagleteam came to Notre Dame Stadium rated in the top 10 was in 1992,when #8 Notre Dame defeated the #9 Eagles 54-7. Boston Collegehanded the Irish their first defeat (both in November games) in both1993 and 2002.

• It’s not hard to identify the key matchups today — they include aBoston College passing game that ranks 11th nationally at 314.17 yardsper game, against an Irish pass defense that rates fourth nationallywhile allowing only 153.67 yards per contest. Then, there is an Eaglerushing defense that has surrendered an average of only 49.67 yardsper game against a Notre Dame rushing attack that stands at 33.0 percontest.

• Eighteen different Irish players have made their first career startsthrough the first six games of ’07 — including four true freshmen (JimmyClausen, Armando Allen, Kerry Neal and Golden Tate). Six of the other 14are sophomores (Demetrius Jones, George West, Robby Parris, MattCarufel, James Aldridge and Raeshon McNeil).

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NOTRE DAMEFootball2007

EXTRA POINT

THE LAST WORDBy John Heisler