At Some Point Notre Dame Is Gonna Have To Make A Decision!

The World of College Football is changing!

It's not what it was for the past 100 years! 

When this all started it was "college" football....College? 

It's almost hard to remember....now you got kids studying 

"aids awareness" or "ball room dancing"

or Hell...not studying at all!

You have players that after 3 seasons transfer schools and take 9 

credits with them?

Quotes like

“It’s the education part,  I know all these schools athletically can offer me the same thing. The academic support at _______ State, there is no way you can fail. Even if you’re giving minimal effort there is no way you can fail.”

Dirty Pool... Scandals..."Get my Dad a rap career!"

"Buy me a car...get my mom a job....get my girlfriend accepted!"

Maybe I'm getting old?...Maybe now that I have a kid coming 

up on college age I think differently?

Maybe the "WIN" no matter how mentality never really 

appealed to me because Notre Dame didn't have 

to adopt it!

But what does this produce!

VIOLATIONS!-FELONIES!-PROBATION!-

Wins?

This is a Notre Dame Fan's problem!

This will never happen at ND!

We will never take a kid with a 1.7 GPA

or...a JUCO player that can barley spell his name!

Or let kids create college schedules JUST to keep them eligible!

This is the "make it happen now!" generation!

It's...."He won in his 2nd year!"....and got sanctioned in his 9th!

We are our worst enemy!...I'm not innocent to this charge!

Excitement breeds...BLINDNESS!

Hell, there are over 100 College Football Programs!

All fighting for the same prize!...

And some haven't won it in YEARS!...some have only 

one it once in decades!....some only once in 4 decades!...

Yet we all argue...we all fight...and we all call for the coaches head

when it doesn't happen fast enough!

What we have to ask ourselves is...."Where do I stand as a fan?"

How important is this....and how important is it to do RIGHT?

My years doing financial work has allowed me now, 

knocking on 40...to reflect on my career...

It's not much different than college football...

My success has come from 3 areas..

1. Honesty-Don't lie...Do it right and you'll sleep at night!

2. Hard Work-be willing to do what the lazy advisors won't!

3.Refusal- to short cut like the other guys..easy doesn't mean right!

Don't do ANY THING that would prevent you from 

liking what you see when you look in the mirror!

Sure we could cut corners....churn out players...

Once they leave....WHO CARES!

But that's just not Notre Dame...

We don't graduate 50% of our team...We graduate 99%

We send them out into the world with more than 

"Golf course management" degrees!

This is why you need to give it some time!

Apple corp. didn't shoot outta the gate with Apple stores 

busy with 100 customers waiting to spend 

thousands of dollars for the next sales person!

Notre Dame knows it screwed up!

It knows it didn't change with the evolution of the game!

It knows that you can't hire brilliant coordinators and hope 

they make great HEAD COACHES!

But now that they realize it....GIVE'EM TIME!

Coach Kelly is about to go...OLD SCHOOL at NOTRE DAME!

 You can see it on his face that he just needs to do 

what he's always done!...

RECRUIT

DEVELOP

WIN!

He's just under a MUCH BIGGER microscope than he's ever

been under before!

He's not just poaching a kid here and there, or if he comes across

a kid who's girl can't get into college so he pulls some strings!

Or waiting for a scandal to pop up so he can profit!

Or sliding a $500 bill into a QB's hands at a "charity" banquet!

He won't do it the wrong way!

Not at ND!

He's building a program!

He's rebuilding a once great corporation that 

has the industry....has the tradition...

has the production line...but hasn't had

A BRILLIANT CEO in about 20 years!

And a board of directors that WON'T take dirty ethics!

And you know what....it's not gonna happen in 24 months!

It's might not happen this season!...We are ND!

We don't schedule CUPCAKES....You line'em up!..

We'll play'em!..  

But in this business plan you gotta give the man time to dust off 

the machinery...and update the software!

We we're two blown games away from the BCS!

I blame both on COACHING!

We pushed around the BCS Sugar Bowl Champs for 3 quarters

it was working so well....WE STOPPED DOING IT!

COACHING!

We allowed an inferior team to come into our house and 

run with us for 4 quarters and pulled the plug on our

starting QB...after 30 min...

COACHING!

But we also DOMINATED a team that finished 

 the season top 10!

Did your team?

You think he doesn't realize this...?

You think this doesn't keep him up at night!

You think this DIDN'T COST US RECRUITS?

And he still brought in his 2nd top 10 class!

He knows what he needs to do....He knows how to build

a program...and he knows how to WIN!

He's learning how to do it at NOTRE DAME!

This is a whole different ball game he's playing in...

And learning to play in!

But this is not his first RODEO!

In closing I'll leave you with this little nugget...

A TRUE story about "champions"

A TRUE STORY..about doing it right?

A few years ago a friend of my wife's called and asked 

us if we wanted to go to a Jay Z concert...

Anyone that knows my wife will tell you, that was 

not happening!...not that she doesn't appreciate 

the glory of the hova!

But, just not her cup of tea!

Me on the other hand....YEP!

She asked if I could come and bring a buddy of mine

Rich...We went and it was private suite.... booze

food...etc...AWESOME!

In that suite was a bunch of friends of my wives

girlfriend's ex-boyfriend

and a current NFL Defensive End...

About 5 of his team mates...all flashing rings 

of the National Championship they had won 

at a college that will remain nameless together!

As the evening progressed and with Jay to the Z 

bringing it, we all starting talking a bit of trash...

Notre Dame this....UM that...their school...etc..

All in good fun...but as I always do in a social setting 

I starting looking for "net working" opportunities...

I'm always needing lawyers...accountants....other brokers!

But the common theme become quite clear!

They we're all...

UNEMPLOYED!

This peak of their life came and went...and now they 

have no ability to earn income because

 NO ONE helped them...

NO ONE...told them the benefits of a degree...

NO ONE said..."maybe Aids awareness" as a

career choice might limit ya!

Because at the end of the day..

NO ONE cared outside of their ability to help win..

This is not what Notre Dame considers the word

CHAMPION to define!

Because their school helped them on the field

and failed them in life!..

Coach Kelly will Make Notre Dame Winners!

It could happen by cutting corners....tossing out 

some cash....letting academics become secondary!

But that is NOT what making 

Champions is all about!

But looking at our schedule next season....we have

a murders row of games!...

And some idiots will be calling for this!

As soon as something doesn't go our way!...

You want to win?

Give it time to do it right!...

GO IRISH and GOD BLESS!

**Big shout out to Brent Warren for his help!