Happy Birthday to Knute Rockne who was born March 4th 1888. There has been disappointment in the past few Notre Dame Coaches which may be the toughest job in the world with the most pressure under an extreme microscope and spotlight. There have coaches who have not lived up to the lofty expectations in South Bend but we have had our share of great coaches so I thought I would share my best on our best’s birthday.
1) Knute Rockne; During 13 years as head coach, Rockne led his "Fighting Irish" to 105 victories, 12 losses, five ties, and three national championships, including five undefeated seasons without a tie. Rockne posted the highest all-time winning percentage (.881) for an American football coach, college or professional.
2) Frank Leahy; While at Notre Dame, Leahy had six undefeated seasons, four national championship teams, and an unbeaten string of 39 games (37–0–2) in the late 1940s.
3) Ara Parseghian; During the Era of Ara, the Irish won two national championships in 1966 and 1973.
4) Lou Holtz; Between 1988 and 1993, Holtz's teams posted an overall 64–9–1 record including as National Championship. He also took the Irish to bowl games for nine consecutive seasons, still a Notre Dame record.
5) Dan Devine; His lasting achievement came midway through this run, when the Fighting Irish won the 1977 national championship.
