This week in Notre Dame history, trivia, and much more

In an effort to keep alive the mission and spirit of Lou Somogyi, this weekly trip down memory lane looks at the week in Fighting Irish history. This edition covers March 13-19. 

Know your Domers trivia 

(answers below)

1) Who is the last Notre Dame football coach to finish below .500 in his first season on the job? 

2) Who is the last Notre Dame football coach to win at least 10 games in his first season on the job?

3) Who is the all-time leading career points scorer for the Irish women’s basketball program?

Fighting Irish Birthdays

*Paul Nowak (3/14/1914)

-Nowak, who was born 109 years ago today, was a three-time All-American forward for Notre Dame from 1935-38. A South Bend Central High School graduate, Nowak led the Irish to the Helms Athletic Foundation national championship in 1936. Nowak died in 1983 at age 68.

*Matt Farrell (3/15/1996)

-Farrell, who turns 27 on Wednesday, was a standout point guard for Notre Dame from 2014-18. A two-year starter, Farrell still holds the Irish single-game record with 10 made three-pointers. Undrafted in 2018, the New Brunswick, N.J., native spent two seasons in the NBA G League and two seasons playing overseas. 

*Ronnie Stanley (3/18/1994)

-Stanley, who turns 29 on Saturday, was a three-year starting offensive lineman for Notre Dame from 2012-15 where he became a consensus All-American as a senior in 2015. A first-round draft pick (sixth overall) of the Baltimore Ravens in 2016, the Las Vegas native was a first-team NFL All-Pro selection in 2019. 

*Rick Mirer (3/19/1970)

-Mirer, who turns 53 on Sunday, was a three-year starting quarterback at Notre Dame from 1990-92. One of the most prolific quarterbacks in Irish history, the Goshen, Ind., native was the second-overall pick in the 1993 draft and played a 12-year NFL career with seven different teams. 

Notable death

*Ray Meyer (3/17/2006)

-Meyer, a former Irish basketball player, a Notre Dame graduate and a College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee for his work as the head coach at DePaul, died 17 years ago on Friday at the age of 92. 

A two-time AP Coach of the Year with the Blue Demons (1980 and 1984), Meyer led DePaul to 21 postseason appearances, two NCAA Final Fours (1943 and 1979), and one NIT championship (1945) during his 42 years coaching there (1942-84).

Meyer, a Chicago native, played guard at Notre Dame from 1935-38. 

Memory lane

March 14, 1958 (65 Years Ago) 

Led by All-American Tom Hawkins, Notre Dame advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in six years following a 94-87 victory over Indiana, after having dispatched Tennessee Tech 94-61 in the second round.

Like five years earlier, though, the Irish lost to the eventual national champs — Kentucky (89-56), on its home floor — in the round of eight.

March 17, 1975 (48 Years Ago) 

Two days after Notre Dame defeated Kansas 77-71 in first-round NCAA Tournament action, and shortly before the Irish began spring football practice under first-year head coach Dan Devine, U.S. President Gerald Ford visited the Notre Dame campus on St. Patrick’s Day to deliver a speech at the ACC during the lunch hour. 

“Notre Dame believes not only in might on the football field or on the basketball court,” Ford said in part, “but in a spiritual response to humanity’s struggles for a decent life.”

March 19, 1978 (45 Years Ago)

For the first time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, Notre Dame wins three consecutive games in “The Big Dance” to finally make the Final Four.

This team was so deep, three Irish reserves played at least 10 years in the NBA: junior center Bill Laimbeer, freshman forward Orlando Woolridge and sophomore guard Bill Hanzlik. 

The starting five featured junior center Bruce Flowers, senior Dave Batton and freshman Kelly Tripucka at forwards, and senior Don “Duck” Williams and sophomore Rich Branning in the backcourt.

March 14, 1986 (37 Years Ago)

Sports Illustrated is present for the first day of spring practice under new Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz. 

The first-year Irish skipper was chosen for the SI front cover — which was changed at the 11th hour when 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus shot a 65 on the final day of The Masters to win his 18th Grand Slam tournament.

March 16, 2001 (22 Years Ago)

Under first-year head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame men’s basketball received its first NCAA Tournament bid in 11 years (its previous longest drought was five years from 1964-68), and recorded its first NCAA Tournament win in 12 seasons with an 83-71 victory versus Xavier. Junior forward Troy Murphy became the 44th player in college basketball history that season to repeat as an Associated Press first-team All-American.

March 16, 2017 (6 Years Ago)

Junior forward Bonzie Colson scored a team-high 18 points and pulled down 7 rebounds to lead fifth-seeded Notre Dame to a 60-58 victory over 12th-seeded Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

It marked the Fighting Irish’s third consecutive win in a first-round NCAA Tournament contest and their seventh in their last nine games in the Big Dance after back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2015 and 2016. 

Know your Domers answers:

1) Lou Holtz went 5-6 in his first season as Irish skipper in 1986.

2) Tyrone Willingham went 10-3 in his first season in 2002. 

3) Shooting guard Arike Ogunbowale scored 2,626 points from 2015-19. 

— Blue & Gold Illustrated Managing Editor Steve Downey, and the late-great Lou Somogyi contributed to this report