Your 2004 Heisman Trophy Winner Is...

Will Mr. Leinart Please Step to the Podium?

See if you can spot the parallels beteen 2002 and 2004...

Carson Palmer capped his rise from mediocrity to stardom by winning college football's most prestigious award Saturday night, taking the bronze statue back to the West Coast for the first time since USC's Marcus Allen did it 21 years ago.

The quarterback completed nearly 63 percent of his passes for 3,639 yards and 32 touchdowns with 10 interceptions this year. His biggest performance was his last against Notre Dame in a nationally televised game.

Palmer turned around his career dramatically this year, leading the Trojans to a 10-2 record and a spot in the FedEx Orange Bowl -- against Iowa and Banks. His stunning performance against Notre Dame, in which he threw for 425 yards and four touchdowns, was crucial for a West Coast Heisman hopeful who doesn't get as much exposure as other candidates.

''I think it was the Notre Dame game,'' Palmer said. ''If anyone else was playing in that game, maybe they would have gotten the trophy.''

Another Sign of the Times

This week I received my Bowl Game Ticket application. My heart fluttered with excitement as I read the potential destinations for the Irish: the Insight.com Bowl, the Continental Tire Bowl, and if Notre Dame gets lucky, the grandaddy of 'em all, the Toyota Gator Bowl!

Just to be safe, I plan on purchasing merchandise for all three. What Irish fan wouldn't be proud to sport the distinguished colors--whatever they are--of the Continental Tire Bowl? Who doesn't swell with pride to be associated with the unparalleled tradition of Insight.com and whatever it is they do?

But the best thing about these games are the times. Why mess up your New Year's Day with a lousy football game? That's prime TVLand-Starsky & Hutch-Marathon watching time! Best to get it out of the way during that post-Christmas lull.

Go Irish! Bowl eligible again!

Ahem.

Dear Prudence

Won't You Come Out To...Do Something!

November 20, 2004

Dr. Kevin White
Athletic Director
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556

Dear Dr. White:

We’re all acquainted with the tradition of giving inadequate head coaches five years on their contracts to hang themselves and burn down the Notre Dame football program, but that is an arbitrary and dangerous policy – especially as Notre Dame flirts with two decades of irrelevance. It’s over with Coach Willingham. He’s a stand-up guy who wanted success, but it’s not happening. It’s not going to happen. He simply isn’t up to it, despite his and your best intentions.

Now, It’s only a matter of time before Notre Dame is looking for a new head coach to turn this dying program around. You know it. I know it. More than 90% of South Bend Tribune readers know it. More than 80,000 fans sitting in Notre Dame Stadium know it. He’s too proud to admit it, but Coach Willingham probably knows it, too. Let’s not ignore the 500 lb. gorilla sitting in the middle of the room. The athletic department can move to solve this problem now, or simply watch the decay continue for a couple more years. We’ll end up in the same coaching search either way.

Coach Willingham’s career record hovered just above .500 before he came to Notre Dame, and it remains there now. That’s what he brings. We should not be surprised or disappointed. You hired him, and he brought what he is to the job: inconsistency and mediocrity. You took a shot with him after O’Leary lied, and he could not rise to the task. Now, will the ND athletic department’s Nero play his fiddle while the program burns?

Only two questions remain: Will you be remembered as the man who handled the hiring or firing of three head coaches and dropped the ball? Or, will you be remembered as the athletic director who recognized that the program was dying and who acted on his responsibilities in time to send a message that mediocrity will not be tolerated at Notre Dame?

With respect,
John Scott Lewinski

Goodbye to Lou

Legendary William & Mary/NC State/NY Jets/University of Arkansas/University of Minnesota/University of Notre Dame/University of South Carolina Coach Calls It Quits

While at ND from 1988 through 1993, Lou compiled a record of 64-9-1, including a composite 24-7-1 record against the Top 25.

Enjoy the golden years, Lou.