As I lay in bed last night pondering the events of this past week, and in particular the press conference earlier yesterday introducing Marcus Freeman as the new Head Coach of Notre Dame, an image of a young Lou Gehrig popped briefly into my mind, and got me thinking about all that has happened.
For those who follow baseball, you likely know the Lou Gehrig story. In 1923, the Yankees' starting first baseman, Wally Pipp, got hit in the head with a baseball during batting practice, and had to sit out a few games. Pipp had been a stalwart first baseman for the Yankees, twice leading the league in home runs. The Yankees turned to a young (19 years old) and promising rookie, Lou Gehrig, to play first base while Pipp was out. The rest, as they say, is history. Gehrig's stellar play eventually forced Pipp out of the lineup permanently, and Gehrig went on to have a HOF career, winning 7 World Series with the Yankees and teaming up with Babe Ruth to become part of the famous "murderer's row." (I expect Harlem Irish and some of our other Yankees fans on this board know the whole story much better than I do.)
Which brings me to the hiring of Marcus Freeman. (I know, my imagination is probably a little bit over active, but stay with me on this.)
Several seemingly unrelated but interconnected events had to occur in order for this to happen.
First, in December 2020, Vanderbilt fired their head football coach, Derek Mason. A young and promising assistant coach at Notre Dame, Clark Lea, decides to leave ND to accept the head coaching position at Vanderbilt, his alma mater. If that doesn't happen, Lea is still coaching up the defense at ND in 2021, and Kelly has no reason to hire Marcus Freeman.
Second, with Lea gone, Brian Kelly has to hire a new DC, and sets his sights on a rising young coaching star at Cincinnati, Marcus Freeman. To the surprise of many, Kelly wins a hiring battle with LSU to retain Freeman's services. Had LSU won that battle, as most expected it would, I don't think Marcus Freeman stands at the podium a year later as the new HC at ND. But because MF comes to ND, Jack Swarbrick gets to witness, first hand, not just MF's coaching skills, but his special ability to connect on a very personal level with both players and recruits. As Swarbrick stated yesterday at the press conference to introduce MF, this contact proves invaluable when Swarbrick is confronted with having to unexpectedly fill the head coach position.
Third, to the surprise of the college football world, and the consternation of the ND football fan base (well, at least most of them), Brian Kelly announces this past Monday that he is leaving ND to become the head coach at LSU. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Swarbrick is forced to find Kelly's replacement. Had Kelly served out the remainder of his contract at ND, as most supposed he would, it seems unlikely that Marcus Freeman would be available as an option to succeed Kelly, as Freeman was on a fast track to take a head coaching position somewhere, and most likely would have been hired somewhere else after perhaps another season as ND's defensive coordinator. Did Kelly jump ship because, as he explained, he wanted a "new challenge" somewhere else; or did he decide to chase the pot of gold that comes with being the head coach at LSU? We don't know, and may never know, what ultimately motivated Kelly, but his actions opened up an opportunity--much like the ball that hit Wally Pipp in the head--that was not likely to have otherwise existed.
Are these events merely fortuitous? Or are they, instead, serendipitous? I guess time will tell. But I am going with the Lou Gehrig comparison.
Some see "luck of the Irish" as merely a catchy phrase, but sometimes the stars just line up right. Will this be one of those moments?
Go Marcus! And go Irish!
For those who follow baseball, you likely know the Lou Gehrig story. In 1923, the Yankees' starting first baseman, Wally Pipp, got hit in the head with a baseball during batting practice, and had to sit out a few games. Pipp had been a stalwart first baseman for the Yankees, twice leading the league in home runs. The Yankees turned to a young (19 years old) and promising rookie, Lou Gehrig, to play first base while Pipp was out. The rest, as they say, is history. Gehrig's stellar play eventually forced Pipp out of the lineup permanently, and Gehrig went on to have a HOF career, winning 7 World Series with the Yankees and teaming up with Babe Ruth to become part of the famous "murderer's row." (I expect Harlem Irish and some of our other Yankees fans on this board know the whole story much better than I do.)
Which brings me to the hiring of Marcus Freeman. (I know, my imagination is probably a little bit over active, but stay with me on this.)
Several seemingly unrelated but interconnected events had to occur in order for this to happen.
First, in December 2020, Vanderbilt fired their head football coach, Derek Mason. A young and promising assistant coach at Notre Dame, Clark Lea, decides to leave ND to accept the head coaching position at Vanderbilt, his alma mater. If that doesn't happen, Lea is still coaching up the defense at ND in 2021, and Kelly has no reason to hire Marcus Freeman.
Second, with Lea gone, Brian Kelly has to hire a new DC, and sets his sights on a rising young coaching star at Cincinnati, Marcus Freeman. To the surprise of many, Kelly wins a hiring battle with LSU to retain Freeman's services. Had LSU won that battle, as most expected it would, I don't think Marcus Freeman stands at the podium a year later as the new HC at ND. But because MF comes to ND, Jack Swarbrick gets to witness, first hand, not just MF's coaching skills, but his special ability to connect on a very personal level with both players and recruits. As Swarbrick stated yesterday at the press conference to introduce MF, this contact proves invaluable when Swarbrick is confronted with having to unexpectedly fill the head coach position.
Third, to the surprise of the college football world, and the consternation of the ND football fan base (well, at least most of them), Brian Kelly announces this past Monday that he is leaving ND to become the head coach at LSU. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Swarbrick is forced to find Kelly's replacement. Had Kelly served out the remainder of his contract at ND, as most supposed he would, it seems unlikely that Marcus Freeman would be available as an option to succeed Kelly, as Freeman was on a fast track to take a head coaching position somewhere, and most likely would have been hired somewhere else after perhaps another season as ND's defensive coordinator. Did Kelly jump ship because, as he explained, he wanted a "new challenge" somewhere else; or did he decide to chase the pot of gold that comes with being the head coach at LSU? We don't know, and may never know, what ultimately motivated Kelly, but his actions opened up an opportunity--much like the ball that hit Wally Pipp in the head--that was not likely to have otherwise existed.
Are these events merely fortuitous? Or are they, instead, serendipitous? I guess time will tell. But I am going with the Lou Gehrig comparison.
Some see "luck of the Irish" as merely a catchy phrase, but sometimes the stars just line up right. Will this be one of those moments?
Go Marcus! And go Irish!
Last edited:
