Former Notre Dame head coach Gerry Faust died Monday at the age of 89, according to his family.
In a statement, the Faust family said: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Gerry Faust, loving husband, father, grandfather and coach who dedicated his life to his family, his faith and the teams and players he coached.
“During an extraordinary life, driven by an unwavering and deep commitment to his Catholic faith, he was a beloved mentor to countless young men, both on and off the playing field.
“His work ethic, optimism, leadership and humility were legendary. He leaves behind a legacy of perseverance, compassion and inspiration, reminding us all of the extraordinary impact a life can have.
“While most knew him as a coach, we will long remember him as a great father and grandfather who inspired us by example to live our best lives.”
Gerry Faust, the former head coach of Notre Dame and Akron, has died at the age of 89
Faust’s rise to one of the most prestigious positions in college football came after building an empire in Ohio high school football at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati.
From 1962 to 1980, Faust essentially rebuilt the program from scratch and transformed Moeller into a perennial powerhouse.
Faust won all five of his Ohio state championships and all four of his national high school football championships in the final six seasons of his tenure.
A devout Catholic, Faust was convinced that the only position he would ever leave Moeller for was Notre Dame.
After Fighting Irish head coach Dan Devine resigned from the South Bend, Indiana, program in 1980, Faust got the call and took the job of a lifetime. It sparked national outrage after a high school coach was elevated to the top college football job in the country at the time.
He opened his tenure at Notre Dame – which earned the nickname “The Bold Experiment” – with a home win over LSU in the 1981 season opener. That win helped get the Fighting Irish voted No. 1 in the polls.
But the victory high was short-lived as Notre Dame fell to Michigan the following week. The Fighting Irish finished the season 5-6, their first losing season in almost twenty years.
After building a powerhouse in high school, Faust controversially landed the top coaching job in college football in 1981 when he handed the reins to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Faust, seen here with his players, during a game against LSU in Baton Rouge, LA in 1984
Faust stuck around in South Bend until the 1985 season. During that time, some highlights included wins over ranked rivals Miami and Pittsburgh (No. 1 and led by Dan Marino) in 1982, a Liberty Bowl win over ranked rivals Boston College in 1983, and a win over ranked LSU in Death Valley in 1984.
Faust posted three winning seasons in his time in South Bend, crashing out a 5-6 campaign in 1985 with a demoralizing 58-7 season loss to Miami in one of the worst defeats in school history.
Before that match, Faust handed in his resignation, effective at the end of the season.
His successor at Notre Dame was then-University of Minnesota head coach Lou Holtz, who would remain at the school for a decade, winning their most recent national championship in 1988.
After compiling a 30-26-1 record at Notre Dame, he took over the head coaching job at the University of Akron in Ohio when the school transitioned to a Division I-A program (known today as the FBS).
He remained at the school for nine years before being fired in 1994 after going 1-10 in his final season and compiling a record of 43-53-3.
From there he worked at Akron as a fundraiser until his eventual retirement in 2001.