Comments on: Solidarity

By: D'Omer7@

D'Omer7@ — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 03:45:40 +0000

1812 Overture was 1977.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 22:25:03 +0000

Completely disagree with you. Kelly’s decision is wrong and just another example of his poor decision making abilities. The players staying shows good sportsmanship and class. Kelly should plan on just going to the locker room on his own and listen to himself speak. What an over rated used car salesman. I have zero confidence in his coaching ability.
Ever notice how the other sports teams at Notre Dame also do this as part of their post game than you? It’s classy.

For those who think it is a dopey tradition, don’t stay for it. Head out to the parking lot. There are a lot of people who stay in the stadium till the end because of this great tradition.

By: ND2010

ND2010 — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 16:04:39 +0000

All four of my years at ND were Weis years…including all of his horrendous last three seasons. Charlie came up with the idea of instituting the sway after playing Navy (‘saluting the other team” by participating in their alma mater traditions is even dumber and more pointless’…well, considering the opponent we emulated, I don’t think so) and seeing them do it the first time. He thought that demonstrated the solidarity between the team and students/alums better than what we had at the time, so he instituted it. To us, the students of the time, the decision had nothing to do with creating a made-for-TV moment for NBC; it was all about that solidarity. When the team creamed Army en route to a major match-up against USC on Brady Quinn’s Senior Day, the alma mater served as a way of celebrating a great moment; when we did it following a 38-0 loss to USC the following year, the alma mater allowed us to show our continued faith and pride even in the tough times. In both of these instances, however, the alma mater demonstrated SOLIDARITY in a more demonstrative way than ever before and created memories that are among the most cherished that I or many of my classmates ever had in South Bend.

So yes, I know that the team swaying to the alma mater with the students did not happen under Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian, or even Holtz. So it’s not an old tradition, I get that. But for many recent alums, the alma mater at the end of the game was a special event, one that was copied from a noble opponent that demonstrated emotions felt between the team and students/alums more evidently than ever before. You may disagree with the swaying and want it to go away, but please do not dismiss it as a “silly exercise” created by a bad former coach

By: Jack McGee

Jack McGee — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 04:20:52 +0000

I am a 74 year old professonial actor. From the days of my childhood, I was always moved by the thundering ND Victory March pounding in our house after every game; win or lose. Watching and singing with the students was, and still is, a joy.
However, more is not better in this case; sing the praises,shake down the thunder, and then get off the stage. Any performer will tell you; leave them hearing the applause.

By: flirish

flirish — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 02:33:29 +0000

none of this would be even a small issue if the team won the games they should have. If kelly could coach a bit better then this wouldnt matter to anyone

By: Jim Phillips

Jim Phillips — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:41:30 +0000

This entire conversation is absurd.

The Alma Mater is for alumni of Notre Dame, and the fact that current students (some of whom are players) sing it, only gives credence to its meaning. Enough already. Let the players connect with their classmates and give honor to Notre Dame. I cannot begin to understand the nonsense coming from Coach Kelly. Bring players back “into [his] guidance”? The guidance of the idiot who just led the players into defeat? I reject his crap about the players not executing. Let the leader lead, and give his underlings direction they can follow with success.

The time has come for this idiot to be relieved of his duties directing this fine assemblage of football players. Time to fire Coach Kelly. Get rid of the fraud. He persists in staying with what he perceives as the safe route. Meantime, we are mired in a construct where the quarterback is late on most of his reads, cannot throw accurately on the run, has absolutely no sense of the urgency of getting the play started, and continuously over-throws the receivers. And we do not even try another option except when we program a running play so the defense does not need to wonder how to attack. Imagine if Hendrix came in, faked a running hand-off, and passed the football. . .

I particularly love the 3rd or 4th down plays with less than a yard to go where we run sweeps that take 3-4 seconds to develop and which are successfully rebuked. You have All-American candidates on the offensive line and you do not depend on them to move one defensive player one yard???

Three times in the fourth quarter we are 3 and out??? Change the quarterback; Change the play; Change something.

Change the coach . . . Time for this old show to go.

By: Paul DiGaetano

Paul DiGaetano — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 22:42:41 +0000

You could not be more wrong in your position. The Alma Mater is moving and comforting for almost all Domers, (except the small minority expressing views to the contrary above). No matter who began this tradition nor when, it is a beautiful tradition which the bulk of the student body loves ( as evidenced by their reaction Saturday). The bulk of Domers at the games do as well. I was there Saturday as I have been for just about every home game for the last several years. Furthermore, I was in the student end of the stadium Saturday and saw as well as heard the student body sing with the student-athletes. There was no negativity ( except when players were seen going directly into the tunnel). Thankfully , some players turned the rest around and everyone came together. These players were not told by the coaches to turn the others around. In fact, they did it of their own free will and accord. There was solidarity. There was support for the team even in defeat. This is exactly what Kelly has been preaching. The players don’t object to this tradition continuing, Brian Kelly does. Taking this away from the student body , and the student-athletes will be counterproductive. It is a tradition which both groups embrace and should be continued!

By: Paul Tschirhart '63

Paul Tschirhart '63 — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 21:21:45 +0000

Notre Dame is, or has been, unique in college football. In 2007, WE went 3-9. I was always very proud that the students, alumni, and fans stood behind the team win or lose, in solidarity and love for our team. We didn’t leave until the Alma Mater was played for ALL of us. It’s about love for Notre Dame, not a victory anthem.

No one wants us to win more than I do. I truly bleed blue and gold. And I admire the job Coach Kelly has done to bring the Irish back to national prominence – or is the detested “relevance.” But let’s win (and lose) with class. Some traditions are NOT worth keeping (e.g. lack of a replay facility, natural grass, swaying to the Alma Mater); most are -especially the students, team and alumni together singing the Alma Mater after the game. Good sportsmanship is one tradition very worth keeping. I was always proud that the band used to play a short version of the other team’s fight song. That one’s gone too. Now we have a laughing soundtrack to pull out to mock the other team when someone “upstairs” wants it.

In 1964, after losing the final game of the season to USC in LA and with it losing the National Championship, the team was met upon returning to campus by a thousand or more students, prompting Murray, the famed LA sportswriter to proclaim the wonderful spirit of Notre Dame.

Have we really lost this in the Kelly era?

Paul Tschirhart ’63

By: john

john — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:12:28 +0000

In reply to Sly. Sly, it would be helpful to this discussion if you, and other former students, would comment honestly as to your feelings, when singing and swaying together with the team, following a defeat and how you sensed the players felt.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:10:02 +0000

Mike, I couldn’t agree with you more. Never really liked starting the post game celebration that way. However, the band always played “Notre Dame our Mother” just before they headed off the field from the post game show usually to a very sparse stadium crowd. Those who were still in the stands stood and swayed and that’s the way it should be. Let the band play the victory march and let the Irish Guard do their jig after the teams have cleared out. Let the team get to the locker room. Let the managers clear the field and let the band entertain the fans who stay.