One who never played a snap at ND because he was badly injured by Faust improper weight lifting program. The other that was a 3 year starter and 4 year letter winner. Then many of the 1985 recruits - who as you know I had to talk many into staying at ND before Faust resigned. He was a nice person at his core but JT is right. A lot of the team was struggling to stick with him through his final year. They nearly all knew he was incapable of doing the job. They wanted to win - but also wanted Faust gone.

Faust did give me tickets to the Penn state away game disaster that year - so I have that to thank him for. I did get to see how other colleges react to seeing a football player in person that trip. My 6’6” DL roommate was with me. To say there were 100’s of women that absolutely flooded the lobby of a dorm we were in when he confirmed he was on the ND team is possibly an under count. I still have high school friends that talk about meeting him. 100 of 118 people I graduated with went to Penn state. At most one of them saw one PSU player for maybe seconds their entire 4 years. They spent 2 full days with my roommate.

once Lou arrived. My brother still recalls my call right after the infamous first team meeting with Lou, assuring him that we were going to win the National Championship and soon.

My roommates and I road-tripped to PSU for that game. We stayed in a dorm with one of my friends from high school and I volunteered to work that game. We were standing in inches of water in that monsoon and I remember burning my fingers holding footballs in front of those jet heaters, trying in vain to get the footballs to be less waterlogged. They’d be saturated again within seconds after going back in. 36-6. That night, after the team left, my roommates and I hit the town in State College along with a bunch of my friends from home who came out from NJ for the game. I probably never drank more in my life. I’ll leave it at that. The ride back to ND was not pleasant.

One of the better parts of that trip was when Milt Jackson came to the team hotel and surprised the team at a meeting there. He had been away from the team for a while and the outpouring of love for him by the team was a sight to behold. He was one of the best guys I met at ND. May he Rest In Peace.

Next time you see those two roommates, thank them for me for going easy on me in Grace section basketball. I was tasked with going up against them at center and they went easy on me. Both real good guys as you know.

PS. This Blue Gold weekend I had the chance to hang out with a couple players who lived in my section my freshman year. They were both 5th years then so true experts on the Faust years. One played at a rival high school to Moeller back in Gerry’s days there. Even in our old age, we kept the party going and managed to close down one of the local watering holes, reliving Grace Hall memories from 84-85 living in the infamous section 6D, also home of UR’s brother that year as well. I didn’t have to play center back then as we had a regular student who was 6-7, 300 pounds. Good times.