Football: Devine remembered as fine man and coach
By: CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Editor
The Notre Dame community suffered a great loss on May 9, when former football coach Dan Devine died after suffering from a prolonged illness. He was 77.
Devine spent six years with the Irish from 1975-80, winning a national championship and three bowl games. Assuming the position of head coach at Notre Dame following the ever-popular Ara Parseghian was a daunting task for Devine. Despite his success on the football field — a 56-13-1 record and three top ten finishes in six years — he didn't have the undisputed support of the fans.
"He was a great football coach, and he had a marvelous record at Notre Dame," said Father Edmund Joyce, Notre Dame vice president emeritus who hired Devine in 1975. "People seem to forget that. Some of the subway alumni, maybe even regular alumni, didn't accept him immediately. Maybe the only explanation for that is the fact that Ara Parseghian, his predecessor, was such a charismatic figure and so exciting, while Dan was rather low key."
Unlike expressive figures such as Parseghian, Gerry Faust and Lou Holtz, Devine had a quiet way about him. He often kept to himself, staying out of the public spotlight. To those that knew him, however, Devine was friendly and caring.
"He was a very personable, very friendly man," said former Irish running back Vagas Ferguson, who played under Devine from 1976-79. "He recruited me out of high school, and my family got to meet him and they fell in love."
Despite Devine's less-than-flattering portrayal in the movie "Rudy," those who knew him best remember a different Devine than the man that sat behind the desk in the film. The movie portrayed Devine as a mean-spirited coach who reluctantly gave Rudy his one shot.
"Coach Devine cared a great deal that people worked hard to make themselves better," Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger said. "He valued hard work and determination, and I think that's some of what he saw in me. Actually, he wanted me to play in that game we portrayed in the movie, and he even tried to get me in when the offense had the ball, but it just didn't work because I was a defensive player."
During his tenure, Devine coached some of the biggest names and most important games in Notre Dame history. He led the Irish to a national championship season in 1977 that ended with a Cotton Bowl victory against undefeated, top-ranked Texas.
Devine also coached arguably one of the greatest comebacks in college football history in the 1979 Cotton Bowl. The Irish trailed Houston 34-12 with 7:37 remaining in the game. After missing the entire third quarter with the flu, quarterback Joe Montana returned to the game and led the Irish to 23 unanswered points and a 35-34 win.
"[Devine] was a great leader, and I think that shows through some of the people around him like his assistant coaches and players that went on to such great things," Ruettiger said.
Devine left this world respected by many as a football coach and a man.
"He was a splendid man - a fine family man," Joyce said. "I admired him very much both as a gentleman and as a coach - he was a great football coach."
Devine spent 14 months in the hospital before he asked the hospital staff for permission to die at home.
All Sports Stories for Friday, May 17, 2002
