Spring break is here and not a moment to soon. Spring break means going to the beach and soaking up some sun right? Wrong! For me it meant driving up SR 31 and attending the Notre Dame football coaches clinic. I thought I would share some of the snap shots I took and a quick review of the clinic. This article isn’t meant to be as informative as some of the others on Adam’s site but I did feel someone out there would appreciate the pictures I took due to the Single Wing historians and Notre Dame fan base out there.

I highly recommend this clinic and will probably be coming back next year. The $65.00 fee is well worth all the activities and atmosphere. It was very informative and for any Single Wing coach it will be a special treat to see the artifacts ND has of Knute Rockne, the Four Horsemen, and other historical figures who battled during the thriving time of the Single Wing.

Many of the Notre Dame assistants took the time to explain their X’s and O’s. The 2 practices we attended were in doors but gave me an idea of how Notre Dame runs things. There were several successful high school coaches from the Midwest speaking. I also had the pleasure of listening to Ruben Mendoa, director of strength and conditioning of Notre Dame athletics, Chuck Martin, head coach of Grand Valley State, Larry Kehres of Mt. Union College, Bill Polian, president of the Indianapolis Colts and Charlie Weis, head coach of Notre Dame.

One of my favorite speakers was Bill Polian. Mr. Polian had many stories from the past and shared a Single Wing link he had. His high school football coach played for Knute Rockne! Here are some words of wisdom he shared:

“What it takes to win is simple, it isn’t easy.”
-Marv Levy

“Take care of the little things & the big things will take care of themselves.”
-George Paterno (Joe’s brother)

“It’s not what you know that counts, it’s what the players know and can execute that counts.”
-Vince Lambardi

“You lose more games than you win.”
-Marv Levy, Tony Dungy, Chuck Noll

“Rules are rules.”
-Don Shula

“Be a technique coach.”
-George Paterno

“Teach, don’t screech.”
-Coaching friend of Bill Polian

These picture show part of trophy cases dedicated to Knute Rockne. Some are from the Notre Dame campus and some are from a local memorabilia store I came across. Others are from the South bend chocolate shop located next to the College football hall of fame.

These pictures show various places on the campus of Notre Dame. I thought it would be appropriate to get a picture of a Single Wing coach with his Single Wing shirt on next to the picture Notre Dame had on display of Knute Rockne’s first football team.

Todd Hagemeier
Westfield Middle School
Health and PE teacher
317-867-6640
Hagemeiert at wws dot k12 dot in dot us

The Line

Some come from the game with no scars, no pain-

We emerge with bloodied hands, and bones so sore that it takes a few hours the next morning before we can walk upright.

Some come from the game with pants still shiny, shirt barely dirty-

We are only faintly recognizable, as the mud and grass of trench warfare take all the newness and shine from our uniforms and our souls.

Some come from the game with impressive stats of yards rushing and passing-

We measure our progress in short bursts that no paper will keep track of, that no record book will ever immortalize.

Some come from the game with parents loudly bragging and fans cheering as names come over the P.A. system-

We deal in a world of brutal anonymity, silent except for the grunts of collision and the quick praise of our coaches.

Some come from the game with egos blazing, claps on the back, the sounds of the crowd in their head-

We measure our worth by the holes we open for players with smaller numbers; their brief nod is our only applause.

Some come from the game as prima-donnas, barely working in the off season, giving lip service to the idea of physical improvement-

We spend our time in the weight room, iron plates and shiny steel our friend, our enemy, our taskmaster.

Some come from the game with thoughts of I did this, or I did that-

We recognize that the parts build a greater good, that teamwork is not an outmoded concept in today’s world.

Some come from the game thinking of us as swamp things in uniform, they joke about our speed, our hands, our seeming lack of grace-

We take the brunt of the jokes, even laugh along, just as we take the brunt of the physical force aimed at them.

In our little world we stand. Our boundaries are the sleds and the chutes. Our teachers are men who dwell in the dual worlds of detail and violence, who teach by a voice that can either wake the dead or gently ease two hours of pain.

This is our world.

It starts with us.

WE ARE THE LINE.

- Paul Shanklin