Gerry Faust

College coach infobox
Name = Gerry Faust


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DateOfBirth = birth date and age|1935|5|21
Birthplace = flagicon|Ohio Dayton, Ohio
DateOfDeath =
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OverallRecord = 73-79-4
Contract =
BowlRecord = 1-1
TournamentRecord =
CFbDWID = 742
Championships =
Awards =
CoachingRecords =
Player = Y
Years = 1955-57
Team = Dayton
Position = QB
Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1986-1994
1981-1985
1962-1980
CoachTeams = Akron
Notre Dame
Archbishop Moeller HS
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Gerard "Gerry" Anthony Faust (born May 21, 1935 in Dayton, Ohio) is the former football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1981 to 1985. Before beginning his coaching career, Faust enjoyed a successful stint as quarterback at the University of Dayton, where he played for a time under former Notre Dame coach Hugh Devore. He actually wanted very much to go to Notre Dame and was offered a partial scholarship, but in the end enrolled at Dayton, where he graduated in 1958. Faust's most successful run as a coach came at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati (1962-80), where he built a football program from scratch. His 178-23-2 record included seven unbeaten seasons, four national prep titles, and five Ohio state titles in his last six seasons.

At Notre Dame

It was his amazing record, sound ethics and the quality football players from Moeller who later played at Notre Dame, that led Notre Dame officials to take a calculated gamble and hire him when Dan Devine stepped down after the 1980 season. It was a controversial move that raised many eyebrows. For Faust, a devout Roman Catholic, it was a dream come true. He had coveted the head coaching job at Notre Dame for years and said all along that he would never leave Moeller for anything else. Faust inherited a solid squad that included nine of his former players from Moeller. He switched the team's home jerseys from green back to blue, although initially it was a lighter Madonna blue shade than the navy blue that had been previously worn (and returned to in 1984), and kept the player's names on the backs. A self-proclaimed eternal optimist brimming with enthusiasm, Faust had visions of winning more games and national championships and coaching at Notre Dame longer than anyone else. Then when he saw Notre Dame's schedule, he was quoted as saying, "I hope my lifelong dream doesn't end in a nightmare." Sadly, it proved to be a prophetic statement and his era at Notre Dame, initially referred to as The Bold Experiment, became known as the Gerry Faust Error.

Faust's Notre Dame tenure started on a high note with a 27-9 victory over LSU in the 1981 season opener, one of the most widely anticipated games in school history. After top-ranked Michigan lost to Wisconsin on that same day, Notre Dame was voted #1 in the polls. The success was short-lived, however, as Michigan defeated Notre Dame the following week, 25-7. It was all downhill after that as the Irish finished 5-6 that year, their first losing season since 1963. Faust would end his stint at Notre Dame with a 30-26-1 record, never winning more than seven games in one season and never coming even close to contending for a national title. This included four consecutive losses against Air Force, whom the Irish had never lost to prior to 1982. Despite his mediocre record and growing discontent among Irish fans ("Oust Faust" became a popular slogan in South Bend), Faust was allowed to remain at Notre Dame for the entire duration of his five-year contract.

Critics agreed that Faust had his share of shortcomings, with his total lack of collegiate coaching experience being first and foremost. He had to undergo on-the-job training, which was especially difficult at Notre Dame, where fans expected the team to win consistently year in and year out. There was no continuity on his staff from season to season. It was felt that Faust did not get the most out of his players.

The highlights of his tenure at Notre Dame included a 1983 Liberty Bowl victory over Boston College and an appearance in the 1984 Aloha Bowl. His 1982 squad defeated Michigan by a score of 23-17 and upset the then top-ranked, Dan Marino-led Pitt Panthers, 31-16. In 1983, the Irish opened the season with a 52-6 win over Purdue while his 1984 team defeated Colorado by a score of 55-14 and posted a 44-7 rout over Penn State, probably the best game in his five years at Notre Dame.

In exactly half of the losses under Faust, the opposition scored the winning points late in the game. They lost their last three regular season games in 1982, 1983 and 1985 and their last two games in 1981. Only in 1984 did they finish strongly, winning their last four games after three consecutive home losses (the last time that had happened was in 1956). This tendency to fade down the stretch was attributed to Faust's grueling three-hour practice sessions that left many players overworked and worn out by November of each year.

Going into the 1985 season, Faust figured it would take a 9-2 or 8-3 record to save his job. With the team at 5-5 and the program rapidly unraveling after a 10-7 loss to LSU in the tenth game, Faust, who said he would never quit, announced his resignation effective at the end of the season and spared the university from having to fire him. His final game was against a Jimmy Johnson-coached Miami team, a humiliating 58-7 loss at Orange Bowl Stadium in which the team clearly gave up during the second half while the Hurricanes kept pouring it on. It was one of the worst defeats in school history and the second-highest point total ever given up in one game by the Irish (Army rang up 59 points in 1944 while Wisconsin matched Miami's point total in 1904). Faust could have refused to shake hands with Johnson after being so thoroughly embarrassed (and was even advised not to do so by a Notre Dame priest) and chances are nobody would have blamed him, but Gerry turned the other cheek and in an ultimate display of class, shook Jimmy's hand. When asked if that loss ever bothered him or if he held a grudge against Johnson, Faust replied that it never did and added, "I never judge another person. The Lord does that. I just shook Jimmy Johnson's hand and left it at that." He would be succeeded by Minnesota head coach Lou Holtz.

Post-Notre Dame

Faust spent the next nine seasons (1986-94) as head coach at the University of Akron, compiling an overall record of 43-53-3 at the school. As was the case at Notre Dame, his Zip teams never won more than seven games in one season. Following a 1-10 finish in 1994, he was relieved of his coaching duties and became a fundraiser for the university.

Despite his unsuccessful coaching tenure at Notre Dame, Faust's love for the school has never wavered. An accomplished motivational speaker, he was the guest speaker at the 2006 football awards banquet.

Personal life

Faust was married to the former Marlene Agruso in 1964. They are parents of three children. Their son, Steve, is a Notre Dame graduate.

Head coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = ARCHBISHOP MOELLER HIGH SCHOOL
startyear = 1962
conf = Greater Catholic League
endyear = 1980CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1962
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 4-6
conference = 2-4
confstanding = 5th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1963
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 9-1
conference = 5-1
confstanding = 2nd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1964
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 8-2
conference = 4-2
confstanding = 3rd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1965
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 10-0
conference = 6-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1966
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 7-3
conference = 6-1
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1967
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 8-2
conference = 5-2
confstanding = 3rd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1968
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 6-2-2
conference = 4-2-1
confstanding = 3rd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1969
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 10-0
conference = 7-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1970
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 9-1
conference = 5-1
confstanding = 2nd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1971
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 9-1
conference = 4-1
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1972
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 8-2
conference = 4-1
confstanding = 2nd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1973
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 10-1
conference = 5-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome = L 7-34 1st round Playoffs
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1974
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 10-1
conference = 5-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome = L 10-20 1st round Playoffs
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1975
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 12-0
conference = 5-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome = W 14-12 Ohio AAA State Champion
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1976
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 12-0
conference = 5-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome = W 43-5 Ohio AAA State Champion
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1977
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 12-0
conference = 5-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome = W 14-2 Ohio AAA State Champion
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1978
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 9-1
conference = 5-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1979
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 12-0
conference = 4-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome = W 41-7 Ohio AAA State Champion
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1980
name = Archbishop Moeller
overall = 13-0
conference = 4-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname =
bowloutcome = W 30-7 Ohio Div. I State Champion
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year =
name = TOTAL
overall = 178-23-2
conference = 90-15-1
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
startyear = 1981
conf = Independent
endyear = 1985CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1981
name = Notre Dame
overall = 5-6
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1982
name = Notre Dame
overall = 6-4-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1983
name = Notre Dame
overall = 7-5
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = Liberty Bowl
bowloutcome = W 19-18
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1984
name = Notre Dame
overall = 7-5
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = Aloha Bowl
bowloutcome = L 27-20
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1985
name = Notre Dame
overall = 5-6
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
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bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
startyear = 1986
conf = Mid-American
endyear = 1994

CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1986
name = Akron
overall = 7-4
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1987
name = Akron
overall = 4-7
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1988
name = Akron
overall = 5-6
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1989
name = Akron
overall = 6-4-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1990
name = Akron
overall = 3-7-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1991
name = Akron
overall = 5-6
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1992
name = Akron
overall = 7-3-1
conference = 5-3
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1993
name = Akron
overall = 5-6
conference = 4-4
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1994
name = Akron
overall = 1-10
conference = 1-8
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 73-79-4
bcs = no
poll = two
polltype = Coaches Poll (started in 1950)

External links

* [http://www.nflhs.com/news/features/Legends_GerryFaust_10312005_lcb.asp Legends of HS Football: Gerry Faust Cincinnati, Ohio, Moeller, 1962-80]