"Where, where is Old Notre Dame?"

Love 'em or hate 'em, clearly the most talked about, written about and watched college football program is the storied Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

So why are they so bad today?

Notre Dame is now 1-3 for the 2001 season after a much needed win over Pittsburgh. For the first time in school history the team had started 0-3 after being beat up by Nebraska, Purdue and Michigan State.

Three major issues spring to mind that could explain the decade long slide: Coaching, today's players and scholastics. It's becoming more and more apparent that Notre Dame has to decide whether or not they want to continue as the pre-eminent force in U.S. college sports or turn their attention away from tradition and get back to schooling. It would be a hard tradition to ignore.

The school formed the football program in 1887 that has given us Joe Montana, Joe Theisman, Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis among others. The Irish have produced 7 Heisman trophy winners, 172 First Team All-Americans and 11 National Championships, but that's only the tip of the iceberg.

The modern form of today's pass oriented offence can trace its roots back to the great Knute Rockne. During Rockne's 13-year coaching tenure, Notre Dame put together five unbeaten and untied seasons. Rockne produced 20 first-team All-Americans. His lifetime winning percentage of .881 (105-12-5) still ranks at the top of the list for both college and professional football. Rockne won the last 19 games he coached before his untimely death in a plane crash. But he left behind two legacies that might just outlast him.

It has come to be accepted in dramatic circles that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were famine, pestilence, destruction and death. Not at Notre Dame. They were quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller and fullback Elmer Layden. They ran rampant through opponent's defences after the lineup was established in 1922. None taller than six feet and none weighing more than 162 pounds, they played 30 games as a unit and only lost to one team, Nebraska, twice.

The other, and perhaps more well know lore from Notre Dame surrounds one George Gipp. Gipp played for the Irish between 1917 and 1920 and did everything. He rushed for touchdowns, passed for touchdowns and returned kicks and punts on the side. His teams posted a record of 27-2-3 and outscored their opponents 506-97. Gipp became the school's first All-American in 1920.

At the age of 25 Gipp contracted a deadly form of strep throat and died December 14th, 1920. On his deathbed he reportedly made this plea to his coach, Knute Rockne. "I've just got to go Rock," he began. "It's all right, I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team's up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go in there with all they've got and just win one for the Gipper."

Rockne waited 8 years to use the speech. Against favoured Army on November 10th, 1928 Rockne told the story to his team and said, "This is the day and you are the team." The Irish went out and won, 12-6. Future U.S. President Ronald Reagan immortalized the "Win one for the Gipper" line 20 years later in the film "Knute Rockne All-American."

Of course who can forget Daniel Ruettiger. A walk on who was repeatedly beat up in practice; Ruettiger overcame the odds and in his final year of eligibility was able to dress for one game. He got onto the field for the final game in 1975 for the grand total of 27 seconds. His time at Notre Dame was the inspiration for the movie "Rudy."

The Irish also feature certain traditions that have become a staple of major sports everywhere. The Band of the Fighting Irish is the oldest university band in continual existence. The fight song "Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame" is one of the most easily recognized stadium anthems. And who can forget the Golden Dome that dominates the South Bend campus, the Leprechaun, "Touchdown Jesus" and the understated blue and gold uniforms that feature no logos and no names. The players enter the field the same way as their predecessors did, punching a sign with the ND logo, tapping a sign above their heads reading "Play like a champion today" and the long tunnel entrance onto the field. This tradition underscores that this is the winningest football program in US college football history.

So back to what's gone wrong.

In 1996 Bob Davie took over the head-coaching role from Lou Holtz. In his 11 years at the helm of the Irish, Holtz had guided the team to 100 victories and 1 national championship. There were a number of reasons Holtz chose to resign but the lack of support from the new athletic director was chief among them. Davie wasn't even the first choice but after other coaches turned down the offer Davie was given the job by default. Davie, a former defensive coordinator with the Irish has taken the offence and driven it backwards. The Irish ranked 76th in the country in total offence last year and so far this year have been even worse. With a schedule reckoned to be the sixth toughest in the country this year their talent simply won't cut it. A highly publicized age discrimination suit brought forward by a coach Davie fired for being too old has also marred his tenure. Put more kindly, Bob Davie has got to go.

The players today were maybe eight or nine years old when Notre Dame last won the national championship, a 34-21 victory over West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl. The prestige and champion appeal that used to be a staple of Notre Dame recruiting simply isn't tradition to potential players. For too long the coaching staff has relied on the name and history of the school to attract the top talent from around the country. The name simply isn't good enough anymore and the players jump ship for the likes of Florida State and Nebraska. The Irish need one element to attract top prospects, winning.

Notre Dame prides itself on its academic achievements and for that they should be applauded. However, their stringent policies of admission and their refusal to redshirt freshmen players is also a major liability. Notre Dame students must reapply for a fifth year of academics, unlike most other major college football schools, therefore potential players risk their readmission being denied. Players are being forced to compete before they are physically and mentally ready for the challenges forced on varsity student-athletes. They have no guarantee that if their grades slip the school is willing to back them up. A lot of players won't accept those risks and travel elsewhere.

One of the most celebrated cases of academic mismanagement surrounds Randy Moss. Moss, the standout receiver with the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, had signed a letter of intent to play for the Irish under Lou Holtz. He was denied admission, after already being previously accepted, when he allegedly beat up a fellow high school student and plead guilty to battery. Who knows where the Irish program would be today if they had players like Moss driving them to the title year after year. Winning breeds winning and the Irish coaches would have had no problems attracting top-notch talent. The lack of support from the school during the Moss fiasco was also another reason Holtz left for South Carolina. He has turned the Gamecocks program around and after years of futility they are now among the best in the country.

The bottom line here is that the administration at Notre Dame has to decide whether or not to resuscitate the fading glory of a storied football program. If they decide football is worth keeping they must also accept that it is worth doing well. They've got to bite the bullet and fire Bob Davie. They need to install an established coach with a winning record who can bring credibility to the table immediately. The highly criticized exclusive TV deal they have with NBC should allow them to afford that. I realise scheduling is done sometimes years in advance but what genius scheduled their season opener with Nebraska when it was Nebraska's third game? It may be time to drop the independent status and look at joining one of the major conferences. It might kill some of their national appeal but the natural rivalries it would develop might help draw some players to the team. And finally they need to build up and trumpet their traditions but at the same time adapt to the climate in which they operate. Let freshmen redshirt without having to reapply for a fifth year.

It's getting to the point where it's not just the players who will stop showing up.