Very Interesting

Very Interesting
by Dennis (2006-02-22 12:59:45)

In reply to: Hesburgh / Leahy posted by Leahy

I read Twombley's book a number of years ago (10 or 15) and I recall him being very critical of Notre Dame throughout the book. He seemed to insinuate that your father's devotion to Notre Dame was somehow Notre Dame's fault and a negative situation for your family. I also recall that he stated that Notre Dame didn't send any spokespeople of significance to your father's funeral. True? I've always believed (my own interpretation) that your father's love of Notre Dame was part of his paying homage to Rockne who he loved like a father. To me, Rockne, Leahy and Parseghian stand above all other coaches and even Holtz and Devine weren't in their league. I was born a little too late to experience any of the Leahy era but there was always something special about his name. It was always spoken with reverence. Bud Wilkinson was always extremely respectful of Notre Dame and it stemmed specifically, I thought, from his experiences playing against Frank Leahy.

Leahy's Funeral

Twombley was a bit strange in his perceptions of ND.
Tried to convey images that didn't hit the mark.
As for Dads funeral it was a bit ugly.
Notre Dame Nation wanted dad buried in South Bend.
My mom said no. She stated that Notre Dame had Frank Leahy for all those years and she wanted him to herself now. She wanted him buried in Portland so she and all of us could visit his grave etc.
This created a real split with players, alumni, and in general lots of the ND nation.
With this said there were two ceremonies for dad. The funeral in Portland and services in S.Bend.
Al Davis in the opening of the book really scorched many of the players and dads friends, asking "where were they"?

As one reflects on dad and ND. It never was and never will be an easy place to coach or be a part of.

All I know is that dad absolutely worshiped Rockne, and ND and the alumni but more importantly, What ND stood for as it related to educating the future leaders of America. He adored the students at ND. Past and present.

I can attest to his love of ND grads as I have attested to..

in the past. My Dad had great memories of him in the Pacific during WWII.

What a gracious reply.

I thought that Twombly missed the mark repeatedly as well and it sounds like he omitted some critical information. Your dad's deep affection for Rockne has always been evident to me and what's really special is that his players had the same adoration for him, though not always during their careers. My son is a high school football coach (an assistant and a very good one, I believe). Whenever he gets really frustrated I'll throw out a line that I've heard quoted of Frank Leahy, "Have you suffered enough for success?!" And, as Johnny Lujack said, "Leahy knew the meaning of the word 'sacrifice'". As far as I'm concerned, they couldn't make statues big enough for Rockne or Leahy.