Sports Information Office University of Notre Dame 112 Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN 46556 www.und.com NOTRE DAME 574-631-7516 574-631-7941 FAX F O O T B A L L MEDIA DAY EDITION: AUGUST 15, 2003 NOTRE DAME (0-0) WELCOME TO NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY Sept. 6 WASHINGTON STATE .... 1:30 EST The University of Notre Dame and its sports information office welcome you to the 2003 Notre Dame Sept. 13 at Michigan ......................3:30 EDT Football Media Day. Associate athletics director John Heisler, associate sports information director Lisa Sept. 20 MICHIGAN STATE .......... 1:30 EST Mushett and assistant sports information director Chris Masters will serve as the primary media contacts Sept. 27 at Purdue ................................. TBA for Irish football this season. However, all members of the Notre Dame sports information staff will be on Oct. 11 at Pittsburgh ............................ TBA hand for Friday's Media Day and are happy to assist you in any way. Oct. 18 USC ................................. 1:30 EST All of the day's media activities will take place in the Joyce Center Fieldhouse, beginning at 11 a.m. EST Oct. 25 at Boston College .................... TBA with a buffet-style lunch. At 11:30 a.m., Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willingham will address the Nov. 1 FLORIDA STATE ............. 2:30 EST media, followed by interviews with Irish players from 12:15-1 p.m. Media who are not able to attend in Nov. 8 NAVY ............................... 2:30 EST person will be able to hear Coach Willingham's comments on a "listen-only" teleconference — contact the Nov. 15 BYU ................................. 2:30 EST Notre Dame sports information office for the access number. Parking is available for the media off Juniper Nov. 29 at Stanford ....................... 5:00 PST Road in the lot south of Notre Dame Stadium. Please note this event is for media only and admission is by Dec. 6 at Syracuse ..................... 1:00 EST reservation. PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR AUGUST 15-30 PRESEASON RANKINGS Beginning on Aug. 11, the Irish have been conducting daily practices at the O'Neill Family Hall practice Here’s where Notre Dame has been ranked in fields, their preseason camp site which is located west of Hammes Bookstore on the Notre Dame cam- the preseason and final Associated Press polls pus. The Irish will continue working at the O'Neill Family Hall site through Aug. 19 before returning to their since 1987: regular practice facility, Cartier Field, for the remainder of the preseason. Media may attend the first 20 minutes of each practice session, and all interview requests must be directed to a member of the Notre Year Preseason Final Dame sports information staff by the end of the 20-minute media viewing period. The following is a tenta- 1987 .............................. 18 ........................ 17 tive practice schedule and media accessibility for the preseason: 1988 .............................. 13 .......................... 1 1989 ................................ 2 .......................... 2 Friday, Aug. 15 4:15-6 p.m. 1990 ................................ 2 .......................... 6 Saturday, Aug. 16 8:45-11 a.m., 4-6 p.m. (Interviews after morning session only) 1991 ................................ 6 ........................ 13 Sunday, Aug. 17 4-6 p.m. 1992 ................................ 3 .......................... 4 Monday, Aug. 18 8:45-11 a.m., 4-6 p.m. (Interviews after morning session only) 1993 ................................ 7 .......................... 2 Tuesday, Aug. 19 4-6 p.m. 1994 ................................ 2 ........................ — * - Post-practice interviews are held in the team meeting room at O'Neill Family Hall unless otherwise directed. 1995 ................................ 9 ........................ 11 1996 ................................ 6 ........................ 19 All Remaining Sessions Held At Cartier Field, Located East Of Joyce Center 1997 .............................. 11 ........................ — Wednesday, Aug. 20 7:30-9 p.m. 1998 .............................. 22 ........................ 22 Thursday, Aug. 21 10:15 a.m.-noon, 4:15-6 p.m. (Interviews after morning session only) 1999 .............................. 18 ........................ — Friday, Aug. 22 3-5 p.m. 2000 .............................. — ........................ 16 Saturday, Aug. 23 8:45-11:15 a.m., 4-6 p.m. (Interviews after morning session only) 2001 .............................. 18 ........................ — Sunday, Aug. 24 No practice 2002 .............................. — ........................ 17 Monday, Aug. 25 4-5:45 p.m. 2003 ........................... TBA ........................ ?? Tuesday, Aug. 26 4-6 p.m. (First day of classes) Wednesday, Aug. 27 4:45-6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28 4-6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29 4:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30 12:15-2 p.m. * - Beginning Aug. 20, post-practice interviews are held in the interview room at the north end of Notre Dame Stadium. IRISH HEAD COACH TYRONE WILLINGHAM A veteran with 26 seasons of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, Tyrone Willingham begins his second season as head football coach at the University of Notre Dame after serving as the leader at Stanford University for seven seasons. Willingham used his years of service in the coaching business to reverse the tides of the Irish program, leading Notre Dame to a 10-2 regular- season record in '02 and a trip to the 2003 Gator Bowl. He became the first Irish head coach ever to win 10 games in his first season, and he was named the ESPN/Home Depot College Coach of the Year, the 2003 FIGHTING IRISH FOOTBALL PAGE 1 AUGUST 15, 2003 2003 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY Scripps College Coach of the Year, the Black Coaches Association Male Coach of the Year and the George Munger Award College Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club of Philadelphia. In Page 2 addition, he made history as the first college football coach ever to earn The Sporting News Sports- man of the Year award in 2002. In eight years as a college head coach, Willingham has compiled a solid 54-39-1 (.580) record and guided his charges to bowl games on five occasions. Willingham was introduced as the new Irish mentor on Jan. 1, 2002, following seven seasons as MEDIA INFORMATION the head coach at Stanford. He compiled a 44-36-1 (.549) record during his tenure at Stanford, guid- ing the Cardinal to four bowl games, including the Rose Bowl following the 1999 season. Willingham THE. WILLINGHAM CONFERENCES was a two-time Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year (1995 and 1999), the only Stanford coach to Tyrone Willingham’s weekly teleconference- earn that award more than once, and he was a finalist for national coach-of-the-year honors in '95 and style press conferences will take place on Tues- '99. All told, Willingham spent 10 years at Stanford, initially serving as running backs coach from day mornings prior to each Notre Dame game, 1989-91. Between his stints with the Cardinal, Willingham coached in the professional ranks for three with the first scheduled for Sept. 2. They are seasons (1992-94) with the Minnesota Vikings, helping his team win a pair of NFC Central Division held at the WNDU-TV studios (on US 933/Busi- championships and reach the playoffs all three years. Willingham began his coaching career as a ness 31, west edge of campus) in South Bend. graduate assistant at his alma mater, Michigan State, in 1977, before moving to Central Michigan as A light meal is served beginning at 10:30 a.m. the defensive secondary coach for two years (1978-79). He returned to MSU from 1980-82, working (EST), and Coach Willingham will address the with the secondary and special teams units, and also served at North Carolina State (1983-85) and media from 11:05-11:35 a.m. (EST). At least one Rice (1986-88). Irish player generally is available for interviews following Willingham's remarks. Out-of-town me- IRISH FOOTBALL CAPTAINS TO BE HONORED AT WASHINGTON STATE GAME dia can connect to the Willingham portion of the At halftime of Notre Dame's season opener vs. Washington State on Sept. 6, all former Irish football conference via phone to listen and ask ques- captains will be presented with a pin recognizing their leadership and service to the program. The pins tions — contact the Notre Dame sports infor- were specially designed at the end of last season and the first recipients were last year's captains — mation office at (574) 631-7516 for the access Arnaz Battle, Sean Mahan, Gerome Sapp and Shane Walton — as well as the 2002 football banquet number. All teleconferences also are available speaker, former Irish defensive end and 1984 captain Mike Golic. Continuing a tradition which began on satellite (Galaxy 3-C, Transponder 4). Video last season, Notre Dame will select its captains on a game-by-game basis in 2003. highlights from the previous week's Notre Dame game are included at the end of each hour-long THE 2003 SCHEDULE satellite feed (11 a.m.-noon). The teleconfer- Notre Dame's rugged 2002 regular-season schedule featured eight teams that advanced to bowl games ences also are carried live on WDND-AM (ESPN and early indications are that the '03 Irish docket should be just as tough. Notre Dame opens the Radio 1620) in South Bend. campaign with a home game against Bowl Championship Series qualifier Washington State on Sept. 6, followed by road games at preseason top 25 squads Michigan and Purdue (with a home date vs. TUESDAY TRANSCRIPTIONS Michigan State sandwiched in between). The Purdue contest kicks off a stretch of five consecutive Transcriptions of Tyrone Willingham's Tuesday games against bowl qualifiers for the Irish, highlighted by visits from BCS teams USC (Oct. 18) and press conferences are available from the Notre Florida State (Nov. 1). This season, Notre Dame also will travel to three BIG EAST Conference schools Dame sports information office, as well as the — Pittsburgh, Boston College and Syracuse — as well as Pac-10 stalwart Stanford. Mid-November Notre Dame athletics web site at www.und.com.