Bob Davie (American Football) - Head Coach

Head Coach

In November 1996, Holtz retired from Notre Dame after eleven seasons as head coach. Notre Dame interviewed four candidates, including Gary Barnett, Tom Clements, and Davie. Davie had applied for several other head coaching jobs, and was offered a position at Purdue University. He turned down Purdue when offered the opportunity to become the next head coach at Notre Dame. Davie was the first assistant to become a head coach at Notre Dame since 1954, when Terry Brennan replaced Frank Leahy.

Fans were not excited about Davie's promotion. His habit of referring to the traditions of Texas A&M University rather than those of Notre Dame alienated many fans. Within months of his hiring, Davie and the university were sued by Joe Moore, who had been fired by Davie. Moore alleged that Davie had defamed him, and that his firing was a result of age discrimination. Although a judge dismissed the defamation charges, the university was later found guilty of age discrimination, and Moore received a small settlement. Throughout much of the proceedings, fan sentiment had been on Moore's side, with many fans very unhappy with Davie. During Davie's tenure, Notre Dame was also placed under NCAA sanctions for the first time over the actions of a booster. The school was placed on probation and lost two scholarships, and the university subsequently disbanded all booster clubs.

In five seasons at Notre Dame, Davie compiled a 35–25 record including three bowl games, most notably the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, a 41–9 loss to Oregon State, which was the first Bowl Championship Series game in school history. His final season included the 2001 AFCA Academic Achievement Award when the Notre Dame football team posted a 100% graduation rate.

Notre Dame's performance on the field was inconsistent from year to year during Davie's tenure. Following a 7–6 campaign in 1997 which saw Notre Dame overcome a 2–5 start, the Irish were poised for a major bowl bid with a 9–1 record going into their 1998 season finale against USC when quarterback Jarious Jackson suffered a knee injury on the last play of the LSU game. Jackson did not play against the Trojans and Notre Dame, its offense rendered powerless, suffered a 10–0 loss. The team had to settle for the Gator Bowl and lost to Georgia Tech to finish 9–3. A 5–7 campaign followed in 1999 and the national media began to question Davie's abilities.

In 2000 the Irish bounced back and finished 9–3 once again on a significantly weak schedule. Newly-hired athletic director Kevin White promptly gave Davie a five-year contract extension. Within weeks of signing the contract extension, Davie's team lost in the Fiesta Bowl. During the next season, Davie presided over the first 0–3 start in Notre Dame history in 2001. The Irish won their next three games to even their record, but losses to Boston College, Tennessee and Stanford sealed Davie's fate as the Irish finished 5–6.

He was fired on December 2, one day after a 24–18 win over Purdue. Davie was replaced by George O'Leary, who in turn resigned in disgrace after it was revealed that his resume contained inaccuracies. Notre Dame then turned to Tyrone Willingham to lead the program.

On November 16, 2011, Davie was hired as the new football coach at New Mexico replacing Mike Locksley.