Gerry Faust, who coached Notre Dame football from 1981 to 1985, has passed away.
The Fighting Irish program announced Faust’s passing in a release on Monday night. He was 89.
“Faust will forever be remembered for his love of the University of Notre Dame,” the program wrote. “He would often tell the story of trying out for the Fighting Irish football team in the 1950s before deciding to go to Dayton, where he earned three letters as a quarterback under former Notre Dame head coach Hugh Devore. After his retirement from coaching, Faust was a fixture on campus for Notre Dame football games.”
Prior to joining Notre Dame in 1981, Faust coached high school football at Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He helped build one of the country’s top high school football programs. As the head coach at Moeller HS, he went an astonishing 178-23-2, which was apparently enough for Notre Dame to find him on their radar.
Faust coached the Irish to a Liberty Bowl win in 1983. He was otherwise alright, finishing his coaching tenure in South Bend at 30-26-1. He would coach the Akron Zips then from 1986 to 1994.
Head coach Marcus Freeman commented on Faust’s passing.
“The outpouring of respect and admiration for Gerry Faus speaks to the positive impact he made on so many people. We are sending our love to Gerry’s family and friends,” Freeman wrote in a post on X.
