Dear Members of the Notre Dame Football team,I am writing this letter out of a personal sense of duty to shed light on the egregious lack of success that Notre Dame fans have had to endure over the past two years. In case you haven't noticed lately, Notre Dame football has largely disappointed, agonized and distressed its supporters around the world.Brothers, I will be the first to say that the lack of mental toughness on and off the field is, in the fullest sense unacceptable, unwelcome and detestable. The Notre Dame football tradition is one of excellence, hard work, strong will and killer instinct. Fans have suffered painfully as these traditions have been effectively phased out of the game in recent years. The losses over the past two years - especially to Navy, Syracuse and Pitt (among others) - are surely not in keeping with the university's standards of excellence and truly embarrassing for fans who continue to hype Notre Dame as a football team which is resolute and determined to never quit.Gentlemen, I challenge you with the responsibility to represent these traditions well and defeat USC in the Coliseum. Over the next week, you will learn the ins and outs of a team that is nationally renowned as one of the best in the country. Prepare yourselves well - especially in being mentally ruthless - and take advantage of every weakness our enemy has displayed throughout the season. Also, be aware of our own weaknesses and do not give up a millimeter to those unworthy swine.Let's regain what makes us great, commit to victory and unite to beat all of our opponents starting now!
Matt Dobbertien juniorStanford HallNov. 22
