NDC starts football program

Ohio is getting its own Notre Dame football team in Euclid.

Destined to be called “Little Notre Dame” to distinguish it from “Big Notre Dame” in South Bend, Ind., the Notre Dame College football team will begin its first season of play this year.

To be known as the Falcons in contrast to the famous Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame College will play an eight-game schedule against a mix of club, junior varsity and prep teams beginning Sept. 6 at Hiram College against the Terriers’ junior varsity team.

Notre Dame’s decision to develop a football program was announced on Nov. 25, 2008.

Shortly after that, Adam Howard, 34, a Berea native, was hired as coach. Howard, a former Wilmington College player (from 1993-97), came from Baldwin-Wallace where he was an assistant coach since 2002, including defensive coordinator since 2003.

And just last Friday, Notre Dame College’s application for membership into NCAA Division II was approved, meaning the school, currently affiliated with the NAIA, will be able to offer scholarships. That will make the college the only scholarship football team in the metropolitan Cleveland area.

However, Notre Dame will have to serve the next two school years as an NCAA candidate before becoming eligible for NCAA Div. II membership in the 2011-12 school year.

To date, the college has recruited 92 players to the first-year roster, including two from the Youngstown area: Robbie Lias, defensive lineman from Hubbard, and James Harris of New Waterford, defensive lineman from Crestview.

Howard said he hopes to recruit more area players.

“Just getting the job in January, I have been focused on local kids and didn’t get too much into the Youngstown area. But Youngstown will be an area that we will focus on next year and the following years to get some players. We will recruit the area,” said Howard, noting that Bill Rychel, a Mount Union graduate, will recruit the Youngstown area as well as serve as offensive coordinator.

Rychel was a three-time All-American offensive lineman for Mount Union, and won three Division III national championship rings.

Howard is happy to get Lias and Harris, both defensive ends with special abilities that the coach feels will be a big help to the team.

“The reason we went after Robbie is because of his versatility as a defensive lineman. He can do a lot of different things at that spot,” said Howard, noting that Lias also was a wrestler which has made him a better tackler.

“I like it that he was a successful wrestler in high school and has natural instinct to tackle like in wrestling [which] is a good cross-over sport for football. We think he will bring a lot to the table. “

Howard said Harris (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) not only has the size to stop the run, that he also has the speed to rush the passer.

“He is the all-time sack leader for [Crestview]. Although 6-5, 245, he moves similar to a smaller guy. He has great feet. So he will be great at controlling the line of scrimmage. [Harris] can do it all. He can get after the passer and stop the run.”

Howard realizes that he will be part of history as Notre Dame College’s first football coach, and relishes the idea and embraces the challenge.

“This is a unique situation at Notre Dame because they want to grow during a time when because of the economy colleges are downsizing,” said Howard. “They have big dreams and big goals to move ahead and I have a great opportunity to be a part of history.”

Notre Dame will play its three home games at Brush High School’s Korb Field in Lyndhurst, including its home opener against the Case Western Reserve junior varsity Sept. 27.

The Falcons’ other two home contests are Oct. 1 against Union Christian and Oct. 25 versus Carolina Tech.

The season also will include the “Blue & White Game,” an intra-squad contest, on Sept. 20.

Notre Dame also will play on the road against the junior varsity teams of Waynesburg (Sept. 14), Wooster (Oct. 11), Ashland (Oct. 19) and the Xavier University club team in the season finale Nov. 14.

XJohn Kovach covers college athletics for The Vindicator. E-mail him at kovach@vindy.com.