Catholics vs. Convicts: Yet Another Story Behind the Shirt of the Century

In the back of my classroom, next to iconic the album cover, Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and a framed portrait of Payne Stewart hung a worn out t-shirt that read: Catholics vs. Convicts. Taken out of context—or rather with no context, that shirt may have alluded to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Though this shirt was meant to represent the school colors of two storied football programs, some unsuspecting vistors—or students—might read it as the green of the Republic vs. the Protestants of the North. Rather, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (the Catholics) and the Hurricanes of Miami (the Convicts) had their own battle. And today these two top ten ranked teams will play one another....but before they do, that story must be (re)told.

A final picture of what once hung in my classroom.

The "30 for 30: Catholics vs. Convicts" is one of the most popular in ESPN's video series. I had no idea this episode, in which my alma mater prevails, would catch fire the way it did. I should have known better....good stories do. However, my story has a twist.  About six months before that show was aired, I took down the shirt and I gave it away. I had no idea how lucky I was to have one of the original 2000 shirts that were made in the fall of 1988, but my students also had no idea what those words—labels that carry some weight—were about. 

At that time, I had to confront one of my students about some language and ideas he had written in a paper that was both problematic and inaccurate. I don't remember the exact issue, but it wasn't an easy conversation. Some consider these to be "teachable moments," but his response was meant to offer me one as well. The next day, he turned in a rewrite and said: "What is that shirt Catholics vs. Convicts about?" I wasn't entirely sure how to address his question. I could sense he was challenging me, he was retaliating and he was truth-telling all in one. I taught him about the Notre Dame vs. Miami rivalry in the late '80s. I didn't say "well, this is different," though I wanted to! I addressed how that might be interpreted and about two weeks later, I quietly took it down. I still think that was the right thing to do.

This is actually the FRONT of the shirt. The back reads C vs. C

Given the number of my students who have seen the "30 for 30" I think they would love to see that shirt as it's the portal to one of college football's greatest stories. Instead, I'll let Tony Rice, Lou Holtz, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Frederick, Chris Zorich, Steve Walsh, Andre Brown, and this blog posting: Catholics vs. Convicts: The Story Behind ESPN's "Shirt of the Century"—the most widely read posting I have written do that.

And today, yet another chapter will be written....I'll let you name the story. Go, Irish.

Photo Credits
all photos taken by the author

Sports Stories Surprise Us

Though I cannot tell who reads Sports and Spirituality, I can determine how many unique views each entry has gotten. I can also ascertain where my audience lives, but only by continent. My second most popular posting hails from one continent—the Land of Oz. Much to my surprise, the January 26, 2011 blog Australia Day + Australian Open = A G'Day has been read by 10,000 people. I'd love to know how many of those readers live Down Under. I'd also like to know why that story has proven to be so popular. I've been wrong about sports stories before, and as my blog has proven, I will be wrong about them again. 

In the last month, "Catholics v. Convicts: The Story Behind ESPN's Shirt of the Century" surpassed my tribute to the National Day of Australia with over 12,000 unique views. More people took to ESPN's 30 for 30: Catholic vs. Convicts than I ever thought possible. My sense was that the story would only interest those who loved the once storied Miami vs. Notre Dame rivalry. I figured most sports fans would deem this tale as one that is no longer relevant. Boy, was I wrong. I've had more people stop me to tell me how much they enjoyed everything about the ESPN film, including many of my own students, who—honestly—have never been required to watch it for credit or for extra credit (ok maybe). And my first blog posting on this topic is now my most popular entry of all time.

I have always loved writing about the Williams Sisters. Their story of their lives speaks for itself; remarkable content and the very fact that I am still able to write about them—their on-going success and outstanding careers is a blessing. This year's women's final gives me yet again another opportunity to enjoy tennis' two greatest siblings. As written by the BBC, "It would also be a seventh Australian Open victory for the younger Williams sister, while Venus hopes to win an eighth major title, first in  Melbourne and first since Wimbledon 2008." This is already a great feat, but the casual observer should know that Serena and Venus are the second and thirteenth seeds, both women are in their mid 30s, and should Serena win she would earn her 23rd grand slam title. Her older sister by 18 months seeks to write her own tale. The Aussie sports commentator told Serena (after she defeated Johanna Konta), "We love you here in Australia. You've won a lot and we hope you will win some more!!!"  

But on this 230th Australia Day, I would like to raise a glass to a country so many Americans love with the same affection extended on Center Court to America's greatest female athlete. It is much more than a home to the best accent in the English language...rather, it is a country, a people, and a culture that has given both sports and spirituality, some of its greatest content, stories, champions, cheers and mates. A place and a people I never get tired of writing about...or that you deem unworthy of reading. No surprise there!

• I Am Adam Scott, April 17, 2013
• The Land of Oz: One Masters Champion and One Catholic Saint, April 9, 2016
• Persevere Mates, Persevere: The Message of Father Miscamble and Jason Day, November 17, 2015 
• It's Shark Week....A Tribute to Greg Norman, August 13, 2014
• My Favorite Award: Defensive Player of the Year, April 24, 2016

Photo Credits
Australia Day
Pat Cash
Sisters in the Final

Response to the Story, the Legend: Catholics vs. Convicts

When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. —The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

If you've watched You Don't Know Bo: The Legend of Bo Jackson you have seen those words. If you have made sense of this "30 for 30," you understand how they capture the athletic career of a man who many believe is the best athlete the world has ever seen. And if you see the latest in ESPN's series: Catholics vs. Convicts, you gain a sense of this quote's true meaning: story, sport, spirituality. However, this holy trinity offers more than a legend. It reveals an important lesson: Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story. When it comes to this 1988 contest between the number one and two football teams in the country, you don't have to.

Please note the acid washed jeans

Much has been written about this once storied rivalry. Once again, it has been told and retold—not because the story changes, but because we do. I would like this blog posting to be a reflection on some of my observations in the nearly 30 years since a game—billed as Unfinished Business—took place.

Kids today
We say it and hear it all the time. A gripe and complaint I'm guilty of uttering quite often. Kids today don't do x...In my day, I never would say....Young people are unwilling to give z. But Catholics vs. Convicts sheds an interesting light onto the Fightin' Irish football team in 1985; one that epitomizes our fears about today's generation.

Jerry Faust was the head coach at Notre Dame from 1980 until his resignation in 1985. During that era, players asked for shorter practices. The 1984 team voted three times whether or not to go to a bowl game because the outcome of the first two polls was in favor of not going. Three times!

Knowing that Notre Dame often draws crowds throughout the country, they are a much sought-after team for a bowl appearance. During some years, given an anemic record, I have wished that we did not play in one. As my dad assured me, this is a flawed mentality. The importance of playing a bowl game—whether its the Rose, Sugar or what not is that your team gets an additional month of practice. Furthermore, if you win that game, it builds momentum for the following season. 

proof that the momentum changed...

Knowing that this team wanted shorter practice, did not seek post-season practice confirms two things:

1. the words of Miami defensive back were true— the fight was no longer in the Fightin' Irish
2. before we think kids today are that much different, it's wise to reconsider...

That being said, it's important to note the Notre Dame team that faced Miami in 1988 was different. They sought perfection...and earned it: a 12-0 season

Three Questions: The Relationship between Coach and Athlete
Tony Rice and Sweet Lou. Perhaps ESPN should create a "30 for 30 short" about these two. The story of how Rice came to Notre Dame is a great one, but it is best understood through three questions.

My first weekend at Notre Dame, Coach Holtz addressed my entire freshman class and our parents at a convocation for the Class of 1996 in the JACC. He said that players had three implicit questions about a new coach—the same questions the coach has about players. He added that they are valuable in any meaningful relationship—professor to student, among roommates, etc. They are:

1. Can I trust you?
2. Are you committed?
3. Do you care about me? 

The story of Catholics vs. Convicts is evidence that those three questions were not philosophical ones for either Holtz or for Rice. They were not heady or esoteric. They were grounded in that relationship between coach and his quarterback.

Tony Rice said, "The Lord is my shepherd but Lou is my coach." I have a strong suspicion—were he asked—that coach Holtz would have said, "The Lord is my shepherd but Tony is my QB." Love both you guys.

Emotionality
If you had asked me to identify the quarterback in a line-up of these so-called "Convicts" Steve Walsh is the LEAST likely face, name or persona you would ever imagine. One of several respondents, what I appreciated learning from this tall, athletic, tough and smart athlete from Minnesota of all places is what he described as the "emotionality" of the game. I had never heard that word before....but even watching this contest 28 years later, the emotionality is self-evident.

The raw, sheer emotionality of football is one of the many reasons I continue to love this game. I'm not sure there is a sport that reveals more of it than football. It prompts me to consider "What is the emotionality of baseball? Describe the emotionality of golf." Thanks, Steve.

Speaking of which, after the Irish lost to Texas A&M 35-10 in 1988, Coach Holtz noted that only one player was crying. He said, "it was a player who didn't even play in the game or all year (the 1987 season)." Who was it? Chris Zorich, a nose tackle who emerged as one of Notre Dame's greats, one of the toughest athletes I have ever seen. Period.

Holtz challenged his team by telling them, "this is the only type of player I want on my team. Those who care...who are seeking much more." The emotionality of both Zorich and Holtz is exactly what my colleague and friend John, who is also our head football coach responded to in this "30 for 30." He said "you can give me all the talent in the world, but when you coach kids who care? It's a totally different season."  No wonder Coach Holtz has Question #3. 

Guts AND Glory
A respondent to Catholics vs. Convicts: The Story Behind ESPN's Shirt of the Century, wrote:

As much as I despised Jimmy back in the day, I always respected that he went for two and didn't settle for a tie." Being on the winning side of history, maybe it's easy to agree, but in the program, Johnson admits "we didn't come to South Bend to leave with a tie." Another player adds, "we were the number one team in the country, we needed to prove that." Most likely, today's game would offer another chapter, entitled "overtime." Instituted in 1996, overtime would determine—who knows?—another winner? Certainly a different score. Regardless, one of the key players who prevented Miami from winning, might not also be in today's game...

It's hard not to love many of the respondents, both blue and gold as well as orange and green in this 30 for 30. Heck, I even had a strange and newfound respect for Coach Johnson. #shocking. And the diversity in their personalities, insights and athletic abilities reveals another reason we love football—it has room for a spectrum of them. While Miami running back Cleveland Gary and Irish cornerback Todd Lyght win an award for "best looking today," the lynchpin...the difference maker in making this story a legend is Pat Terrell.

His imitation of Lou Holtz is priceless—primarily because he is at the expense of so many of his jabs. To see Holtz—a 5'8" 140 lb man in coke bottle glasses— control the destiny of Terrell who came to ND as a quarterback was moved to wide receiver and graduated as a free safety is nearly implausible. But he does...he did...hearing Holtz's lisp and all. I think about highly recruited athletes today. So many of them—too many of them—transfer if things don't go their way. I'm so grateful Terrell didn't.

It's not hard to get a sense of Terrell's great athletic ability. And yet, the beauty of his athleticism is that it was coached to do other things that he may have thought and...it brought the Irish the glory (one interception AND the final play!).

Pat, I think you could go on a speaking tour. I'd be in the front row.

In Closing: For many years, I have had that famous "Catholics vs. Convicts" t-shirt hanging in my classroom. Just this past week, I took it down and brought it home. The "30 for 30" addresses the insensitivity of that title, our desire for more cultural sensitivity and a need to move beyond labels that is our America 2016. I know that I will tell that story...the legend a little less to my students, but if or should it come up, I'm happy to point them in the direction of the work of Pat Creadon, Pat Walsh, Joe Frederick and Mike Caponigro. Unfinished Business is replete.

From the campus debut of the film: October 28. 2016. So happy I could tailgate with you Joe & 'Roll—creators of the shirt

Photo Credits
Tony Rice
Unfinished Business
Two Coaches
The Shirt

Catholics vs. Convicts: The Story Behind ESPN's "Shirt of the Century"

By game day, young entrepreneurs were adding fuel to the pregame fire, selling anti-Miami T-shirt propaganda to tens of thousands of fan. Although officially frowned upon by the university, Notre Dame fans can still be spotted from time to time wearing the most popular of those ’88 Miami game T-shirts “Catholics vs. Convicts—Unfinished Business.”

Perhaps by the world’s standards, they are an unlikely duo, but not by those under the Golden Dome. Mike Caponigro and Joe Frederick were roommates, good friends and the very entrepreneurs the book “Echoes of Notre Dame Football” speaks about. And here, ladies and gentlemen is their story—the official story behind “Catholics vs. Convicts.” The business may now be finished, but the memory lives on.

The ratio of “Mikes” to every other male name at Notre Dame is at least three to one, so Mike Caponigro like many others became something else. Known even to Lou Holtz as “Eggroll,” Mike hails from Middletown, NJ. Proud of his Italian heritage (understatement of the year) Mike, arrived at ND wearing a couple of chains, replete with the bullhorn and the boot of Italy, white shoes and the proverbial "Italian dinner jacket" undershirt. Those are just a few reasons so many people love a man no longer even called "Eggroll"...but "Roll." 

Joe Frederick on the other hand hailed from a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Standing 6’5” he came as a scholarship athlete to Notre Dame. In fact, his three other siblings were D1 athletes as well. Tall, dark (blonde) and handsome, Joe could sell ice to an Eskimo. Joe somehow managed to be both the brains and the brawn behind this Ponzi scheme.

The front of the shirt read “Unfinished Business” and South Bend meant it. The October 15, 1988 matchup was to be the first in three years between the Hurricanes and the Irish. Salt was still in the wound from the 1985 season finale. In that game Jimmy Johnson, Miami’s infamous coach poured on offensive scoring well into the fourth quarter, winning 58-7.

Nearly three years later, “Scholastic,” the university student magazine featured a full-page ad that read, “Avoid the Rush, Hate Miami Early. Only 198 Days Left!” It was payback time. 

Joe’s older brother, who played hoops at Rollins a college in Central Florida had a T-shirt that read “FSU vs. Miami: Unfinished Business.” In the late summer/early fall, Mike and Joe got the idea to make shirts for the impending match up of the #1 vs #4 teams in the land.

Mike and Joe used the same slogan for the front. They included the date of the game and “Go Irish” but needed something for the back of the t-shirt. Mike’s temper started to rise as he once again described Miami. “That defines hatred in rivalries. What they stood for and how they conducted themselves—the showboating, their names on jerseys, ruthless punishment of players until the final whistle—they were the antithesis of the Irish.” Catholics vs. Convicts fit the mold.“For a moment, football history seemed to be dangling in the balance—old vs. new, tradition vs. modern domination, heart vs. hype, “Catholics vs. Convicts.” Watch ESPN's 30 for 30: The U for much more evidence.

Mike and Joe were friends with Pat Walsh, a guy from the south side of Chicago. Since Pat was already selling t-shirts as well—his featured one with a game-day ticket: Miami vs. Notre Dame, Notre Dame Stadium—Joe and Mike decided to work with “his guy.” Shirts were printed and delivered to the main circle on campus, without receipts. As hype for the game only intensified, so did demand for the shirt. 

Mike admitted sales kept him so busy, he did not go to class for three weeks (but he somehow found time to dine at Macri’s deli every night?!). He woke up every morning in Alumni Hall to hear Joe playing The O’Jay’s “For the Love of Money” on their stereo. They convinced the student body that the team would be wearing the shirt underneath their jerseys. With no supply and high demand, Mike sold the shirt off his back for $75. And silver-tongued Joe? $100.

In the Shawshank Redemption Andy Dufresne, a righteous man, wrongly convicted of killing his wife said to Red: Yeah. The funny thing is - on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to become a criminal. I hate to say it, and it’s an overstatement, but it’s a funny similarity—our proprietors had to come to Notre Dame to become convicts. 

The administration caught word of the T-shirt sales. Mike and Joe were without a license to sell on campus. Truth be told, they sold shirts without any logos that would require permission. Nice work guys! Regardless, they had to meet with student affairs and settle their debts; a lot was at stake. Joe was NCAA athlete and Mike was already familiar with the “Iron Maiden” Ann Firth.

Mike, president of Alumni Hall, did what any good Catholic would do, he met with (and greased) his rector, a Holy Cross priest. Mike explained that what they did was in the spirit of good fun and a great rivalry. He also donated a chunk of change for improvements to the Alumni chapel. No wonder St. Charles Borromeo chapel is one of the most beautiful and prayerful places on campus. 

Obviously, the highlight of this story is that Miami came to town as the number one ranked team and lost 31-30 to who was to become the National Champions. 

Based on their meetings with the discipline board, Mike and Joe decided not to run anymore “Catholics vs. Convicts” t-shirts. Someone however continued had them print, without logos and with a license to sell. Catholics vs. Convicts II, Catholics vs. Convicts III. They made a whole lot of money, money, money, money, money, money, MONEY! 

Mike concluded his remarks with a question he posed to himself. Would I rather have the money or the story? I guess the money...no wait, at the end of the day, I would rather have the story. Yeah, the story.

Thanks, Mike and Joe for a great story. It’s been fun to relive it as the Irish prepare for post-season play in the Sun Bowl. Let’s hope we have a similar outcome.

Photo Credits Coach Holtz &
Coach Johnson Alumni Hall
SI Cover T-shirts: taken by the author!