Former Football Head Coach Gerry Faust Passes Away

Gerry Faust, head football coach at Notre Dame from 1981-85 and legendary Moeller High School (Cincinnati) head coach, has passed away at the age of 89. Faust was hired at Notre Dame directly from Moeller High School for the 1981 season. He finished his Notre Dame coaching career with a 30-26-1 record over five seasons, which included a Liberty Bowl victory over No. 13 Boston College in 1983. 

From 2015 – Strong of Heart – Gerry Faust

Faust will forever be remembered for his love of the University of Notre Dame. 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. 

Barely out of college, Faust was selected to be the first head football coach at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati. He would go on to win 174 games against just 17 losses over 18 seasons, including state titles in five of his last six seasons at the school when his teams compiled a 70-1 record. Approximately 250 players developed by Faust at Moeller earned football scholarships at the collegiate level and Moeller alumni who starred at Notre Dame include Steve Neihaus, Harry Oliver, Tony Hunter and Bob Crable. 

Faust coached Notre Dame to victory over No. 10 Michigan in the first night game ever played in Notre Dame Stadium during the 1982 season and won his final three games against rival Southern Cal. He finished his time at Notre Dame with a 30-26-1 record. Dave Duerson, Tom Thayer, Greg Bell, Stacey Toran, Mike Gann, Mark Bavaro and Mike Golic Sr. were among the student-athletes at Notre Dame who Faust helped develop into NFL standouts. 

After his time at Notre Dame, Faust coached at the University of Akron from 1986-94, helping lead them through a transition from independent to a member of the Mid-American Conference. Akron finished 7-3-1 in the Zips’ first year as a MAC member and Faust finished his run at Akron with a 43-53-3 record.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of 60 years, Marlene, daughter Julie and her husband Steve, son Gerry and his wife Dee Dee, son Stephen and his wife Irina Faust, his brother Frederick and sister-in-law Laurie and grandchildren Spencer, Megan, Natalie, Alex, Chloe, Emilie and Igor.