MikeHutton

Lou said some cringey stuff in his later years, but I still want to salute him. At age 23, I was assigned the ND football beat for the Chicago Trib. Lou was terrific to me — and hilarious to all. You could ask him one question and get four different notebook items. A few memories: He was adamant about being on time. So naturally I was late for our first one-on-one interview. Using an actual map (gulp), I exited the highway and drove straight into downtown South Bend. Had no cell phone. By the time I arrived at his office I was embarrassed and probably out of breath. I apologized profusely about getting lost. He put me at ease. Smiled and said: “Happens all the time.” When he hinted at resigning during a press conference in ‘97, I followed him back to his office. He offered no crumbs but said: “I admire you for coming back here to ask.” Loved this line while ND was in Ireland to play Navy: “The USA Today international is so thin you can toss it in the air and read it before it hits the ground.” Still his best all-time quote: “I didn’t realize how fast Rocket (Ismail) was until I saw him playing tennis — by himself.” He was FEARED by everyone on his team, despite having the build of a clothes hanger. One time we noticed a gash on his nose. He wouldn’t tell us how he got it. Turned out he was so steamed at his o-line, he stepped into a drill and hammered a DT. But he forgot to remove his glasses! RIP Lou, and thanks for being so welcoming to the new kid on the beat.