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Terence Patrick Brennan (June 11, 1928 – September 7, 2021) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1954 to 1958, compiling a record of 32–18.
 Brennan, circa 1946 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 11, 1928 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | September 7, 2021 (aged 93) Northbrook, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1945–1948 | Notre Dame |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1949–1952 | Chicago Mount Carmel HS (IL) |
| 1953 | Notre Dame (freshmen) |
| 1954–1958 | Notre Dame |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 32–18 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Awards | |
| |
Early life and playing career
editA native of the Village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Terry Brennan was a standout multi-sport athlete at Marquette University High School. He went on to play halfback at the University of Notre Dame from 1945 to 1948, graduating in 1949.
In 1951, he married Mary Louise "Kel" Kelley. His wife died in 2001, following fifty years of marriage.
Coaching career
editAfter graduating from Notre Dame, Brennan coached at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago and won three successive city championships. Brennan returned to Notre Dame in 1953 as freshman football coach and succeeded Frank Leahy as head coach the following year.
In 1954, Notre Dame had a 9–1 record, with players recruited by Leahy. In 1955, the Irish were 8–2. In 1956, Brennan had mostly sophomore starters, due to numerous injuries; the result was a 2–8 record, and the first losing season for Notre Dame since 1933 and the worst in school history. However, running back Paul Hornung won the Heisman Trophy that year.
Brennan's 1957 squad earned the nickname, "Comeback Comets" after finishing 7–3. Among their victories was a 23–21 comeback over Army and a 7–0 shutout of Oklahoma, snapping the Sooners' NCAA record 47-game winning streak.
After a 6–4 record in 1958, the movement to dismiss Brennan gained momentum, and the coach was fired along with his entire staff in mid-December; Hugh Devore was eventually retained. Notre Dame's administration was heavily criticized for the firing, considering Brennan's overall 32–18 record against the caliber of their opponents. He was succeeded as Notre Dame's head coach by Joe Kuharich.
Later life and honors
editBrennan served as player conditioning coach for baseball's Cincinnati Reds during spring training in 1959 and eventually joined a Chicago investment banking firm.
Brennan is a member of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.
He was the author of the book Though The Odds be Great or Small, about the 1957 Notre Dame football season, which was published in 2021. [1]
Death
editHe died on September 7, 2021, at the age of 93.[2] He is survived by his wife, six children, 25 grandchildren, and 32 great-grandchildren.
Head coaching record
editCollege
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent) (1954–1958) | |||||||||
| 1954 | Notre Dame | 9–1 | 4 | 4 | |||||
| 1955 | Notre Dame | 8–2 | 10 | 9 | |||||
| 1956 | Notre Dame | 2–8 | |||||||
| 1957 | Notre Dame | 7–3 | 9 | 10 | |||||
| 1958 | Notre Dame | 6–4 | 14 | 17 | |||||
| Notre Dame: | 32–18 | ||||||||
| Total: | 32–18 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
References
edit- ^ Kellu, Lisa (September 9, 2021). "Throwback Thursday: Though the Odds Be Great or Small by Terry Brennan". SB Nation. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Bromberg, Nick (September 8, 2021). "Former Notre Dame running back and head coach Terry Brennan dies". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2021.