By Staff
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Former Notre Dame defensive coaches Gary Darnell and Bill Lewis are to linkup with Lou Holtz to mastermind the defensive scheme of the Fighting Irish Legends who will play in the Notre Dame Japan Bowl in Tokyo next summer.
The Holtz-Darnell combination guided Notre Dame to two bowl appearances – the 1991 Orange Bowl and 1992 Sugar Bowl – after which, Darnell moved on to University of Texas in 1992.
Lewis was Assistant Head Coach of Defense and Defensive Backs Coach at Notre Dame from 2005 to 2007.
Former Notre Dame head coach Holtz will take charge of the Legends, an alumni team made up of former Fighting Irish football players, at the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome in Japan's capital city. The game will be the highlight of an eight-day visit to Tokyo to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Japan American Football Association (JAFA). Global Football, whose President Patrick Steenberge (ND'73) was a quarterback at Notre Dame in the early 70s, will produce the event in partnership with JAFA.
"The opportunity to coach in this game is exciting for me in many ways," said Darnell, who will be the Fighting Irish Legends Defensive Coordinator. "Primarily it serves two great institutions – the game of football and the great spirit of Notre Dame football. I look forward to combining those two elements with the camaraderie with the players, fans and the fun associated with the game, and to working with coach Holtz and his staff."
Darnell boasts more than 30 years of college coaching experience, including head coaching roles at Tennessee Tech, Western Michigan, and interim positions at Florida and Texas A&M.
Lewis, who will serve as assistant head coach and will coach the alumni team's defensive backs, said: "It is a very special honor for me to have been chosen to represent the University of Notre Dame, our alumni, the Notre Dame family around the world, and the Fighting Irish football program in this very exciting game. What a privilege it is to be a part of Lou Holtz's staff for this game and to help coach the Fighting Irish Legends team."
Lewis enjoyed an illustrious coaching career that included tenures as the head coach of Wyoming, East Carolina, and Georgia Tech, making 13 bowl appearances.
Darnell and Lewis join former Notre Dame standout Chris Zorich, who will coach the defensive line, while on the offensive side of the ball, Reggie Brooks will coach the team's running backs. Additional coaches and the first group of players who will make the trip to Japan will be named in the coming weeks. Coach Holtz and his staff will hold a testing combine at Notre Dame in April 2009 and a two-day mini camp in South Bend on July 17 and 18 before heading to Tokyo from July 19 to 26.