The Golden Dream

In his last eight seasons of his 18-year career as a high-school football coach in Cincinnati, Faust lost only one game. His dream was to become the football coach at Notre Dame, and that became reality in 1980. A devout Catholic and known to be kind and understanding, Faust seemed ideal for the job, but he failed to appreciate the importance the college placed on winning. So, while he made himself accessible and friendly to the Notre Dame community, his teams went 29-25-1 for the five years of his tenure, after which he ""resigned."" He went to the University of Akron, where he coached for nine years, compiled a record slightly under .500, was fired as coach and joined the university administration. Football fans widely considered Faust a loser as a coach, and what he and Akron Beacon Journal writer Love have composed is a sort of apologia pro vita sua, stressing that wherever Faust has lived and worked, he has been appreciated as an individual. Thus part of the inspirational message here is that there's more to sports than winning. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)