Dec. 20, 1996
Powlus To Return To Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus announced on Friday that he will apply to the University for a fifth year of athletic eligibility to play for the Irish for the '96 season.

Powlus has another year of eligibility remaining based on a missing his entire freshman season of 1993 because of a broken right clavicle he suffered during the final preseason scrimmage.

Powlus announced his decision at a press conference at the Berwick Golf Club in his native Berwick, Penn. Powlus went home from the Notre Dame campus on Tuesday night after he completed his final examinations for the fall semester.

Notre Dame head football coach Bob Davie was also in attendance at the press conference.

An interview with COACH DAVIE & RON POWLUS

MIKE ENRIGHT: This is Mike Enright at the University of Notre Dame. Happy holidays to everyone.

Ron Powlus is in Berwick Pennsylvania. We will turn it over to him to make an opening statement. Then we will having people on the telephone to ask questions of him. Then we will open it up to the people in Berwick.

RON POWLUS: First off, thank you to all the people that have shown up. I have had a tremendous amount of support in all my time in both Berwick and at the University of Notre Dame. It has been an outstanding experience, my whole football career. Now, I have got myself into a position where I have the opportunity to move on and play in the NFL now or come back to the university and apply for a fifth year.

After taking time to gather as much information as possible, and talking to people in the NFL, and coaches at Notre Dame, I think the best thing for me to do right now would be to apply to the University of Notre Dame for a fifth year of eligibility. I think this is, you know -- the changes that have been made at the university, I think, are positive ones. With Coach Davie and Coach Colletto coming in, I think these are people that I want to work with. And, I want to have the opportunity to go through the football season and have a good time and win some football games. That is all.

Q. Ron, what do you feel was the determining factor that swayed you toward returning?

RON POWLUS: Well, I think there wasn't one determining factor. I think it was a combination of where I was projected to go. But, mostly, you know, the changes again, the change at Notre Dame, I think, are positive ones. That is something I want to be a part of. And I have the opportunity.

People talk about a tough decision I have to make, but, really it is an opportunity to come back and have a great time. That is what I am looking forward to doing.

Q. Where were you projected to go?

RON POWLUS: In the middle rounds, 2, 3, 4, which for a lot of people, it is a good situation to be in, of course. But, I think coming back can benefit me a little bit more and I think it going to be better for everybody involved.

Q. Ron, would you go so far as to say that if Coach Holtz had still been coaching at Notre Dame that you would have entered yourself in the NFL Draft? I mean, how much of a factor was the new coaching staff in this decision?

RON POWLUS: I think it was a very big factor. I came to the university under Coach Holtz and I enjoyed my four years playing there. But had Coach Holtz continued to be the coach there, it would have been time for me to move on. I have been three years starting for him and been there four years it would have been time for me to move on.

I think with Coach Davie coming in, I think it's a positive move and it is something I want to be a part of. I also should note that, you know, I feel like I have a great deal of support from Coach Davie in all this. So, that is something that also played a very big part.

Q. Can you talk about what Coach Davie told you? Did he try to advise you or try to leave you alone with --

RON POWLUS: It was -- the greatest thing, I went and talked to Coach Davie about it and he gave me some phone numbers of NFL people. And, he really wanted me to make the right decision for me. And, that is what I was very impressed with. He didn't try to sway me one way or the other. He wanted me to do what was best for me and for the team, I think. I think we both feel that that is exactly what happened.

Q. What was the official word from the NFL's underclassmen committee, I guess they can give you one of four levels. Which levels --

RON POWLUS: We didn't really ever get it back from the whole committee. We wound up talking to these people individually and got the word from them individually. We didn't wait for the committee to return their verdict.

RON POWLUS: Coach Davie is sitting right here next to me.

MIKE ENRIGHT: As we go along, if people have questions for Coach Bob Davie, they can go right ahead.

Q. Coming back next year you will be done with all of your degree work. Is that going to make it a lot easier to concentrate solely on football?

RON POWLUS: I don't think so. No matter what stage you are in your academy career at Notre Dame, you are never going to have the opportunity to concentrate solely on football. I don't know exactly what I am going to do as far as what classes I am taking or what degree I am pursuing. But, I don't think I will be taking one class and playing football. I will be doing something academically.

Q. Coach Davie, can you talk a little bit about your feelings about Ron coming back? I know you had said when you were hired that you wanted him. What was your role in the process?

COACH DAVIE: Well, first of all, I am extremely delighted for Notre Dame and for myself that Ron Powlus is coming back for several reasons. Really, the biggest reason is that I like him. I like him a lot as a person. I like his family. I have watched him over the years from a distance being a defensive coordinator and I have really respected how he has handled a lot of situations. So, the biggest reason I am happy he is back is because I like him and I respect both he and his family. Obviously, he does a lot of things for our football team. He is a three-year starter; great chemistry with the other players. My role in this process simply was to help him make the right decision and not offer my opinion on a whole lot of things because I am not an expert on that.

So just give Ron some opportunities to talk to some people; take his time and Ron Powlus had a choice. He could have come out - a lot of people were talking - mid to late second round. So, he definitely had a choice and he decided to come back to Notre Dame because he really wants to be a part of this football program. I think that says a lot about him. He has been patient. He has done things the right way. And you know, I really want to see him have a very successful senior year.

Q. He is going to be your starting quarterback?

COACH DAVIE: Well, I was really excited that once Ron found out we were going to the wishbone that he still wanted to come back (laughter).

So, you know, I think with the new offense, you know, look, let us face it, Ron Powlus isn't coming back to be the back-up. As Ron would tell you, there are no guarantees, and I will let his ability and his leadership speak for themselves.

Q. Ron, a year ago the whole notion of a fifth year came back. When you first started talking about it, did you think at that time, realistically, that you would be sitting here today making this decision?

RON POWLUS: Yeah, you know, it crossed my mind that I would be coming back. You know, going in, when I went to Notre Dame, I was planning on going there for four years and playing football and moving on at the end of those four years. That is why this decision took a little bit more time for me just because it is something that I haven't been thinking a whole lot about until very recently. But, you know, it is not -- I don't feel as though I am settling for Notre Dame or I am coming back because I have to. I want to come back and I want to be a part of this. I think it is going to be very good for all of us.

Q. What do you want to improve upon in your game?

RON POWLUS: My record. I think that is the most important thing. I think we have an opportunity to do some very good things next year. That is the most important thing to me as it has been all along.

Q. How about individually?

RON POWLUS: I want to lead the team to more victories. I think the most important thing is winning ballgames. That is what I want to do.

Q. I guess you never threw 20 passes in any of them. You threw as few as 11. Have Bob and Jim indicated that the passing game is going to be a more prevalent part of the offense?

RON POWLUS: Talking at least 50 passes a game -- no. You know, I think it will be a little bit more, you know, again, you can't say there is going to be so many passes in a game or something like that. I think you have to deal with what is there. I think that the passing game will be there. We have an outstanding running game and we will have the ability to set up the pass. That is something that I think we are going to work on that is something Coach Colletto is going to work on. I think that is part of the reason why he was brought in here. I am very excited to run a new offense. I think it is going to be very beneficial to the Notre Dame football team.

Q. Ron, could you elaborate a little. You said if Lou was coming back you wouldn't be. Is that a personality thing? Can you characterize it?

RON POWLUS: No. It will be -- my time with Coach Holtz had come and gone. I came in here under Coach Holtz. I played. I started three years under him and it would be new time for me to move on. This is a new start. It is fresh, something new that is happening and something that I want to be a part of. I am not putting down Coach Holtz for what he did or what he is doing or anything. What I am saying is my time with Coach Holtz was done after this past year.

Q. Bob, will the option remain an element of the offense next year?

COACH DAVIE: I have think if anyone watched Purdue play as we did over the last three years, Jim does a great job of doing what his personnel allows him to do. I saw him over the last three years have three different quarterbacks play at Purdue and start at Purdue and with each quarterback he had a little bit of a different package. I really don't think that Ron is an option quarterback. Jim has done it in his past. So it all depends, I think, on who the quarterback is at the specific time in the game. But, it will be a part of the offense. But, we are definitely not asking Ron Powlus to come back and be an option quarterback by any stretch of the imagination.

Q. Sometimes a senior and maybe particularly a fifth year senior can kind of get caught somewhere in between college and pro football with his attention not complete on either. You probably had players like that. Is there any question in your mind that Ron is going to be able to make a full commitment and focus his full --

COACH DAVIE: I don't think there is any question about that. To give you an example, last year we really had the same situation with Renaldo Wynn, a lot of people told Renaldo Wynn he would be a mid to late second round pick; maybe a third round pick and Renaldo came back and I think ended up being a first round draft pick. If you spend some time around Berwick and you spend some time around Ron Powlus and his family, his high school coach, George Curry, there is no question that Ron Powlus is coming back to Notre Dame for the right reasons. And we are just going to take it one step at a time. And, I have no doubt that he is going to be successful and I have no doubt that he is coming back for the right reasons because he has got the support of all these people in his community.

Q. Ron, when you talked to Colletto about the offensive system that he plans to run, what did he tell you about it?

RON POWLUS: Well, you know, he talked a lot about moving his offense and running the plays that his personnel allows him to run. That is something that is very important. I think you have to realize what kind of players you have on a team and what kind of offense you should run based on that. I think Coach Colletto has shown he has done that over the years. Just based on statistics you can see that. So that is something that is exciting to see that he will be willing to move his offense to his personnel. I think that is how you have a successful offense.

Q. Couple of years ago Chris Clevinger was commenting - we were talking to him about whether or not he would come back for a fifth year. He said a lot of it had to do with you coming back. I guess some of the other linemen were thinking of the same thing. Did you talk to any of your teammates about this and did you talk to Kaczenski and Dansby and Clevinger and those guys about this situation?

RON POWLUS: Yeah, you know, we have talked a lot about it. And, I think those guys want to come back and they are excited about coming back for a while. And, we talked about it. They are talking to me into coming back and trying to -- you know, it is not something that has been a secret amongst all of us. It is something that we have all talked about. And Clevinger better be coming back, I will tell you that I am counting on that too. We have all talked about it. We are all excited about it. We are happy that Coach Davie has given us the opportunity to come back sometimes new coach comes back and wants to start cleaning things out. I think we are all excited that we have the opportunity to come back and do this one more time.

Q. Was part of that having to do with your -- if you look at it, if Clevinger comes back, Doughty, Kaczenski, the line except for Pete Chryplewicz is back, the offensive backfield is back, was that part of your decision, Ron?

RON POWLUS: Sure, it was. Yeah. We have very good team coming back. I am excited to play another year with these guys. I think it is going to be very good and it is something -- that is part of the reason that I am excited.

Q. When do these guys apply for a fifth year?

COACH DAVIE: They go through the process first of talking to the head coach and see if it is in the head coach's and the university's best interest or the football program's best interest that they can apply. We don't have an obligation obviously to allow the players to apply for a fifth year and in the next step in the process is to apply through the university athletic committee. So, that would happen as soon as Ron comes back to school in January.

Q. Ron, couple of people close to you, even your high school coaches, had mentioned that the last couple of years maybe in the offense that you ran, maybe you weren't able to improve as much as some people had expected or maybe the offense "shackled" you a little bit. At this time could you say that you felt a little bit confined in that offense and are you looking forward -- is that one of the reasons you were looking so forward to the new one?

RON POWLUS: I am very much looking forward to the new offense. I think the new things that we are planning on doing are things that are going to benefit the football team. The new things that we will be doing I feel will give me an opportunity to do a little bit more. That is something that I am excited about doing.

Q. Bob, if you could talk about your stand in terms of hiring a quarterback coach and how much that will -- how much you will be looking for someone specifically to work with Ron or specifically to as kind of a guru in that certain phase?

RON POWLUS: Well, David, as you know, in fact when I interviewed for the job I mentioned Greg Mattison as the defensive coordinator and Jim Colletto as offensive coordinator and I felt very fortunate to hire those two gentlemen right away. Then in the big plan of things, I really wanted to wait until after the Bowl season, the college Bowls game and also the NFL season to hire a quarterback coach and runningback coach because I -- with the coordinators in place we were able to go out and recruit and give direction to our football team that was already in place. And, I felt like I didn't want to put boundaries on myself so far as to who I would hire for the quarterback or runningback position. I just wanted to take my time. There is no question in my mind that the quarterback is the most important position in college football or football at any level for that matter. And, I think it is imperative that we get a quarterback coach that is, No. 1: A teacher, and has someone that is a quarterback himself; specifically works with everyday in practice. We are just going to take our time. Nothing has been done yet. But, I would think we would have that whole -- the whole staff would be in place sometime in early January.

Q. Ron, finally, for you, it sounds at least on the phone that there is a sense of relief in your voice that maybe we haven't heard in a while. Is that accurate and is that what you are feeling today?

RON POWLUS: Yeah, no question. This is something that has been lingering for a little bit. And, I am glad that I feel good enough about the decision and I feel very good about the decision that I could announce it today. And, yeah, it is -- I am getting it over with; the questions will stop now for a little while and I can start getting ready to come back next year.

Q. Ron, did you get into specifics at all with Jim Colletto as far as offensive philosophy or tendencies or anything like that or has your conversations been more general?

RON POWLUS: Our conversations have been more general at this point. Haven't gotten into too many X and O's at this time.

Q. I just wanted to ask you the fact that Notre Dame was not going to a major Bowl Game this year, did that have any impact on your decision? Did you feel like you wanted to come back next year and try some unfinished business?

RON POWLUS: No, not necessarily. I think not going to a Bowl Game gave me more of an opportunity to investigate this whole decision earlier and a little more efficiently. I could concentrate it on a little bit more. But, you know, not going to a Bowl Game certainly makes us -- puts that desire back into us to get back to a Bowl Game next year. I am not coming back to finish to settle the score or to get back at a Bowl Game. That is not the reason why I am coming back. But, since I am coming back, that will be a top priority both for myself and for the team.

Q. Ron, I was wondering why the decision today? Why the big press conference in Berwick. Was there something symbolic in that?

RON POWLUS: I just didn't feel that -- I just didn't feel that it was time. By the time I was leaving Notre Dame I was done with finals. I just didn't feel at that time I was ready to announce it. I felt as though I wanted to come home; discuss come things and look at some things on paper before I went ahead and made an announcement. I just felt this was the best time to do it.

Q. Ron's decision today, would that affect your recruiting of a quarterback who might say, well, if Ron is coming back, I am not coming to Notre Dame?

COACH DAVIE: I haven't really thought about that. Ron Powlus coming back is something that I am really excited about right now. I have thought about the prospects of us being able to attract some more receivers around this country. I know a lot of the young high school receivers across the country were waiting to see what Ron Powlus would do. So I really think this is going to be a positive anyway you look at it for us, his decision.

Q. Ron, can you talk about why you wanted to have Coach Davie there?

RON POWLUS: Well, it wasn't a necessity. Coach Davie was in the area. Maybe he could answer the question a little better. I am very pleased that he is here. I am excited. I am glad that he could come in. I think, you know, we are a team and that is shown today.

COACH DAVIE: If you were here you would realize that I think anybody in the eastern half of Pennsylvania and the New Jersey area is here. I was kidding Ron, I am a little bit jealous. This press conference is actually bigger than the one that I had when I was announced as the head coach. But, you I really felt strongly that I should be here. I know what a big decision this is for Ron. I know what a big decision it is for his family. And, you know, I had the opportunity this morning, I went by Berwick High School and watched a lot of Berwick's high school tapes from when Ron played. And, I can promise you, I am just glad we don't play Berwick's offense next year. They have got a great high school program here. It is really neat for me to come back. This is my first time to be back here and I have been with Ron for three years now and it is kind of neat to see where he is from and the great tradition they have here in this town.

Q. Coach, when you see those tapes do you think in some ways that Ron has just scratched the surface of his talent?

COACH DAVIE: Well, I think Ron has had a great year already at the University of Notre Dame. There is no question he has done a lot of great things. So, you know, I don't think all of a sudden you are going to see a different Ron Powlus next year. He has been pretty productive and pretty darn good. So, you know, when you watch him you see why everybody in America recruited him, though. There is no question about that.

Q. This decision by Ron obviously impacts your backup quarterback. Have you spoken to Jarious Jackson about this?

COACH DAVIE: I visited him as soon as I got the job. Rather than go out recruiting or do anything else, I had every player on our football team both walk-on and scholarship to have the opportunity to talk to me. At that time I told Jarious and Eric Shappel exactly what my intentions were and my intentions were, to do everything in my power -- at least, I hoped Ron Powlus would come back and Jarious was comfortable with that at that time. And, I really felt no need to call him and tell him Ron's decision. I think he was comfortable either way and the same with Eric Shappel.

Q. Ron, this is kind of a specifics question. It is about insurance and about the chance of injury. Is that one of things you explored before going home and can you talk about the risk involved and why are you able to overlook that?

RON POWLUS: No question, football is a violent sport and there is a risk involved every time you put your helmet on. As far as looking into insurance things like that, that is something that I will look into in the future it is not something that I needed to look into right now or needed to discuss right now.

Q. The question is about the offense itself, coach, when you say new offense, can you talk about the formations you are be using next year what is your philosophy on the offense, the running game that Coach Holtz used and how much are you going to open it up? I know you talked on it a little bit. I am more interested about your philosophy as a coach.

COACH DAVIE: Well, I think first and foremost, you know, having been a defensive coach for the last 20 years, you know, I realize the significance and how important it is to run the football. So, from a running game standpoint, I think we have been pretty productive, obviously, at Notre Dame. And, that is not going to change. That is one of the reasons I hired Jim Colletto was because of the fact they are an eye-formation running team; very similar to what we have done over the years at Notre Dame. So, this program has been built on toughness and discipline. And, that equates to running the football. So, that part of it is not going to change.

When it comes to the passing game, obviously, we are going to be more of a dropback team, split back, three step, five step; some shot gun; a lot of the things that I look back that Ron did in high school. We will be a little bit more of a formation team, with formation packages; utilizing a little bit more of our personnel. By that, I mean, giving some of those kids more opportunity to play. So, we will have several offensive packages and really try to do the best of what everyone is doing across the country and be diversified.

Q. Could you talk little bit about the value of the experience Ron has gained as a quarterback?

COACH DAVIE: Well, I think that a great point, I was sitting here this morning or standing here a minute ago and talked to Ron's dad. It is amazing all that Ron Powlus has been through. You could go right now in the NFL and you won't find quarterbacks that have been in that League five years that have experienced all that Ron Powlus has experienced. And this press conference here is an indication of that. So there is not a whole lot out there that is going to rattle Ron Powlus. We will play that first football game next year September 6th in front of 80,000 people on national TV, and I promise you -- Ron Powlus has been on that stage before, so, the experience he brings back; the personality that he brings back, the chemistry that he brings back to this football team is really important. But as I said earlier, you know, from a selfish standpoint, I am glad he is back just because I like him and I enjoy being around him.

Q. Ron, I believe you are the first quarterback to start for three years; then come back for a fifth year. Have you thought at all about your place in Notre Dame football history and the legacy that you will leave when you do leave the program next year and did those thoughts influence your decision at all?

RON POWLUS: They really didn't influence my decision. I don't play for records. I don't play for fame. You play the game because you love the game and you want to do good. That is the main reason why I came back. I am not -- I do realize that because of the amount of games that I will be able to play in that I will be able to achieve some records, things like that. But that wasn't a factor in my coming back. That is something that you can look back on when your career is over. That is not something I am looking at in the middle of my career.

MIKE ENRIGHT: If there are no more questions, thanks to Ron and Coach Davie for calling us. Have a nice holiday.