Holtz Made a List; Wife Had Own Ideas

Notre Dame football Coach Lou Holtz says, “I’ve always felt it was extremely important to set goals for yourself.”

Recalling his days as an assistant coach at South Carolina, he said: “After the 1967 season, our entire staff was fired. So I sat down and made a list of all the things I still wanted to accomplish in life, and there were 107 of them.

“Some of them involved traveling, some of them were a little crazy. Some of them have happened, like appearing on The Tonight Show and being invited for dinner at the White House. I think I’ve accomplished 81 of them after shooting a hole-in-one last spring.

“My wife disagreed about the list, though. She thought I should have added something about getting a job.”

Add Holtz: Asked if he is optimistic, he said, “Well, we built a house our first summer in South Bend.”

Trivia Time: Mark Littell is the answer to what trivia question? (Answer below).

Houston Oilers Coach Jerry Glanville, on 266-pound guard Mike Kelly: “He was threatening to retire this year, but said he was afraid to go home because he was afraid his dad would kick his butt. I told him, ‘If you do go home, send me your dad.’ ”

Chicago Bears Coach Mike Ditka, on New York Giants’ linebackers Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks and Harry Carson who will face the Bears next Monday night: “It’s like playing against a jail break.”

Add Giants: The offensive linemen call themselves the Suburbanites because of their similar life styles, but Coach Bill Parcells said, “The Suburbanites are going to turn into urban renewal if they don’t get going.”

A sign on the door of the room shared by Dallas Cowboys running backs Tony Dorsett and Todd Fowler at training camp: “Tony Dorsett, $1 million a year; Herschel Walker, $1 million a year; Todd Fowler, $1.50 an hour.”

Brian Holloway, now with the Raiders, didn’t endear himself to the New England Patriots’ front office after showing up at camp with a water bed.

Said the Sporting News: “One day there was a slow leak and the bed lost about 20 gallons of water. It created a mess, especially in the room below Holloway’s, which happened to belong to General Manager Pat Sullivan.”

Would-you-believe-it dept.: Herb Elliott, in winning the 1,500 meters in the 1960 Olympics at Rome, ran faster than Somalia’s Abdi Bile did in winning Sunday in the World Championships. Elliott ran 3:35.6, Bile 3:36.80.

Add 1,500: NBC’s Frank Shorter said every top 1,500 runner in the world was in the race and afterward he said, “Without a doubt Bile is the best 1,500-meter runner in the world.”

Don’t tell it to Said Aouita. He holds the world record in the event but opted to run the 5,000. Others missing included two-time Olympic champion Sebastian Coe, out with injuries.

Trivia Answer: He was the Kansas City pitcher who gave up the ninth-inning home run to Chris Chambliss that gave the New York Yankees a 7-6 victory over the Royals in the fifth and deciding game of the 1976 American League Championship Series.

Quotebook

Comedian Milton Berle: “My doctor told me that jogging could add years to my life. He was right. I feel 10 years older already.”