If you're reading this piece, you're almost assuredly planning to watch tomorrow night's 30 for 30 installment following the Heisman Trophy ceremony. At the very least, you're setting the DVR for it. It's become a tradition for the four letter, beginning with Billy Corben's "The U" several years ago, and for me, it's become the must-see event on this particular Saturday. More so than the Heisman ceremony, which I don't generally watch until the final ten minutes, I eagerly await the 30 for 30 that serves as the suffix to the evening.
2016's selection touches on the 1980s rivalry between Notre Dame and Miami, including the competition between Lou Holtz and Jimmy Johnson. "Catholics vs. Convicts" remains the most infamous phrase in the history of college sports, and the story surrounding it is far deeper than you might think.
Directed by Patrick Creadon (Wordplay, I.O.U.S.A.), Catholics vs. Convicts tells the story of Creadon's time at Notre Dame, alongside his good friend Pat Walsh, who became known on campus for bootlegging shirts, both general and specific in design. Walsh was attempting to join the Fighting Irish on the hardwood, rather than the gridiron, but Digger Phelps had difficult rules respective to walk-on players.
Walsh's journey is a backstory behind the overarching theme of the actual 1988 game between the top ranked Hurricanes and fourth ranked Irish, which serves as the documentary's climax. What's amazing about Creadon's retelling of that time is how close he was to the key components of the story. Tony Rice was just a few doors down from his dorm room in Dillon Hall, so he got to know the Notre Dame quarterback, and you can feel the friendship in the "interviews," which are more accurately described as conversations.
I'm 38 years old, and one of the very first memories I have of college football is Tony Rice and Lou Holtz being dominant at Notre Dame with Tim Brown and Ricky Watters. The earliest players I knew well happened to be Rice and Vinny Testaverde. Since I grew up in Virginia and went to numerous Cavaliers games with my father and his friends, I knew Shawn and Herman Moore. But, on the national stage, Tony Rice was among the first.
I was too young to grasp this story, and knew nothing of it when I was growing up, but even then, I knew that Notre Dame was an excellent football team. To learn more about Rice and the early days of the Holtz regime in South Bend was well worth my time, especially as a student of history. Creadon does a nice job at working Tony's struggle and triumph at Notre Dame into the rivalry narrative. All of the tributaries from the main river are well chosen and intelligently placed. This is a polished product from top to bottom.
Creadon knows these people, and as they describe what it was like to be on that field, there's a personal touch to the proceedings. Tony Rice dealt with a Notre Dame paradigm that he didn't belong, because he performed poorly on the SAT, even though his grades weren't terrible. The culture of the school led to letters and opinions ranging from "intellectually inferior" to "he'll never make it." Rice would end up leading Notre Dame to an undefeated season and the 1989 National Championship. He's still celebrated as one of the most important and special men to ever hit that campus.
If you recall the underbelly of The U, here you see the opposite. Creadon doesn't spend time listing infractions; instead he portrays the Miami program as one full of good kids, with a few mistakes that could (and do) happen in virtually every university in the country. The idea of "convicts" does bring up a question of race, but isn't presented in an accusatory manner. The shirt became a problem because it was beneath what was expected of NOTRE DAME, not because of what it said about Miami.
When Creadon questions Alvarez, Barry gets quiet and then refuses to talk about it. The subject still clearly bothers him, if not disgusts him, and although some of the other players on both sides chuckle a bit when its mentioned, you can see it's a blight on South Bend, not a boon. However, that shirt also helped make that rivalry what it was. On the national stage, Catholics vs. Convicts was worthy of lengthy discussion, and Notre Dame and Miami had a game with its own nickname.
What's most interesting is the shirt creation process itself, and how Pat Walsh was able to turn it into a business that raised the ire of Student Affairs, and eventually the Dean of Students. In no way is Walsh shown in a negative light, except when he takes himself to task for the mistake that ended up costing him a chance to play for Digger Phelps.
Included in the 102 minutes are candid responses from players, coaches, and media members. Both Lou Holtz and Jimmy Johnson are excellent, as are their players. Tony Rice comes across as incredibly likable, as do Pat Terrell, Todd Lyght, Pat Eilers, and Chris Zorich. Basketball co-captain Joe Fredrick is tremendous, and his role in the screen-printed shirt business is fascinating. Hurricanes quarterback Steve Walsh is also terrific, and his recall is impressive, considering the violent era in which he played.
Miami running back Cleveland Gary, whose second half "phantom fumble" on the one-foot line remains one of the more controversial plays of the last 30 years, is still bothered by the call he believes to be incorrect. He's not alone, both via comments in Catholics vs. Convicts and around the country. Now, he's definitely not alone, because many will see that moment for the first time tomorrow night.
The reactions from numerous individuals to a few of the on-field moments are a highlight of the documentary, but if you love college football and great storytelling, here's the sentence you need to pay attention to closely:
YOU WILL LOVE CATHOLICS VS. CONVICTS.
You won't find a bad interview at any point. Everybody's great, and when Brent Musburger tells his version of calling the game and watching the rivalry develop, it just doesn't get much better if you're a pigskin enthusiast. The structure and foundation may at times be serious and the heart might come from Rice's emergence and the emotions that still exist between members of each team, but it's still an extremely easy watch. I found myself sympathizing for Pat Walsh, especially when he visits a particular room on campus and explains what his choices cost him as a hopeful athlete.
A failed fake punt in the third quarter of the game itself was the turning point, according to Miami offensive lineman Leon Searcy. He watches the play on a monitor, and looks physically ill as it unfolds in front of him. Also, there was the Andre Brown touchdown catch that cut the Notre Dame lead to 31-30 in the final minute. Lou Holtz watches a slow motion version of the play for the first time ever, and exclaims repeatedly, "You've got to be kidding me! You've got to be kidding me! I have never seen that before!"
Indeed Coach, that was NOT a touchdown based on today's rules, as it would have been deemed a trapped ball. Even Dan Le Batard admits it as he watches the replay. Hell, even Miami native and Meet the Press host Chuck Todd says it's a "judgment call." He's wrong. That was what football aficionados call an incomplete pass. It was fourth down, and Notre Dame should have won the game right there.
Stunningly, Holtz, Johnson, and all the players still passionately opine on a play that ended up not deciding the outcome. It's always interesting just how much teams and organizations remember about a sporting event, but I found my own blood pressure spiking as I watched Brown's catch. Just like anybody else, I immediately evaluated the play and reacted to it. Out loud I said, "that's not a catch ref." Then I had to remind myself this was a game from 29 years ago, and there was a statute of limitations on the ruling...and it was also 29 years ago.
Overall, Patrick Creadon paints a compelling portrait of a rivalry that eventually led to the two schools not playing one another during the regular season. The fanatical fervor was increasingly out of control, and administrators mutually ceased scheduling the game. The Catholics vs. Convicts shirt itself is a story worth hearing, but the documentary weaves the game, the shirt, the players, the media, the communities, the emotions, and the disparate nature of the two areas in an extremely effective manner.
When Arkansas chose to hire Lou Holtz instead of Jimmy Johnson, who had played there, and subsequently when Johnson chose to go to Pittsburgh rather than serve as Lou's defensive coordinator, the competitive bad blood began. Holtz didn't take kindly to Miami running through the smoke and sprinting through the Irish stretch line before a 24-0 shutout. The following year, he said "Leave Jimmy's ass for me." Later, during his farewell speech to the team before leaving for the Dallas Cowboys, Jimmy would tearfully tell his team, "You guys get after Notre Dame's ass next year."
It's "Win One for the Gipper" vs. "Win One for the Stripper." Creadon's documentary ranks as one of the more entertaining 30 for 30 installments of the last few years, and brings to its audience a story without the evil of "Fantastic Lies" or the heartbreak of "The Best That Never Was." Catholics vs. Convicts is well constructed, solidly executed, and should leave you smiling. Not much time is wasted, and most of the side stories aren't just relevant, they're essential to fleshing out the time period and real-life personas and characters.
It's also one you can watch with either the family or the fellas, and one you'll probably be talking about next week during timeouts...or board meetings.
Creadon's grandfather was a freshman when Notre Dame won a National Championship. Pat was a senior when the Fighting Irish last won the honor. It all comes full circle in the end, but the pathway to get there is quite engaging.
Enjoy it. It's a story worth hearing. If you weren't alive for it, or were too young to fully understand what occurred (like me), you'll be intrigued within minutes. If you were, you'll be far more educated during the closing credits than you were before the documentary started.
While it's not OJ: Made in America, which may be the best thing of any type that hit television in 2016, it's an exceptional, easily recommendable way to spend two hours.
I'm @JMartOutkick on Twitter. I watch a metric ton of television and film. Drop me a line at jmartclone@gmail.com, or tweet in my general direction.
