(Fairlawn, Ohio) — Former Notre Dame football coach Gerry Faust has died at the age of 89.

In 1981, Faust came to Notre Dame directly from a Hall of Fame coaching career at Cincinnati’s Moeller High School. His hiring was dubbed as “The Bold Experiment”, and after beating LSU 27-9 in his opening game, the Irish held the #1 ranking. But Faust struggled throughout his five seasons, guiding the Irish to a record of 30-26-1.

Highlights of Faust’s tenure included a victory over Michigan in the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium and a road upset of Dan Marino and top-ranked Pitt in 1982, as well as a victory over Doug Flutie and Boston College in the 1983 Liberty Bowl.

However, Faust also lost four straight games to Air Force during his tenure, and his final game was a 58-7 loss at Miami in 1985.

After resigning from Notre Dame at the end of the 1985 season, Faust was the head coach at Akron from 1986-94.

Despite his record, Faust remained unfailing optimistic. He had a deep devotion to the university, and returned to campus many times after his resignation to watch games and renew acquaintances.