FIESTA BOWL: NOTRE DAME 34, WEST VIRGINIA 21 : Faust Says He Is Happy for Holtz

AKRON, Ohio — Gerry Faust applauded Lou Holtz, his successor as Notre Dame coach, after the top-ranked Fighting Irish claimed the national championship with a Fiesta Bowl victory over West Virginia.

“I was really happy for the kids and Notre Dame and for Lou,” Faust said after the Irish won, 34-21, Monday night in Tempe, Ariz. “Lou did a heck of a job and did very well. I was really happy for them.”

Faust, who had a 30-26-1 record as Notre Dame coach from 1981 to 1985, said “it would have been great” to have won a national championship for the Irish and join former Irish coaches Dan Devine, Ara Parseghian, Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy.