Former Notre Dame basketball, hockey coaches among scheduled honorees at upcoming Rockne awards
SOUTH BEND — Former Notre Dame coaches Digger Phelps (basketball) and Jeff Jackson (hockey) are among the honorees for this year’s Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Awards on Sept. 19.
The ninth annual event, which starts at 11 a.m. at The History Museum of South Bend, is being held in conjunction with the museum’s “ROCKNE: Life & Legacy” special exhibit.
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Phelps, who led the Irish to the 1978 Final Four and 13 other NCAA Tournaments in his 20-season tenure (1971-91), will receive the Rockne Living Legend Award. The 84-year-old posted a .666 career winning percentage with the Irish before spending 20 more years (1994-2014) as a TV analyst at ESPN.
Jackson, 70, retired in March after 20 seasons at the helm of Irish hockey. This year’s recipient of the Rockne Leadership Award, Jackson took Notre Dame to the Frozen Four in four of its 12 NCAA Tournament appearances during his run.
Notre Dame reached the hockey national championship game twice under Jackson: 2007-08 and 2017-18.
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Other honorees include:
∎ Former Irish All-America defensive lineman Bryant Young (Rockne Champion Award), a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and father of sophomore defensive end Bryce Young.
∎ National sportscaster Hannah Storm (Rockne Communicator Award), a 1983 graduate who has advocated for children suffering from vascular anomalies.
∎ Veteran WNDU news anchor Tricia Sloma (Rockne Distinguished Service Award).
∎ Dr. Bill Hurd (Rockne Inspiration Award), a former football and track standout at Notre Dame (Class of 1969) who became a renowned ophthalmologist and global philanthropist.
For general admission tickets or a VIP reserved table, visit www.RockneSociety.org/shop.
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Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Former Notre Dame coaches among honorees set for Rockne Spirit of Sports
