Dec. 14, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – On a game day when you look at the Notre Dame bench, people can not help but notice the young faces, not only on the team but on the coaching staff. Irish head coach Matt Doherty is just 37 years-old and his entire coaching staff is in their thirties. All of these young coaches bring fresh ideas to an ailing program. This week, the Insider takes a look at the youngest of the group, Fred Quartlebaum. Today’s focus is on his extensive experience, which he brings with him in the first part of this two-part series.
Sitting in Fred Quartlebaum’s office, you would never realize that he is approaching an anniversary.
Come the end of December, he will celebrate his six-month anniversary of coaching at Notre Dame. It barely looks like he has unpacked. The walls are sparsely decorated and on his desk sit a couple of items and assorted framed pictures. It is nothing fancy, just the bare minimum.
Although, his office houses a plethora of coaching essentials. Quartlebaum’s prized possession is not the TV or the computer but his copy of the Notre Dame fight song.
On a regular basis, Quartlebaum plays the song which can fire him up for the most daunting of tasks, none of which are part of coaching. Each day, he cherishes the fact that he is at Notre Dame.
“I want to make some sort of impact in any way, shape or form,” Quartlebaum said about his goals. “I just want to give my all everyday.”
One thing which Doherty has made quite clear since taking over the Notre Dame program is that he demands passion and 100 percent effort from everyone. It is obvious that Quartlebaum does just that as he logs hours upon hours on a week-to-week basis.
“It is a golden opportunity for myself as a coach,” Quartlebaum said about being here. “I was elated when it happened.”
The official word came in late June that he would round out Doherty’s coaching staff. Quartlebaum, Doug Wojcik, and Bob MacKinnon compose the assistant corp. David Cason is the coordinator of basketball operations.
The previous season, he worked at Fairfield University in Connecticut as an assistant coach. All in all, Quartlebaum boast eight years of collegiate coaching experience at four different schools. His longest stint was served at the Naval Academy where from 1992 to 1996 he served as an assistant.
Prior to entering the college ranks, Quartlebaum coached at Rye High School in Rye, New York. He believes that working on the high school level was a learning experience.
Quartlebaum began his coaching at the young age of 23. He found himself an assistant coach at Rye High School in Rye, New York. Just a single year later, he inherited the helm and became the head basketball coach.
“As a high school basketball coach, you don’t have the resources you do as a college coach,” Quartlebaum said. “You learn to wear a lot of different hats. You have to raise money for your program through bake sales and car washes. Also you have to deal with the parents on a daily basis and the fact that kids play different sports. Those are all things that you have to take into consideration.”
Before his time at Rye, Quartlebaum spent a couple of years working with the New York Knicks in the public relations department. His main duties involved assisting the reporters who covered the Knicks at the time. He would gather quotes and other information to aid the press in their coverage of the NBA.
“It was an exciting time because it was the time when the Knicks went to the second round of the playoffs,” Quartlebaum said. “The only thing was that I was behind the scenes and I wanted to be on the court. The idea of coaching was really starting to excite me.”
At the time while Quartlebaum spent his nights at Madison Square Garden, he spent his days working for Chrysler Credit Corporation. He spent his days trying to account for cars at New York dealerships.
“I just basically dropped everything that I was doing and took that step,” Quartlebaum recalls. “I have never looked back and it has been almost 10 years now.”
No one would be able to guess that Quartlebaum is celebrating his ten-year anniversary of being involved with basketball. He still brings the enthusiasm of a young boy everyday to work, practice and the games.