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Miami's Haywood owes a lot to Gerry Faust

Phone calls — and Sunday dinners — did much for new RedHawks coach when he was a Notre Dame freshman.

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Updated 1:59 AM Wednesday, September 2, 2009

OXFORD — Mike Haywood wouldn’t be making history this weekend were it not for a man from Dayton: Gerry Faust.

The former University of Dayton quarterback — whose trumpeted prep and college coaching career included five years at the Notre Dame helm as well as a storied 19-year stint at Moeller High School — didn’t just offer Haywood an Irish scholarship in 1982, he then gave him a second chance ... and lots of Sunday dinners.

Because of it, Haywood will make his head coaching debut Saturday, Sept. 5, when he leads the Miami RedHawks against Kentucky at Paul Brown Stadium. In the process, he’ll become the first black head coach in Miami’s long and storied football history.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for Gerry Faust — he’s the best man I’ve ever known in college athletics,” said Haywood, who also played for Lou Holtz and worked for high-profile head coaches such as Nick Saban, Mack Brown and Charlie Weis.

“Coach Faust is truly concerned with you as a person. He and his family really look out for you.” And back when he was a teenager coming out of Houston, Haywood said he needed someone like that:

“During summer camp — just after I moved into starting at wide receiver — I was homesick and went home for two weeks.”

Faust remembered a few more details when he spoke by phone:

“At the time he had a girlfriend back in Houston and he was homesick. He left summer practice right after picture day.

“His parents — Delmore and his mom, Johnnie, they’re quality people and so’s their son — called me after that and asked if I’d take him back. I said I would because kids go through things like this.

“Well, a few days later, they called again and said (Mike) was on his way and they gave me his flight number. I sent someone to meet the plane, but then his folks called back and said he had beaten them back home. He hadn’t gotten on the plane.

“I called every night after that to see how things were going and he finally came back.”

Haywood nodded at the memory: “When I got back to school, he put me on the scout team and made me earn my stripes again. But every Sunday I went to his home for dinner.

“Coach Faust helped me through the most difficult time of my life and I’ll never forget it.”

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