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Notre Dame Football: Top 5 coaches Irish will face in 2018

By Chase Eyrich

3ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Notre Dame Fighting Irish players celebrate following the Citrus Bowl against the LSU Tigers on January 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Notre Dame won 21-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
3ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Notre Dame Fighting Irish players celebrate following the Citrus Bowl against the LSU Tigers on January 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Notre Dame won 21-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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ANNAPOLIS, MD – NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Ken Niumatalolo of the Navy Midshipmen looks on against the Southern Methodist Mustangs in the second half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on November 14, 2015 in Annapolis, Maryland. The Navy Midshipmen won, 55-14. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
ANNAPOLIS, MD – NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Ken Niumatalolo of the Navy Midshipmen looks on against the Southern Methodist Mustangs in the second half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on November 14, 2015 in Annapolis, Maryland. The Navy Midshipmen won, 55-14. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

No. 5 Navy – Ken Niumatalolo

Head coaching record
84-48

Accolades
2015 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year
2016 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year

Ken Niumatalolo has seemingly earned the respect of everyone. As the second person of Polynesian descent to be named an NCAA Division I FBS college football head coach, he was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

As a natural leader, Niumatalolo played as a quarterback for Hawaii leading them to their first bowl game in 1989. He has spent time coaching at Navy and UNLV, but when it comes to the Midshipmen, he’s almost done it all.

You want a coach who knows the ends and outs when it comes to Navy and their pesky triple option. Niumatalolo is the man who knows it best. Starting in 1995 to 1998, he coached the running backs, quarterbacks and was the offensive coordinator.

A three-year stint with UNLV ultimately brought him right back to Navy, this time with a new role. Niumatalolo was the assistant coach as well as overseeing the offensive line. That was the time period that Navy set the foundation for their infamous running brigade.

That foundation eventually led to the Midshipmen finally beating Notre Dame in a 46-44 triple-overtime victory. The win ended Notre Dame’s 43-year winning streak over the Irish in Charlie Weis’s 3-9 season.

The end of that season was when Niumatalolo was promoted to head coach. He has continued the success that the Midshipmen have had with only one losing season in his ten years at the helm.

Niumatalolo has built a culture of winning, becoming the winningest coach in the history of Navy football.

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