“Have you ever waged war with a villain under the pale moonlight?” – The Joker, Batman (1989)
There’s been quite a bit of chatter about Curt Cignetti being cast as the villain, given his frustration over not securing a home playoff game and his seemingly arrogant attitude towards his Indiana Hoosiers. I don’t hold it against him—after all, his team just had a historic 11-1 season. It’s understandable he’d get a bit hot when people downplay his accomplishments. The “Google Me” remark? Perfect. But in the context of Notre Dame this weekend, he’s embraced the role of the antagonist, albeit not one of the all-time great ND villains. Think of him more like the Condiment King or Kite Man to our Batman.
This got me thinking: Who are the most villainous coaches I’ve witnessed in my lifetime? Who caused the most frustration, stress, and grief during my years as a Notre Dame fan? And since I already made a Condiment King reference, which Batman villain would these coaches resemble?
(Note: I’ll only rank coaches I’ve actually seen coach in my lifetime. I started watching Notre Dame in 1988, but I was only four years old back then, so I don’t recall much, if any, of those early coaching eras. If you have other coaches in mind, feel free to drop them in the comments.)
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