Notre Dame coach bombs out in execution of old McKay quote

Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly was attempting to make a joke. His, uh, execution could have been better.

“Yeah, you know, I’m in favor of execution,” Kelly told sideline reporter Katie George with a straight face after his No. 9 Fighting Irish outlasted Florida State, 41-38, in overtime Sunday in Tallahassee. “Maybe our entire team needs to be executed after tonight.”

Kelly’s curious comment prompted backlash on social media and a question about the remark during his postgame news conference.

“It’s an old John McKay quote,” Kelly said, referencing the late former football coach, who led USC to four national titles before taking over the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I was kidding. It was tongue in cheek. It wasn’t funny?”

The quotable McKay, who died in 2001, was known for his wit. According to legend, at one point during the Buccaneers’ 26game losing streak from 1976 to 1977, he was asked to comment on his team’s execution. “I’m in favor of it,” McKay reportedly replied. In another common retelling, McKay said, “I think it’s a good idea.”

It’s an amusing and somewhat well known quote in sports circles, best deployed when the reporter asking the question actually references execution. “My team’s execution in the last minute-and-a-half?” former Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle said at a news conference in 2013, repeating the reporter’s inquiry. “I’m in favor of it!” Carlisle’s quip elicited laughter, while Kelly’s fell flat, in part because George made no reference to execution before his response. “What did you think of your team’s ability to withstand Florida State’s impressive comeback?” George asked.

“It’s an old John McKay quote that he used after the game,” Kelly later explained to reporters, evidently surprised to learn that his attempt at humor bombed. “I was making a joke about it. Why, it was taken serious? Are you people crazy? … I was stealing one of his old quotes and being funny. I guess no one likes to be funny any more. So yeah, if you want to take me to town on that, please do.”