Moeller High School Faust had a highly successful run at
Moeller High School in
Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1962 to 1980, where he built the program from scratch. One of Faust's
linebackers at Moeller was
John Boehner, who later became a
United States Congressman and the 61st
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Faust was inducted into the
National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame in 2004.
Notre Dame It was his amazing high school record, sound ethics and the quality football players from Moeller who later played at Notre Dame, that led Notre Dame officials to take a calculated gamble and hire him when
Dan Devine stepped down after the 1980 season. For Faust, a devout Roman Catholic, it was a dream come true. He had coveted the head coaching job at Notre Dame for years and said all along that he would never leave Moeller for anything else. Faust inherited a solid squad that included nine of his former players from Moeller. He switched the team's home jerseys from green back to blue, although initially it was a lighter
Madonna blue shade than the
navy blue that had been previously worn (and returned to in 1984), and kept the players' names on the backs. A self-proclaimed eternal optimist brimming with enthusiasm, Faust had visions of winning more games and national championships and coaching at Notre Dame longer than anyone else. Then when he saw Notre Dame's schedule, he was quoted as saying, "I hope my lifelong dream doesn't end in a nightmare." It proved to be a prophetic statement and his era at Notre Dame, initially referred to as "The Bold Experiment",
Akron In 1986, Faust was hired by the
University of Akron after the school fired head coach
Jim Dennison. Dennison, who is the Akron career wins leader for football, was forced out by university president,
William Muse and athletic director, Dave Adams. Adams and Muse felt that Faust was more prepared to lead the Zips as they transitioned into a I-A institution. Faust struggled to get acclimated to the small budget school, compiling a record of 25–23–2 in his first five seasons with the Zips. In nine seasons (1986–1994), he achieved a record of 43–53–3. As was the case at Notre Dame, his Zips teams never won more than seven games in one season. Following a 1–10 finish in 1994, he was relieved of his coaching duties and became a fundraiser for the university. Faust's 43 wins placed him 3rd in Akron career wins leaders. ==Later life==