CINCINNATI – Legendary former Moeller High School coach Gerry Faust, who led the Crusaders to five state championships and four national championships, has died, his family announced Monday. He was 89 years old.

Affectionately known as “Mudblood,” Faust served as Moeller’s head coach for 18 years before leaving to coach at the University of Notre Dame. He finished with a 178-23-2 record, Moeller reported.

While many knew him as a coach, “we will long remember him as a wonderful father and grandfather who inspired us by example to live our best lives,” Faust’s family said in a statement.

Both his family and Moeller’s interim president, Carl Kremer, noted the importance of Faust’s faith. Kremer said in a statement that Faust “embodies all the meaning of being a Moeller Man.”

“He inspired his players to become men of faith and character who pursued academic excellence and pushed each other to achieve success,” Kremer said. “He believed in this brotherhood and defined it by how he lived.”

At Moeller’s release, former team captain Mike Suter recalled that Faust would take the captains to pray the rosary on the steps leading to Immaculata Church on Mount Adams.

“He would say, ‘You are the leaders of this team and we will say the rosary together.’ “I still pray for the steps taken on Good Friday and I think about Gerry Faust all the time,” Suter said.

His family said in a statement that they knew the impact Faust had on countless young men.

“His work ethic, optimism, leadership and humility were legendary,” the statement said. “He leaves behind a legacy of perseverance, compassion and inspiration, reminding us of the extraordinary impact one life can have.”

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