At Notre Dame, the improbable is done on a daily basis. There are student-athletes at Notre Dame and then there is Pat Eilers. Notre Dame did not offer a bio-medical engineering program at the time, so Pat instead graduated with degrees in both Biology (pre-med) (’89) and Mechanical Engineering (’90). On top of that he played both football (a member of the 1988 national championship team) and baseball. He went on to play in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, and Chicago ...
Lou Holtz
Where Are They Now? Byron Spruell
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. ~Jackie Robinson Byron Spruell had aspirations of becoming an engineer since he was in the sixth grade, when his teacher told him that his math and science talents would serve him well in the engineering field. When he reached high school and not only excelled academically, but also athletically on the football field and basketball court, Byron received the opportunity to attend the University of Notre Dame on a football ...
Good Fridays W/Padre: Misremembered
The world is a very different place up in Ann Abhor Arbor. The stadium is bigger, the fans are meaner, and the shade of yellow is urine-ier. They even have an entirely different perspective on the world and all that’s in it, as seen through their beady little giant-North-American-weasel eyes. What follows, then, is the Irish-Wolverine rivalry, according to the Book of Michigan. 1879 – A devastating fire rages through Notre Dame’s Main Building. Young men from the University of Michigan ...
Where Are They Now? Kory Minor
How does a humble, hard working, salt of the earth kid go from living in laid back Southern California to moving 2,000 miles across the country and playing football in the frozen tundra of South Bend, Indiana? Kory Minor, upon hearing some stern advice from his mother while on Notre Dame’s campus in the dead of winter, left behind his sunny California days and began his journey to play football for the Fighting Irish. During his tenure at Notre Dame, Kory totaled 245 tackles, over 40 tackles for ...
What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been
The last year has taken me places that I never thought I would have gone. First ... Biggest Fan of the Big East conference. Now ... Notre Dame football author. In just one week (my how time flies) my new book on Notre Dame football: Echoes From the End Zone: The Men We Became will officially be released. I never intended to write a book, but I guess those are how the best journeys are started, right? In case you have not been following my "Where Are They Now?" series ... this is the ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: ND SA
You have to write an essay – and a good one at that – in order to be admitted to Our Lady’s University. But just anyone can buy, be given, or stumble upon a ticket to a home game. And I’m not exactly sure that’s appropriate. I think there should be an essay application for anyone – student, alum, subway alum, or first-time fan – who wants to enter the House the Rockne Built…except the other team’s people, who we know are illiterate. So I’ve taken this year’s actual essay questions, written ...
Where Are They Now? Randy Kinder
Randy Kinder grew up in Spartan country in a house where everyone knew the MSU fight song by heart. Even with such strong influences he was not a college football fan. He did not even know where Notre Dame was, let alone that it was only a mere two and a half hours away. But after some football success in high school and receiving some attention from Division I football schools, Notre Dame very quickly jumped into the picture. After his time at ND, Randy had a brief but exciting NFL career with ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: Fr.’s Day
It’s important to remember that all of our greatest football coaches kept their most precious players at home…literally. Each man who has led the Fighting Irish to first place in the rankings has been a father first and foremost. I don’t mean to suggest any element of competition, but no one beats Frank Leahy and his brood of eight, though Dan Devine’s clan comes close at seven. Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz had something in common besides winning a National Championship – both men fathered ...
What Would You Do With The Second Chance of a Lifetime?
For anyone who believes in second chances, USA Network's new original series 'The Moment' is for those who believe in, or who have benefited from, second chances. Hosted by legendary NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, 'The Moment' gives ordinary people the unique opportunity to realize unfulfilled dreams and rewrite their life's story. It gives them the second chance of a lifetime. Each week, Kurt will surprise one person with their second chance: whether that's becoming a race car driver, costume ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: Atlantis Found
“When criticizing a Catholic institution, be sure to troop out quaint stereotypes so that your comments contain vague accusations of sacrilege or apostasy, and the humorous implication that its leaders are, in fact, just bad Catholics.” At least that’s what I presume is written in the general press conference guidelines down at Arizona State. Or maybe the athletic director has one of those desk calendars that gives a new piece of advice for every day of the year. But if that’s the case, he ...