Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 26, 2018 5 FAN FORUM PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT The Nov. 12 issue of Blue & Gold Illustrated reported that the No. 7 kicker in the class of 2019 from Con- necticut, Harrison Leonard, had ac- cepted an offer of "preferred walk- on" from the Irish. What is a "preferred walk-on" and what advantages/enticements does it give to a football player, op- posed to the full scholarships he might have been offered from other schools? Theodore Kuhlmeier San Antonio Mr. Kuhlmeier, a preferred walk-on is guaranteed a spot on the 105-man roster day one of camp, while other walk-ons will have to go through tryouts to see if they can earn a spot on the roster. The other primary difference is that with a preferred walk-on the school is allowed to pick up the costs on housing and food during the August practices prior to the start of the season. A preferred walk-on will have a bet- ter chance of getting put on scholarship down the line. He also gets all the sup- port of normal scholarship athletes in the way of meals, training, etc. They are always considered a huge blessing to a team because the family still has to foot the tuition — about $72,000 per year now at Notre Dame — when the individual might have gone somewhere else for free. It takes a special affinity toward the school to become a preferred walk-on. BORN-AGAIN ENERGY It was great to see an energized stadium on a bone-chilling night versus Florida State. I've been at- tending games since the early 1960s and fan support has never been better. I want to give a special shout out to the fans in the ADA section. Watching them load and unload the shuttle bus is inspiring enough, but to see them sit through the op- pressive heat versus Vanderbilt or frigid FSU game show them to be true Irish fans. Their support should not go unnoticed. I have been a BGI subscriber since 1986. Tony Ardizzone Via the Internet Mr. Ardizzone, thank you so much for your patronage through the years. Senior wide receiver Chris Finke came to Notre Dame as a preferred walk-on, and he eventually ended up earning a scholarship and a starting role. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA FROM THE WEBSITE A subscriber on BlueandGold.com asked the week of the Syracuse game what is the most prized Notre Dame possession his fellow message board members have. Many rated their degree from the school, but there were several other interesting responses: Guardy20: ND football I caught after an extra point in 1984 against South Carolina. Jayedees: I spent $500 on a cocktail napkin from the old Domino Lounge on Rush Street that was once used by Paul Hornung. It has what I was told is Fuzzy Thurston's blood on it. Apparently there were some fisticuffs that night. Shabak: A gold pendant given to George Gipp in 1919. It is solid gold, has the initials ND in blue as an inlay, with the inscription G. Gipp Western Conference Champions 1919. I got this through a jewelry dealer in Palm Springs, who got it from the Gipp family. After I bought it, I took it to Notre Dame and had it verified as authentic by the Notre Dame curator at the time, Mr. Skyles. Marce6829: Football signed by all 7 Heisman winners. Waiting for an 8th to add to it. DBhenders: My bench pass from the 1974 miracle 71-70 win versus UCLA that broke the streak. It is autographed by both John Wooden and Digger. Soc Johnson: Four Horsemen picture autographed by all 4 to my grandfather who taught them in 1924. Vinnieboombah: A copy of a 1922 contract between ND and my grandfather that he was to be paid $500 a year to be an assistant for "Mr. Rockne" as a Physical Culture instructor. ( He played OL for team as well.) Also, a 1966 ND Bobble Head doll that belonged to my brother Chris who died in 1967, and a picture of Tim Brown — spring break of the year he won the Heisman — when he spoke to the Men's Club at All Saints in Dallas. FightinMike87: A signed picture of Lou Holtz personalized for me the day after I was born. He was doing a signing nearby and my dad went and got it for me while mom was still in the hospital recover- ing. The rarest thing I own is a program from the 1943 Notre Dame-Northwestern game signed by ND's Angelo Bertelli and NW's Otto Graham who finished 1 and 3 in the Heisman vote that year. I received it as a gift last Christmas and it's in a fireproof safe until I can decide how to best display it. Rich Starkey: I have a blue and gold flat cap, or some would call it a news boy cap, complete with a gold knit ball on the top. My dad bought it for me at the only game we went to together back in the '70s. Not sure how it's followed me around all these years, and last year my daughter wore it to her school for an Ohio State-Michigan dress down day. Less than 10 bucks well spent. CFDomer: My wife. We met at ND sophomore year. 1 kid, a few jobs and homes later, and she's still my favorite. Send your letters to: Blue & Gold Illustrated / Letters P. O. Box 1007, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com