Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME WIDE RECEIVER JAVON MCKINLEY ARRESTED Notre Dame junior wide receiver Javon McKinley was charged Feb. 11 with three misdemeanors, two of them Class A counts of bat- tery. The 20-year-old also is facing a Class C misdemeanor count of il- legal consumption of alcohol, and was released on a $250 bail after he was booked for a day into the St. Joseph County Jail. Per a probable cause affidavit, the incident began around 4 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10, when McKin- ley was found unresponsive in the backseat of an Uber vehicle. Ac- cording to the police report, Uni- versity of Notre Dame Security Police officers Adis Ibrekic and Lt. Laurie Steffen attempted to help McKinley to his dorm, but he "tensed up" and tried to leave the opposite direction. Concerned about his condition, the security officers attempted to steer him back toward his dorm, but he re- portedly punched both officers "in a rude, insolent or angry manner." McKinley then later was re- strained with the help of Notre Dame firefighters, resulting in his booking and a Breathalyzer test. He has a Feb. 28 court date pending. The nation's No. 11 wide receiver and No. 59 overall player in the class of 2016 according to Rivals, McKinley played in six games as a freshman before breaking his left fibula, resulting in a medical red- shirt in 2017. In 2018 as a junior, the Corona, Calif., native played only five snaps, per Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell. — Lou Somogyi Former University of Notre Dame offensive and defensive lineman and 14-year Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl guard Bob Kuechenberg passed away Jan. 12 at age 71. The 1969 graduate made his initial mark as a sophomore for the 1966 national champions when he stepped in for classmate George Kunz, who suffered a season-ending injury in the second game, at offensive tackle and started the remainder of the season. Kunz would make the Pro Bowl eight times in his NFL career while Kuechenberg achieved it six times, which ranks first and second among Notre Dame offensive line alumni. Because of the graduation of defensive ends Alan Page and Tom Rhoads after the 1966 title, Kuechenberg played there as a junior and senior in 1967- 68 on teams that finished No. 5 in the Associated Press poll both seasons. He totaled 76 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and six passes broken up. The Hobart, Ind., native was named the Monogram Club MVP on defense following his senior season. Selected in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, he was cut and played semi-pro football with the Chicago Owls of the Continental Football League. Kuechenberg then signed as a free agent with the Dolphins in 1970 under first-year head coach Don Shula. He not only made the team, but started all but one game during three straight Super Bowl runs from 1971-73, winning back- to-back titles in 1972 — when the team went 17-0 — and 1973. Kuechenberg made six Pro Bowls (1974, '75, '77, '78, '82 and '83), was twice named first-team All-Pro (1975 and '78), once second-team All-Pro (1977) and was inducted into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll in 1995. His 14 seasons in Miami trail only Dan Marino's 17, and his 19 playoff games with the Dolphins are still the most in franchise history. *** On Jan. 20, former Notre Dame first-team All-American fullback/linebacker Don Schaefer died at age 84 near his hometown of Pittsburgh. Growing up in Greenfield, Pa., Schaefer starred at Central Catholic when Notre Dame head coach Frank Leahy signed him in 1952. As a junior in 1954, following the graduation of No. 9 overall pick Neil Worden, Schaefer took over starting duties at fullback and rushed for a team-high 766 yards at 5.4 yards per carry while helping first-year head coach Terry Brennan's Fighting Irish to a 9-1 campaign and No. 4 finish in the AP poll. In 1955, Schaefer saw his backup at fullback — 1956 Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung — shift to quarterback, and Schaefer paced the team in rush- ing again with 638 yards for the 8-2 Notre Dame team that finished No. 9 in the AP poll. For his efforts as a two-way player, plus kicker, Schaefer received first-team All-America recognition from three media outlets, plus second-team honors from the AP and Sporting News. The No. 28 pick overall in the 1956 NFL Draft, Schaefer played one year with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the United States Air Force and later becoming a senior executive at Canteen Corporation. His obituary stated, "next to his family, Don's first love was Notre Dame, both for the traditions and val- ues it instilled in him and for the lifelong opportunities it provided to him as a graduate and an athlete." *** On New Year's Eve, word was received about the death of 2011-14 Notre Dame cornerback/wide receiver Josh Atkinson, who died unexpectedly Dec. 25. The family did not release any details, and his passing was addressed by twin brother and 2011-13 Fighting Irish running back George Atkinson III on social media. "I can't put into words the pain that comes with losing my twin brother … thank you for the love and support and please keep Josh in your prayers," he tweeted. Josh Atkinson was a two-year monogram winner in both football and track and field at Notre Dame, and graduated in May 2014 with a degree in film, television and theatre from the College of Arts and Letters. He played in 26 games for the Irish, registering 10 career tackles. He played in all 13 games, primarily special teams, for the 12-1 team in 2012. On the Notre Dame track and field squad, Atkinson competed with his brother in sprint events and placed fourth in the 100-meter dash at the 2012 Big East Outdoor Championships and fifth in the 60-meter dash at the Big East Indoor Championships earlier that year. At the 2014 ACC Outdoor Championships, he placed fifth in the 100-meter dash and seventh in the 200-meter event, and was part of the 4x100-meter relay team that took second place. He used his fifth-year option as a graduate transfer at Azusa Pacific in 2015 and started at cornerback. OBITUARIES: BOB KUECHENBERG, DON SCHAEFER AND JOSH ATKINSON KUECHENBERG McKinley, who was rated as the No. 11 wide receiver and No. 59 overall prospect in the class of 2016 by Rivals, has seen action in only 10 games his first three years at Notre Dame. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH DIGITAL MEDIA ATKINSON SCHAEFER