Blue and Gold Illustrated

April 2020

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2020 53 but large enough back then when sophomores Mike Heldt and Tim Ryan (a converted linebacker) were listed at 258 and 245 as the starting center and guard, respectively. Among the 1988 team members, there has been a uni‑ versal theory that the unit had the ideal balance of swag‑ ger tempered by humility. Sophomore stalwarts Chris Zorich (nose tackle), the late George "Boo" Williams (defensive tackle), Todd Lyght (cornerback), Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, among others — plus freshmen such as Brown, wideout Raghib "Rocket" Ismail and drop end Arnold Ale — provided a powerful infusion of talent. They combined with the superb and steadfast leadership of upperclassmen such as Heck, Mark Green, Ned Bolcar, Tony Rice, Anthony Johnson, linebackers Frank Stams, Wes Pritchett, Ned Bolcar and Michael Stonebreaker, and safeties George Streeter and Pat Terrell, etc. — all of whom had experienced the throes of losing seasons and kept the team grounded with supreme dedication and focus. Only four career starts (all by guard Tim Grunhard) re‑ turned along the 1988 Irish offensive line — but Heck up‑ lifted everyone on the unit with positive but firm standards. "You can't say enough about what he did for us that year," Moore said several years later. En route to the national title, Notre Dame became one of a handful of teams in history to defeat four teams that fin‑ ished in the Associated Press top 10: No. 2 Miami (31‑30), No. 4 Michigan (19‑17), No. 5 West Virginia (34‑21) and No. 7 USC (27‑10). Heck ended up earning first‑team consensus All‑Amer‑ ica honors and was the No. 15 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. LIFE IN THE NFL After his 12th season as a starter in the NFL, Heck knew the direction of his next chapter. "I was ready to leave the game physically because of the toll it took on my body, but I was not ready to leave the competition, the feeling you have after a well‑earned win — there's no feeling like it," Heck said. "The preparation, the practice … the best part is that satisfaction and great feeling you have of a group of guys in this sport pulling together and earning a win." While breaking into the coaching world at Virginia from 2001‑03 as a graduate assistant, the thought of returning to Notre Dame in a coaching capacity was a viable goal, but not after he was hired by the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars as an assistant and gradually rose the ladder. The reason was simple: the grind of recruiting. "I have so much respect for what those college coaches do," Heck said. "If you want to be good in recruiting, there's no free time. If you have free time, you better be recruiting, writing a kid, somehow, someway regardless. To me, it just doubled the job. "In the NFL it's more about strictly the coaching. I liked being more focused on that, especially as I was starting a young family. It's awfully challenging to be a college coach these days." He feels especially blessed to have been at only two locations the past 16 years: Jacksonville (2004‑12) and Kansas City since 2013. "That doesn't happen very often," Heck said. "I love being in an NFL stadium on Sunday. I still get chills dur‑ ing The Star‑Spangled Banner. I feel like it's an honor and privilege to be competing at the highest possible level." Now in his third decade of marriage to his wife, Jennifer, who he met at a fresh‑ man mixer at Notre Dame, they are the par‑ ents of four — son Jon, and triplets Charlie, Molly and Evelyn. Jon was a four‑year starting offensive tackle (50 career starts) for the North Car‑ olina Tar Heels (2013‑16) and is now a strength coach there. Charlie, who as a 150‑pound high school freshman was a soccer goalie, started 34 games also at offensive tackle at North Car‑ olina from 2017‑19 and is an NFL prospect. Both were offered opportunities as pre‑ ferred walk‑ons at Notre Dame — a la cur‑ rent junior Colin Grunhard, son of Heck's former teammate. "On some level it was disappointing," Heck said of neither son getting a scholar‑ ship offer by the Irish, "but both were late bloomers. I'm not sure I would have offered them myself at Notre Dame when you look at the type of talent Notre Dame brings in. "On the other hand, I thought the Uni‑ versity of North Carolina was a great fit for both of them. I sure would have loved for my boys to play at Notre Dame, but I couldn't be prouder of what they accom‑ plished at North Carolina." Meanwhile, Molly and Evelyn graduated from Notre Dame in the spring of 2019. One can't spell Andy without ND. ✦ The Rare Double Play The first Super Bowl was played on Jan. 15, 1967. By our count, at least a dozen Notre Dame football players have achieved the unique distinction of winning a national title with the Fighting Irish and a Super Bowl as either a player or assistant coach: Four from 1966: • Linebacker Jim Lynch (1970, Kansas City Chiefs) • Guard Bob Kuechenberg (1973-74, Miami Dolphins) • Running back Rocky Bleier (1975-76 and 1979-80, Pittsburgh Steelers) • Quarterback Terry Hanratty (1975-76, Pittsburgh Steelers) Three from 1973: • Tight end Dave Casper (1977, Oakland Raiders) • Offensive tackle Steve Sylvester (1977, 1981, 1984 Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders) • Quarterback Tom Clements (2011, Green Bay Pack- ers quarterbacks coach) Two from 1977: • Quarterback Joe Montana (1982, 1985, 1989 and 1990, San Francisco 49ers) • Linebacker Bobby Leopold (1982, San Francisco 49ers) Three from 1988: • Running back Ricky Watters (1995 San Francisco 49ers) • Cornerback Todd Lyght (2000, St. Louis Rams) • Offensive tackle Andy Heck (2020, Kansas City Chiefs offensive line coach) — Lou Somogyi Heck was Notre Dame's starting tight end as a sophomore before moving to offensive tackle, where he went on to earn first-team consen- sus All-America honors and become a first-round pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA

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