Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1297579
52 OCT. 17, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI "May I have your attention, please?" T hrough six decades, those fa- miliar and anticipated words through the public address sys- tem from Indiana State Police Sergeant Tim McCarthy at the end of the third quarter of Notre Dame home football events became as much a staple of the game-day expe- rience as tailgating, pep rallies or The Victory March. The public safety announcement would last approximately a half- minute, but they became embedded and immortalized in Notre Dame Stadium lore. McCarthy passed away at age 89 Oct. 1 in his Westville, Ind., residence, 10 months after his wife of 63 years, Carole, died. A private funeral ser- vice was held the following day at St. Mary Catholic Church in Otis, Ind. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native grew up a Notre Dame fan, and in 1960, amidst a 2-8 season by the Fighting Irish, he became the public informa- tion/safety education officer for the Indiana State Police's Dunes Park District 1 office in Chesterton, Ind. The job description also carried with it making public safety an- nouncements at Notre Dame home games, especially because of a high rate of accidents following games. In addition, he would meet the visiting team in Michigan City, Ind., and es- cort their buses to Notre Dame. Regarding the delivery of the mes- sage during his rookie year in 1960, what McCarthy remembered most on advice from Sgt. Al Hartman was to project assertiveness and confidence to the audience without stammering. "He said be professional and pre- cise because if you muff one word, they'll laugh you right out of the sta- dium," McCarthy recalled in a 2010 interview with Northwest Indiana Times. "That stuck with me." However, he found his deliveries during that 1960 season did not reso- nate with the large congregation, and basically were ignored. So in 1961, he decided to "get their attention" by wrapping up the serious message with a pun in order to be a little more adhering and effective. Part of it also involved timing when there was a lull in the action on the field. His first during that 1961 season came when the officiating crew was conferring on a call that created a de- lay. After delivering the typical safety HE HAD OUR ATTENTION Longtime Notre Dame Stadium fixture Sergeant Tim McCarthy passes away at age 89 From 1960-2015, spanning more than 300 football games, McCarthy delivered entertaining public safety announcements at Notre Dame Stadium. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS