Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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where have you gone? and the student body at that time at Notre Dame. I have pride in that and those experiences. "But that's not who I am today as a person." Stonebreaker built a hard-hitting reputation as a freshman in 1986, when he made 19 of his 21 tackles over the last five games in an increased reserve role, and is remembered as a contributing member on and off the field of the Three Amigos, which included elder linebackers Frank Stams and Wes Pritchett. The trio served as the heart of the lockdown defense that led Notre Dame to the national championship in 1988. Stonebreaker was second on the team that season with 104 tackles and finished third in the Butkus Award vote. He's also remembered for sitting out the 1987 season, when he would have first cracked the starting lineup, for academic issues, as well as the 1989 campaign for a highly publicized arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol after wrecking his car and injuring both himself and a female passenger. Instead of helping defend Notre Dame's crown during the 1989 season, he spent 80 hours of community service mostly speaking to area high school students about the dangers of drinking and driving, at the same time recovering from fractures to his face and injuries to his knee, hip and a severed artery in his leg. He bounced back in 1990 to be named an All-American just as he was two years earlier, and he finished third again in the Butkus Award after registering 95 tackles. His academic eligibility in 1987 was due in part to a childhood injury that left him deaf in one ear. An infection in one of the bones while at Notre Dame left Stonebreaker in a lot of pain, making it hard for him to concentrate in class. Looking back, however, the turbulent times were all part of his education in South Bend. "The hurdles and setbacks I went through develop you as a person," he said. "When you're going in as a projected starter your sophomore year at Notre Dame as an inside linebacker, and it's taken away by [your own doing], that's something you have to deal with at an early age and help to build your character. "It's not the end of the world. You learn a lot. I had a really great time that year not being involved in football. I didn't have to go to practices, I didn't spend any time with the team at all. I was able to be a non-football-playing student at Notre Dame, go to the tailgates, go to the games and enjoy my evenings and my weekends with my classmates and dorm mates." A fresh perspective from the bleachers for a handful of games in 1989 helped him when he rejoined the squad the following year. "It slowed the game down a lot for me watching from the stands," Stonebreaker said. "It's basically tackling the man with the ball. It's not that difficult of a game to play." It wasn't at Notre Dame, but circumstances beyond his control made the transition to the professional level difficult. Selected 245th overall in the ninth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the