Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 JAN. 1, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME STEVE HEIMKREITER: 1957-2020 If one ever assembled an All-Underrated Notre Dame football team — highly productive individuals who never received even honorable mention All-America notice — 1975-78 linebacker Steve Heimkreiter would be a popular choice. The Cincinnati native "Kritter" passed away in Fort Thomas, Ky., on Dec. 3 after a battle with cancer. His 398 career tackles are fourth on the all-time Notre Dame chart, behind Bob Crable (521), Bob Golic (479) and Manti Te'o (437), although the two bowl totals for Crable and three for Golic and Heimkreiter, who were classmates, are not included. A stalwart at Roger Ba- con High in the Queen City, Heimkreiter told Blue & Gold Illustrated in a 2009 inter- view that his mother, Sherry, who would pass away a year after his Notre Dame gradu- ation in 1979 — had a huge influence on him. "She used to play me the Notre Dame Fight Song ev- ery morning before I would go to school," he recalled. Signed in new head coach Dan Devine's first class in 1975, Heimkreiter was over- shadowed by classmate Golic, whose 82 tackles that year are still the standard by a Notre Dame freshman. On a 1976 Notre Dame defense that set a school record for consecutive quar- ters not allowing a touch- down (21), the sophomore Heimkreiter 's 118 tackles led the team. The ensuing year for the 1977 national champs he was third with 98 stops, and in the Cotton Bowl he added an inter- ception to set up a 29-yard touchdown drive in the 38-10 romp over No. 1 Texas. As a senior in 1978, Heimkreiter's 160 stops set a single-season school record that has been topped only by Crable, who did so twice with 187 in 1979 and 167 in 1981. Heimkreiter leaned on a combination of instincts and ferocity. Selected by the Baltimore Colts with the 197th overall pick, he suffered a career-ending injury his fourth year in 1982 during an exhibition game. "I made a tackle and got knocked out instantly," Heimkreiter said. "Back then they had the Nike air helmets, and there wasn't proper air in my helmet. I ended up having a seizure that next Wednesday. I wound up with epilepsy, and basically the doctor said I couldn't play anymore. "… I was only 25 years old and didn't know what I was going to do for a couple of years. I didn't work, and it was really hard to let it go. It took me a couple of years to get over it. I had a five- or six-year period where I had seizures all the time." After getting it under control with medication, Heimkreiter for more than three decades worked in fundraising for Special Events Incorporated in Cincinnati, becoming the CEO. His obituary noted "he genuinely loved and cared for all his employees. They were his extended family." — Lou Somogyi LOUIS NIX III RECOVERING FROM GUNSHOT Former Notre Dame nose guard Louis Nix III (2010-13) was a victim of a gunshot wound Dec. 15 in Jacksonville, Fla., during a foiled rob- bery attempt that nearly took his life. Nix had stopped at a gas station on his way home from work to put air in an under-inflated tire when two men approached him with a gun. When Nix reportedly reacted against them, he was shot, with the bullet fracturing his sternum and eventually staying in his left lung. There remained uncertainly about how safe it would be to perform surgery and remove the bullet from the lung. "I'm feeling better," Nix told The South Bend Tribune's Eric Hansen the following day. "I've been doing breathing therapy. I just have to take my time, because I just don't feel normal. "I'm getting so much support from people, and I really appreciate it. It makes me feel stronger. … I realize now it's going to be a long road, but I'm up for it." A highly popular and beloved teammate, Nix redshirted as a 2010 freshman before becoming a standout at nose tackle with his 6-2, 342-pound frame that occupied blockers, controlled the middle and enabled the defense to dominate while allowing only 10.3 points per game during a 12-0 regular season. A knee injury in 2013 sidelined him most of his senior year before becoming a third-round pick and eventually receiving his under- graduate degree. A third knee surgery helped set back his NFL career, although he was on practice squads for several franchises through 2016. — Lou Somogyi TAYLOR DEVER: 1989-2020 Word was received on Dec. 11 of the death of 2007-11 Notre Dame offensive lineman Taylor Dever, who was only 31 years old. The announcement was re- vealed on Notre Dame football's social media, but a cause of death has not been revealed. Signed in the 2007 class that was rated in the top 10, the Nevada, City, Calif., native Dever quietly developed into a two-year starter at right tackle for head coach Brian Kelly's first two Notre Dame teams in 2010-11 while earning his undergraduate degree in the Mendoza College of Business. He was a game-day captain twice during his fifth season in 2011. An undrafted free agent, Dever spent brief time with the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers. Most recently his career occupa- tion was listed as an inside sales advisor for Tesla in Fremont, Calif., in the Bay Area. "Our Notre Dame football family lost a brother earlier this week with the tragic passing of Taylor Dever," the Dec. 11 Twitter post noted. "Taylor was a kind and affable person. He was also a deter- mined player who grinded away for three seasons before becoming a starter in his fourth and fifth seasons. He was respected in our locker room and will be missed by many. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his parents, Tom and Lori, and his sister, Megan." — Lou Somogyi Heimkreiter notched 160 tackles as a senior in 1978 — a single-season school record that has been eclipsed by only one man, all-time leading tackler Bob Crable. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS DEVER NIX