Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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A TRIBUTE TO LOU SOMOGYI truth is, I hadn't been to church in that time be- cause of the pandemic. I'm sure Lou was there, months earlier, the minute the Bishop drew the curtain on virtual-only masses. I felt a sense of calm as the minutes passed in old St. Joe Church down on Hill Street, a place where Lou and I spent many all-school masses together. After Communion, my wife and I made our way from the altar to the back of the church, toward the exits. There must have been two hundred people safely distanced in the pews when I spot- ted a solitary figure in one of the last rows. It was Lou. Our eyes met, I ambled toward his pew and did what any kid from the old neighborhood would do: I reached out and fist-bumped him. We both smiled. As I walked through the vestibule, I fought the urge to wait him out and tap into his infinite wis- dom about Notre Dame football. But dinner was in the oven, give the poor guy a break. A week later, Lou was gone. As I read the text, I was filled with bitter regret that I just walked out that door. Now, I need Lou to talk me back from the ledge one last time. I need to him to tell me not to worry, that saying goodbye is already hard enough and someday, our eyes will meet again. — Terry McFadden, television news anchor WNDU I t's easy to call Lou kind, nice, caring and friendly, but those words just don't do enough to de- scribe how special he truly was as a human being. To share a story, I want to take you all back to around the time I first started on the Notre Dame beat. While interviewing to become the next recruiting analyst with Blue & Gold Illustrated, which was my first time in South Bend, Lou actu- ally took me on a tour of Notre Dame during a break in the process. After spending the morning speaking with Stu Coman, Lou offered to take me around campus. While on campus, we ran into Elijah Hood, a top recruit who was visiting Notre Dame that weekend. We were pretty far away from him, but I knew him well and it was easy to recognize him. I was telling Lou about how I expected the Irish to land him, why they would probably do exactly that in the near future, but also how it would be tough to hold off North Carolina throughout, etc. I actually broke his commitment that weekend before heading home. I shared with Lou all of the information about Hood's recruitment and whether he truly meant it or not. Lou said he was blown away by the details I was sharing that not many people knew about. It made me feel great to get such positive feedback from someone I had great respect for. That 's when he looked over to me and said — and I'll never forget it — "This is why we need you." To hear that from him, it meant the world to not only feel wanted, but needed. He surely went to bat for me after that because I had a job offer from Stu within 24 hours. Lou was truly the best and I'm forever grateful for all I learned from him, but even more than that, the friendship we were able to develop over the years. — Tom Loy, college football writer, 247Sports/ CBS Sports; BGI recruiting analyst (2013-15) "D oes your back hurt?" he would ask me. "No, what do you mean?" I would reply. "Well, I thought it might given how much you have been carrying me lately." This was a common conversation I would have with my mentor and friend Lou Somogyi. Lou would often express gratitude to myself and other colleagues for carrying him, but we knew just how backwards that notion was. The reality is that every success we enjoyed resulted from Lou himself. Through any situation, he al- ways served as the constant unflinching force that navigated the ship through turbulent condi- tions. Lou's personal work ethic and commitment to his craft were surpassed only by the personal traits that made him beloved by so many. There was only one Lou: the faith-based, generous, humble, kind, selfless, forgiving and empathetic soul that blessed every life he touched in a per- sonal way. It is no exaggeration to say that he was the kindest, most generous human being I have ever encountered. I will always remember the kindness he showed in claiming that I, not he, was the one carrying the other at the publication. I of course knew the reality of the situation and his importance to not only Blue & Gold Illustrated, but also to my personal and professional development. I am blessed to have worked so closely with a man whose talent was surpassed only by his character. I had the honor of serving as a pallbearer at his funeral Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. After countless occasions of this giant carrying me in countless ways over the years, it was only fitting that I, for once, was able to return the favor in remembrance of this incredible mentor and friend whom I will never forget. — Andrew Owens, BGI assistant editor (2013-16) A s kind a man as I've met, Lou knew more about Notre Dame than anyone I've known knew about anything. He gave Stu Coman and me a tour of the campus on my first trip up there for work, and he had a story or anecdote about any observation I made or question I had. The one I remember best is remarking that I had forgotten how big squirrels are up north after moving to North Carolina. Lou then told the story of Chris Zorich choosing Notre Dame during his visit to South Bend in part because of how peaceful and friendly the squirrels were — where Zorich was from, inner city Chicago, he said the squirrels were so skittish because of the bustle and violence in the area. That's just one of countless stories Lou would have about just about anything, and he was a great storyteller, too. The other thing I remember about him now that I'm more focused on writing vs. design was his memory. I do a "By The Numbers" section in each of my game stories, and I often spend a good chunk of time researching the item during the game. Lou would do the same for each Notre Dame football game, except he'd do three or four "numbers" and all from memory. There were times he called me on deadline to say something like, "I wrote the last time a cornerback from California forced three fumbles for Notre Dame in a game was 1948, but actu- ally (insert player) was born in California before moving to Oklahoma at six-weeks old and did it in 1953" — all information that actually predated his own life, and he had it all at his fingertips. He was truly a one-of-a-kind man, and he'll be sorely missed. — Cor y Lavalet te; B GI graphic designer (2001-16) I always called Lou "Rain Man." He could pull stats out of thin air and they were always correct. I could always count on getting a text from him at the beginning of every game asking for a half- time photo and then he would walk over to me as I was editing in the press box to remind me again. I couldn't think of anybody who lived and breathed ND football more than Lou. Lou was always happy to see you and I never saw him mad (rushed maybe, but never mad). The other person in the photo is Tim Prister and those photos were from the one game he traveled to in Miami for the BCS against Alabama. I still remember sitting with him on the bus going to the game. We were all so hopeful for an- other national championship. When we all got to the hotel at 3 a.m., we all went down to the me- dia room to drink our sorrows away, but not Lou, he was working to finish just one more column. — William A. Panzica, senior vice president Pan- zica Building Corp; BGI photographer (2012-18) 26 JUNE/JULY 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Lou's service to Blue & Gold Illustrated spanned 37 years over five different decades, and his work and kindness earned him many fans and friends along the way. STAFF PHOTO