Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 2, 2021 53 Bob Thomas (ND 1974) — Citizenship Award As Notre Dame's kicker, Thomas booted the Irish past Alabama, 24-23, for the 1973 national cham- pionship, then nailed 151 NFL field goals for the Chicago Bears. He gained a law degree along the way and served on the Illinois Supreme Court for 20 years. Aaron Taylor (ND 1994) — Champion Award A consensus All-American in 1992-93, Taylor won the Lombardi Award in 1993 as the nation's out- standing lineman. His six-year NFL career included a Super Bowl championship with the 1996 Green Bay Packers. Now a college football analyst for the CBS Sports Network, Aaron is heavily involved in a wide vari- ety of charity work. Danielle Green (ND 1999) — Courage Award Green came out of the Chicago Public League as a sharp-shooting guard and earned a basketball scholarship at Notre Dame. While serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq, she lost her lower left arm and hand, and received a Purple Heart. She now assists veterans transitioning to civilian life. Darius Fleming (ND 2012) — Champion Award A standout linebacker at St. Rita High School and Notre Dame, Fleming was part of a New England Patriots Super Bowl champion team. During his time with the Patriots, he suffered injuries while saving the life of a woman trapped in a burning car. Molly Seidel (ND 2016) — Determination Award Seidel overcame a number of challenges to be- come a multiple NCAA cross-country and track champion for Notre Dame, excelling in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000-meter events. Running in just her third marathon ever, she shocked the running world by capturing the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in August. Barry Sullivan — Inspiration Award A Notre Dame parent, Sullivan was thrust into the spotlight in 2010 when his son Declan died in an accident while serving as a student videog- rapher for the football team. The family turned its grief into positive action, creating the Declan Drumm Sullivan Fund and working with Horizon for Youth to help underprivileged Chicago children attain educational success. Barry Alvarez — Living Legend Award Alvarez was an assistant coach under Hayden Fry at Iowa when Lou Holtz added him to his Notre Dame staff in 1987. The next season, he was ele- vated to defensive coordinator and led a superlative effort for the 1988 national champion Fighting Irish. After the 1989 season, Alvarez left to become the head coach at Wisconsin, where he trans- formed the program, winning three Big Ten cham- pionships and three Rose Bowls. He served as Wisconsin's athletic director from 2004 until his recent retirement in June 2021, guiding an unprec- edented stretch of success across all Wisconsin sports. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. ✦ The Knute Rockne Memorial Society wishes to congratulate the following Rockne Award winners: The family of Charlie Bachman 1917 The family of Norman Barry 1921 The family of Moose Krause '34 The family of Johnny La ner '54 Terence Smith '60 Mike Collins '67 Joel Maturi '67 Mike McCoy '70 Jay Standring '70 Peter Schivarelli '71 Bob Thomas '74 Aaron Taylor '94 Danielle Green '99 Darius Fleming '12 Molly Seidel '16 Barry Sullivan Barry Alvarez Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com Now a football analyst for the CBS Sports Network, Aaron Taylor won the Lombardi Award in 1993 as the nation's outstanding lineman and went on to play six years in the NFL. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS