Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1428488
12 NOV. 20, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME BGI: What led you to enroll at Notre Dame as a preferred walk-on? Ratigan: "I've lived in South Bend since the second grade, so 12-plus years now. We moved here because my dad took the job as the Notre Dame team doctor. I attended Saint Joe Grade School and Saint Joe High School. Now I'm at Notre Dame. "All three of those schools are within a mile radius. It's pretty nuts. I was a big fan of Notre Dame. I'd walked on campus and been to mass at the Basilica many times. Both of my parents are Notre Dame grads. My brother just graduated from Notre Dame in the class of 2021. "I've gone to almost every home game since I've been in the sixth grade. I was always fasci- nated with the team and a die- hard Notre Dame fan in all facets. Now that I'm a part of it, it's been pretty special." BGI: What's it like suiting up in the same uniform your dad wore as a linebacker for the Irish from 1989-92? Ratigan: "It's pretty cool. The first time I ran out of the tunnel, it was awesome because I had watched it so many times. Especially putting on the helmet for the first time — the game helmet, the shiny one — it was pretty surreal. "After I ran out of the tunnel, my dad was on the field because, again, he's the team doctor. I turned back and looked at him. It was pretty special. A cool moment. I don't think many people are able to do that. I'm grateful every day I'm able to do that. "So now every home game I'll run out of the tunnel, go down and say my prayer, turn around and meet my dad. Give him a hug, and then the game starts. A cool tradition I'm grateful for now and will miss when it's over." BGI: Do teammates know you as the team doctor's son? What is that dynamic like? Ratigan: "It's funny. I'll talk to play- ers and they'll say, 'I didn't realize your dad was the team doctor.' I'm like, 'How do you not see that connection?' Some guys are like, 'Oh yeah, that's really cool. Your dad is the team doctor.' "Other guys don't put it together. Just the other day I was talking to [defensive coordinator] Marcus Freeman, and he said he didn't realize my dad was the doctor." BGI: You're part of the "Inside the Garage" podcast with Kyle Hamilton, Cam Hart and KJ Wallace. How did that come to be? Ratigan: "Three scholarship guys and a walk-on. How did that form, right? The four of us, a couple guys who aren't on the team anymore and Kyren [Williams] formed a pretty close group our freshman year. We've stayed pretty close. I lived with Cam my soph- omore year off campus. This year the four of us live together in a house. "We sit around a lot and talk as four guys would. We thought it would be funny if we podcasted it, kind of as a joke. We started talking about it more and more and thought why not try it. It was in the sum- mer. We had a lot of free time. We started everything ourselves; ordered equipment, set up ev- erything in our garage, painted a table for it. "At the time, NLI came out. We got picked up by Colin Cowherd's podcast company. After that ev- erything was super easy for us. They sent us equipment and pro- duced it. It just took off. It turned into a whole production. It's fun. You have a conversation with three of your best friends every Sunday for an hour about the game and a bunch of other stuff. "People like to listen to it. It's been a really fun experience." BGI: What do you study at Notre Dame and what are your future career plans? Ratigan: "I'm not sure the NFL is what I'll be pursuing as a part of WOPU Nation. I'm a science business major with a pre-med focus. The next goal for me would be medical school. The end-goal would be an or- thopedic field or oncology field. "I've always been interested in the medical field in general because I've always been surrounded by it. I've al- ways been intrigued by that. It's cool to see athletes my dad has worked on come back and play and get back to full strength. I can see it with my own eyes. I'm playing with them. They're my teammates. "It's definitely hard. It's definitely not a fun schedule to have paired with foot- ball. A lot of labs. But at the end of the day, that's what I want to do." ✦ Ratigan is part of the "Inside the Garage" podcast with Kyle Hamilton, Cam Hart and KJ Wallace. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL W A L K - O N P L A Y E R S U N I O N WOPU WOPU SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT BY TYLER HORKA Q&A with Q&A With Junior Wide Receiver Conor Ratigan