Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/145833
where have you gone? and your body just evolves into being avoid a season-ending surgery, but his faster and quicker. Business is the same ability to take handoffs and use his arm thing." was severely limited. Yura played defenThe arm was locked at sive back as a fresha right angle, and Yura man and made it on to became a blocking back the field on the kickoff when he played on ofteam during his first fense. Two years later, game at Notre Dame he chipped a bone in Stadium. He spent most the same elbow headof his time at practice ing into his senior seathat year squaring off son and was once again with the Irish first-team a one-armed player relreceivers, who were egated to mostly blockcoached by current ing duties. Ohio State head coach He played in 43 Urban Meyer. games, lettered all four Head coach Bob Dayears while in South vie gave Yura his shot at Yura has worked as a professional Bend and finished his model and is the founder of SustainU, tailback during spring a budding clothing company that career with 15 tackles practice the next year. makes all of its products in the U.S. on special teams. Yura He ran for 46 yards on using 100 percent recycled material. said he remains close photo courtesy chris yura with several of his 11 carries during the 2000 Blue-Gold Game to lead the team, Notre Dame teammates. To his surand coaches told him they wanted him prise, they became his biggest fans to bulk up to become a big back to com- during his modeling days, often buyplement what the Irish already had in ing five or six copies of any magazine the backfield. that printed his picture. They certainly Yura became a weight room junkie didn't mind coming to visit him and and developed a friendship with his female co-workers in New York. strength coach Mickey Marotti, a relaYura said the relationships that he tionship that would eventually push made and the lessons that he learned him to his first job in Miami and the while playing at Notre Dame have winding career path that followed. stuck with him during the past deYura won one of the team's strength cade. and conditioning player of the year "I knew I might get knocked down, awards in training camp during his but I wasn't going to ever sit out. I sophomore season, but days later an want to get back in," he said. "I was awkward fall while running the ball in very happy I was able to finish college practice dislocated his elbow. without having to not play. That's the Trainers stabilized Yura's arm with same drive and mentality I took into an ACL brace, which allowed him to this business as well." ✦