Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Upon Further Review todd D. burlage Ridiculously Photogenic "Have you ever wondered if there's more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good-looking?" — Derek Zoolander, from the 2001 movie "Zoolander" A nd so it goes for Cam McDaniel: Notre Dame junior, sturdy Irish running back, devout Christian and ridiculously photogenic college football player. If you haven't heard the hubbub surrounding one amazing photograph, here's the scoop. Just days after rushing for 92 yards in a win over USC, a smoldering picture of McDaniel running the football after his helmet popped off — showcasing his perfectly tousled hair, beefy biceps and Mona Lisa smile — went viral on the World Wide Web and transformed a regular major college football player into an Internet sensation. From USA Today, to Yahoo! Sports, to Nightline, to Inside Edition, to almost every print and electronic medium in between, McDaniel spent much of last week being celebrated as the most photogenic college football player ever, and it was hard to argue. McDaniel and his mug became so hot that NBC flew both out to New York for an appearance on the Today Show. Social media only helped fuel McDaniel Mania. "This pic of Cam McDaniel is like Jesus riding a Harley through a ring of Junior running back Cam McDaniel became an Internet sensation after a photo of him from the USC game Oct. 19 went viral on the World Wide Web. image from deadspin.com fire," Tweeted @jdubs88. "Cam McDaniel is really handsome at football," added @meredithfrost. One writer even suggested that the only reason the USC defenders even tried to tackle McDaniel was because "they just wanted to touch him." The unsolicited attention surrounding McDaniel is ironic because his dreamy looks are balanced by his sincere humility, a trait grown directly from the difficult surroundings in which he was raised. From rats to riches, the story of the McDaniel family is equal parts remarkable and inspiring. Along with his wife, Diane, and the two oldest of the three sons, Cam and Gavin, Danny McDaniel was just trying to make ends meet as a football and track coach at Prosper High School outside of Dallas. Money was so tight that the house the McDaniel