Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/216396
in the trenches andrew owens E Making It Work ach year, roughly 30 Irish seniors earn the honor of running to midfield to greet their parents as a symbol of four years and countless hours of hard work that ultimately result in a Notre Dame degree. Each class is remembered for something different. Each class has a different story that unfolds during four years. On Nov. 23, Notre Dame honored 33 seniors that — with the exception of a handful of potential fifth-year returnees — ran out of the Notre Dame Stadium tunnel with their helmets shining in the sun one final time with the fellow members of their class. The Class That Made It Work. Of the 23 original members that signed a letter of intent with Notre Dame in February 2010, only 15 can still suit up for the Irish. Three were lost as transfers (Chris Badger, Spencer Boyd and Derek Roback), four have been lost to injuries (Tate Nichols, Cam Roberson, Danny Spond and Daniel Smith) and one was lost to tragedy months before his freshman season would have begun (Matt James). The situation in South Bend could hardly be described with sunshine and roses during this recruiting class. Notre Dame fired Charlie Weis after a 16-21 stretch in his final three seasons, leading to louder questions of whether the Irish could field a championshipcaliber program again. In stepped Brian Kelly with criticism Amid the uncertainty of a coaching change, the current senior class — including quarterback Tommy Rees — believed in Notre Dame, a stance that has paid off for the Irish. photo by lon horwedel