Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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wait to play the rest of my life for him." Weishar dons an omnipresent blue wristband (the color that represents colorectal cancer) that says: "Andrew, Our Fighting Hero. Faith. Courage. Strength." "I wear that every day and never take it off," Weishar said. "During the games you're not supposed to have anything on your wrists, so I just tape over it. Basketball it's harder, and I have to take it off. I give it to my coaches. and they wear it. "The support from family to friends to coaches who had my back through- out the entire thing, that I could talk to for anything I needed, was awesome." Actually, the coaches and people at Marist are more amazed with the way the Weishar family has touched them. "The greatest family you could ever meet," Marist head basketball coach Gene Nolan said. "Nic's maturity gen- erated strength for all those around him. As we were dealing with the grief at Marist, Nic and his family were the ones picking all of us up to feel better." Another older brother, Danny, cre- ated the Andrew Weishar Foundation at the request of his dying brother, and this Aug. 9 will host the second annual all-day Weish Fest concert in which country star Rodney Atkins will be the feature performer. "Before he passed, Andrew told us to make sure we pay forward the kind- ness and generosity that he was shown throughout his battle," Nic said. "The goal is to raise money for local families that are affected similarly." To Dunne, that epitomized the Weis- har family. "Nic and his family know only one way to do things, and we were a glad to be part of it," Dunne said. "He has done so many great things for Marist not only athletically but in the way he conducts himself off it." The way Andrew comported himself throughout the ordeal, including avoid- ing self-pity, is what Weishar attempts to emulate. This season, he had another 80-plus-catch campaign in the spread while also serving as the long snapper and then aiding the defense. It facilitated taking Marist to the state semifinals in the highest-class level (8A) before losing late to the eventual state champs. After Marist's 4-3 start in which the defense gave up 226 points (32.3 per game), the 6-4, 215-pound Weishar was asked to play linebacker as well. In his first game there, he picked off two passes, returning one for a score. In the final six games when Weishar played both ways, Marist was 5-1 and allowed 115 points (19.2 per game). He recorded 46 tackles with five for loss, forced three fumbles, recovered two fumbles, return- ing one for a score, and three intercep- tions, two of which went for a scores. Academically, Weishar is on the Na- "EVEN THOUGH HE'S A STAR, HE'S HUMBLE. NIC'S THE KIND OF KID WHO ON A 15-MAN ROSTER ACTS LIKE HE'S THE 15TH PLAYER. HE'S A GREAT TEAMMATE AND GREAT LISTENER WHO DOES THE LITTLE THINGS FOR YOU." CHICAGO MARIST HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH GENE NOLAN