Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/413403
WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? the more famous examples. A native of Winnetka, Ill., Rassas en- rolled at Notre Dame and then walked on to the football team in 1961 after turning down several Big Ten scholar- ship offers, including one from nearby Northwestern, coached by Ara Par- seghian. "My dad [George] played at Notre Dame, and that's all I wanted to do," Rassas said. "I went to my first Notre Dame game when I was 8 years old. Man, when that band starts the Victory March, that's the only place you want to be. If that doesn't get you going, nothing will." During his first three seasons, Rassas toiled in obscurity and battled injuries, first under maligned head coach Joe Kuharich and then with interim coach Hugh Devore's 2-7 campaign in 1963. By the end of that season, though, Ras- sas had distinguished himself enough in practice that he was inserted as the starting running back/defensive back (when football was still played both ways) in the season finale on Thanks- giving Day versus Syracuse in Yankee Stadium. Despite the 14-7 loss, Rassas (eight carries for 33 yards) could have died fulfilled on that day. "It was a lifelong dream just to play," he recalled. "I'll never forget going back for the opening kickoff in Yankee Stadium and hearing over the loudspeakers, 'Back for Notre Dame, No. 23 Tom MacDonald from Los Angeles, California and …' — then a scrape went over the microphone and you hear, 'Who is this kid?' Someone next to him said, 'Nick Rassas.' My name came over the loudspeaker in front of 60,000 people and I just had a smile on my face." It would become wider a couple of months later. A MAGICAL YEAR In 1964, Rassas embarked on what would become the most life-defining four seasons — winter, spring, sum- mer and autumn — of his life. That winter, he met with the newly hired coach Parseghian, who recog- nized Rassas immediately from the days of recruiting him at Chicago's Loyola Academy. "When I went to the player inter- view at his office in Rockne Memorial he asked, 'What can I do for you?'" Rassas said. "I said, 'Coach, I've been here for three years and I turned down a bunch of scholarships because this is the only place I wanted to play. I started against Syracuse in Yankee Sta- dium in the last game and I played 52 minutes last season [eight minutes short of earning a monogram], and I'd like to know if I could get a scholar- ship?' "His jaw went down to about his waist. He said, 'You start for Notre Dame and you don't have a scholar- ship?' Right in front of me he calls [Notre Dame executive vice presi- dent] Father [Ned] Joyce and says, 'I have Nick Rassas here. He's been here three years and doesn't have a scholarship, yet starts. We need to get that fixed.' "At the end of the conversation, he puts the phone down and says, 'Is there anything else?' I said, 'Yeah,