Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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sworth the risks he ran if he continued to play. In his mind, his teammates made that risk, eventually realized, more than worth it. "These teammates are unbelievable," Collinsworth said. "I truly love these guys. That's the only reason I'm out there on the field destroying my body. From day one it seemed like a cursed season for me. … The only people on the planet I would do that for were the guys I was playing with." A semester away from earning an MBA with a double concentration in leadership and entrepreneurship, Col- linsworth plans to take a few months off from football to let his shoulder fully heal. At that point, he'll weigh the options of a professional career on the gridiron or in an office. Five years ago, few in the Irish locker room would have considered that lat- ter option, Collinsworth noted. "When I first came in, it was all about getting to the National Football League," he explained. "That was ev- erybody's focus. They came off a cou- ple bad seasons, and all anyone cared about was self interest." As willing as he was to have fought through pain to play alongside his teammates this season, Collinsworth may be even more satisfied to have been a part of the shift to a locker room focused on winning and cama- raderie. "It didn't happen overnight, but progressively it's only about winning here," he said. "It's only about winning, only about each other. That's some- thing I'm really proud of as a leader." Albeit a year behind Collinsworth, McDaniel played a role in that atmo- spheric alteration, as well. The winner Notre Dame's end-of-year award winners were honored at the annual football banquet Dec. 12 in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND