Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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first-round pick and play eight years in the NFL, Smith started 15 games in baseball as a freshman and 27 as a soph- omore before concentrating solely on football. PAUL FAILLA (1991-94) The short-yardage/red-zone quarter- back behind Kevin McDougal during Notre Dame's 11-1 season in 1993, Failla also started in the 31-13 victory over USC. He starred at shortstop throughout his Irish career and was selected in the third round of the MLB Draft. SCOTT SOLLMANN (1993-97) A special teams mainstay and reserve receiver, he scored a touchdown in a tight 35-28 victory at Purdue in 1995. In baseball he was a Freshman All-Amer- ican and three-time first-team All-Big East pick before getting chosen in the seventh round of the MLB Draft in 1996. JEFF SAMARDZIJA (2003-06) The two-time All-American wide receiver also starred on the pitching mound, compiling a 21-6 career mark with a 3.82 ERA that made him a fifth- round pick in the MLB Draft and a re- liable major league hurler with a 3.85 ERA the past seven years. EVAN SHARPLEY (2005-09) His best season was the 2007-08 school year when he passed for 736 yards at quarterback and made two starts. That spring in baseball he hit .324 with 13 homers and 40 RBI, starting 33 games and playing in 51. He is the lone athlete at Notre Dame to throw multiple touchdowns in a foot- ball game and hit multiple home runs in a baseball game. GOLDEN TATE (2007-09) His sophomore year in 2008-09 was dynamic. In football he caught 58 passes for 1,080 yards and 10 touchdowns. On the diamond that spring he batted .329 and started 54 of the 55 games he played. Tate was drafted in the 50th round by the San Francisco Giants but has a Super Bowl ring instead. ERIC MAUST (2007-09) He punted 94 times in football dur- ing these three seasons, with 29 placed inside the 20. In baseball he had a 15-12 career record on the mound. ✦ Two-time Fighting Irish All-American wide receiver Jeff Samardzija (2005-06) has made millions of dollars instead in baseball as a pitcher. PHOTO COURTESY CHICAGO CUBS