Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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want [in football], but when you're actually racing somebody, you have a chance to really push yourself for- ward. As you train throughout the weeks you see your times drop," Jackson said. "That's a little different than just doing football sprints every day and it's not timed. It's just men- tal toughness." The mental benefit of racing, ac- "You can run all the sprints you After a full year of getting football established, Kelly opened the door for his players to discuss playing an- other sport (although Bookstore Bas- ketball has remained off limits). Jackson and the Atkinsons were the cording to Kelly, far outweighs any extra speed his dual-sport players might pick up during the offseason. All three runners will be battling for playing time in two crucial positions for the Irish this football season. Jack- son and Josh Atkinson are both can- didates to fill one of the two vacant cornerback positions. George might be fighting to get on the field as a Off To The Races late 1980s and early 1990s. Many of those players sprinted for the Irish track team as well. Here's a list of some familiar names and how they would fare in a race against Notre Dame's current two-sport speedsters. Notre Dame's speed on the football field hit its prime in the meters. The listed times are adjusted to approximate what each athlete's current time would be. Actual 55-meter times are in parentheses. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail Mike Miller Allen Rossum Willie Clark Clint Johnson Dwight Ellick Tim Brown George Atkinson III Josh Atkinson 1991 1993 1996 1991 1993 2004 1985 2012 2012 slot or wide receiver next season, or trying to find a way to stand out in the crowded Notre Dame backfield. Kelly hopes what they learn from competing against other runners and the stopwatch every day will trans- late to the football field during the next six months. "I think that's a great way to do business, so to speak," the coach said. "There is nothing like duplicat- ing competition." Kelly noted he has allowed his players to participate in a second sport at previous stops on two con- ditions: they have their academic re- sponsibilities under control and they are legitimate, contributing members of the other team. The latter ensures that the players will be able to keep their competitive juices flowing. www.BLUEANDGOLD.com 6.52 (6.07) 6.66 (6.20) 6.70 (6.23) 6.74 (6.27) 6.77 (6.30) 6.78 6.81 (6.34) 6.85 6.86 From left to right, Josh Atkinson, Bennett Jackson and George Atkinson said they are get- ting faster and believe they will benefit from that on the football field next fall. teams together again because he wants to see his track team continue to rack up championships (they've won five conference titles in the past decade), and because it was a big help to him while he was at school. Brooks ran the 55-meter dash along- side Raghib "Rocket" Ismail when he first arrived on campus and passed the torch on to speedster Allen Ros- sum when he graduated. He fondly recalls the benefits of track. "Going into camp, spring ball, we were just ready to roll," Brooks said. "The guys that ran track were in shape to run fast over a longer pe- riod of time. If you ran several reps it didn't impact you as much." That doesn't mean the track team PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND Morgan, and defensive backs Nickell Robey and Tony Burnett combined to form a relay team for USC. Oregon also filled three of the four spots on its 4x100-meter relay with football players. South Florida's La- mar Lindsay, who had 88 all-purpose yards against the Irish last Septem- ber, won the 60-meter race at the Big East meet earlier this month. Kelly said after the success the first three players had this month, the opportunity to run track would be added to some of the recruiting pitches they make going forward. "We can clearly say, 'Look, we can will become an extended training camp for football players. Brooks Note: Prior to 1999 the NCAA raced 55 meters instead of 60 first to come knocking, and turned to former All-American Reggie Brooks to help negotiate. Brooks ran track in the early 1990s and starred as Notre Dame's top running back in 1992, finishing fifth in the Heisman ballot- ting. He now works for the school's Monogram Club and is as an admin- istrator for the track team. He said he served as a liaison between the two programs as they tried to figure out the best way to fit track into the schedule without tripping over any NCAA compliance rules. Brooks pushed hard to tie the two said they are looking for specific guys who ran track in high school and can help the team upon arrival. The new working relationship be- tween the programs could help land future recruits like incoming fresh- man Chris Brown, who had the coun- try's second-best triple jump distance as a high school junior. Piane said he talks to Brown about the track team via e-mail on a regular basis. Re-establishing that connection al- lows the Irish to keep pace with a nationally growing trend of football players running track in the spring. USC head coach Lane Kiffin is al- lowing his football players to run track for the first time this year since 2001 when Pete Carroll took over the Trojans program. Last month, re- ceiver Marqise Lee, running back D.J. give you this opportunity where you can win a championship too.' Moving forward it will be part of our recruiting presentation if you're interested in doing both," he said. ✦ APRIL 2012 19