Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? Gary Potempa, 1971-73 Linebacker/Nose Guard Current dentist had a storybook senior year in many ways BY LOU SOMOGYI stretch in his senior year in 1973 might never be rivaled by a college football player, academically, athletically and personally. • Help redefine your position de- W hat Gary Potempa experienced at Notre Dame during a five-month spite no previous starts in your varsity career. • Earn Academic All-America notice sweetheart. • End the season unbeaten and win as a pre-med major. • Make the cover of Sports Illustrated. • Get married to your high school the national title. It all hit Potempa on Jan. 20, 1974, when the Irish football team was hon- ored in a ceremony for its national title. The previous day, the basketball team rose to No. 1 after ending UCLA's re- cord 88-game winning streak. "When they gave us our national Potempa made a career-high 75 tackles as a senior in 1973, anchoring a defense that allowed only 66 points and propelled the Irish to the national championship. sweetheart, so I had that covered," Po- tempa said with a laugh. Joining Potempa was safety Tim championship rings, I was staring at my hands," Potempa recalled. "I'm looking at my wedding ring on one and then the national championship ring on another and going, 'I don't know if you can have a better year. This is too cool to be true.' " Thirty-eight years later, Dr. Gary Po- tempa, DDS, remains a blessed man. MODEL STUDENT-ATHLETE powerful Notre Dame High (which lost only two games in his four sea- sons) in Niles, Ill., Potempa narrowed his college choices to Missouri (led by future Notre Dame head coach Dan Devine), Tennessee, Michigan and the Irish. Notre Dame had a "home-field ad- A national recruit that played for vantage" because his high school was also run by the priests of Holy Cross. Three of his coaches there also were Irish graduates. Regardless, the Irish fit all the criteria: a fairly small school, powerful in football and committed to academic excellence. No coeds until 1972 was not an issue. "I would marry my high school 60 MAY 2012 Rudnick, his teammate in both grade school and high school, and another future Irish starter. Prior to getting recruited for football, Potempa already had applied to Notre Dame on his own and received admis- sion just on his academic prowess. He enrolled in the College of Science, and the reality of his pre-med curriculum soon hit home, especially when he had labs that lasted until 4 p.m. while foot- ball practice began around 3:30 or 3:45. "I was literally sprinting from the bi- ology building over to practice, throw- ing my equipment on to get out there," Potempa said. The NCAA did not permit freshmen Ara Parseghian asked Potempa to as- sist as a 6-0, 234-pound tackle at USC. "Then in the Orange Bowl our All- PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS American senior tackle Greg Marx got hurt on the first series," Potempa said. "Ara grabbed me and said, 'Get in there.' I played the entire game." One of the reasons why Potempa was selected was even though he was small for a lineman, he was extremely strong and was one of a handful of players back then who actually en- gaged in weight training. He could bench press 430 pounds and squat 675 in an era when the weight room was a small fixture next to the hockey rink. "It was like a closet," Potempa re- to play varsity back in 1970. Potempa was mainly limited to special teams work during the 8-2 regular season in 1971, when the team voted not to go to a bowl. In 1972, an 8-3 campaign ended with a 45-23 shellacking at No. 1 USC when Anthony Davis scored six touchdowns (two on kickoff returns) and a 40-6 embarrassment to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The latter two games were the first called. "I lifted even during the sea- son because I didn't want to lose my strength. A couple of times Ara caught me and said, 'Hey, what are you do- ing? Don't I work you hard enough?' I said 'I'm just committed to doing this,' and he would say, 'Okay, go ahead.' " Prior to 1973 spring practices, Po- tempa was finally in line to start with the graduation of two-year starting middle linebacker Jim O'Malley, but Parseghian had other ideas. Recalled Potempa: "That winter time Potempa saw extensive action on defense — and it was along the line, not at linebacker. The 1972 line was decimated with injuries, so head coach Ara said to me, 'We're thinking about changing our defense, just based on how you play. We're thinking of a five- man front and putting you at nose — because we've got some guys coming BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED