Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Where Have You Gone? Mike Rosenthal, 1995-98 OL Former Irish blocker is coaching in Texas By Wes Morgan Mike Rosenthal doesn’t recall whether he committed to Notre Dame first or his wife did. But they’ve been committed to each other ever since they met on a recruiting trip to South Bend in the winter of 1994. Mike didn’t have far to go. The superstar offensive lineman from nearby Mishawaka Penn High School was getting a lot of attention from the Fighting Irish and head coach Lou Holtz. Lindsay Treadwell was a touted volleyball talent out of Austin, Texas, who was being courted by Notre Dame, Ohio State and Georgia. “It was just kind of a lucky chance that we were there on the same weekend,” Rosenthal said. “We met that weekend and kept in touch throughout the spring. We started dating in the middle of our sophomore year at Notre Dame.” They were married on July 1, 2000, and now boast four beautiful children, ranging from age 3 to 8 — four reasons that made leaving the National Football League after eight seasons pretty easy. A USA Today, Parade and SuperPrep All-American at Mishawaka Penn, Rosenthal went on to line up at both guard and tackle for Notre Dame, earning a Walter Camp Foundation All-America nod in 1998. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, where he started 25 games over four seasons. The 6-7, 318-pounder finished his career in Minnesota, where he started 33 contests. He helped pave the way for a Vikings offense in 2003 that ranked No. 1 (6,294 yards) in the league for the first time in franchise history. It was a good run, but he knew when to leave it all behind. “My wife helped with that transition,” he said. “Even towards the end of my playing career we were always kind of thinking about what I was going to do when I retired. That’s how we got involved with the [clothing store in Austin]. I always took a realistic approach to my career; I knew it was year to year. They’re always going to find someone younger and cheaper to push you out. I’m very happy with my career, but I knew I was hopefully going to live a long time and that a football career was going to be a short part of my life. “I was always mentally preparing myself. I didn’t struggle as much as a lot of people did because I had a great support staff with my family and I started chasing around my little kids. That got me through that lull. I was doing a lot with the store, taking them to school and getting back into raising kids. I never clung to the NFL when they tried to kick me out. I had a clean break. It was fun. I met a lot of great people and I was ready to move on to something else.” The next step was the business world, ironically. Rosenthal studied business at Notre Dame for a year before switching his majors to psychology and sociology. “I had no desire to run a business. I just didn’t enjoy it,” he said. “There I was 10 years later running a business.” The couple still owns 1379 Sports, but Rosenthal admits that he has handed the day-to-day operations over to someone else. He needed more time to pursue his second career as a high school coach. After working for several seasons as Austin High School’s offensive line coach, Rosenthal was named the head man this past winter. “Even back in high school it was something I really wanted to do,” he said. “I’ve always been drawn to the teaching aspect of it. We can never match the excitement of playing on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, but it’s pretty close. “There’s obviously pros and cons to it. When you’re a head coach it takes you away from … I love coaching the offensive line. When I became the head coach, I felt like you needed so much time to coach the offensive line, that I had to step away from it. Now I’m actually coaching the running backs. I feel like a glorified ball boy because all I do is throw the ball and hand off the ball. I do miss the offensive line. It’s a lot more paperwork, which I don’t absolutely love. And it takes you away from kind of the nitty-gritty things of the offensive line, so that’s a little frustrating for me.” Confident he’ll catch on, and motivated by being able to help teach young men lessons usable on and off the field, the 35-year-old Rosenthal makes no effort to subdue his offensive line instincts. “It’s a tight-knit group,” he said. “When you get to actually study the intricacies of the offensive line, it’s really technical. I think we’re all a little bit nuts. We all kind of like the dirt bag mentality of being in the trenches. As an offensive line coach, you have to have that. We just love that part of it. “I’m joking when I say this, but we are the smartest guys on the field. We kind of joke that we’re able to run everything because we’re the smartest guys out there. Everybody wants to do these elaborate routes and all these different combinations downfield. As an offensive line coach, I’m like, ‘Well, we have to protect this, because if we don’t the quarterback is going to get killed.’ It all starts up front. It’s a cliché, but it really does start up front. Without protection and blocking schemes, you really can’t do anything in football.” Players at Austin have responded differently to Rosenthal’s résumé. Some think it’s fascinating that he excelled at Notre Dame and in the NFL. Others don’t care. Rosenthal explained that he doesn’t talk about his experiences all that much. “I give them general pictures,” he said. “I don’t ever throw my career down their throat, because at the end of the day they couldn’t care less. They want to know that you have a relationship with them, that you care about them and that you’re trying to do what’s best for them. “My career probably helps get in the door with a kid; it gives me a little bit of instant credibility. But if you don’t take care of the kids or do right by the kids, they’ll turn on you very quickly regardless of your background. I do think my psychology degree helps me relate to the kids.” On top of his new coaching responsibilities, Rosenthal has enjoyed spending more time with his family and furthering his education. He’s one class away from earning his master’s degree in teaching and sports administration at St. Edward’s University in Texas. “It has kind of brought me up to speed on business,” he said. His children keep him physically up to speed. But he continues to find ways to stay connected to Notre Dame, with one relationship in particular that has lasted for nearly a decade. Current starting center, fifth-year senior Braxston Cave, is also a Penn product. “We keep in contact but I don’t talk to him as much as I’d like,” Rosenthal said. “It’s all on my end. We get wrapped up in life. We text a lot and go back and forth. He knows I’m always there for him. Penn guys stick together. Every year I go up to camp and we have lunch and talk. He’s a great kid; he’s a great player and I’m excited for his future.” There’s a lot left ahead for Rosenthal, who is grateful for the life, opportunities and knowledge he gained from his time at Notre Dame.