Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/89043
1985-88 Running Back Mark Green, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? Tri-captain of 1988 national champs helped lead dramatic turnaround BY LOU SOMOGYI ture Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown's backup at flanker, the 180- to 185-pound Riverside, Calif., native instead became the team's top rusher in 1986 and 1987 before serving with distinction as a tri- captain of the 1988 national cham- pions. An elite recruit from Riverside assembled, Mark Green would be a prime candidate to be the starting running back. Originally signed in 1985 as fu- I f an all-time "All-Underrated" Notre Dame football team ever is Poly — the same school that pro- duced basketball stars Reggie and Cheryl Miller — Green was a com- bination of current senior running back Cierre Wood (who just passed him for 16th place on the all-time Irish rushing chart) and freshman cornerback KeiVarae Russell. Like fellow California native player. While helping Poly to consecu- tive California state titles at the 3A and 4A levels, Green racked up a school- record 21 interceptions. His five official visits were to nearby USC and UCLA, plus Washington, Ne- braska and Notre Dame. Wood, Green was a USA Today first- team All-America selection. Like the 177-pound Russell, he was a gregarious leader who served as the president of his student body and was the consummate utility Green led the Irish in rushing in 1986 (406 yards) and 1987 (861), and was second as a captain for the 1988 national champs (646). PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS