Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 NOV. 20, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED G rowing up near Phila- delphia as part of a h u g e I r i s h - C a t h o l i c family that's as passionate about its football weekends as it is about counting down the weekdays to finally get to 'em, Mike McGlinchey fit the perfect profile to play his college football at a place with the rich history of Notre Dame. He just didn't fully realize it as a high school recruit until a quick fuel stop — fittingly at the Knute Rockne rest plaza on the Indiana Toll Road — showed him the way. The story goes like this. McGlinchey — a mem- ber of the 2013 high school recruiting class, a prep All- American offensive tackle at William Penn Charter back home, and today a fifth-year Irish senior and the corner- stone of the Notre Dame offensive line — could've picked about anywhere in the country to play his college ball. But wanting to stay within driving distance of Philly made a father-son recruiting tour of Midwest schools a priority during Mike Jr.'s high school spring break in 2012. The four-campus itinerary listed stops at Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. The plan didn't hold together very well. Michigan was scratched because then-Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke had recently received a com- mitment from another top offensive lineman. McGlinchey said that Mich- igan State was never all that enticing to begin with, so what was the point of visiting there? "Notre Dame was always my dream school, and I couldn't wait to get there," McGlinchey said, so off they went. The campus visit was everything father and son had hoped it would be, and more. As they discussed scholarships and landing spots with the Notre Dame coaches, Mike Mc- Glinchey Sr. could hardly control himself when his son delayed a final commitment. "I was doing everything I could to stop myself from telling Mike that he needed to take this offer, but he stayed calm through all of it," Mike Sr. recalled. "Looking back now, he was more adult than me at this point." The McGlincheys admit today that both knew Notre Dame was the right choice — it was actually the lone offi- cial visit they made during the entire recruiting process. However, Mike Jr. had a wide and knowledgeable base camp he wanted to hear from for this important life and football decision. So as dad pulled over to fuel up for the Wis- consin trip, Mike Jr. pulled out his cellphone for some advice. The feedback was unanimous — Mike Jr. should accept the Notre Dame offer, immediately, and so he did, only about 20 minutes into a five-hour drive to Madison that went no farther than that rest stop. "I felt like I had to pull the trigger right on the spot," said Mike Jr., who parlayed his roadside decision into a terrific career and enters his final home game this weekend against Navy after starting the last three years at Notre Dame. "It's the best decision I ever made." When it comes to football advice, Mike Jr. has a deeply rooted family tree to draw from. Mike Jr.'s uncle, John Lough- ery, played at Boston College in the early 1980s as a teammate of then star BC quarterback and current NBC announcer Doug Flutie. And today, Mike Jr.'s first cousin, Matt Ryan, is the starting quarterback and the reigning NFL MVP with the Atlanta Falcons. "Football has been a part of our family for as long as I can remember," Mike Jr. said. H i s m o t h e r, J a n e t M c - Glinchey, is the youngest of the six Loughery children. Her older sister, Bernie Ryan, is Matt Ryan's mother. The entire football fam- ily revolves around Mike Jr.'s grandfather and Janet's father, Sam Loughery. He's a no-bull 90-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor, the father of six (five girls and one boy) and the grandfather of 23 (18 boys) and the great grand-dad of at least 13, and counting. "I've always taught my grandchil- dren that it's the fundamentals that win games," is the consistent mes- sage Sam Loughery delivers to his clan. "You play with a bat, ball and glove, never your mouth." As a two-time Notre Dame team captain and one of the best offensive lineman in the country, Mike Jr. is forgiven if he sometimes forgets his grandpa's advice, and often speaks up and out to his teammates. Through McGlinchey's smart de- cisions — one along the side of an interstate — a great college football player, a Notre Dame degree, a fu- ture NFL career and a reservoir of respect was born, giving Michael Mc- Glinchey Jr. every right to be heard and celebrated. ✦ Roadside Decision Pays Off For Mike McGlinchey UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com McGlinchey, a three-year starter and a two-time team captain, has helped fuel Notre Dame's turnaround in 2017. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL