Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/94187
UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Manti Te'o's legacy at Notre Dame goes far beyond the number of tackles and interceptions he has com- piled on the gridiron. M zly September night at Notre Dame Stadium is a fitting snapshot into how deeply the senior linebacker has touched the campus community and, frankly, all of college football. Just a few days after Te'o lost his The moving tribute to Te'o that driz- grandmother and young girlfriend back in Hawaii, the most important Irish player of this century could only marvel as he spanned the sta- dium bowl and realized "only at Notre Dame." A fan-swell started — tens of thou- sands strong — waving over their heads Hawaiian leis in a support of anti Te'o will carry that im- age for decades after he leaves Notre Dame. Becomes The Teacher When The Student PHOTO BY MIKE BENNETT/LIGHTHOUSE IMAGING one young man who had lost two pieces of his heart, halfway around the world and practically at the same time. "That was the hardest time of my life," Te'o said. "I'm sitting here about to play Michigan, after losing two women who I truly love, and I'm re- ceiving this peace [from the crowd], this sort of strength from people who I don't even know." Through tragedy and triumph, com- mitment and kindness, words and deeds, Te'o is making a bigger impact at Notre Dame than any other student- athlete in university history. Forget about the tackles and inter- ceptions. Hell, forget about the un- defeated record and title hopes. The legacy Te'o built in four short years