First dates
by eric(the1) (2005-11-09 01:07:26)

In reply to: The broken link: What has ND's football tradition meant to you?  posted by Board Ops



I slacked off in high school and did not get accepted into Notre Dame. I attended Purdue University and was actually in that monstrosity of a marching band. One thing I got to do though was march through the tunnel at Notre Dame. Ok, I was with the other team but *I* was in the tunnel! I still have a picture of that day with myself and my two brothers standing on the field in opposite uniforms. Since my brothers were at Notre Dame I still managed to get to the 88 Cotton Bowl (Aggie hicks and incredibly cold for Dallas), the 89 Fiesta Bowl (Yeeha!), and the 90 Orange Bowl (what a dump). I managed to get my act together and was accepted into grad school at Notre Dame. I attended from 92-94. The best 3 years of my life.
I was in the Civil Engineering program. We had students from around the country as well as India, China, and Africa. The one thing we all did together was go to every home football game. We all had our undergrad affiliations but we were always true Notre Dame fans on Saturday.
My first date with my future wife was the Boston College game in 1993.
When we did our marriage retreat at the Fatima Retreat Center, my roommate was Tim Ruddy. It was fortunate that I had him for a roommate since he snored so loud it kept our fiances awake in the room across the hall but I was such a heavy sleeper that I never noticed.
One of the greatest moments for me on campus was when I went to the crypt for mass one Saturday. When it came to the "sign of peace" I turned around to find Lou Holtz standing behind me. He had a solid handshake and he was a lot taller than he appeared on television. I suppose it all depends on who you are standing next to. He was such an ND man I will never understand why they ran him off.
I am now the father of 6 kids. I intend on making sure that they each have the chance to attend Notre Dame. My eldest daughter, adopted from Russia last October, will be the first of her generation to attend Notre Dame in the class of 2012. The indoctrination process has already begun with hockey and basketball. Next fall it will be football. I have faith that she will understand.



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