I am Canadian and came to ND as a grad student...

I knew something about Notre Dame. I knew that it was Catholic and that it had a rich tradition in football. But our culture here, as it relates to post secondary education, is much different than in the States. All of our universities are state supported and, with a few exceptions, they are viewed by students and alumni in a detached way. They are places that help you get where you want to be. Our intercollegiate sports are quite small time. Only in recent years have small athletic scholarships been offered. When I arrived at Notre Dame in August of 1988, I immediately fell in love with the idea of the entire place. I had no conception of the beauty and spirit of the place. I was a somewhat unusual grad student in that I had worked for awhile and saw the whole exercise as an experience rather than as a purely academic experience. My first game was Michigan. I do not have to tell you about the rest ot the season, and the next, which was magic. I travel a long distance to go to games every year and I bore countless Canadians with my fanaticism which they cannot begin to fathom. I firmly believe that my devotion to ND was solidified by football success. Footballs' decline has not dulled my love but I will say that I it is likely the case that I would not feel as I do without witnessing those two seasons.