April 28, 2001

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Four senior members of the 2001 University of Notre Dame football team have been named captains for the coming season:

• Rocky Boiman, a 6-4, 239-pound outside linebacker from Cincinnati, Ohio.
• David Givens, a 6-3, 214-pound flanker from Humble, Texas.
• Grant Irons, a 6-5, 275-pound defensive end from The Woodlands, Texas.
• Anthony Weaver, a 6-3, 276-pound defensive end from Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Irons, who also served as an Irish captain in 2000, becomes the first two-time Notre Dame football captain since quarterback Ron Powlus in 1996 and ’97.

Boiman started 10 games in ’00 as a junior and five more as a sophomore at the Irish outside linebacker slot. He’s Notre Dame’s top returning tackler for 2001 after finishing third in ’00 in that category with 58. He also added eight tackles for loss and three and a half sacks in ’00, while playing a major role in enabling the Irish defense to make major strides across the board. He’s a preprofessional major in the College of Arts and Letters (he earned a 3.026 grade-point average during the fall semester).

Givens has started 12 games in his Irish career, seven in ’00, three as a sophomore and two as a freshman. He led Notre Dame in receiving last fall with 25 catches for 310 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 24 times in ’00 for 101 yards and two TDs, had 257 yards on kickoff and punt returns and blocked three punts as a special-team standout. He’s a design major in the College of Arts and Letters (he earned a 3.0 GPA during the fall semester).

Irons returns for a fifth season after undergoing season-ending surgery following the Nebraska game in 2000 due to a dislocated shoulder. He’s started 20 games in his career, two in ’00, 10 in ’99, five in ’98 and three in ’97. He has 120 career tackles, including 50 as a rookie in ’97. He’s a management information systems major in the Mendoza College of Business (he earned a 3.00 average in the 2000 spring semester) who also served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) in 2000-01.

Weaver boasts more experience than anyone on the Irish roster, thanks to his 32 previous starting assignments. He led the team in sacks in ’00 with eight and had 49 tackles overall to give him 101 for his career. He developed into the most dominant Irish defensive lineman since Renaldo Wynn (Notre Dame’s ’96 MVP and an eventual first-round NFL draft pick). He’s a government major in the College of Arts and Letters.