Nov. 9, 2005
Former University of Notre Dame athletics director Michael A. Wadsworth will be honored posthumously Saturday by the Notre Dame athletic department and the Notre Dame Monogram Club.
A plaque recognizing Wadsworth’s accomplishments during his tenure as athletics director (1995-2000) will be unveiled on the east wall of the plaza just north of Notre Dame Stadium.
In addition to University officials, among those attending the 9:15 a.m. ceremony will be Wadsworth’s widow, Bernadette, who lives in Toronto, and their daughters Carolan, Jane, Mary and their families.
Wadsworth, who passed away in 2004, is a 1966 Notre Dame graduate who played football for the Irish as an offensive and defensive lineman from 1963-65. He earned a monogram as a reserve defensive tackle in 1964 on Ara Parseghian’s first Notre Dame team.
Wadsworth’s accomplishments as athletics director included:
Leading Notre Dame through its first five years as a member of the BIG EAST Conference, including the ’95 NCAA title in women’s soccer.
Originating a life skills program for Notre Dame student-athletes.
Overseeing Notre Dame’s best-ever 11th-place finish in the Directors’ Cup all-sports competition in 1995-96.
Watching the expansion of Notre Dame Stadium.
Extending the University’s contract with NBC Sports to televise Irish football through 2005.
Creating a plan for athletics that featured the addition of women’s lacrosse and women’s rowing as well as 22 more scholarships for new and existing women’s sports.