Oct. 18, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. –
This football season, the Monogram Club has begun producing “Monogram Club Musings,” a regular online article after each home football game. The publication will fill Monogram winners in on Club events throughout the season, provide information on alumni and prominent figures that return to campus for the game, and mention Monogram Club presentations and activities that occur before, after and during the game.
If you can’t make it to campus, but would like to update the Monogram Club on what you’ve been up to, please send an email to mlafranc@nd.edu and “The Muse” will include it in an upcoming edition.
Although it was a bit of a quiet football weekend on campus for the Western Michigan game, the Muse still caught up with a few Monogram winners and spotted a number of individuals with NFL ties on Friday and Saturday.
Sightings Around Campus
Friday football luncheon host, Notre Dame men’s basketball radio play-by-play man Jack Nolan, welcomed Paqui Kelly, the wife of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, to the stage during the event. Kelly works closely with her husband to run the Kelly Cares Foundation, the family’s charitable foundation, which aims to support health, education and community organizations. As a breast cancer survivor, Kelly spoke about the importance of early diagnosis for women and strongly supports regular check-ups with a physician.
Both Brian and Paqui hosted “Football 101” in June, a paid-admission event on campus that raised money for breast cancer awareness. Women who participated were treated to a football basics instructional session in Notre Dame Stadium and around campus with members of the Notre Dame coaching staff.
In addition to Kelly, Nolan also spoke with Monogram Club alumni/football relations manager and former Irish All-American Reggie Brooks ’93 during the luncheon.
Long-time Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia made the trip to South Bend this weekend to watch his son, Matt ’11, compete in the Irish baseball team’s annual fall Blue-Gold series. Matt Scioscia is a senior first basemen/catcher for Notre Dame, who hit .288 with 12 RBI in 2010.
For the second-straight home game, the Muse spotted former Irish quarterback Joe Montana ’79 on the Notre Dame sidelines. Montana was spending some time with the Irish and his son, Nate, who is a junior on the team.
The Muse also found another former Irish gunslinger and current Carolina Panthers starting quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, on the Notre Dame sideline during the game. The Panthers were off this weekend, and Clausen used some free time to catch up with former teammates and watch his alma mater in action.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also took in the Notre Dame-Western Michigan game, taking some time off from his busy schedule in New York to enjoy a relaxing weekend in South Bend.
Another member of the strong NFL presence on campus, nine-year NFL veteran Rocky Boiman ’02 attended the Monogram Club’s Friday football reception in the Schivarelli Players’ Lounge. After a successful career at linebacker with the Irish, Boiman was drafted in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans and was a member of the 2007 Superbowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
The 2000-09 decade of Monogram winners was added to the Ring of Names in Heritage Hall prior to the Western Michigan weekend.
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New Decade of Ring of Names Installed
A major installation in Heritage Hall was completed prior to the Western Michigan weekend, as the 2000-09 decade of Monogram winners was added to the Ring of Names on the second floor concourse of the Joyce Center. A number of former student-athletes from the decade were on hand to see their names freshly placed in the Club’s honorarium. Father Doyle will bless the new decade of names during the post-game Mass following the Nov. 13 football game versus Utah.
Sunni Olding ’08 (cross country/track) and Allison Guengerich ’07 (manager, women’s basketball) remarked on their names being placed into the display in Heritage Hall.
“It’s really special to always be on the wall so you can come back with your kids and grandkids,” Olding said. “They can see what I did during my time here and hopefully follow in my footsteps and become a Notre Dame student-athlete.”
“I’m so honored and pleased to have my name in the Ring of Names,” Guengerich said. “It solidifies that Notre Dame is home when you’re a student, but also when you’ve graduated and come back as an alum. It’s great to come back and see. I’m excited to be a member of the Monogram Club.”
Western Michigan Game Notes
The pre-game flag ceremony had a strong Monogram Club presence, as former Irish swimming & diving captain, Dr. Brian Casey `85, presented the colors. The recipient of the Alumni Association’s 2010 Harvey Foster Award, Casey currently serves as the 19th president of Depauw University, located in Greencastle, Ind. After his career at Notre Dame, Casey earned law and doctoral degrees from Stanford and Harvard, respectively, before serving in administrative roles at both Harvard and Brown.
Members of the Irish women’s tennis team made their way on to the field to be recognized for their back-to-back NCAA national team semifinals appearances in 2009 and 2010.
Monogram Club Pre-Game Reception Alumni Notes
A number of Monogram winners checked in with us at the Club’s pre-game reception prior to the Western Michigan game. If you plan on attending a Fighting Irish football game this season, make sure you check in at the Monogram Club table at the pre-game reception to share with us what you’ve been up to!
Tom Longeway ’63 (fencing) works as a land developer in Kildare, Ill.
Nick Fedorenko ’76 (football) lives in Westerville, Ohio where he runs a sales territory for Central Steel & Wire Company in Chicago. Fedorenko, a former defensive tackle with the Irish, was a sophomore on the 1973 national championship team.
Mary Jean Beetel ’88 (field hockey) currently resides in Chicago and is a stay-at-home mom.
One of Beetel’s teammates, Joanne Marshall ’88 (field hockey), works as a lawyer in Vienna, Va.
On the manager side, Luke Lovell ’90 is a stay-at-home dad living in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Greg “Tank” Weineger `90, a former student football manager, works as a sales representative in Pittsburgh, Pa. Brett had a couple great years as a manager, as the football team compiled a 24-3 record during his junior and senior seasons.
“Everything you learn here at Notre Dame and everything its about, you take it forward in your life,” Weineger said. “It leads into everything you do. It’s a great experience and it makes you well rounded in all aspects of your life.”
Quill Redwine ’02 (track & field) serves as the general manager of a pilot training center in Indianapolis.
— ND —