Articles of Interest

My Sportsman Choice: Charlie Weis

Posted on 11 December 2005:

No head-coaching job is more important to college football than the one at Notre Dame. Other schools have had more famous (and better) coaches, but the regional nature of the game has tended to limit the appeal of these men. Can you imagine Bear Bryant's houndstooth fedora being treated as a holy relic in Ann Arbor? Or Joe Paterno's black-rimmed glasses on display in an Austin museum?

In a sport of provincial tradition, though, the man who leads the Fighting Irish holds national office. South Bend is the home of the College Football Hall of Fame, and for nearly a century, Notre Dame has remained both the most widely popular and the most widely reviled football team in the country. It has accomplished this feat for one simple reason: it has won with spectacular consistency. And when the Irish are winning, everyone is happy, even the people who hate them.

For returning Notre Dame football to its customary position among the elite programs in America, first-year head coach Charlie Weis gets my pick for Sportsman of the Year. When he took over in South Bend 11 months ago, he found himself in charge of a faded dynasty in need of relevance and repair, a program that had won just 56 gmes in the previous eight years and had not won a bowl game in over a decade.

He began by promising his players that in every game they would have a decided schematic advantage, and in that respect he has succeeded beyond everybody's wildest expectations. He out-strategized such coaching luminaries as Michigan's Lloyd Carr, USC's Pete Carroll and Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer. His immaculate game plans have been a big reason he's been able to go 9-2 with a team made up mostly of players who went 6-6 a year ago.

The man has also lived up to the responsibilities of his office, and not just by delivering great football to his congregation. Weis seems to understand that more is expected of him because of the job he holds. His visit to a terminally ill child the week before the Sept. 24 victory over Washington was a gesture of pure class. His promise to call the boy's play-a pass to the right-on the first snap of the game was a touching gift. His decision to go ahead with the play, even though quarterback Brady Quinn would be throwing from his own end zone, was a move worthy of Knute Rockne himself. Wake up the echoes, indeed.

We live in a world of rapid change, of instant information and short attention spans. The realm of sports is no exception: hockey has done away with the red line; pro football has abolished pass defense every few years; basketball has morphed into a half-court shoving match; and baseball, our national pastime, has tainted its record books with performance enhancing substances.

College football has changed, too, as the spread offense has replaced the wishbone, and the quarterback has replaced the running back as the focal point of the offense. But more than any other sport, college football remains bound by its traditions-some local and some not-and one of those traditions is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, love them or hate them, are part of the story of the game. Charlie Weis has done more than get Notre Dame winning again. He has returned the Irish to the center of the college football universe. Where they should be.

Vet, 75, proud to be ND-enrolled

Posted on 27 November 2005:

When Ralph "Lefty" Guillette tells people he's a student at Notre Dame, he usually gets the once-over and a response along the lines of "Yeah, right."

But Guillette can't blame them. After all, he is 75 years old.

"I show them my student I.D. and say, 'Eat your heart out - I'm a student,'" he said.

In mid-July 2005, Guillette was accepted to take one class at Notre Dame during the fall semester. So on Aug. 15, he loaded five suitcases and seven boxes into his black Chrysler, said good-bye to his wife and traveled 868 miles until he was beneath the Dome.

Guillette is currently enrolled in "War, Law and Ethics" - a theology course that fulfills a second theology credit and explores the ethical and legal considerations related to war.

He gets tears in his eyes when he talks about Notre Dame. He is considered the oldest undergraduate to ever walk Notre Dame's campus. And he might be the proudest, too.

"I can't believe I'm here," Guillette said. "I sit in my class and it's like, pinch me. Am I really awake? I find myself looking for flaws. I've been to Korea, Vietnam, wounded three times, but to sit here and say, I'm a student, I just can't believe it."

Guillette pauses, his eyes turn glassy. He can't finish.

So how did this former Marine gunnery sergeant come to take a class at one of the most prestigious schools in the nation? Persistence, ambition and some string-pulling with the higher-ups, he said.

"In March of last year, I realized I was going to be in South Bend for the Michigan State game and the Southern California game, so I thought, why don't I just go to Notre Dame for the semester? So I made some phone calls, first to [Executive Director of the Alumni Association] Chuck Lennon, who referred me to [Director of Admissions] Dan Saracino, who referred me to [Associate Director of Admissions) Michael Gantt," he said.

After two months, Gantt called Guillette and told him the University would not be able to accept him as a full-time student. Gantt suggested he get in touch with Arts and Letters Associate Director Ava Preacher, who could get him into one class for the fall semester.

"[Preacher] had a class she thought would be appropriate for me," Guillette said. "She said she could see what she could do. In mid-July, I was accepted into the class. So I really had to hustle to buy my computer, make travel arrangements and pack my car up."

Despite the age difference, Guillette's reaction wasn't unlike that of most Notre Dame hopefuls who receive the coveted acceptance letters.

"I bawled my head off. I yelled and screamed. I couldn't catch my breath. My wife thought I was having a heart attack," he said.

Guillette served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. In 1968, after being wounded by shrapnel during combat in Vietnam, he committed himself to a list of 32 life goals - scribbled in pencil on the back of a phone number list.

"The naval nurse came up to me and asked 'What are your plans after the war?' I was 36 years old, and had no idea," he said. "So that night I decided to make a list of what I wanted to do, called 'Goals and Objectives and Places I Want to Visit.' I kept writing the goals for two days, and I believed that if I could do them all then I would be successful."

Attending Notre Dame was on that list - and 37 years later Guillette is living his dream.

"I enjoy life twice as much as anyone alive my age and I love this country," he said. "We're not here to crawl into a corner and watch television. Have dreams. Set goals."

There are still 13 goals left on his list, and Guillette continues to check them off as he ages, though he has never shown the list to anyone.

Guillette estimates it is costing him about $20,000 in total for his class, lodging and meals. He lives alone in an apartment off of Bendix Road, and calls his wife - who stayed behind in Vermont - twice a day.

"I've never been one to be lonesome, I've been alone so much in my lifetime," Guillette said. "But I am lonesome for my wife. But at least I love television - the History Channel, the Discovery channel."

Guillette has nearly perfect attendance in his War, Law and Ethics class, but readily admits that it's not easy.

"I have no clue what my grade is," he said. "I'll be happy with a B. We just took an exam, I'm hoping just to pass it. When you're my age, you don't retain half as much as what you read."

His professor, Margaret Pfeil, teaches the class with military science professor Lt. Kelly Jordan. The class explores the ethical considerations of a just war.

"I was surprised when I found out he was going to be in my class, but I am so excited for him," Pfeil said. "He clearly appreciates it. Because of his experience in combat, he has added a rich dimension to our discussion."

Guillette plans to go home for Thanksgiving, and he's considering applying to take another class at Notre Dame during the spring semester. He pounds his fists in the air when he talks about being a student at the University.

"If you want it bad enough," he said, "don't take no for an answer. Have a reason for everything you do."

Too bad everybody can't be more like Notre Dame

Posted on 20 November 2005:

CHICAGO - Another lost weekend complete, a somber bunch of University of Tennessee football fans wearily waited in an airport line Sunday afternoon, discussing the previous day's 41-21 defeat at Notre Dame.

"Did you see those fighter jets flying overhead before the game?" asked one woman from Nashville. "And those fans, the way they were always cheering as one and moving as one. If you're objective about it, what recruit wouldn't want to play in a place like that?" The good news is that the Fighting Irish can only have 85 of America's finest amateur players under scholarship at one time. The better news for the rest of the Top 25 is that many of those players will not academically qualify under ND's strict standards, leaving most Southeastern Conference schools - UT among them - to continue their usual preference for brawn over brains.

But to see the Big Orange Nation fawn over the Notre Dame program for the second time in four years - oohing and ahhhing over everything from Touchdown Jesus to the stadium-wide chants of "Weis, Weis, Weis," in tribute to firstyear coach Charlie Weis - is to make one wonder why UT supporters and so many other fan bases don't push their programs to be more like the Irish.

No, not every campus can erect a golden dome, and if they did, what fun would it be? Nor can every university magically hang seven Heisman Trophy banners, multiple national championships and throw around the names of such legendary former coaches as Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian.

Beyond that, not every school should demand the same academic performance from its athletes that ND does, though it would be nice if all schools demanded that their athletes at least mirrored the average academic efforts of their overall student bodies.

Mostly, however, beneath the pomp and circumstance and century-long run of success, there is a civility and sensibility to Notre Dame football that should be studied by a lot of programs, including Tennessee.

A single moment in this UT season to show what may be wrong with these 3-5 Vols: A few weeks ago, before Tennessee's game against South Carolina, one of the team's more prominent players was about to do a television interview during the team's weekly media day. Having arrived for the event in a kind of woolen cap, black rock n' roll T-shirt and sweatpants, the player was asked by an athletic department employee to get rid of his cap and place a pale orange UT windbreaker over his T-shirt. The player said he wanted to wear a UT ball cap if he was going to have to wear the windbreaker. The employee said that would be OK as long as the player didn't wear the cap sideways. "I'll only wear the cap," said the player, "if I can wear it backward."

You can say this is a kid being a kid and perhaps it is only that. But there is a sense throughout much of college athletics today that you can't force the athletes to do anything away from the playing field that they don't want to do or you'll risk losing them for the actual game. Yet here were Notre Dame's players wearing coats and ties after a home game - the Vols sometimes wear them on the road - and gushing about the UT defense they had just trashed for 20 straight points in the fourth period.

"They have a lot of talent over there," Notre Dame running back Darius Walker said. "That's the most talented defense we've played in a long time." Sincere or not, it certainly beats whining to the media, as UT quarterback Rick Clausen so often has this season: "They didn't beat us. We beat ourselves, period."

To borrow a line from Weis - "We've really sold our team on the idea that the only thing that's important is the team."

What is most important is that more athletic directors and coaches use the Notre Dame blueprint to remake their own programs in the image of what college athletics were always supposed to be, but so rarely had been over the past 25 years of Me-First-Me-Last-Me-Always athletics.

Because when the only important thing is the team, that team and its fans usually fly home happy.

Weis in Midst of Notre Dame's Star-Making Machine

Posted on 30 October 2005:

They were upstairs in the Monogram Room of Notre Dame's Joyce Athletic Center, Ara Parseghian and Charlie Weis waiting for the 6:40 p.m. call into a Fighting Irish yesteryear. The eve of the Michigan State game had brought the beginning of one more era in South Bend, 11,500 packing the gymnasium for the pep rally, with 6,000 more turned back at the doors.

Old times for the Irish, the old coach was thinking.

"Whether you like it or not, Charlie, you're a national figure today," Parseghian told Weis. "You're coast to coast now."

Weis was bringing everyone back into the Irish family now, and here was Parseghian, the great Irish coach out of the 1960s and '70s, fighting through traffic into the parking space officials left for him outside the basketball arena. For the first time in 30 years, they were giving Parseghian a microphone for the pregame pep rally, giving him back that rush that only the newest Notre Dame coaching star can understand.

Once, it had been Parseghian here. Once, they all got quiet when he started to talk to the Notre Dame people.

They make these coaches bigger than life in South Bend. And they make them that way quickly. For better and worse, there's no other job like this in America. This is the greatest star-maker in sports, bigger than UCLA basketball, bigger than the Yankees, bigger then them all.

"Two games at Notre Dame, and that's all it takes for them to know you everywhere," Parseghian said. "It's already happened to Charlie."

Weis and his Irish destroyed Pittsburgh, shocked No. 3 Michigan, and had been on the way to what would have become one of the greatest comeback victories in Notre Dame Stadium history before losing 44-41 to Michigan State in overtime. Now, Weis goes to the University of Washington on Saturday, where Ty Willingham can tell him all about star-making at Notre Dame. Four years ago, they were talking about Willingham's 8-0 start as Fighting Irish coach, the way they were talking about Parseghian's debut in 1964.

Before losing that season's final game at USC, and the national title with it, Parseghian started his Irish coaching career with nine straight victories after the deflated expectations of taking over a 2-7 team. Everyone remembers that brief, beautiful interlude when his introduction to the Golden Dome left him larger than life, when one wintry Saturday in South Bend inspired the student section to start a chant.

"Stop the snow, Ara," they screamed. "Stop the snow, Ara."

Down on the field, Parseghian turned to one of his assistants and wondered: "Can I?"

Parseghian had been the coach for Miami of Ohio and Northwestern before Notre Dame in 1964, and always insisted that he needed every one of those head coaching seasons to prepare him. When Weis invited Parseghian, 82, to dinner over the summer, Parseghian was impressed with the new coach's vision. Watching those opening weeks of offense against Pittsburgh and Michigan State, the defense against Michigan, sold him completely. In every way, Notre Dame had hired a pro coach. In every way, they had someone for the long run.

"Charlie is trying reunite the whole thing," Parseghian said. "After the Ty Willingham dismissal, and the George O'Leary business, things were down. Charlie is bringing the Notre Dame spirit back, the Notre Dame history back."

He laughed, though. He knows how it works in South Bend. There's no shaking down the thunder with 3 yards and a cloud of dust. "What's most important is that Notre Dame is moving the ball again," he said. "This team seems to be exceptionally well-coached on the offensive side of the ball. Weis has taken a team that had difficult getting 200- and 300-yard games the past couple of years, and is running up 400 and 500 a game, putting touchdowns on the board."

Weis had sure sounded arrogant in the winter, insisting that everything would change when the recruiting season was over, and the X's and O's started. The suggestion was simple: If he was behind everyone else on talent, he would make up the ground with his teaching, his game planning and play calling. He was right. He did. He's turned a dreadful Notre Dame offense into touchdown-scoring machinery. He has turned quarterback Brady Quinn into a first-round pick. He's turned a dreadful, antiquated offense into 21st century eye candy.

What's more, Weis' education under Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick has defied the sound reasoning that Notre Dame should never be an entry-level head coaching job. This time, they think Weis will have the staying power that Willingham never did, a space-age spread attack restoring faith that Notre Dame is the choice of destination for the next Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis.

They need playmakers again, and three Super Bowl rings, the development of Tom Brady and the early returns at Notre Dame give Weis monumental credibility walking into America's living rooms.

During Super Bowl week in Jacksonville, Fla., in January, on the 2005 national signing day, I asked Weis about plugging the Patriots player personnel program into recruiting. To work for Parcells and Belichick was to understand what one of your guys looked like -- whatever the recruiting analysts said, whatever schools had validated him with scholarship offers.

The Patriots won three Super Bowls with a lot of players whom others passed over, who were a certain kind of breed. Weis' eyes lit up over the possibility of bringing that model to college recruiting, trying out the Patriots' Sunday way on Saturdays.

"Everyone says, 'Here's the top 20 players in the country,'" Weis said, "but what guys are going to fit into what you do? What guys are your type of guys? I brought in a guy from Indiana that they weren't recruiting, that is a lot like our [2003 fourth round pick] Dan Klecko.

"So many times people get enamored with what the class is rated. Of course you want the best athletes. But you also want the guys that fit your system, and fit your personality. I'm not the most pleasant person in the whole world. You have to be able to deal with the personality of the head coach, because that's going to be the reflection of the team.

"All scouts want height, weight, speed guys. [Patriots personnel director] Scott [Pioli] goes the extra mile and worries about fits. I think the same is true in recruiting. You want to get the best athletes you possibly can, but can they read and write? Are they high character kids?

"Do they fit your system?"

Three games into the season, and there is a Weis system. A stamp. Ara Parseghian has been watching these coaches come and go for a long time at Notre Dame, but thinks this Charlie Weis is different. A keeper.

Yes, Weis brought him back for a pep rally for the first time in 30 years, gave the old coach the microphone and it made it feel like old times for the old coach. Yes, Weis is bringing the Fighting Irish family back together. He's moving the ball. He's winning games. One more star born in South Bend, one more coast-to-coast legend spit out of sport's biggest star machinery.

Offensive Play a Tribute to Montana

Posted on 2 October 2005:

For one moment in time, it wasn't about getting beyond the Tyrone Willingham media frenzy or outsmarting Washington defensive coordinator Kent Baer or of even getting a first down.

It was about keeping a promise to a 10-year-old boy.

"For Montana's sake, I hope he's smiling in heaven right now," University of Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis said Sunday.

Montana Mazurkiewicz of Mishawaka passed away Friday, a year and a half after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and less than 48 hours after Weis had visited the Hums Elementary School student and promised him that the first offensive play the Irish ran Saturday against Washington would be his call.

"I said, 'What can I do for you?' " Weis related. "He said, 'I don't know.' I said, 'I'll tell you what. What do you want me to do on the first play of the game -- run or pass?' Like any 10-year-old kid, the answer is going to be pass. I said, 'OK.' "

"All of a sudden, we're on the 1-yard line the first time we get the ball. I say, 'I have a problem here.' "

Irish safety Chinedum Ndukwe stripped the ball from Washington receiver Craig Chambers near the goal line on the Huskies' first possession and plucked it out of the air to give the Irish the ball in less-than-ideal field position, especially to throw a pass. Montana's specific wish was for the Irish to throw a pass to the right.

"All of my family was sitting with me, and they didn't know what the play was," said Montana's mother, Cathy Mazurkiewicz. "I was sworn to secrecy. I just closed my eyes. I thought, 'There's no way he's going to be able to make that pass -- not from where they're at. He's going to get sacked and Washington's going to get two points.' "

But sure enough, Irish quarterback Brady Quinn rolled right and connected with tight end Anthony Fasano for a 13-yard gain. The drive ended with a botched field goal attempt that holder Jeff Samardzija couldn't turn into a miracle, but the Irish went on to beat Washington, 36-17.

"I had told the team briefly about Montana on Wednesday, because it was kind of a compelling visit," Weis said. "I told them how important Notre Dame is to a lot of people. I was using Montana as an example. Now I'm not big on 'Win-one-for-the-Gipper' type deals, but I wanted people to realize how important they are as football players at Notre Dame, that they represent a lot of people that they don't even realize they're representing."

The meeting between Montana and Weis was arranged by former Notre Dame basketball player Harold Swanagan, who currently serves as ND's coordinator of student welfare and development. Swanagan, in turn, became aware of Montana's situation when Cathy signed Montana up for a program that pairs Notre Dame athletes up with seriously ill children.

"It was a very compelling visit, one that I'll remember the rest of my life," said Weis, who brought Montana a ball, a couple of T-shirts and a hat. "When you walk in, here is this 10-year-old kid with inoperable brain cancer. They basically told me he had a couple of weeks to live. If you looked at him, you would know that a couple of weeks was more realistically a couple of days.

"I sat there with him, mom Cathy, and brother Rockne. Montana, Rockne, you get the picture? First of all, I gave him an opportunity to hammer me on the Michigan State loss, which he did well. Reminded me of my son. Then I was able to get a couple of smiles out of him. His mom got to take a couple of pictures. She said it was the first time he really smiled in months."

Before Weis left, he signed the football.

"He wrote, 'Live for today, for tomorrow is always another day,' " Cathy said. "He's a real neat man, very compassionate."

The Mazurkiewicz family called Weis Friday in Seattle to let him know of Montana's passing. Weis told 16-year-old Rockne over the phone that if the team won Saturday, he would bring the signed game ball over to the family's house Sunday, which he did.

All the while, Weis couldn't help but think about his own children, 12-year-old Charlie Jr. and 10-year-old Hannah.

"That's the first thing that went through my mind," he said.

"I'm a big family guy. My wife (Maura), my son Charlie and my daughter Hannah, that's why I live. As a matter of fact, I was sick years ago, probably should have died. I know I stayed alive because of them. Willed me not to die.

"To watch a kid that's 10 years old only get a smile to his face because of his passion and love for Notre Dame football, that's really a good moral to tell your own players -- to realize, to let them understand who they're representing when they put on that uniform.

"It's not just the university they're representing. It's all the people who support the university. Sometimes we forget who they are, because you think you're on a pedestal and you're bigger than the rest. Really, it kind of brings you back down to earth, (makes you) realize how important it is to wear that jersey."

Is NFL in Cards for Holiday?

By: Eric Hansen
Date: July 2, 2005

Posted 17 July 2005:

Carlyle Holiday won't let himself do the math, even though he's more than capable of running the numbers.

Eleven receivers are vying for likely five roster spots for the Arizona Cardinals, and Holiday's résumé includes just seven career catches -- two of which came on trick plays when he was still Notre Dame's starting quarterback.

"I try not to think about what my chances are of making the team," said the 6-foot-3, 217-pound Holiday, a rookie free agent signed by the Cardinals after going undrafted in April. "I just try to work hard, do the right things and stay out of trouble. Really, if I think about it, it's kind of scary."

At least the QB-turned-receiver isn't bitter.

A coaching change, porous offensive lines and, frankly, inconsistent leadership and direction chafed at what was once a promising collegiate career. He went from a breathtaking runner with raw passing skills to a robotic thrower who couldn't seem to either sense or escape a pass rush. Even the position change to wide receiver in 2003 couldn't be fully metabolized until the '04 season, because the Irish quarterback depth beyond then-freshman Brady Quinn was so flimsy.

But Holiday doesn't point fingers, doesn't long to hopscotch back in time -- back to his once-promising future at his old position.

"It was a pretty difficult four years," he said via telephone from Phoenix, "not only for me, but for my classmates. But it's just something we could all learn from and it probably made us grow stronger as people. I wouldn't change a thing."

One of the positive changes that did occur at ND that is buoying Holiday's chances of sticking on either the active roster or the practice squad was the move to returning punts as a fifth-year senior. Holiday averaged 10.8 yards per return in 2004.

The only other receiver among the 13 undrafted free agents the Cardinals signed -- Northern Illinois product Dan Sheldon -- also is a return specialist and, in fact, led the nation in punt returns as a sophomore with a 22.7 average. Arizona drafted just one receiver, LeRon McCoy of Indiana (Pa.) University, in the seventh and final round.

Beyond his versatility, Holiday must hope coach Dennis Green will look at the upside over the inexperience, and that San Francisco 49ers receiver Arnaz Battle, who tread a similar path as Holiday's at Notre Dame, will come up in conversation, since Battle seems to be getting better with age.

The Cardinals have two of the best young pass-catchers in the game, former Pitt star Larry Fitzgerald and former Florida State standout Anquan Boldin -- the latter a converted quarterback himself.

"This is going to be hard to believe, but the people who have helped me out the most are the other receivers on the team," Holiday said. "It's kind of a surprise, because you're competing with these guys for a spot. People kept telling me how vicious the competition would be, but not here. They're not trying to scam you. Everybody's just trying to help everybody out."

Holiday is trying to help himself out by staying in the Phoenix area and working out, even though mandatory organized workouts ended and training camp won't begin until July 31 in Flagstaff, Ariz.

"Besides staying in shape," he said, "it's helping me get adjusted to the weather, although I'm not sure I'll ever be able to completely do that."

There is an incompleteness to Holiday's time at Notre Dame. He never got the idea of being a quarterback out of his system. He never got to wish deposed head coach Tyrone Willingham well in his new venture at Washington. He never got to know new coach Charlie Weis other than a quick hello at a Bookstore Basketball game and a group "good luck" before Holiday and other Irish NFL hopefuls ran for the scouts last spring.

"The players have been telling me he's a great guy," Holiday said of Weis. "And they've been telling me how much Brady is improving. But I knew he was going to be a great one. I've been talking him up to a lot of people out here.

"I'm always going to be a Notre Dame fan. I'll remember all the games I played in, some more than others, but they're all a part of who I am. And I'll stick up for my alma mater to Larry and Anquan -- when the time is right, that is. I really haven't talked mess to them yet, because I just got there. But at some point I'll let them know who the victor was on a couple of those occasions. I just want to wait a little bit, 'til I'm on a little more solid ground."

By: Sharon Cohen, Associated Press Writer
Date: May 14, 2005

Posted on 29 May 2005:

First-year medical student Tim Cordes, center, listens as Megan Neuman, left, describes the nerves and tissues of a human shoulder during anatomy class at the University of Wisconsin in Madison in this 1998 file photo. Newman, a second-year medical student at the university, was paid by the school to assist Cordes, who is legally blind. Cordes earned his M.D. in December.

MADISON, Wis. -- The young medical student was nervous as he slid the soft, thin tube down into the patient's windpipe. It was a delicate maneuver -- and he knew he had to get it right.

Tim Cordes leaned over the patient as his professor and a team of others closely monitored his every step. Carefully, he positioned the tube, waiting for the special signal that oxygen was flowing.

The anesthesia machine was set to emit musical tones to confirm the tube was in the trachea and carbon dioxide was present. Soon, Cordes heard the sounds. He double-checked with a stethoscope. All was OK. He had completed the intubation.

Several times over two weeks, Cordes performed this difficult task at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. His professor, Dr. George Arndt, marveled at his student's skills.

"He was 100 percent," the doctor said. "He did it better than the people who could see."

Tim Cordes, who graduated as valedictorian of the University of Notre Dame's class of 1998, is blind.

He has mastered much in his 28 years: Jujitsu. Biochemistry. Water-skiing. Musical composition.

Any one of these accomplishments would be impressive. Together, they're dazzling. And now, there's more luster for his gold-plated resume with a new title: Doctor.

Cordes has earned his M.D.

In a world where skeptics always seem to be saying, stop, this isn't something a blind person should be doing, it was one more barrier to overcome. There are only a handful of blind doctors in this country. But Cordes makes it clear he could not have joined this elite club alone.

"I signed on with a bunch of real team players who decided that things are only impossible until they're done," he said.

That's modesty speaking. Cordes finished medical school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the top sixth of his class (he received just one B), earning honors, accolades and admirers along the way.

"He was confident, he was professional, he was respectful and he was a great listener," said Sandy Roof, a nurse practitioner who worked with Cordes as part of a training program in a small-town clinic.

Without sight, Cordes had to learn how to identify clusters of spaghetti-thin nerves and vessels in cadavers, study X-rays, read EKGs and patient charts, examine slides showing slices of the brain, diagnose rashes -- and more.

He used a variety of special tools, including raised line drawings, a computer that simultaneously reads into his earpiece whatever he types, a visual describer, a portable printer that allowed him to write notes for patient charts, and a device called an Optacon that has a small camera with vibrating pins that help his fingers feel images.

"It was kind of whatever worked," Cordes said. "Sometimes you can psych yourself out and anticipate problems that don't materialize.

"You can sit there and plan for every contingency or you just go out and do things. ... That was the best way."

That's been his philosophy much of his life. Cordes was just 5 months old when he was diagnosed with Leber's disease. He wore glasses by age 2 and gradually lost his sight. At age 16, when his peers were getting their car keys, he took his first steps with a guide dog.

Early signs

Still, blindness didn't stop him.

He wrestled and earned a black belt in tae kwon do and jujitsu.

An academic whiz, he graduated as valedictorian at Notre Dame as a crowd of 10,000 gave him a standing ovation.

As an undergraduate, Cordes got around campus with the help of a guide dog, Electra, and compiled a 3.991 grade-point average.

In a 1998 Tribune interview, Cordes recalled being disheartened over his steady loss of vision while growing up. "At some point, as a child, I had some anxiety about it," he said. "I decided to focus on what I could do, not what I couldn't have."

Paul Helquist, a Notre Dame chemistry and biochemistry professor, met Cordes when the young man was a sophomore. He's kept in contact through the years and plans to attend the young doctor's wedding in November.

Cordes immediately stood out as a student in Helquist's organic chemistry class and soon was participating in campus biochemistry research.

"He's one of the very strongest students I've ever seen," Helquist said.

Cordes "is a very talented individual, but he's also very humble and appreciative of all the opportunities he's had. He has tremendous doctor-patient interaction skills," the professor said.

Cordes finished medical school in December but still is working on his Ph.D., studying the structure of a protein involved in a bacteria that causes pneumonia and other infections.

Though he spends 10 to 12 hours a day in the lab, Cordes also carried the Olympic torch when it made its way through Wisconsin in 2002 (he runs four miles twice a week) and has managed to give a few motivational speeches and accept an award or two.

He's even found time to fall in love; he's engaged to a medical school student.

Teaching others

But Tim Cordes doesn't want to be cast as the noble hero of a Hallmark special.

"I just think that you deal with what you're dealt," he said. "I've just been trying to do the best with what I've got.

"I don't think that's any different than anybody else."

He also shuns suggestions his IQ leaves his peers in the dust.

"I just work hard and study," he said. "If you're not modest, you're probably overestimating yourself."

Through the years, plenty of people have underestimated Cordes.

That was especially true when he applied for medical school and was rejected by several universities, despite glowing references, two years of antibiotics research and his high grade-point average as a Notre Dame biochemistry major.

Even when Wisconsin-Madison accepted him, Cordes said, he knew there was "some healthy skepticism." But, he adds, "the people I worked with were top-notch and really gave me a chance."

The dean of the medical school, Dr. Philip Farrell, said the faculty determined early on that Cordes would have "a successful experience. Once you decide that, it's only a question of options and choices."

Farrell worried a bit how Cordes might fare in the hospital settings but said he needn't have.

"We've learned from him as much as he's learned from us ... one should never assume that any student is going to have a barrier, an obstacle, that they can't overcome," he said.

Roof, the nurse practitioner who worked with Cordes in a clinic in the town of Waterloo, wondered about that.

"My first reaction was the same as others': How can he possibly see and treat patients?" she said. "I was skeptical, but within a short time I realized he was very capable, very sensitive."

She recalls watching him examine a patient with a rash, feel the area, ask the appropriate questions -- and come up with a correct diagnosis.

"He didn't try and sell himself," Roof said. "He just did what needed to be done."

Blending in

Cordes said he thinks people accepted him because most of his training was in a teaching hospital, where he blended in with other medical students. One patient apparently didn't even realize the young man treating him was blind.

Cordes grins as he recalls examining a 7-year-old while making the hospital rounds with Vance, his German shepherd guide dog. The next day, he saw the boy's father, who said, "I think you did a great job. (But) when my son got out, he asked me, 'What's the dog for?' "

With his sandy hair and choirboy's face, Cordes became a familiar sight with Vance at the university hospital. The two were so good at navigating the maze of hallways that interns would sometimes ask Cordes for the quickest route to a particular destination.

Some professors say Cordes compensates for his lack of sight with his other senses -- especially his incredible sense of touch. "He can pick up things with his hands you and I wouldn't pick up -- like vibrations," said Arndt, the anesthesiology professor.

Cordes said some of his most valuable lessons came from doctors who believed in showing rather than telling.

"You can describe what it feels like to put your hand on the aorta and feel someone's blood flowing through it," he said, his face lighting up, "but until you feel it, you really don't get a sense of what that's like."

Dr. Yolanda Becker, assistant professor of surgery who performs transplants, noticed that Cordes had a talent for finding veins. "I tell the students, 'You have to feel them ... you just can't look.' For Tim, that was not an option."

Becker soon became one more member of Tim Cordes' fan club.

"He was a breath of fresh air," she said. "He appreciated the fact people took time with him to feel the pulse, feel the grafts, feel where the kidneys are. ... He asked very good questions."

Unmatched experience

Cordes' training included observing surgery, helping treat psychiatric patients at a veterans hospital and traveling beyond the hospital walls to the rural corners of Wisconsin.

Cordes also enjoys camping and canoeing with his fiancee, Blue-leaf Hannah (her exotic first name comes from a character in "Centennial," a James Michener novel). They met when both interviewed for medical school.

"I was just mostly curious how he was going to do it," she said. "I must have asked him a million questions."

"I figured she was just sizing up the competition," he teases.

They began dating and will marry this fall. It's a match made for Mensa. Hannah is now in medical school. She already has a Ph.D. in pharmacology -- her dissertation was on a human protein implicated in heart disease called thrombospondin.

"Too long for a Scrabble game," Cordes jokes.

The two have talked about starting a research lab together someday.

Looking back on medical school, Cordes said he savored the chance to help deliver babies and observe surgery -- things he's probably not going to do again. "I just made it a point to treasure them while I had them," he said.

He once thought he'd become a researcher but is now considering psychiatry and internal medicine. "The surprise for me was how much I liked dealing with the human side," he said. "It took a little work to get over. I'm kind of a shy guy."

Cordes plans to attend graduation ceremonies in May.

For now, he's humble about his latest milestone.

"I might be the front man in the show, but there were lot of people involved," he said. "Everybody was giving a good effort for me and I wanted to do right by them."

Notre Dame Recruiting

Posted on 15 May 2005:

I've been heavily involved in following Notre Dame's recruiting effort. For the past 10 years, I've presonally followed the recruiting process and have witnessed some great classes signed by the Irish, and some not so great classes signed by the Irish. However, I've never seen a class get off to as quick, and as an impressive start as first-year head coach Charlie Weis's first full recruiting campaign.

Head coach Charlie Weis is spoiling Irish fans. What's this? Four possible commitments already and it's not even May? And more importantly, these four commitments are the cream of the crop in Weis' eyes.

I've always said that recruiting rankings mean very little in the grand scheme of things, and how we should judge a class is to know which players were really targeted, and then look at how many of those top prospects were actually signed. So far, Weis is perfect at the plate going 4-for-4.

It's been made public numerous times that Zach Frazer was quarterback coach David Cutcliffe's and Weis' top quarterback target for the class of 2006. But did you know that Kallen Wade, Munir Prince and Barry Gallup were also the first players offered at their projected positions?

Now that is quite an impressive statistic!

But the good news doesn't stop there. I cannot remember a time where Notre Dame had this many of their top prospects already on campus for unofficial visits. Many more are planning trips to see what all the buzz is about in South Bend.

Consider this: Weis and Co. already had three of their four offered quarterbacks on campus. Two were scheduled to come back for a second look for the spring game and the third (the top target) already committed. Six other top targets at quarterback have already visited South Bend.

Notre Dame's two outstanding offers at running back (James Aldridge and Luke Schmidt) are attending the spring game on Saturday after already visiting Notre Dame this month, and many think the Irish are in good shape with both of them. If Weis could land Aldridge and Schmidt, Weis would land his two top three choices at running back.

The Irish already have one commitment (Barry Gallup) at wide receiver. Seattle native Taylor Mays is another offered player that has told us he is visiting this summer. George West, another offer, also plans to visit South Bend this summer. The Irish have also made some headway with Percy Harvin after not even being mentioned by the talented Harvin previously. Many other top wide receiver targets have already visited or plan to visit South Bend in the future.

Notre Dame's top tight end target (Paddy Mullen) has visited Notre Dame a number of times. The Irish clearly lead for Mullen at this point. Notre Dame also recently offered California tight end Konrad Rueland. Guess what? He's coming for a visit this summer.

The Irish have offered a number of players already at offensive line. Matt Carufel and Bartley Webb both have offers and have already visited. Webb visited last week and had planned to make the trip up again for the Notre Dame spring game. Ohio native Aaron Brown is said to be visiting South Bend soon. Texas native Chris Stewart has also been offered and plans to visit South Bend this summer. We expect quite a few more visits from top offensive line prospects in the near future.

Defensive line is also looking good for Irish fans. The imminent commitment from Cincinnati defensive lineman Kallen Wade is definitely a step in the right direction. But Wade might not be the only Ohioan committing to the Irish in the near future. Defensive end John Ryan also plans to choose between Notre Dame and Boston College very soon.

Jamie Cumbie is both a defensive end prospect and tight end prospect the Irish have offered. He's visited Notre Dame twice already, and the Irish are at worst in his top two at this point.

The Irish recently offered Jason Kates and Ben Alexander at defensive tackle. Both Kates and Alexander plan to visit South Bend in the near future and Alexander seems very high on the Irish.

Notre Dame's top target at linebacker, Toryan Smith, recently visited Notre Dame and the Irish are very much in the thick of the race for his signature. A number of other top targets have already visited Notre Dame, and two more, Nick Macaluso and Alex Wujciak, plan to visit Notre Dame for Saturday's spring game.

Notre Dame recently offered Darrin Walls and Raeshon McNeil at defensive back. Both players plan to visit Notre Dame in the near future.

I cannot remember a time when this many Irish prospects had already visited Notre Dame in previous recruiting seasons. Weis and recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello have done an outstanding job of locating their top prospects and getting them on campus.

We don't know every Irish offer at this point, but we do know of most of them.

At least 14 of the 30+ offers we know of have visited Notre Dame already. Another nine have recently told Irish Eyes that they plan to visit South Bend in the near future.

And the fun is just beginning. As we've said before, head coach Charlie Weis plans to spend the entire month of May on the road recruiting. We've never heard of any head coach spending the entire month out on the road recruiting.

It's quite obvious that Weis understands the value of recruiting, and that nobody will out-work the first-year head coach when it comes to recruiting.

Fasten your seatbelts Irish fans. This thing is about ready to take off.

Guest Coaches Relish Chance

Posted on 1 May 2005:

It was a case study in the contrast of quarterback behavior on Saturday - not so much on the field, where sophomore starter Brady Quinn was the star of the day - but in the press room, where Notre Dame football legends reacted to crowds of a different type.

Joe Montana, known throughout his playing days for his success under pressure, seemed to somewhat shy away from the cameras and questions, while Joe Theismann, longtime TV commentator recently inducted into the college football Hall of Fame, appeared to thrive under the Saturday afternoon spotlight.

The signal-calling tandem represented just half of the Irish gridiron greats present, as former defensive tackle Chris Zorich and Heisman Award-winning receiver Tim Brown also serving as honorary coaches for the 76th annual Blue-Gold Game, which Montana and Zorich's Blue team won 28-6.

Facing Quinn on the opposing sideline - as well as the rest of the first team offense and the first-team defense - Theismann and Brown's Gold Team faced an uphill battle. After initially and jestingly describing the split as "cheating," Theismann admitted that it was the right move for the team.

"The way Charlie [Weis] explained it, I thought it was a very good idea. You want to try and maintain as much continuity as you can when you're putting in a new system and everything is new for these guys," he said.

"The worst thing you can do is take them all through practice and bring them in to a game situation and then all of a sudden say 'OK, half of the offense goes over here, the other half goes over here.' You almost defeat the purpose of why you practice so much."

While supporting Theismann's reasoning, Montana, who was acquainted with Weis as a student, defended his inheritance of the Blue team.

"It helps when you know him from school," Montana said. "He was a suitemate of a couple guys I knew."

Before the game, each coach spoke to the team, with Montana, Theismann and Zorich speaking at Friday's team meeting and Brown giving the pre-game speech on Saturday. Much of what they said revolved around the direction of the football program.

"When I talked to them today, I tried to let them know, 'Hey, I've been right where you are.' In 1986 when Lou [Holtz] came in, he was talking about all these great things that we were going to do, but we had to believe in him. It started that year, and a couple years later, they won the championship," Brown said. "The same thing here, these guys have to do the same thing. They have to believe in what's happening, and I think if they do, they'd bring it back."

Yet, much of what the four coaches told the team transcended the playing field.

"We're trying to let these guys know that this experience, these are going to be the best four years of their life. After this, you're going to start paying mortgages, you're going to start paying car notes, having families and stuff like that, and all of a sudden, it goes a bit faster than it does in college," Zorich said. "I just want to express to them to enjoy their four years here."

With regards to the football field, the four seemed to be in agreement that Weis was the man to lead Notre Dame to where those close to the team or the school want it to be.

"Any time you bring in a guy like Charlie Weis, with all his experience, you know that you're headed in the right direction," Brown said. "What I tried to instill on the kids today is, 'Hey look, you have to pay attention to this guy, you have to listen to him, and you have to believe in what he's saying, because he can take you to where you want to go.'"

However, Weis' greatest success thus far in his short tenure as head coach may prove to be rallying a community that was fragmented by the Tyrone Willingham firing around his team and his players.

"I think it's no secret I was [angry] with the way the University handled Coach Willingham, I was a huge fan of Coach Willingham's," Zorich said. "Saying that, I got a phone call about a month ago from Coach Weis, and we spent maybe a half hour, forty-five minutes on the phone, and he reminded me so much of what Holtz talked about as far as bringing back an attitude, bringing back that winning desire."

"All of a sudden you have a coach telling you that he needs nasty, mean players. Well, I kinda got excited. So when he asked me to coach, I was like 'Coach? I'm ready to suit up.'"

Without a doubt, the presence of the four coaches proved to be a memorable opportunity for the current Irish players.

"We talked about a lot of technique and football stuff, lots of life stuff too. It was great having [Zorich] here. He's like a mentor to me, so it was great to be able to talk to him," defensive MVP Trevor Laws said.

Wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, who played on the Gold team, echoed Laws' sentiments.

"Any time you can get advice from a great legend like that, you gotta take it all the time," he said. "If you can get some insight on how to play the receiver position better from Tim Brown, its something you want to listen to."

Ultimately, though, it may have been those who played here years ago who benefited most from the experience.

"This is probably one of the bigger thrills I've had in a long time. I had a ball. It almost makes me think about coaching ... I never thought that I would enjoy being on the sidelines like that," Brown said. "It was a blast for me, and that's the one thing you want these guys to understand."

Despite early speculation to the contrary, Brown will not serve the team in any official capacity next season. Nonetheless, he, along with the other honorary coaches, expressed a willingness to give back to the institution.

"If we're given the opportunity to help in some way shape or form, I think every one of us would want to do anything we could to help the University of Notre Dame and help the young men here," Theismann said.

In the end, Montana may have best summarized what it all meant, not only for the 78 players who participated on Saturday but for the roughly 8,400 current students and the thousands of alumni spread across the country.

"Notre Dame, whether you play sports or not, can be a tremendous experience, and one that you'll always look back on," he said. "I still wish I was here."