Austin Webster Reflecting 'True Grit' In Team Attitude
In December 2016, junior wide receiver Austin Webster made history while getting selected as the first walk-on captain on a Notre Dame football team.
“Grit” has become maybe the most popular word in head coach Brian Kelly’s lexicon this year, and nobody better manifested the traits of attitude, leadership and maximizing performance than Webster.
Last week, the 5-11, 192-pound senior from Westchester, Calif., whose father Keith played basketball at Harvard, was placed on scholarship for his senior year, but Kelly said it was not an inevitable act because of Webster’s captaincy.
“Somebody was going to earn one because we’re below our [scholarship] numbers.” said Kelly. “There were a number of guys that were on that list, and he was on the list but he wasn’t guaranteed one. He had to go earn it.
“He’s on two of our running teams on special teams — he’s earned that. Coach [Brian] Polian’s not giving out memberships to the special teams club because you’re a nice guy. You’ve got to earn them, and for him getting on two of those teams says a lot about the production that he’s going to be able to give us. It was only fitting for him to be awarded a scholarship.”
“There were definitely times where you’re struggling and the path is really difficult,” said Webster, who scored 43 touchdowns during his high school career. “I’d reflect and call my parents and say, ‘This is just really hard.’ It’s not something I want[ed] to walk away from but you ask yourself, ‘What could I do more to show the coaches that I deserve to be here?’ There are definitely difficult times, but I’ve loved Notre Dame all my life and this is a dream come true.”
Not including kickers, where the Irish have had a plethora of walk-on stalwarts, Webster has an opportunity to be among the top 10 walk-ons at Notre Dame since the start of the Ara Parseghian era in 1964. Chronologically, here were the top 10 on-field performers since then.
NICK RASSAS (1964-65)
The walk-on from Loyola Academy in Winnetka, Ill., tried out as a halfback for Joe Kuharich’s Notre Dame squad in 1961, but he was sidelined all of 1962 with a broken ankle. By the end of the 2-7 season in 1963 under interim coach Hugh Devore, he received a start at halfback.
When Parseghian arrived, per his custom, he opted to build the defense first and moved Rassas to the secondary, still utilized his elusive skills as a return man and immediately put him on scholarship.
Rassas went on to become a consensus All-American on defense, placing eighth nationally in interceptions (6) in 1965 for a single season school record 197 yards. He also was first in the country in punt returns, with a school-record three going for scores. Raises became a second-round draft pick.
MIKE ORIARD (1968-69)
In his 1982 critically-acclaimed book, “The End Of Autumn,” Oriard revealed that a Spokane, Wash., dermatologist who was treating his acne problem made the call on Oriard’s behalf to the Notre Dame coaches to take him as a walk-on.
“Not exactly the stuff of Hollywood epics,” Oriard wrote.
The book revealed in detail the discouragement and daily temptations to quit that a walk-on endures. Yet after two years of getting hopes squashed, Oriard was the starting center midway through his junior year (after converting from defense) and selected as a team-captain his senior year in 1969 before partaking in a four-year NFL career.
ED GULYAS (1970-71)
During Notre Dame’s No. 2 finish in 1970, capped by an upset of No. 1-ranked Texas, the California walk-on emerged with a team-high 534 yards rushing. Gulyas also was an effective receiver, catching a 30-yard go-ahead touchdown pass in the second half versus Dan Devine’s Missouri team and making a diving catch of a Joe Theismann pass that gained 46 yards and set up the fourth-quarter game-winning TD in the hard-fought 10-7 victory over Georgia Tech.
Although he missed a good portion of his senior year in 1971 with an injury, Gulyas’ five TDs that season still tied for the team lead.
TIM RUDNICK (1971-73)
The Niles, Ill., cornerback inherited Theismann’s No. 7 jersey in 1971, after Theismann’s graduation, and became a two-year starter in a secondary that included stalwarts such as Luther Bradley and Mike Townsend on the 1973 national championship unit.
Rudnick intercepted six passes in those two seasons and his 10 pass deflections in ’73 were second to Bradley’s 11.
BOB BURGER (1977-80)
As a junior, the guard merited a scholarship for his efforts, and then as a senior on head coach Dan Devine's final team that earned a bid to the Sugar Bowl versus No. 1 Georgia, Burger shared a starting role up front. Perhaps even more amazing, he achieved this while majoring in chemical engineering, with his 3.69 grade-point average topping all students in the College of Engineering.
PAT EILERS & MIKE BRENNAN (1988-89)
These two walk-ons became starters on the units that set the school record for most consecutive victories with 23.
Guard Brennan’s first start came in the epic 31-30 victory over Miami – a game where flanker Eilers scored the go-ahead touchdown on a running play. They also would play in the NFL, Eilers for six years as a safety/special teams stalwart, and Brennan three years as an offensive tackle. Eilers majored in both engineering and biology.
Both of their fathers were Notre Dame graduates, and they grew up imbued with its spirit. Their aspirations to play football at Notre Dame, though, were a long shot. William & Mary told Brennan he could never play for them, and Eilers opted to enroll at Yale, where he shared time on the freshman team in 1986.
During his freshman year at Notre Dame Brennan played lacrosse, while Eilers also played baseball in college — including scoring a winning run against powerful Miami.
SHANE WALTON (1999-2002)
In 1998, the freshman Walton led the Notre Dame soccer team in scoring with 10 goals and seven assists, earning second-team All-Big East honors. Similar to lacrosse star, Brennan, though, he opted to start from the bottom by pursuing his football dream.
By 1999, Walton was put on scholarship, and he became a starting cornerback next year, helping Notre Dame to a BCS bid. His highlight that season included intercepting a Drew Brees and returning it for a 60-yard touchdown in a 23-21 victory over Rose-Bowl bound Purdue.
A three-year starter, Walton earned consensus All-America notice in 2002 under first-year head coach Tyrone Willingham, who directed Notre Dame to an 8-0 start. Walton was the team MVP not only with his leadership in the locker room but his excellence on the field. He paced the team in interceptions (7) and passes broken up (7), not including flicking away a two-point conversion late in the 25-23 victory over Michigan before making the game-clinching interception.
MIKE ANELLO (2007-09)
Nobody at Notre Dame in this century has displayed the grit attitude better than the 5-10, 180-pound special teams demon Annello.
In 2008 he made a remarkable 23 tackles (15 solo) on the coverage teams — despite breaking a leg in the regular season finale at USC — and was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America second team. His play/character even earned him a spot on the 2009 Lott Award preseason watch list. The Irish kick return defense under Polian ranked No. 1 in the country.
Chris Salvi would take on a similar role in 2010-12 while recording 18 career tackles on special teams.
JOE SCHMIDT (2012-15)
Like Oriard and Walton, the overachieving Schmidt became a captain after originally walking on. His late pass break-up against USC in 2013 helped preserve a 14-10 victory in a defensive slugfest, and the next season, despite playing only the first eight games before suffering a broken ankle, he was named Team MVP. The Irish were 7-1 with him, and 1-4 without him setting up the defense.
As a senior he finished second in tackles with 78 on a 10-3 team.
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