SOUTH BEND, Ind. — During perhaps the darkest of Notre Dame football’s rare lost seasons, Mike Golic Jr. and 22 of his future teammates ignored the white noise of a 3-9 bottom line in 2007 and stuck together to comprise the top-rated recruiting class of the post-Lou Holtz Era.
After their sophomore seasons, in 2009, they endured a coaching change — Charlie Weis to Brian Kelly — together. In 2012, those with fifth-year eligibility helped nudge the Irish into the No. 1 spot in the polls for the first time in almost two decades and played for the national championship.
In the summer of 2023, they’re still making a difference in South Bend. Together.
Several other generations of Notre Dame football players joined in too, as did the rest of the Golic family, current Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and ND’s newest QB1 Sam Hartman, among others.
They all convened to give back to the South Bend community, as the second annual Golic Sub-Par Celebrity Golf Classic kicked off Sunday night at the Irish Green on the Notre Dame campus. A Night on the Green included a silent auction and a rather boisterous one, with Hartman throwing autographed footballs to those who bid on them. With no incompletions.
That included a deep toss from a stage in a crowded large tent to his new offensive coordinator, Gerad Parker, in the very back of the tent.
“We are so grateful to Sam, who has come in and in a very short period of time shown, outside of being such a great player, why he is such a great fit for this university,” Golic said. “He was all in on it. And he showed off a little bit of his chops.
“But I can’t thank him enough for being willing. All the other student athletes — I mean, we had women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, football represented here from the current athletes. And just a really cool moment with all of them. But definitely nice to see the arm that’s going to be wowing everybody on Saturdays in South Bend.”
Part II of the Golic event unfolds Monday at Warren Golf Course with a golf tournament, weather-permitting.
Last year, in its inaugural iteration, the event raised more than $100,000. Early returns are suggesting year 2 will be even more impactful on the community. The local organizations in line to benefit this year, selected through a grant process, are the Logan Center, the South Bend Center for the Homeless, Cultivate Food Rescue and the Humane Society of St. Joseph County.
“There are so many great [charities],” Golic said. “Our goal is to do this long enough to touch so many groups. For us, the Human Society is a great example.
“We've always been an animal-loving family. We've got a ton of dogs. We love trying to impact that area as well. We got to work with the Logan Center, the South Bend Center for the Homeless when we were here as athletes. And you say, ‘All right. That shouldn’t stop just because we’re graduating.’
“They talk about that 40-year decision when you come to Notre Dame. That should also be the way we reach back and impact the community here. So, a lot of it is familiarity, and a lot of it is just the passion of the people we heard from in the grant process that have really spoken to us and really imparted on us in what they’re doing day to day and why they should be one of the other groups that gets help here.
“Again, there are so many great ones. We want to do this for so long that we are able to give back to everybody, because the beautiful part is there are a lot of passionate people around here who are trying to do a lot of great things.”
And some of the passion comes from that 2008 recruiting class of which Golic was a part.
Quarterback Dayne Crist and the wife of tight end Kyle Rudolph, Jordan, are actually on the Golic Family Foundation board of directors. Center Braxston Cave, wide receiver Michael Floyd and defensive lineman Brandon Newman — all from the nation’s No. 2-rated recruiting class that signed in February of 2008 — were scheduled to be a part of the weekend activities.
“I'm as touched as I can be," Golic said, "that each and every year the same guys that I met when we were 17, and started texting each other then about all our hopes and dreams and the stuff we want to do around here, are still the same people making those hopes and dreams come true.
“You go through this life-changing experience and learn how to be adults going through a pretty unique crucible in this program. It’s the coolest thing getting to watch my friends and my siblings and their significant others become parents and see them turn around and still have such a warm spot in their hearts for our family, enough to show up for something like this. That’s what Notre Dame is all about. That’s why it’s special.”
Golic’s dad and former Irish player, Mike Golic Sr., remains front and center in the event and foundation as well. And he is apparently, by far, the better golfer between his oldest son and him.
“I can’t even give you the false bravado. Dad’s really dialed in right now,” Golic Jr. said. “He's playing out in the American Century [Championship] out in [Lake] Tahoe. He’s been taking lessons. He’s ready to go. I’ll never say this when he’s around, but he’s a really sneaky athlete in almost everything he does.
“And so as soon as he started actually dedicating himself to golf, and not just trying to go shoot mid 90s, drunk or sober, it’s amazing.”
Among the other former players coming back to take part were former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown as well as Brady Quinn, Matthias Farley, Larry Williams, Michael Kelley, Steve Beuerlein, Bob Crable. Allen Pinkett and Reggie Brooks.
Former Irish men’s basketball player Jordan Cornette, of the ACC Network, was among the media personalities taking part.
Quinn had his wife, three young daughters and extended family in tow and was able to take the opportunity to have his 3-month-old son, Cavanaugh, baptized at the Basilica on campus during his trip back.
“We always wanted for this to be a chance to give back but also have that reunion feel,” Golic said. “We want everyone to feel like they’re coming back home to help out a place that matters to them. That feeling of bringing that tie through generations and having them always calling South Bend home, that’s the powerful part of this.”
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