Notre Dame Football Hotter Than Ever In Hawaii

Through nearly the first 100 years of Notre Dame’s football history, Walter Cabral was the lone player from Hawaii ever to play for the Fighting Irish.

Listed as a No. 2 right or left end from 1951-53 under head coach Frank Leahy, Cabral saw less time in 1954 under first-year head coach Terry Brennan in 1954, while playing behind captains Dan Penza (1953) and Paul Matz (1954).

He became an Army officer after his graduation, but his football roots continued. One son, Brian Cabral, played eight seasons in the NFL, the last six with the Chicago Bears, where he was on the roster of the 1985 Super Bowl champions. He served as an assistant coach from 1989-2012 at alma mater Colorado, where he also was 2-1 as the interim head coach in 2010 (currently he is at Indiana State).

Another son, Jeff Cabral, went into coaching in Hawaii — with 2009-12 Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o among the pupils.