Oct. 20, 2006

By Craig Chval

Their national title hopes flickering in the closing minutes of the 1973 Sugar Bowl, Alabama head coach Bear Bryant and his players were worried about Notre Dame quarterback Tom Clements, bruising fullback Wayne Bullock and All-American tight end Dave Casper.

Desperate to get the ball back for one last chance to overcome Notre Dame’s 24-23 lead, Alabama had the Irish pinned, third-and-eight on the Notre Dame two-yard line with a little over two minutes left in the game. The Tide never imagined that Weber, used extensively as a blocker in double tight end alignments, would do anything but block.

Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian called “Tackle Trap Pass Left,” a play that the Irish had used to convert a two-point conversion earlier in the game. But that was with split end Pete Demmerle in the game, not Weber.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘Well, I can run a deep flag pattern — I did that in sandlot football,'” says Weber laughing.

Weber’s route was designed to free Casper open underneath. But Alabama blew the coverage, leaving Weber wide open. From the back of his end zone, Clements found Weber 37 yards down field in front of the Alabama bench. The Irish had the first down, the victory and Parseghian’s second national championship.

Highly sought by every top program in the country, Weber committed to Notre Dame during his recruiting visit.

“They thought so much of me that they flew me up in February,” he chuckles.

Parseghian, who was famous for not traveling to recruit, sealed the deal in his office. “I had (Texas head coach) Darrel Royal and (Arkansas head coach) Frank Broyles in my living room, but when Ara offered me that scholarship, I said, ‘O.K.’

“I couldn’t write a better script,” he says. “It was exactly what I expected and quite a bit more.”

After earning his degree from Notre Dame, Weber returned to his native Dallas, where for the last 17 years, he has owned a commercial real estate business. Along with his brother, Todd, and cousin Steve Vaughn, Weber has recently acquired Whitestar Delivery, a third party warehousing, transportation and logistics company.

A week rarely passes without somebody reminding Weber of his Sugar Bowl catch, but Weber gives all the credit to his teammates.

“It was a night of big plays, and I just happened to be the last man through,” he says. “You always remember the last man through.

“That’s the way it has worked in my real estate career,” explains Weber. “I’m real low key, then … bang, I’ll hit a big deal!”

Now that he is done raising his daughter, Lisa, Weber spends spare time with Todd’s children, Bill and Maddie.

Weber makes it back to Notre Dame frequently, including to serve as a coach during Notre Dame’s fantasy football camp each summer. When asked to recount his famous play, Weber always credits his teammates – especially Casper, who jumped offsides just before Weber’s catch, prompting Parseghian to change from a run to a pass.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” Weber laughs. “And I owe it all to Dave Casper.”