Sept. 28, 2006
#99 Ronald Talley
Junior, 6-4, 262
Defensive End
Detroit, Mich./Renaissance
Junior defensive end Ronald Talley is in his second season as a starter at defensive end. He broke into the Notre Dame lineup early in 2005 and became a starter midway through the season. During the `05 campaign, Talley made five starts and recorded 14 solo and nine assisted tackles. He had one sack against BYU, recovered a fumble and deflected a pair of passes. Through the first two games of 2006, the Detroit native has one tackle and one fumble recovery on the season. GameDay’s Laura Hansen gives Irish fans a chance to get to know John Sullivan.
Hansen: What is your major and why you are interested in it?
Talley: My major is Film and Television, and Computer Applications. I’m majoring in film and television because I want to produce film, as well as television. Computer Applications also is a good skill to know because of the way everything is being run in the world.
Hansen: What is your hardest class and why?
Talley: My hardest class is probably “The History of Film,” because I have never seen or heard of a lot of the movies we watch, so it’s kind of hard for me since I’m seeing them for the first time.
Hansen: What is your favorite class and why?
Talley: I enjoy my “Current Trends” class, a computer applications class, because it talks about issues going on today.
Hansen: What made you choose Notre Dame over the other schools you were interested in? What were the other schools?
Talley: I chose Notre Dame over Michigan State and Iowa. I picked Notre Dame because of the package; tt has more to offer overall with education and academics.
Hansen: To date, what has been the highlight of your Notre Dame career?
Talley: The highlight of my career was making my first start last year against BYU.
Hansen: Who were your sports idols as a kid and why?
Talley: Deacon Jones was one of my idols because he was mean and tough. Nobody could mess with him.
Hansen: As a football player, is there any one player who you modeled your game after?
Talley: I modeled my game after Deacon Jones for the same reasons he was my idol.
Hansen: Who has been your biggest non-sports role model and why?
Talley: My mother has been my role model because she has done a lot by herself. She has really taken her life and mine to another level.
Hansen: What is one thing in your life that you can’t live without?
Talley: I can’t live without my mother.
Hansen: Do you have any pre-game rituals? What are they?
Talley: I like to listen to my favorite group, Street Lords, from Detroit.
Hansen: What is the best advice that you have ever been given and who gave it to you?
Talley: My granny told me to never lose sight of my dreams, no matter how tough the road is.
Hansen: How do you think you’ve grown as a person since coming to Notre Dame?
Talley: My eyes have opened up a little bit, well a lot really by seeing how the rest of the world is. I’ve seen a lot of things and met a lot of people from different places, so I’ve learned a lot of things, especially different perspectives.
Hansen: What do you do to balance your academic and football workloads?
Talley: At night, I’m dedicated to school. After class, I’m dedicated to football. I just try to balance those two like that.
Hansen: What is your favorite movie and why?
Talley: My favorite movie is “Get Rich or Die Trying.” The title says it all.
Hansen: Where is the toughest place you’ve played as a college football player?
Talley: The toughest place that I’ve played is Michigan Stadium.
Hansen: What CD do you have in your collection or song in your iPod that would surprise people?
Talley: You expect me to listen to Eminem, but one of his songs I have is called `Mockingbird,’ which is about his daughter, so that might surprise people.
Hansen: If a movie was made about your life, what would it be titled and who would star as you?
Talley: The movie would be called “On the Grind,” and it would star Denzel Washington.
Hansen: Who is the best athlete that you have ever competed against?
Talley: That would be Reggie Bush.
Hansen: If you had a chance to play golf with anyone in history, who would be in your foursome, in addition to yourself, and why?
Talley: Jay-Z, a guy I know named Robert Dean and Malcolm X because they are all really successful.
Hansen: When your football career is over, what do you see yourself doing?
Talley: I see myself owning a few of my own businesses–real estate and network marketing.
Hansen: What is your favorite thing about playing for Notre Dame?
Talley: My favorite thing about playing at Notre Dame is that everybody hates us. I like that.