Dec. 6, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A major selling point of the Notre Dame football program is pride.
Pride in the level of competition, pride in the athletic tradition and pride in the athletes, which the school produces.
This pride was on display this weekend for the 16 recruits who came for their official visit.
“The banquet weekend is always a big recruiting weekend for us here at Notre Dame,” Irish head coach Bob Davie said.
Friday marked Notre Dame’s 80th annual football banquet, which honors all of the Notre Dame team and pays tribute to this year’s senior class. The banquet also coincides with one of Notre Dame’s biggest recruiting weekend.
Davie knows that the banquet draws a lot of interest from recruits. He believes that the biggest seller of Notre Dame football is the current players. Also he realizes that what the players say will leave a lasting impression on the recruits.
“The best thing about the banquet is that the recruits get to hear the players talk,” Davie said. “That is what makes the biggest impression. It is a chance for the recruits to hear about the players and their stories and talk about their experiences at Notre Dame.”
Senior quarterback Jarious Jackson may have made that lasting impression. On Friday, he earned most valuable player honors for the team, voted on by the team. Jackson finished with four Notre Dame records for single-season passing yards (2,753), pass attempts (316), pass completions (184) and total offense (3,217).
Not to mention that he had 4,053 passing yards in only two years as the starting quarterback. The amount ranks him fourth on the all-time Notre Dame list behind Ron Powlus, Steve Beuerlein and Rick Mirer. The senior had nothing but positive heartfelt words to share with the crowd and recruits.
“This is the second-most tremendous honor I’ve ever had,” Jackson said about the award. “The first was that these guys chose me to be their captain.”
Other award winners included, Brad Williams who won the Lineman of the year. Senior James Caputo won the Knute Rockne Scholar-Athlete Award. The Nick Pietrosante Award honors the team member who shows courage, loyalty and pride. This year that award went to senior Lamont Bryant. Senior wide receiver Bobby Brown won the State Farm/Westwood One Student-Athlete Award.
One common trait ran through all of the winners’ speeches and it was modesty. The each believed that every member of the 5-7 squad deserved honors.
Davie hoped that the emotions of Friday night would hopefully seal the deal with many of the recruits, which Notre Dame has courted.
“First impressions are always lasting on players,” Davie said. “First visits are always important. For most of these players this is their first official visit. These players are players that we have been recruiting for a long time, at least a year.
“It is fun to just get them here, see them, visit with them and let them see Notre Dame because there has been so much anticipation. This is the first step and a critical weekend. We always end up having a high percentage of success on the recruits that we bring in the first weekend.”
This past weekend allowed 16 recruits a chance to see the campus, visit with academic advisors, tour the facilities and visit with players and coaches. Davie believes that the strongest selling point of Notre Dame is a combination of things.
“Here it is the combination of academics, the type of schedule we play in football and most of all it is just the personality of the campus and of the players,” Davie said. “There are a lot of places that you can get a good education and there is a lot of places that you can play good football. What makes Notre Dame unique is the passion of this campus and of everybody living here, striving for the same things.”