Oct. 18, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Sometimes it is hard to accept your fate.
Kicker Jim Sanson lost his job kicking for the Irish last week against the Sun Devils when he missed a 33-yard field goal wide right in the first quarter. It was a fate that he found hard to swallow but he accepted it.
Last Saturday, he felt nothing but sweet redemption, a fate that he gladly accepted.
On his final kickoff of the game, Sanson delivered a 65-yard kickoff right into the hands of the Trojans’ biggest weapon, R. Jay Soward. The USC receiver weaved his way back toward Sanson and made a cut before the kicker had an opportunity for a tackle. Luckily, Notre Dame freshman Jason Beckstrom tackled Soward, knocking the ball loose and Sanson pounced on it.
“All of a sudden I look over and the ball was loose,” Sanson said. “I went at it and it was kind of weird when I was underneath the pile. Everything kind of went quiet for me. I just sat on the ball. I was getting punched everywhere on my body and my helmet was getting pulled off.
“I just said to myself that I was not letting the ball go. I was thinking of things that happened in the past and it was like a sweet redemption. When everything came back into focus and some guy said Notre Dame ball, I realized I was the one that had the ball. It was an amazing feeling coming out of there with that.”
Despite all the controversy surrounding the Notre Dame kicking game, kicker Jim Sanson proved this week he still deserves to see playing time. The senior’s crucial fumble recovery earns him Unsung Hero of the Week honors.
“It was sweet redemption,” Sanson said about the fumble. “It has a lot to do with believing. Everything happens for a reason whether it has to do with my kicking or just somehow helping this team out or just how I react to situations. Good things will happen for me. I just try to stay positive about everything. The guy upstairs gave me one today.”
Sanson has seen his share of criticism over the years for missing field goals but none haunts him more than the shot he missed against the Trojans during his freshman year. He had the opportunity to put ice the game by converting an extra point. Sanson kicked it wide left. The missed extra point kept Southern Cal in the game with only eight points separating the two teams, 20-12.
“I let the fifth-year seniors down,” Sanson said after the 27-20 overtime loss. “(The hold) was fine. I need to grow up.”
Little did the kicker know that three years later his class would be facing a place in the record books as one of the few classes that did not win against the Trojans. From 1978-1982, the Irish could not handle the Trojans.
Despite losing the kicking job to sophomore David Miller, Sanson shows no signs of frustration. He realizes that he still is a vital part of the team.
“I’ll tell you what that was, redemption,” Sanson said. “We played as a unit of 100 guys, 100 men out there tonight. There were no boys out there on our team. We came back with every odd against us out there. They were doing great out there during the first half and just fought and stayed together as a team. There is no greater feeling I have had at this school since winning this game. I said to myself that I would never watch this game again if we lose today.”