Notre Dame alums share golden memories during special event at Hall of Fame

Notre Dame fans and visitors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame were presented with a golden opportunity at the Hall on Thursday.

As part of the “Gold Helmet to Gold Jacket” exhibit, Hall of Famers and Notre Dame alums TIM BROWN(Opens in a new window) and BRYANT YOUNG(Opens in a new window) joined museum guests in the Nash Family Event and Conference Center for a Q&A and photo session. Hall of Famer ALAN PAGE(Opens in a new window) joined the special appearance virtually from his home state of Minnesota.

The exhibit, running through April 27, spotlights Fighting Irish alumni enshrined in Canton and notes the significant role in the development and growth of professional football Notre Dame has played. The university has sent 633 players into the NFL, and of the 382 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 14 attended the university, a number tied with their football rival, Southern California, for the most from any institution.

During the event, Brown, Page and Young shared their collegiate academic and athletic experiences and the preparation for post-football life that the university provided.  

“I had other opportunities at other schools, but at the end of the day, Notre Dame was the place that seemed to offer the greatest opportunity for a better life beyond football, and in the end, that’s why I chose to go there,” Page said while discussing his recruiting experience. 

“Growing up in Canton, which is kind of the heart and birthplace of football, you heard a lot about Notre Dame. You heard stories and saw things about the Golden Dome,” Page said. “You heard and listened to stories about their success on the football field; who hasn’t heard of Knute Rockne and all the lore that goes along with that? It’s a pretty tough thing for a lot of schools to compete with.”

Rockne, the father of Fighting Irish football, played professionally before, during and after his collegiate days (1910-13) as an end. 

Young recalled his first visit to the Notre Dame campus as an eighth-grader while traveling home to Chicago from a trip to Washington, D.C. 

“I thought to myself at that young age how beautiful this campus was and peaceful and serene. I knew a little bit about Notre Dame growing up in the area, but to be able to have it come full circle in the recruiting process was a dream come true,” Young remembered.

“I wanted Notre Dame; I thought it was a good place for me. It was only an hour and 20 minutes down the road (from home). It could have been in Timbuktu, and I still would have gone,” Young said. “I knew the impact of being at Notre Dame and what it could do for me years beyond football.”

Brown, the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner, was discovered when a Notre Dame coach attended one of his high school games — to recruit an opponent.

“They came to recruit him, and that night I had a kick return, a punt return, a long catch and a long run. I had almost 500 all-purpose yards,” Brown shared. “That’s how I got recognized.”

While discussing the recruiting of current players to Notre Dame, Brown observed: “The best thing about Notre Dame is it sells itself. I tell recruits, ‘This place is not for everybody. I don’t care how much NIL money you get; it’s not going to get you up for that 8 o’clock class. If you’re not dedicated to life after football, you’re not going to make it.’”

Legendary coaches

Each of the three shared stories of his experiences with legendary Fighting Irish coaches.

Page imparted coach Ara Parseghian’s philosophy that football was a simple game of field position and possession. 

“It was sort of an eye-opener for me,” Page declared. “It moved the ground in the sense that suddenly I understood that if you break the game down into its component parts and do those things that will allow you to maintain possession of the ball and field position, the sky is the limit. I can’t say enough about having had the opportunity to play under Ara, John Ray, Joe Yonto. They taught me well.” 

Brown and Young played for Lou Holtz and appreciated the coach’s football and off-field perspectives. 

“Hearing him, the messaging was always right on point. It was always good to have a nugget of information as you went out to practice,” Young said. “His messaging after practice was life-giving as well. I cherished my time there with Coach Holtz as well as my teammates.”

Brown shared that he fumbled on the opening kickoff the first time he touched the ball for the Fighting Irish. As a result, his playing time was limited. 

Upon Holtz’s arrival, prior to Brown’s junior year, the new coach met with him. After two days of practice, Holtz told Brown he would win the Heisman. 

Brown is one of only 10 Pro Football Hall of Famers to win the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the outstanding college football player each season.

“He had the unique ability to go man by man and be able to deal with guys for who they were,” Brown said of Holtz. 

Life after football

While discussing transition from college football to the National Football League, Page proclaimed, “Notre Dame prepared me, from a football standpoint, to work hard, to be curious, be aware of what’s going on around you and focus on the task at hand.

“It also taught me to be a bit adaptable. I think that adaptability is what allowed me and allows most people to make the transition.”

Following a 15-season, 173-sack NFL career, Page was enshrined in his hometown in 1988. Brown and Young were enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015 and 2022, respectively.

Guests can see Notre Dame artifacts and the 14 Bronze Busts in the “Gold Helmet to Gold Jacket” exhibit as part of their regular admission ticket through April 27. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

For more information, go to ProFootballHOF.com/visit.(Opens in a new window)