Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/140522
"The training wheels are off. I don't have them as I guess you could say a crutch in taking all the important reps anymore." ATKINSON III ON STEPPING UP HIS ROLE IN 2013 SONS OF SPEED Juniors George Atkinson III and Amir Carlisle need to shape their genetic-given gifts to become a dangerously fast backfield duo G BY DAN MURPHY eorge Atkinson Jr. remembers right where he was when he knew his sons got the gift. The three of them — George and his twin sons Josh and George III — had stopped at a park near their home in Livermore, Calif., 30 minutes east of the San Francisco Bay. The twins were in middle school at the time and arguing about who was faster in the back seat of Atkinson Jr's car on their way home. They competed in any way they could growing up. On this day, they managed to agree that they were both faster than their old man. Atkinson Jr. decided to make them prove it. He pulled over as they drove by the park. He gave them a couple yards of a head start and shouted "Go!" The oldest Atkinson won. He, after all, was once one of the NFL's fastest defensive backs and punt returners. But he needed almost 40 yards to pull away from his boys. "At that time I could still run pretty good," he said. "But I could tell they had the speed. It's a gene. You get it when you come here. It's a gift. Many called, few chosen I guess." That was the last time Atkinson Jr. dared to race his sons. The next year, they went to high school where they learned how to harness their genetic gifts on the track. George and Josh became two of the top sprinters in California by the time they graduated and earned scholarships to play football at Notre Dame. George Atkinson III, now a junior and the top running back on the Irish roster, inherited both his name and his speed from his father. He can get from one goal line to the other in less time than just about any player in the country. He proved that as a freshman when he blew past an athletic USC team for a 96-yard kick return touchdown. Six months later, he earned all-conference track honors after running the 100-meter dash in 10.36 seconds. 44 ! BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 44-47.Speed Feature.indd 44 6/25/13 10:56 AM