Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Alford has plenty of help. Atkinson III had two full seasons to study behind a pair of well-trained running backs. Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood have both moved on to the NFL, but left behind an example of how to harness that athleticism. Carlisle had a year with both of them and a year with other veteran backs, like Curtis McNeal, in Los Angeles. Now they are the ones that have to set the pace for the Irish running backs. "The training wheels are off," said Atkinson III, who is Notre Dame's leading returning ball carrier with 60 career attempts for 388 yards (6.5 yards per rush) and seven scores. "I don't have them as I guess you could say a crutch in taking all the important reps anymore." Before Alford and before their older teammates, Atkinson III and Carlisle had their fathers to provide the training wheels. Both men are uniquely well suited to help their sons nurture the gifts that nature gave them. When Duane Carlisle finished his track career at Maryland, he turned quickly to coaching. His expertise was speed. In 1993, Carlisle founded the first full-time sports performance center in the Philadelphia area. Atkinson III displayed his explosiveness with two kickoff returns for touchdowns as a freshman in 2011 and a couple of touchdowns last year that exceeded 50 yards. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA For more than a decade he trained thousands of athletes in how to shave seconds off of everything they did. He worked with the area's professional soccer and lacrosse teams, and that eventually led him to football. Carlisle helped train the Philadelphia Eagles for five seasons. He then left the East Coast to work for the San Francisco 49ers. While Amir was in high school carving through California defenses, Duane was the head strength and conditioning coach for the 49ers. Two years ago, Carlisle took a job as the director of sports performance at Purdue, which played a role in his son landing on the Notre Dame roster. The ankle and collarbone injuries followed, and Carlisle leaned on his dad while he recovered. The older Carlisle provided support and helped use some of his NFL connections to get Amir's confidence back when he was healthy. Carlisle spent his spring break this past year in San Diego. He ran routes and sped through drills with pros like Darren Sproles, Marc Sanchez and Jamarcus Russell. He left feeling like he was ready to get back on the field again. "He's been a very important figure in my life," Carlisle said about his father. "He's one of the best in his field, and also as a spiritual mentor keeping me up when I was down and providing me different training with his expertise. He's been someone who I couldn't be where I am today without him." Carlisle (far right), who transferred from USC to Notre Dame last year, utilized his speed and quickness to rack up 5,108 yards in his four years at Kings Academy in Santa Clara, Calif. He also has the ability to make an impact at slot receiver this season. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND 46 ! BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 44-47.Speed Feature.indd 46 6/25/13 10:56 AM