Blue and Gold Illustrated

August 2017

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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6 AUGUST 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI T hree Notre Dame teams took to the collegiate version of the "waiver wire" like never before in its history when summer school began June 19. Six transfers in the three most visible or followed sports at the school were welcomed into the fold: • The Fighting Irish football team added Arizona State wide receiver Cameron Smith as a 2017 graduate transfer and sophomore safety Alohi Gilman from Navy, who will have three years of eligibility remaining from 2018‑20 after sitting out 2017 per NCAA undergraduate transfer rules. They join wide receiver Freddy Canteen, who graduated from the University of Michigan in the spring after announcing earlier in the year that he would not use his final two years of eligibility with the Wolver‑ ines. Like Smith, he will be eligible this year. • Head coach Mike Brey's men's basketball program added 6‑11, 207‑pound UConn forward Juwan Durham, a sophomore who will have three years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2017‑18 campaign. • Finally, 2017 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Muffet McGraw this year will have her first two transfers in her 31 years at Notre Dame. Earlier this year it was announced that Stanford graduate point guard Lili Thompson, a two‑time All‑Pac‑12 selection, would use her final season at Notre Dame in 2017‑18 to replace four‑year starter Lindsay Allen. Then in June, McGraw and Co., added 6‑4 junior post and Nebraska transfer Jessica Shepard, a two‑time All‑Big Ten choice, to its 2017‑18 ros‑ ter, although she is slated to sit out this season per NCAA undergradu‑ ate transfer rules. UNWRITTEN RULE Once upon a time, there was an un‑ written rule that "Notre Dame does not take transfer athletes." That wasn't necessarily true, espe‑ cially after World War II with some football players such as College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee George Connor, who originally played at Holy Cross his first two years and then was a stalwart on Frank Leahy's 1946 and 1947 national champions. Under president Rev. Theodore Hesburgh C.S.C.'s administration (1952‑87), though, there was a gen‑ eral practice about not taking trans‑ fer student‑athletes, although a few exceptions were made along the way. Fullback Larry Moriarty (1980‑82), who would play nearly a decade in the NFL, was admitted from a Cali‑ fornia junior college partly because his family had a long history at Notre Dame. Tight end Ricky Gray (1982‑84), a former Parade All‑Amer‑ ican, transferred from Clemson but first had to bolster his academic tran‑ script at Holy Cross College, across the street from Notre Dame. Flanker Pat Eilers, also a future NFL player, came from Yale as a walk‑on in 1986. His family also had a history with the Fighting Irish, and academic excellence was not an issue while coming from the Ivy League. During the Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine eras from 1964‑80, it also was generally accepted that because Notre Dame was so strong in football with its recruiting and overall appeal — a 148‑33‑5 record (.809 winning percentage), three consensus national titles, several other near misses and 12 top‑10 finishes — it didn't need to resort to transfers and redshirts. That was for the weaker schools trying to level the playing field. TIMES CHANGE Back in his era, Irish basketball coach Digger Phelps (1971‑91) also had a philosophical opposition to taking transfers because he thought UNDER THE DOME TRANSFER(S) OF POWER Notre Dame welcomes newcomers from other schools Former Michigan wide receiver Freddy Canteen is one of three transfers the Irish football program has added in 2017. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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