Tuesday, July 21, 2009 10:39 AM CDT
Arcola grad to play in Notre Dame Japan Bowl
By MIKE MONAHAN, Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- More than 13 and a half years ago, Mark Monahan, a 1992 graduate of Arcola High School, put on the blue and gold of Notre Dame’s football team for the last time in his collegiate career in a 31-26 loss to Florida State in the 1996 Orange Bowl. Saturday, Monahan gets to wear the blue and gold again as a member of the Notre Dame Irish Legends football team. Monahan is one of 58 former Notre Dame players who are currently in Japan preparing for the Notre Dame Japan Bowl Saturday (4 p.m.) at the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome. The game is to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Japan American Football League.
“It is a great opportunity every time you get to put on the jersey with the helmet and represent our lady on the dome at Notre Dame,” said Monahan after the second day of a three-day mini camp the past week at Notre Dame. At my age (he turns 35 later this summer) it is definitely something that is even more of an honor to get chosen among all of the alumni. I am just looking forward to playing with these guys in such a great setting.”
Monahan, a 6-foot, 195-pound defensive back, is one of seven former players who also took part in the Charity Bowl July 8, 2000, in Hamburg, Germany, in a game Notre Dame won 14-10 over the Hamburg Blue Devils in front of 18,500 at Volksparkstadion. Monahan had two assists in the contest.
“I am really excited,” said Monahan. “I thought the game in Germany would be the end for me. I definitely know this is the end for me. My body is telling me after three practices (had five in three days, including two Friday and Saturday) that this is absolutely it. It sort of makes you wonder how those pro guys play as long as they do. You have to listen to your body, and this is definitely one last hurrah.”
Monahan has also played in five of the last six alumni flag football games that take place in April, scoring a touchdown in one game several years ago.
The team arrived in Japan Monday and is to practice once every day, including Friday at the Tokyo Dome.
“For as much as you can hope to get in five practices, getting a group of people who have not been together and have not played the game in a long time you have to be encouraged,” said Irish Legends coach Lou Holtz, who was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame Saturday and coached the Fighting Irish from 1986-1996, including the 1988 national championship. “Not pleased, but encouraged.
“Mark (Monahan) is gong to play a prominent role on the team in the secondary. I wish I had someone like him on offense. Mark will also be an important part of the special teams, as well.”
Anyone who thought the Irish Legends team would be taking the game lightly just had to watch the last half hour of practice Friday when twice two players locked horns after the whistle.
“We want to win it,” said Holtz, an ESPN college football analyst “We are going to play a good team. I didn’t know if my age would be a problem in coaching again or not, but it was just like it was 25 years ago on the field, and we are trying to get things done. It is nice to be back here (Notre Dame), no doubt.”
The final practice at Notre Dame ended with the Notre Dame Victory March being played over the speakers and the team singing the song.
“I have no idea what it is going to be like,” said Monahan at LaBar Practice Complex. “We have a great bunch of guys out here in the secondary, but they run a spread offense. So, it is going to be tough putting a team together in a week, but luckily everyone has played at such a high level we are coming together pretty quickly here on the practice field.”
The Irish Legends team assistant coaches include Chris Zorich, who was heard frequently at practice yelling ‘Who is going to make a play’; 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown; Gary Darnell; and Reggie Brooks. The assistant head coach and defensive back coach is Bill Lewis, who was a defensive coach for the Miami Dolphins from 1996-2004 and assistant head coach at Notre Dame from 2005-07.
“He has high expectations,” said Monahan of Lewis. “They (the coaches) do a great job of keeping us focused while we are on the field and still keeping things light.”
Other coaches are Tony Yelovich, Tsuyoshi Kawata, and Bill Reagan a former Saint Joseph’s College coach who also served one year as director of football operations under Bob Davie in 2000.
Monahan was notified by Reagan in June that he had made the team if he was available.
“I guess everybody was a little older and I was able to twist my schedule around to go,” said Monahan. “It was definitely a surprise.”
The oldest player on the team is Kris Haines, a member of the 1978 National championship team who led the Irish in receiving, including the game-winning touchdown pass from Joe Montana as time ran out in the 1979 Cotton Bowl in a 35-34 victory (Irish trailed by 22 points with 12 minutes remaining).
“I had no idea I would be playing football again,” said Haines. “It is the spirit of it. Pat Steenberge has done such a wonderful job with this.”
Steenberge, a 1973 ND grad and former Irish quarterback (1970 and 1971 under Ara Parseghian) is the president of the Global Football, which is the organizer of the event. along with JAFA and endorsed and supported by the Notre Dame Monogram Club.
Tony Rice was the starting quarterback on the 1988 National Championship team, as well as Bobby Brown, the leading receiver in 1997 and 1999; Ivory Covington, a two-year starter at cornerback in 1996 and 1997 and Ray Zellars, starting fullback in 1993 and 1994.
While at Notre Dame Monahan played in 15 games and finished with 12 solo tackles and three assists, including two tackles for a loss, a fumble recovery, an interception and a blocked punt. He made 176 regular-season appearances on special teams in 1995 and played in all 12 games for the Irish, who finished 9-3. He was the winner of the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete Award in 1995. In 2006 Monahan was part of a National Notre Dame video spot that featured a “Play like a Champion” theme, and his theme was “Heal like a Champion.”
At Arcola Monahan played under Illinois High School Coaches Hall of Fame member Steve Thomas, and the Purple Riders went 46-6 during his four years, winning the state championship his freshman year in 1988 (beat Carthage Hancock Central 15-0) and finished second in 1991 (32-6 loss to Stockton in Class 1A. He rushed for 1,078 yards his senior year and ranks 25th all-time with 218 career assists. His 10 assists and 20 total tackles from the 1991 title game are still Class 1A championship game records.
Monahan lives in South Bend with his wife Tricia and three children: Flynn, Duffy and Cormack. He is in his sixth year as an emergency medicine physician at Memorial Hospital in South Bend.
The game is to be broadcast on the CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) at 8 p.m. Aug. 10.
Monahan is president of “Lou’s Lads”, a non-profit organization that is to raise money for former Holtz players who can’t afford to send their children to college and the group, which formed three years ago, hopes to expand the scholarship program to others and get involved in community service.
The idea is based on “Leahy’s Lads” a group of players that played under Frank Leahy from 1941 to 1943 and 1946 to 1953 who raised money for a statue for Leahy as well as money for scholarships.
“I have never been to Japan,” said Monahan. “I like sushi so that is the place to be. I have heard Tokyo is an amazing city and it is different culture I have never seen before. To see them play a true American sport will be interesting competing against them also. I have a lot of respect for them. It will be interesting to see how the two different types of football come together.”
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
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