His ‘Jesus’ touchdown“compared”Ohio Script“
His golden helmets against Buckeye stickers on silver helmets.
It’s a dwarf
against this thing.
Notre Dame vs. Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night in Atlanta.
And this is the story of how three Pennsylvania politicians – two Republicans and one Democrat – managed to put politics aside for the sake of their love for the Fighting Irish.
Representative Mike Kelly (R-16) grew up in Butler, played football for the Golden Tornados, graduating in 1966, and attended Notre Dame on a football and academic scholarship, playing for Coach Parseghian’s macaw.
A long-time political advisor to the Republican Party Charlie Gerow remembers growing up watching Kelly’s Fighting Irish on TV, and as a teenager being fascinated by the quarterback of the 1966 team, Terry Hanratty.
Hanratty, a 1964 Butler High School graduate and member of two Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl teams, played alongside Kelly and the two remained lifelong friends.
“I was glued to the TV during the 1966 season,” recalled Gerow, “Terry Hanratty (wide receiver) Jim Seymourtied 10-10 with Michigan State… From that moment on, I was a Notre Dame fan.
Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-02) was born and raised in Philadelphia, but in the 1990s Temple had trouble competing under coaches Jerry Berndt AND Ron Dickersonhe felt like a fan without the college football team.
“Growing up, I was an avid sports fan and rooted for the Philadelphia team in every sport,” he recalled. “But when it came to college football, I was kind of a free agent.”
Then thunder fell from the sky.
“I finally discovered and just fell in love with Notre Dame football and everything about it – the history, fight songgolden helmets and all his knowledge. When I applied to college, it was my dream school and I was lucky to be accepted.”
Boyle, the first member of his family to attend college, became a sportscaster on Notre Dame’s student-run radio station – WVFI 640 AM – and had the opportunity to reminisce about three years of Irish football, including a 1997 loss to Ohio State. 29:16.
After graduating, Boyle was elected to the Pennsylvania State Legislature in 2008. After meeting Gerow in Harrisburg, Boyle casually mentioned that he enjoyed watching him on PCN television shows.
“Somehow Notre Dame came up and (Gerow) immediately pulled out his cell phone and showed me that his ringtone was the Notre Dame fight song,” Boyle recalled.
A friendship was born.
It’s now sheltered to assume that party politics may end up between Republican and Democrat at some point. But Irish “blood” runs deep.
“I try to come back to campus at least once a year for a game,” Boyle said, “but also to talk to students about my work in Congress. “A few months ago, my friend Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas), a Notre Dame graduate, and I had a joint conversation on campus about our work and the importance of bipartisanship. We became good friends and bonded over our shared love of Notre Dame football.
Gerow mentioned that he and Boyle had discussed the possibility of attending the Ireland v Navy match in Ireland in 2023, but he was unable to make the trip across the pond.
But for the Kelly brothers, this game runs deeper than blood because Mike’s younger brother, Bob, played defensive back for Ohio State under Woody Hayes in the early 1970s. He was on the team that had the infamous 1973 battle with Michigan that ended in a 10-10 draw – a game immortalized in a documentary produced by the Big Ten Network: “Tie-breaking“
“This will be a fun game for the Kelly family,” the congressman said. “As a proud Notre Dame graduate and former player, let’s go Irish!”
Kelly attended an event for Gerow when he was a candidate for the GOP nomination for Pennsylvania governor. And when Hanratty also showed up at the event… you can imagine the reaction.
“I loved them both,” Gerow said.
Kelly and Boyle are two members of a bipartisan group in Congress who are avid Notre Dame fans, including Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) i Representative Rudy Yakym (Peel.)
“It’s nice that in a time of intense partisanship, we have something that we care about, that brings us together,” Boyle said.
