Former Notre Dame Safety Tom Zbikowski Resembles Conor McGregor (Sort Of)
By Andrew Hall
Irish UFC Conor McGregor may remind fans of former Notre Dame All-American Safety and Boxer Tom Zbikowski
Tonight, the eyes of the sporting world tune into the fight between UFC star Conor McGregor and undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather. A little over 11 years ago, Tom Zbikowski, Notre Dame’s version of McGregor, made his professional debut in Madison Square Garden.
With the majority of the football team in attendance, Zbikowski stepped in the ring against Robert Bell. Bell, a native of Akron, strode into the arena wearing an Ohio State uniform. The previous January, the Irish fell to the Buckeyes, 34-20.
Bell clearly irked the Irish Safety. Here is the video of the bout:
Zbikowski dispatched Bell in 49 seconds. He knocked down Bell within 30 seconds. The Safety went on to play two more seasons for the Fighting Irish.
Zbikowski’s Football Career
After a redshirt season, Tom Zbikowski started four seasons at Safety for the Fighting Irish. During the 2005 season, he managed 71 tackles and 5 interceptions. He returned 2 of the interceptions for touchdowns. In addition to playing well on defense, Zbikowski returned punts. He scored 3 times on punts during his career. His most famous return occurred against USC in 2005. The video of the return is posted below:
In an interview with ND Insider, Zbikowski recalled the moment:
“I don’t really see it. I just feel it. It didn’t matter how big, or fast, or strong you were. You weren’t tackling me. You weren’t tackling me. I had enough steam, I had enough momentum going forward, that it didn’t matter.”
The Baltimore Ravens selected the All-American Safety with the 86th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He tallied 126 tackles and 3 interceptions during his five year NFL career. He played for the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts before retiring.
Return to Boxing
Following his NFL career, Tom Zbikowski decided to become a professional firefighter. During this time, he admitted that he suffered from alcohol addiction. He returned to the boxing ring in 2016, winning 3 out of 3 bouts.