My favorite Notre Dame football player of All Time: Brady Quinn

We all have our favorite Notre Dame football players. Slap the Sign’s Carlee North is partial to Brady Quinn.

Brady Quinn arrived in South Bend in 2003 when I was 10 years old. It’s hard to remember much of the beginning stages of his career because, I was fairly young and didn’t have the access I do now to follow Notre Dame football from afar.

His freshman year was sort of a blur for me, because he was thrown into the fire by coach Tyrone Willingham. With the season ending with a 5-7 record it, wasn’t one you wanted to remember. He finished with a little over 1,800 yards passing with 9 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. But throughout that freshman season, there was just something I saw in him and his playing style that I loved to watch and wanted to see more.

I’d probably say this was the first time I truly and completely bought in with Notre Dame football and football in general.

Going into his sophomore season, I was waiting anxiously all year long until the Fall to see him back in action. I do remember asking my grandparents — who at the time lived up near South Bend and have been die-hard fans their entire life — to bring back as many magazines, programs and papers that talked about Brady Quinn as they could just to make sure I had as much information going into the season as I could get. He improved a ton in his second season under Willingham, with 2,586 yards along with 17 touchdown and 10 interceptions. Notre Dame win-loss record, however, did not improve.

That Christmas, I got my first Brady Quinn jersey — the good ole number 10 — which at the time was the greatest gift ever. My dream was to be able to see Quinn play in Notre Dame stadium at least once, but that definitely wasn’t going to be easy being over 1,100 miles away as a little girl living in Florida.

But I was determined.

My dream came true in Brady’s final season at Notre Dame, when Purdue came to South Bend in 2006. That will forever be in my memory, not only because I got to see my favorite Notre Dame player on the field, but because it was my first time I was able to attend a Notre Dame football game.

Sitting near the top of the stadium, running a few rows up before game time with my Brady Quinn jersey on and looking over the ledge to see touchdown jesus right there along with the campus was just priceless. Then seeing Brady dominate with over 300 yards and a 35-21 victory — that was the icing on the cake.

There’s no place in the world as special as the University of Notre Dame and that won’t ever change in my mind.

In 2007, after two successful seasons for Quinn in South Bend, he was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the NFL Draft. After his professional career came to an end, he went on to broadcasting as an analyst for Fox Sports. I try and to turn on and support as many games on the network that he’s calling as I can in order to continue following his career.

He now has two kids with his wife Alicia and is the founder of the 3rd-and-Goal Foundation, which helps to make homes for wounded veterans handicap accessible.

As for Brayden Tyler Quinn and his Notre Dame career, one of the best things that could of happened to him and the Irish was hiring Charlie Weis. He flourished under Weis for his final two seasons and went on to be known as one of the greatest quarterbacks in Notre Dame history. Perhaps even more special to me, he became my favorite football player of all time.

I wish nothing but the best to Brady and I’m just hoping one day he will be back at Notre Dame Stadium, but this time as the game day announcer or analyst on Saturdays.

We’re all waiting, Brady. But until then, go Irish!