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My favorite Notre Dame football player ever: Tom Zbikowski

By Daniel Morrison

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 8: Notre Dame Safety Tom Zbikowski #9 rushes up the sideline away from defensive end Maurice Evans #48 of Penn State during the second half of the game between University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions September 8, 2007 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 8: Notre Dame Safety Tom Zbikowski #9 rushes up the sideline away from defensive end Maurice Evans #48 of Penn State during the second half of the game between University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions September 8, 2007 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Few guys seemed destined to be Notre Dame football players like Tom Zbikowski.

When I became a Notre Dame football fan, it was primarily because that’s who my grandpa said we were rooting for. He, having little good to say about BYU, meant just for this game. I took it to mean always.

It didn’t hurt that former Patriots offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis, was the Notre Dame head coach. Being from Massachusetts and already a rabid Patriots fan, that mattered to me. To add on, their nickname was the “Fighting Irish”, and being Irish was the most important thing in the world to my family. Not to mention, my nana would brag about things like the Notre Dame fight song being written by people from my hometown.

I was sold.

One player stood out as the one I wanted to play like — Tom Zbikowski. Guys like Brady Quinn were all well and good, but I preferred defense. That’s what I liked to play in pee-wee football. Those were the players I tried to emulate.

Zbikowski was a ball hawk. If there was a fumble, he was there to scoop it up. A pass over the middle, he was there to intercept it. Then, if he wasn’t there in time to take the ball away, Zbikowski punished receivers and backs for making a catch. It was fantastic to watch.

Tom Zbikowski even conquered special teams during his time at Notre Dame. He was a devastating returner on punts. Do you remember his punt return in 2005, against USC?

During his time in South Bend, Zbikowski was twice a third-team All-American. He was also a finalist for the Thorpe Award.

230 total tackles, 8 interceptions, and 3 punt returns for touchdown later, and Tom Zbikowski left Notre Dame as he remains, my favorite Notre Dame football player, ever.

Next. My favorite Notre Dame player: Will Fuller. dark

Zbikowski, now a boxer with a 7-0 (4KO) record, is everything you could ever want in a safety. A ball hawk, with a charging rhino’s mentality.

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