2021 rockne awards

Chris Zorich '91, Notre Dame all-time defensive great, and former South Bend news anchor Vahid Sadrzadeh hosted the 2021 Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Awards Celebration on Sept. 24 in front of a full house at the Chicago Sports Museum and an international Livestream audience.

The Rockne Awards honored the following:

LIFETIME LEGEND AWARD -- The Family of Johnny Lattner '54, Heisman Trophy winner of 1953, out of Fenwick High School.

LEGACY AWARD -- The Families of Fighting Irish stars from Chicago Charlie Bachman 1917, Norm Barry 1921 and Moose Krause '34

PERSEVERANCE AWARD -- From St. Ignatius HS to ND walk-on to manager of the band Chicago, Peter Schivarelli '71

LEADERSHIP AWARD -- Leo HS standout, Notre Dame DB and long-time devoted teacher and coach at St. Rita HS, Jay Standring '70

CHAMPION AWARD -- Star LB at St. Rita HS and Notre Dame, and Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, Darius Fleming '12

CITIZENSHIP AWARD -- Notre Dame and Chicago Bears kicker and retired justice on the Illinois Supreme Court Bob Thomas '74

COURAGE AWARD -- Chicago Public League and ND basketball star, and inspirational wounded combat veteran Danielle Green '99

INSPIRATION AWARD --Barry Sullivan, whose family turned the grief from losing son Declan into positive action supporting underprivileged kids in Chicago.

DETERMINATION AWARD -- NCAA champ in cross-country and track and field, and Olympic marathon Bronze Medalist Molly Seidel '16.

Also honored were these 2020 Rockne Award winners:

INSPIRATION AWARD -- Mike McCoy '70, Notre Dame All=American, 11-year NFL standout who delivers a message of encouragement to school-age kids nationwide.

LEADERSHIP AWARD -- Joel Maturi '67, student trainer for the 1966 national champs who served several schools, including the University of Minnesota, as athletic director.

CHAMPION AWARD -- Aaron Taylor '94, Notre Dame All-American, Lombardi Award winner and Super Bowl champion, CBS Sports analyst, and involved humanitarian.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD -- Mike Collins '67, who for 39 years before retirement in 2020 was the public address announcer at Notre Dame Stadium.

COMMUNICATOR AWARD-- Terence Smith '60, served as a political reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and television analyst with The New York Times, CBS News and  PBS.

LIVING LEGEND AWARD -- Barry Alvarez. defensive coordinator for Notre Dame's 1988 national champions and went on to a Hall of Fame career as head coach and athletic director at the University of Wisconsin before his retirement earlier this year.