When Joe Theismann was growing up in South River, New Jersey, he was aware of Notre Dame football, but it didn’t make a huge impact on him.

“It wasn’t so much, ‘I have to watch them play,’” Theismann recalls. “My preference was to be out on the field with my buddies, playing football for hours.”

And those hours paid off, as he became a standout for South River High School. By his senior year, colleges showed interest. North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Penn State with Joe Paterno. All were active in recruiting the somewhat undersized signal-caller.

His high school coach, Ron Wojcicki, had been a backup quarterback behind Roman Gabriel at North Carolina State. Gabriel was becoming a star NFL quarterback with the Los Angeles Rams. It seemed like a good path to follow.

“I was young and impressionable, so I committed to North Carolina State,” Joe recalls.

Joe Yonto wasn’t having it. The Notre Dame assistant to Ara Parseghian was adamant that Theismann needed to visit Notre Dame. So, he came to South Bend for a weekend. His hosts were Rocky Bleier and Dan Harshman. (Ironically, both Rockne Award winners the first year of the awards in 2017, Bleier for Courage and Harshman as Humanitarian.)

“I remember getting home, and saying to my Dad, ‘I have to go to Notre Dame. It just feels right.’”

Explained Theismann: “Sometimes we analyze things so thoroughly we end up getting confused. If we would just trust our gut, things work out better. This was a case of trusting my gut.”

And of course, he never looked back. Even when he found himself one of 13 quarterbacks on the Notre Dame roster. Since he had returned punts in high school, he offered to do the same, teaming with Bob Gladiuex on punt return duties. As a sophomore in 1968, he was backup QB on a team with three seniors at the top of the depth chart – Terry Hanratty, Coley O’Brien and Bob Belden. And late in the season, Parseghian turned to Theismann.

(Another 2017 Rockne honoree, Distinguished Service Award winner Roger Valdiserri, the school’s sports information director, by now had convinced Theismann, whose family pronounced the name Theese-man, to instead make it rhyme with Heisman.)

He led the Irish to lopsided wins over Pitt and Georgia Tech. In the season finale at No. 2 Southern Cal, the Irish tied the mighty Trojans and Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson, 21-21.

“Theismann, the slim little sophomore who was pressed into service when Terry Hanratty injured his knee four weeks ago, was voted the back of the game. His deft ball-handling, running and steady passing performance earned the plaudit,” the South Bend Tribune reported.

Theismann was even a standout receiver that day, with a surprise TD reception. “In one of the game’s best executed plays, Theismann lateraled to O’Brien, then raced into the open for O’Brien’s pass, catching the Trojans completely off guard.”

Theismann was well positioned to lead Notre Dame the next two seasons. In 1969, he guided the Irish to a 7-2-1 record and Cotton Bowl berth, throwing for 1,531 yards and 13 touchdowns. Then, as a senior in 1970, he completed 155 of 268 pass attempts for a record 2,429 yards and 16 touchdowns.

In the regular-season finale at USC, Theismann set school single-game records with 33 completions for 526 yards in a torrential downpour. His final totals: a 20-3-2 record as a starter; 4,411 yards and 31 touchdowns.

And, when Notre Dame played in its first bowl game since the 1925 Rose Bowl, Theismann and the Irish stopped No. 1 Texas and its 30-game winning streak, 24-11, in the 1971 Cotton Bowl.  Theismann hit Thom Gatewood (2023 Rockne Living Legend Award winner) with a 26-yard touchdown pass, and rushed for the other two TDs, from 3 and 15 yards.

Theismann was voted a first-team All-American and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting behind Stanford’s Jim Plunkett.

Theismann was drafted by the Miami Dolphins, who were led by QB Bob Griese, but Joe wasn’t able to come to terms with owner Joe Robbie, so he opted for the Canadian Football League. There, in three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, he threw for 6,093 yards and 40 TD, as a two-time CFL All-Star.

His NFL career began with Washington in 1974, as he served as Billy Kilmer’s backup while again returning punts. He succeeded Kilmer as starting QB in 1978. Over 12 seasons, Theismann set a slew of franchise records, completing 2,044 of 3,602 passes for 25,206 yards and 160 touchdowns. He added 1,815 yards rushing with another 17 TDs.

In a two-year stretch (1982-83), Theismann was a two-time Pro Bowl selection, first-team All-Pro, NFL Most Valuable Player, Bert Bell Award winner, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, NFL Man of the Year and Super Bowl champion, leading Washington past Miami, 27-17, on Jan. 30, 1983.

In 1985, while still an active player, Theismann teamed with Frank Gifford and Don Meredith as analyst on the telecast of the Super Bowl, starting an announcing career that included work for CBS and ESPN coverage of the NFL. Theismann has also made several acting appearances and served as a motivational speaker.

He remains an ambassador for football and Notre Dame. And all along the way, he has stressed – and modeled – the role of persistence in achieving one’s goals.