ABC 57 Reporter has close ties to ND football's past

The best word to describe Notre Dame football? Tradition. 

The Fighting Irish connect people from different parts of the country to the same place: South Bend.

Families from all walks of life attend every game possible, because Irish football is in their blood

Little did I know, I had a connection here too, a big one to former Notre Dame head coach, Hugh Devore.

My aunt Lucy married into the Devore legacy, when she married Hugh Devore’s grandson, my uncle, Jim Devore.

Notre Dame is not just tradition, but a passion for the Devore’s.

“We would go to the games, any of the ND games not just the home games in South Bend,” said Jim Devore.

“Even to this day, everybody still goes to the games. Last the opening weekend at Texas we probably had 50 family strong,” Devore said.

Hugh Devore was recruited to play for Notre Dame in 1931 by the legend himself

After graduation, he made several coaching stops. At Fordham, Providence, Holy Cross just to name a few.

When he went back to Notre Dame in the 40’s, the Devores knew that stop on his journey wouldn’t be brief. 

He spent several seasons with the Irish as athletic director, a recruiter, and the only person in history to coach the team two non-consecutive times.

Robin Nelson Dwyer also married into the Devore legacy, when she married Jim’s father.

“When you join the Devore family, you didn’t really have a choice,” Dwyer said.

Hugh passed in 1992, but the Devore’s continue to honor him.

“One of my passions now is really collecting a lot of his memorabilia,” Devore said.

And they will continue to keep that legacy alive for generations to come

“We were born Notre Dame, raised Notre Dame, it’s always Notre Dame,” Devore said.