Notre Dame Equipment Managers: It's not just washing uniforms

The job title of Notre Dame Equipment Manager doesn't hold a lot of power behind it when you first hear it. But spend a couple hours with these guys and you'll realize what they go through and how much they mean to this program.

“Our success comes off the field when their success comes on” head equipment manager Ryan Grooms said.

No week is ever easy for Grooms and his staff

“Even our home games are away games, you know if we’re two blocks away or 2000 miles away, we’re still taking the same amount of equipment” Grooms said.

Whether it's cleats, jerseys, helmets, pads, or coaches gear. You name it, Grooms and his staff are responsible for it. Now getting a team like Notre Dame across the country is a lot easier than you might think according to Grooms

“The traveling part isn’t actually the most challenging part, we’ve got it down to a routine,” Grooms said

The most difficult part though of their job.

“Making sure we have proper equipment so we can keep the safest stuff on the guys,” Grooms said.  

That includes uniforms and fortunately for Notre Dame, it's pretty basic.

“There’s no surprises in what we’re going to wear, we’re going to wear white this week, we’re going to wear blue next week against  Stanford, there’s no surprises,” Grooms said.

This job is more than unloading equipment, washing uniforms, making the locker room look good, Grooms says it's about making the players and coaches comfortable and focused on nothing but football, but that's not to say the perks aren't great.

“I get paid to go to Notre Dame Football Practice. There’s no way around it, it’s a pretty cool job. My wife asks me all the time when I’m going to grow up and I say when I stop hanging out with 18-22 year olds, then I’ll grow up” Grooms said.