As thousands mourn the loss and honor the legacy of Father Hesburgh, athletes are remembering his impact on college sports.  

Friday night, the Irish men's hockey team faced off against Boston College, and others faced off in the boxing ring, at the final night of Bengal Bouts.  Both events held a moment of silence in honor of Father Hesburgh, one of the men who changed the face of Notre Dame, and who many would argue, created the student athlete.  

"He kind of established a philosophy in terms of how athletics fit on a college campus," says John Heisler, the senior associate athletics director.  

So just like the student athletes at Notre Dame paid tribute to Father Hesburgh on Friday, the university hopes every team on campus can do the same.  

"I hope we can extend that so every single one of our sports can be touched, even as we get into the fall, we would observe a moment of silence, so that every one of our teams would be able to participate," says Heisler.