Captain Crunch
Frank Vitovitch
April 17, 2000-

South Bend, Ind - Soon the captain or captains for the 2000 season will be announced and among the seniors there are a few very good candidates for the honorary position.   Before picking candidates for captain, what qualities must the player show?   Among the many leadership, determination, hustle, and heart stick out to me.   Those four and the want to win every game mentality should all be encompassed in a captain. That being said here are the three players I think could be the captains for the 2000 Notre Dame football team.

Joey Getherall.  Everyone knows the obstacles that Getherall goes up against every time he steps out on the football field.  At 5'9" he isn't going to be taller than anyone who will cover him, but that hasn't stopped him from making plays.  He came up big for Notre Dame last season when he was needed.  He consistently went over the middle of the field in routes even though that route is usually reserved for one of the tallest wide receivers on the team. 

When Joey is on the field, he knows no fear.  He leaves everything out on the field and comes off knowing he gave it 100% and then some.   He probably gets annoyed with people dwelling on the fact that he does this at his height, but one can't look past that when evaluating his performance. 

Talent wise Getherall has it all expect the obvious - height.  He is fast, sure handed, and runs good routes.  The intangibles he possesses however are what makes him a great player.  Fearlessness, heart, determination, and hustle make Joey a true leader on the field.  When teammates watch him go across the middle of the field, make a catch, and then get hammered by a linebacker, it makes them want to step up and make a play.  Joey would have to be my first choice as captain since he possesses all the right tools to be one.

Anthony Denman.  Denman made his first career start last year against Kansas and went on to start every game of the year.  For a first year starter, he turned in one heck of a year.  He collected 89 tackles, 9 tackles for losses, 2 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries, and 1 interception.  Denman was the leader on the field though.  Wherever the ball was, Denman was.  Whenever there was a group tackle, #39 usually came out of it.

He stepped in last year as a junior and a first year starter and made a huge impact in every game he played.  He played with intensity and heart last year.  He will have to be the leader of the defense along with Grant Irons with a lot of younger players seeing most of the playing time in 2000.  The other two linebackers will be juniors but Boiman is the only of the two to see much playing time in 1999.  Tyreo Harrison or Carlos Pierre-Antoine will be the other starter, but neither saw significant time in 99.  On the defensive line Darrell Campbell will be seeing the first playing time of his career, and in the defensive backfield three starters from 99 will be missing.

Grant Irons.  Grant's career has been plagued with injuries, but talent wise he is jam packed.  He is another player who plays with a lot of heart and intensity on the field.  Against Arizona State he chased down a wide receiver a good 20 yards down field to cause a fumble.  That is hustle with a capital "H". 

Irons productivity at Notre Dame might not have been exactly what people thought when he came in as a USA Today All American, but he truly exemplifies what Notre Dame is.  One story I heard about Grant involved him waiting for a while after a game on his way home to sign autographs for many fans and especially waiting to give a child in a wheel chair an autograph.  If he is healthy this year he could have a breakout year. 

These three players would give Notre Dame a very strong group of captains for the 2000 season.  They would give the Irish leadership and lead by example.  Denman and Irons will be the leaders of the defense and no player shows more heart on offense than Joey Getherall.  There are also other very good candidates including Jabari Holloway who had to sacrifice playing time last year so he could complete his labs, Dan O'Leary who stepped up big last year to fill in for Jabari, Tony Driver who is vocal and will be out to prove something after being suspended last year, and the two veteran offensive linemen Jim Jones and Mike Gandy as well.  Who ever the captains are however, they will have big shoes to fill by following up Jarious Jackson.