For the stretch run of this stroll through Notre Dame’s historical roster, we have a name theme – we’ll look at the biggest names to come out of the biggest cities in the next couple of posts, and then in the final installment we’ll look at Notre Dame’s all-time all-name team. Both lists are as decided by yours truly and yours truly only, because nothing says “election season” like “disenfranchised constituency.”

The Criteria

First, the city dwellers. Keep in mind here that, regrettably, an encyclopedic knowledge of the municipalities composing each major metro area in the United States is not on my long list of positive traits. Nor do I feel particularly compelled to map the hometowns of each of the 2,983 players who appear on the historical roster and gauge whether they fall in a metro area. So, this list is comprised only of those players who hailed directly from the major cities themselves.

The other thing to consider here is that not every major city I looked at had produced a truly memorable player. If you don’t see a city listed here, it means that I didn’t see someone I thought was worth calling out. The standard is moderately high – not just a name I recognize, but someone who at least did something notable in a Notre Dame uniform. Without further ado, then, we will start in Indiana and head east (since I’m riddled with East Coast bias), working clockwise around the country:

The Cities

Indianapolis: There were a number of players to choose from, as you might expect, but none stood out like Derrick Mayes and Zack Martin. Many who saw him play (including me) would put Mayes somewhere in the pantheon of the best receivers ever to play for the Irish. Zack Martin was the 18th player in Notre Dame’s long history to be a two-time captain, the first offensive lineman to earn a bowl game MVP award in 53 years, and the first All-Pro rookie offensive lineman in 65 years.

Detroit: The Motor City’s most famous Irish son is without question Jerome Bettis, who was as near an unstoppable force as any running back Notre Dame has ever had. Bettis is in the pro football hall of fame and sits, very appropriately, at #6 in career rushing yards in the NFL record book. He also relieved himself, as it were, in Steve Spurrier’s Cheerios. Stick it, Steve.

Cincinnati: A solid group to choose from here, but Notre Dame’s all-time leading tackler Bob Crable jumped out pretty clearly. Crable also had a potential game-saving field goal block against Michigan that caused the NCAA to amend the rule book – it seems they frown upon vaulting off teammates. Bunch of wet blankets.

Cleveland: Saved By The Bell star Bob Golic hailed from the Forest City (that name is not a joke, although I’ve been to Cleveland and the word “forest” doesn’t come to mind), and also happens to rank as Notre Dame’s second all-time leading tackler. Cleveland also produced speed back Eric Penick, whose 85-yard score broke USC’s back in the 1973 championship season.

Pittsburgh: From the city where Jerome Bettis cemented his Hall of Fame status came Ray Zellars, another bruising Lou Holtz back. Zellars’s 62-yard touchdown run against Purdue in 1994 was one of my favorite Notre Dame plays in the 23 years that I’ve followed the team closely. Zellars found moderate success in the NFL, tallying over 1,700 yards from scrimmage in a four-year career with the New Orleans Saints.

Philadelphia: The City of Brotherly Love turned out Will Fuller, who, on the off chance you have the short-term memory of a goldfish, just turned in some of the most productive seasons of any Irish wideout ever, became a consensus All-America selection, and was taken in the first round of the NFL draft this year… Wait, no, he wasn’t a consensus All-American – in fact he only made one second team. What were those guys smoking?

Baltimore: Moving down Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, we find Tom Gatewood, whose name is scattered around Notre Dame receiving records like powdered sugar in a donut factory. Gatewood and Joe Theismann immediately followed Jim Seymour and Terry Hanratty, combining to create a half-decade long aerial attack that would make Mike Leach blush.

Charlotte: Fairly considered a major metro area now thanks to the general population shift towards the South, Charlotte has sent a few players to Notre Dame over the years. There were a couple of respectable candidates, but I settled on Matthias Farley – he came in as a wide receiver, started in a national championship game as a redshirt freshman safety, and closed out his career as a reserve nickelback and team captain, selflessly pounding away at whatever job the team needed him to do. And the 18S ladies tell me he had a great smile, although of course I don’t notice that kind of thing. Honest.

Atlanta: The Big Peach’s Wes Pritchett combined with Frank Stams and Michael Stonebreaker to form the not-so-friendly Three Amigos linebacker unit that anchored the defense for the 1988 national championship team. Pritchett had a cup of coffee in the NFL before moving on to a very successful financial career that has seen him climb the ladder at JP Morgan, where he is currently an executive director.

Jacksonville: Drifting across the Florida-Georgia line, we encounter none other than Louis Nix III, a.k.a. Irish Chocolate, arguably the most lovable big man ever to suit up for Notre Dame. He’s also the largest person I’ve ever seen in a #1 jersey, not that I would tell him that. He was drafted by the Texans but could never quite manage to stay out of coach Bill O’Brien’s doghouse; after being cut in Houston, he’s currently trying to catch on with the Giants. Here’s hoping the big fella can put it all together soon; if it doesn’t work out, though, I think many Irish fans would love to see him get a shot in media. Dude is hilarious.

Miami: Slim pickings from the actual city of Miami, which perhaps isn’t surprising since most of the prep talent is concentrated in the surrounding area. Linebacker Mike Whittington started at linebacker for three seasons, including the 1977 national championship season. That, as they say, is not too shabby.

Tampa: I love the guy, but Gary Godsey’s inclusion here is almost more of a sad-trombone comment on the Bob Davie tenure than anything else. A guy who might’ve developed into an NFL tight end under Holtz, Weis, or Kelly was shuttled between tight end and quarterback by Professor Snotrocket. Godsey made out okay in the end, though; he’s currently a senior vice president for a major commercial real estate firm.

Memphis: All-America defensive end Willie Fry was a frightening bookend with fellow All-American Ross Browner, terrifying opposing quarterbacks on the way to the title in 1977. Fry, Browner, and Luther Bradley were also the first true freshmen to play varsity football at Notre Dame after the NCAA lifted its prohibition on freshman participation.