‘Leprechauns, Catfish, and Touchdown Jesus?’ -Wojcik Bleeds Gold-

Growing up in Nebraska it's pretty much a given that we cheer for the Big Red… It’s near blasphemy if we don’t, right? But what happens to those who stray from the beaten path? Trigger Warning! There is one among us who bleeds NOT Husker red… but Irish GOLD (chills right there). Yup, you guessed it… Mr. Wojcik is a Golden Dome-er (AKA Notre Dame fan). We know what you’re thinking. ‘How could someone who is Polish root for the Irish?’ Fear not, J-Squad homies! … covert agents Chastin and Hermy (who got lost so Jarius had to pick them up) caught up with ‘Da Woj’ to get to the bottom of it all. It turns out that Da Woj has been a Notre Dame fan since…. well forever. In fact, it is rumored that a Leprechaun was present at birth. As of today, the J-Squad can neither confirm nor deny this more than weird allegation. We can confirm, however, that Wojcik’s descent down the Irish rabbit hole started with his Big Daddy Dad who grew up in Chicago (not on O-block) watching the Irish on TV. For those of you who grew up in the 60’s (Pearson?) you can vouch for the fact that cable (and test tube babies) didn’t yet exist. As a result, Wojcik’s Old Man (his words not ours) could only watch replays of Notre Dame games on Sunday mornings...but this was when he developed a passion for ND Ball. Eventually, Big Daddy Woj moved to Nebraska and brought his love of the Irish (and the idea of lil’ Woj’) with him. Living in Nebraska didn’t stop Big Daddy Woj from passing on his love of Notre Dame to lil’ Woj...AKA our own Mr. Wojcik. Of course, growing up in Nebraska and cheering for Notre Dame hasn't always been ‘pots of gold and rainbows’ (see what we did there?). Da Woj admits that Husker fans are capable of talking some serious smack… (especially back in the 90’s when we were good...our words not his). Da Woj confessed that there were occasional skirmishes over it… recalling pummeling a kid on the playground because of less than flattering comments made about Rudy (not facts). Thus earning the nickname, ‘Da Polish Pounder’(partial facts). . Some Irish players that have made Wojciks’ heart go pitter-patter are Manti Teo, Michael Mayer (not Myers), and Jerome the Bus Bettis. Wait...Manti Teo? Isn’t he the dude who got catfished? “I feel bad for him,” said Wojcik. “It's the worst catfish ever.” J-Squad member Keela Cline says, “It was in the trenches.” Da Woj admits that he believes in ‘the Luck of the Irish’. “You gotta believe,” said Woj. “Especially when they wear the green jersey’s.” (Feels right there). He also admits that he is considering setting out Lucky Charms for the Fighting Irish Leprechaun the night before games. Why? Out of respect of course. That’s not strange at all!.... Da Woj (and the old man) got to attend a Notre Dame game a few weeks ago. He admits that it felt surreal being on campus, seeing Touchdown Jesus, and then walking into storied Notre Dame Stadium. “I felt I was dreaming at that moment,” said Wojcik. “It was amazing.” He was jerked back into reality, however, when he remembered how much he paid for the tickets. He was quoted as saying, ‘We paid an arm and a leg for them.’ But the question that Chastin and Hermy really wanted answered was, “Is there real gold in those helmets?” According to Da Woj, ‘it’s FACTS, NO CAP.’ Wojcik admits that he gets emotional during games. “When Alabama killed us in 2012 I was on the verge,” he said. He fought off the tears but admits that he does cry every time he watches Rudy! “We’re gonna go inside, we’re gonna go outside. And we’re not gonna stop until we get across that goal-line.” So the next time you’re channel surfing and you see those Golden Domes pop up on the screen… stop for a moment and think.. Somewhere Da Woj is watching… ‘waking the echoes - cheering for old Notre Dame.’ FACTS: The last meeting between the Irish and the Huskers took place in 2001 (Huskers 27-10). The last meeting between the Hawkeyes and the Irish was in 1968 (Irish 51-28) - Berkenpass and Renfro gently weep.. And don’t forget to check out the authentic pictures from Wojcik’s trip to South Bend.