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An Introduction to Andrewwinn

Saying hi, hello and howdy to my new readership

By ndjrs
My first Notre Dame home game was against Michigan in 1994. The Irish lost.
Jude / @andrewwinn

Good morning, One Foot Down readers!

My name is Jude and I’m the newest contributor here. I recently completed a two-year stint as editor and writer at Her Loyal Sons. We did some wonderful work over there and I’m eager to do the same at this site.

Christmas 1990 and I’m sporting the Notre Dame sweatshirt.
Jude / @andrewwinn

My Notre Dame Fighting Irish story starts in third grade, when I told my parents I wanted to go to college there. I’m an admitted frontrunner. I started rooting for the New York Mets when I started watching baseball in 1986. I rooted for the New York Giants when I started watching football that same year. I rooted for the Edmonton Oilers when I started watching hockey in 1988, then converted to the New Jersey Devils in 1994 and the Buffalo Sabres around 2007.

Therefore, it’s probably no surprise that I picked the Fighting Irish in 1988. Back then, I used to enjoy watching games with my maternal grandfather. He wasn’t a vociferous viewer, but the game always seemed to be on TV in his house on Saturday afternoons.

After he died, my grandmother said offhandedly, “Oh, he didn’t like Notre Dame. He hated them. He tuned in to see them lose.” Whoops.

As I began preparing to apply to schools, I started looking at places with film programs. The university’s Film, Television and Theatre program didn’t have the fancy space it sports now, but it still caught my attention.

I applied - and was waitlisted. I planned to attend Syracuse University if I wasn’t accepted to Notre Dame. Finally, about a month after I graduated high school, I got the good news: I was in.

My freshman year dorm room in Dillon, when desktop computers and long distance plans were still a thing.
Jude / @andrewwinn

Notre Dame was a wonderful experience. I lived all four years in Dillon Hall, because I enjoyed the camaraderie. My film degree ultimately didn’t help land a job, but people sure seemed impressed I went to the Notre Dame.

I spent almost 10 years as a journalist at two newspapers and a television station, before pursuing a different career path. I never lost the itch to edit and write, so I’ve been using Her Loyal Sons as an outlet to satisfy those urges.

I look forward to interacting with you all. I’m very active on Twitter and I’d be happy to answer questions about my work in the comments section as well.

Here are some of my favorite articles from the past two years:

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