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If you follow me on Twitter, which a good number of you probably don’t, you know that for the last few weeks I’ve been posting photos of old and current ND players in countdown to the first game. Today we are officially 1 (!!!) day away from the kickoff between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Temple Owls, so here are your 1s. IT IS ALMOST HERE, EVERYONE!
Derrick Mayes - WR - 1992-95
Before the likes of Jeff Samardzija, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd came along, Mayes was the all-time leader in touchdown receptions and yards in Notre Dame history. Remarkably, he was able to set that record in a time that Notre Dame ran a run-oriented option offense. He finished his Notre Dame career with 2,512 yards and 22 touchdown receptions.
Mayes was drafted in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was pretty fortunate to be drafted by the Packers, because in his rookie season Green Bay won the Super Bowl, beating the New England Patriots 35-21. Mayes went on to play five seasons with the Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.
After football, Mayes became a motivational speaker to high school athletes. He also runs Lou Holtz’s foundation.
Todd Lyght - FS - 1987-90
Lyght was a two-time All-American for the Irish, in 1989 and 1990. After seeing some action his freshman season, he was named a starter for the 1988 season, helping lead a staunch Notre Dame defense. In the 1989 Fiesta Bowl victory over West Virginia, which clinched the national title for the Irish, Lyght led the team in tackles.
In 1989 Lyght intercepted eight passes, which was two shy of the school record. He also registered 47 tackles, en route to being a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. Lyght finished his career with 11 interceptions, which is ninth all-time in Notre Dame history.
Lyght was drafted fifth overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1991 NFL Draft. He played 10 seasons with the Rams, winning the Super Bowl in his final year with the team, before finishing up with the Detroit Lions. Lyght was named to his only Pro Bowl in 1999.
After football, Lyght went into coaching, where he had several stops at the high school and college levels before being named Notre Dame’s defensive backs coach in 2015.