2011 Notre Dame Football Season: Optimism Abounds, Memories Linger

While life is good these days on the Notre Dame campus and jubilation abounds regarding the prospects of the brand new season, the nightmare of what happened on October 27, 2010 lingers.

No, it wasn't just a bad dream.

On that tragic day, Declan Sullivan, who worked as a member of the athletic department’s video crew, died while he was videotaping a Notre Dame football practice while standing 40 feet in the air atop a portable tower despite a wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service.

The lift on which Sullivan was stationed toppled over during high winds.

Some people said that it was simply an accident; others believe that it was a preventable tragedy.

The Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration (IOSHA), who had the final say, concluded that Notre Dame and its employees “knowingly” put its videographers in harm’s way. “The evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated that the university made a decision to utilize its scissor lifts in known adverse weather conditions,” concluded Lori Torres, Indiana Department of Labor Commissioner.

Notre Dame was initially fined $77,500, but the amount was ultimately reduced to $42,000 after the University negotiated a settlement with the Indiana Department of Labor, agreeing to take a number of substantial steps to prevent future accidents.

The university also agreed to make a significant contribution to the Declan Drumm Sullivan Memorial Fund. The university chose not to disclose the amount of the donation.

Of course, most fans would prefer to forget about this senseless (my conclusion) tragedy and dismiss the debacle of the 4-5 start of last season and embrace the four mildly satisfying Irish victories at the end of it. That’s human nature; it's less painful, while the alternative is a buzz-kill.

However, some of us who have ties to Notre Dame and have cheered for the Irish for many years cannot simply erase certain memories, whether they are the thrilling, heart-stopping victories or heartbreaking losses.

With that said, the Declan Sullivan tragedy stands alone as the saddest and worst incident associated with the football program in this generation's history. It's not something easily forgotten, nor something that should be merely dismissed as a life-goes-on moment. Doing so would be a disservice to Declan's memory, the Sullivan family and to folks like me who care deeply about the University and state of the Notre Dame football program.

While I will be cheering the Irish on to victory this season, I’ll also be thinking about Declan’s spirit, imagining him riding on the breeze and blowing wind above Notre Dame Stadium.