IRISH INSIDER: McNair learning to stop running, start blocking
By CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Editor
USA Today first team prep All-American. Rated in the Top 20 players in the nation by the Chicago Sun-Times. Rated in the Top 50 players in the nation by The Sporting News.
School record 2,671 yards rushing and 33 touchdowns for California football powerhouse Mater Dei as a senior. A 10.55 time in the 100 meters and 4.36 in the 40-yard dash — top 10 national times for both distances.
Those were the stats, records and honors earned by Irish fullback Mike McNair during his senior year of high school — as a tailback.
But when McNair arrived as a freshman at Notre Dame, former Irish coach Bob Davie decided to try to take advantage of his size and growth potential and moved the talented runner to fullback.
It was a difficult change, and one that took longer than either player or coach had hoped.
"It was pretty tough, because I had never blocked in high school," McNair said. "I was mostly used to just carrying the ball. I had to really develop my blocking over the years."
The southern California speedster worked to gain weight to bulk up to the size of a fullback and tried to learn the blocking skills and techniques of the position.
"When I first gained a lot of weight, I didn't really lose a lot of speed, but I felt kind of tight and restricted," McNair said.
But McNair managed the switch and played most of his freshman season as a blocking back in short-yardage situations.
Then injuries took their toll — McNair played only one game of his sophomore season before suffering an arch injury that kept him out the rest of the year.
Then as a junior, McNair saw action as a backup in six games, but missed two trips and some playing time, this time with a hip flexor injury.
In fact, it wasn't until the Navy game last season that McNair — the record setting high school tailback — got his first carries for the Irish, three for 15 yards against Navy.
So when new coach Tyrone Willingham and his almost completely revamped staff came in last season, McNair, who had a fifth year of eligibility remaining, saw it as an opportunity for new life in his last year.
"With the new coaching staff, I saw it as an opportunity to end my time here on a good note, and just give it one last shot to see if I could have fun," McNair said.
For McNair, who along with the other members of his class had witnessed some tough times with the Irish, including two losing seasons, a 41-9 Fiesta Bowl loss to Oregon State and Notre Dame's first 0-3 start last year, this season has been one of redemption.
In addition to Notre Dame's 9-1 start, McNair has seen increased playing time, including appearances in all 10 games and his first career reception against Stanford.
"I think this year is great," McNair said. "It's a great team to be a part of with some really great guys. We've done some good things, and I'm definitely happy about how things have gone so far. It's been a lot more fun for me this year."
All Sports Stories for Friday, November 22, 2002
