(Photo: via Facebook)
Chris “Zorro” Zorich was raised as an only child in a single-parent household by his mother, Zora, on the South Side of Chicago. His mom was so devoted to and protective of her son that, in grade school, she was against him playing football. But he found his way to the field, and his talents blossomed. He attended Vocational Tech High School and earned all-state and honorable mention All-American honors as a linebacker.
He arrived in South Bend in the summer of 1987 and was moved by Lou Holtz to the nose guard position. At 6-1, 266 pounds, he was considered undersized for the position, but Lou Holtz saw something he liked in Zorich’s combination of strength, lateral quickness, instincts, and speed. Indeed, he could bench press 475 pounds and ran a 4.68 40-yard dash. That decision turned out to be one of the greatest position moves in Notre Dame history.
Still learning the ins and outs of defensive line play, Zorich did not see any action as a freshman. But, motivated by Lou Holtz’s confidence in him, he dedicated himself to improvement, and in his sophomore year, he started all 12 games of Notre Dame’s 1988 championship season, racking up an impressive 70 tackles.
In 1989, Zorich earned consensus All-American honors as he continued to improve. He recorded 92 tackles despite constant double and even triple-teaming. He was elected team captain his senior year, and despite missing two games due to injury, he earned unanimous All-American honors and received the Lombardi Award as the nation’s best lineman.
He capped off his college career by being named the most valuable defensive player in the 1991 Orange Bowl after an amazing 10-tackle performance.
The Chicago Bears selected the hometown product in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played for the Bears for seven seasons and one with the Washington Redskins. After retiring, he returned to Notre Dame and earned a law degree.
Chris Zorich was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.