LOS ANGELES — Manti Te’o stood in the tunnel of the Coliseum that leads from the field to the Notre Dame locker room, a lei draped around his broad neck and a mixture of sweat and tears staining his cheekbones.
He had come to Notre Dame from Hawaii, choosing the Fighting Irish over his childhood team, USC. He had come with hopes and dreams and the naiveté that comes with youth. He experienced bitter defeats on the field and heart breaking losses off the field — losing his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua to cancer and his grandmother in the same week this season.
With the Hollywood sign in the distance, Te’o made sure his hopes and dreams still can come true. He made five tackles, putting him over 100 for a third straight season, had an interception, giving him seven for the season (the most in college football by a linebacker) and was the emotional cement that bonded the Notre Dame defense on a mind bending goal line stand.
“To have my grandparents and Lennay here, that would be a better script,’’ said Te’o. “Other than that, I don’t think you can.’’
While Te’o was speaking to reporters, athletic director Jack Swarbrick was on the other side of the wall, trying to explain what the star linebacker has meant to Notre Dame.
“This may sound like hyperbole but I can’t think of a leading player, a leader of the team that matches the values of his team as well as Manti Te’o,’’ Swarbrick said. “He is the perfect guy to lead the resurrection of this program.’’
When Derek Jeter was suggested, Swarbrick concurred. He had told some friends a few weeks ago that Jeter was that kind of player. And Bill Russell the former Boston Celtics great.
Te’o has been all things to all Notre Dame people — a great player, an academic All American, a real person who wasn’t ashamed to show his emotions during that one week when in late September when death came calling twice. Just as this Notre Dame team has persevered, so has Te’o.
“We understand we got to fight. We got to fight for four quarters,’’ Te’o said. “There’s a reason why the game is four quarters. As long as there’s time on the clock, we’re going to fight.’’