Warsaw resident Bill Becker is Fighting Irish fanatic
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
As a boy growing up in South Bend, Bill Becker says you either loved the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or hated them. Becker, a Warsaw resident the past 12 years, says he bleeds for the Irish. It’s fair to say the 54-year-old was born to be a fan of the blue and gold. “I’m a fanatic,” Becker said Thursday in the downstairs of his house, which he’s turned into a shrine to the Fighting Irish. “Growing up in South Bend you either loved them or hated them. I didn’t have a choice. My grandfather played for the Irish back in the 1930s, and I just love Notre Dame. I’m a fanatic.” Becker’s late grandfather, Harry Becker, wore No. 42 for the Fighting Irish during the 1933, 34 and 35 seasons. At 6-foot and 182 pounds, Harry Becker played on the line for head coaches Heartley “Hunk” Anderson (1933) and Elmer Layden (1934-35). “Grandpa got a scholarship from Notre Dame, so he loaded up and moved from Louisville, Ky., to South Bend,” said Becker. “He wasn’t real big, but he played guard and tackle. They were tough back then. Leather helmets and shoulder pads. Yeah, they were tough back then.” Becker’s collection of Notre Dame memorabilia includes his grandfather’s uniform. Harry Becker’s game jersey and pants are in a nice glass and wooden case. Also on display are his helmet, shoulder pads and practice pants. There’s a signed Monogram letter from Layden. A 16 mm film of the 1935 Notre Dame-Ohio State game. There’s an endless amount of newspaper clippings, some in frames, others just yellow and tattered – although the words still tell a story as vibrant as the day it happened. More recent collectibles include autographed footballs from coaches Lou Holtz and Brian Kelly. There are signed pictures from various coaches and players, as well as three signed Sports Illustrated covers that feature Tony Rice, quarterback of the 1988 national championship team. “I’m telling you, I’m a fanatic,” said Becker, who described himself that way a dozen times during the hour-long interview – which was more like a history lesson. When asked the difference between a fan and a fanatic, Becker, who at one time was also an usher at Notre Dame Stadium, laughed and replied, “probably the amount of stuff they have.” While Becker’s collection offers a stroll down memory lane, he’s just as excited to talk about this year’s team. Notre Dame is 12-0, ranked No. 1 in the nation and will play Alabama in the BCS Championship game on Jan. 7. A win would give the Fighting Irish their first title in a quarter-century. “This year’s team is so fun to watch,” said Becker, whose son and daughter-in-law are Notre Dame grads who were married in the Basilica. “Everett Golson adds a new dimension at quarterback. He reminds me a lot of Tony Rice. And I love this team’s defense. Manti Te’o is the real deal. He has Mike Singletary-like eyes. He’s a man out there. And to have the season he’s had after going through tragedies in his life, he’s a hell of a man. He’s represented himself and the university in a first-class manner.” Tonight, Te’o – a linebacker – could become the eighth Notre Dame player to win the coveted Heisman Trophy. Te’o, who already has won six major accolades including the Maxwell Award as the nation’s most outstanding player, would be just the fifth defensive player to take home the Heisman since the award’s inception in 1935. No defensive player has won the Heisman since Charles Woodson in 1997. “He should get it,” Becker said. “He deserves it, there’s no doubt in my mind.” And if he does, and if Notre Dame wins the national championship, you can bet Becker will have more newspaper clippings and magazine covers to display.
