Current HCC Parent Wins ND Football Raffle
Gerry Phillips, father of Andrew Phillips ’10, has family ties to Notre Dame football. Now he also has vivid memories of the ’06 season after winning two tickets to every game from the Holy Cross College alumni raffle.
Gerry Phillips was just a kid when his uncle, Hank Stram, who is also his godfather, coached the University of Notre Dame football backfield under head coach Terry Brennan. Stram had a long coaching career, most notably with the Kansas City Chiefs, and was even inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I always had an interest in college football, and it’s probably because of that,” says Phillips, who says he doesn’t remember when his godfather, recently deceased, coached at ND. But he does remember a day this past summer when Holy Cross College’s vice president for advancement, Pat Falvey, gave his house a call. It was only a couple days after he and his wife, Julie, had returned home to Lake Bluff, Illinois after dropping their son, Andrew, off at HCC to start his freshman year.
“Well it was funny,” Phillips says. “When she called on the Sunday after the Friday that we dropped Andrew off, the first thing my wife said was, ‘Is everything okay?’ We thought that maybe something went wrong right off the bat!”
Nothing was wrong at all. In fact, Phillips was about to become the envy of Notre Dame fans around the world. He had won the annual Holy Cross College Notre Dame football raffle, and the winner gets two season tickets for the year.
“I said, ‘Oh Julie I can’t believe it!’” says Phillips. “I had been to ND games in the past as a guest of someone over the years, but to actually win season tickets, wow!”
Phillips’ son Andrew also bought student tickets, so they have been to all the games, and the other ticket has been used by Phillips’ wife Julie, another one of their sons and Andrew’s roommate’s dad, who is an ND alum.
“I actually had goose bumps at the first game when they sang ‘America the Beautiful,’ says Phillips. He and his wife also enjoy the marching bands and the whole game-day scene.
“We always watch the players come off the bus and go to church,” he says. “To me it’s a great experience.”
And the Phillips won’t be having any more momentary worries about Andrew’s experience at Holy Cross College.
“He’s ecstatic that he’s going there,” says Phillips. “He absolutely loves it. He knows a bunch of kids on both campuses. He likes his teachers. He loves his counselor.”
Andrew wanted to attend a college with an ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps) program, and he and his dad thought a smaller college would be best for him.
“Holy Cross just kind of fit the bill. It was a smaller school. In fact it’s actually smaller than his high school, and it’s close enough to home, and he gets to participate in everything that goes on around the three campuses.”
And it has turned out to be pretty good for Gerry Phillips too. Uncle Hank would be pleased.
Published 10/26/2006 by Sara Kassen