by Matthew Mampuzha
Embedded Files
published 4/3/26
Today, Dr. Reggie Ho is a cardiologist at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. However, before cardiology, he was a star walk-on for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as the team rolled to an undefeated season and won the national championship in 1998. This is the story of how a 5'5" undergraduate student from Hawaii became the starting kicker on a Division I football team.
Dr. Ho attended St. Louis High School in Honolulu before attending Notre Dame for undergraduate studies. While he prioritized academics, especially on his arrival to Notre Dame, he found himself wanting to do more, wondering what else he could do in his college career.
During the fall of his sophomore year, he talked to the Notre Dame football coaches and realized that in order to join the team, he would have to try out in the spring. So, the following spring. he tried out, but as Dr. Ho himself explained, he was sent away. This didn't get to him, though, and he came back as a junior much better than he was the year before. Famed coach Lou Holtz himself observed a noticeable improvement in Dr. Ho's playing style, and Dr. Ho was accepted to the team.
When asked how Dr. Ho felt going into the 1988 season, if he felt confident or nervous, he answered, "Probably both." He related how, in wins against the University of Michigan (the season opener), the then-ranked No. 1 University of Miami, and the then-ranked No. 2 University of Southern California, he as well as the team as a whole grew in maturity over the season's course. Finally, the team topped it off with a win against the No. 3 ranked University of West Virginia.Dr. Ho reminisced that the highlight of the season and the championship was really the win itself.
"We had a banquet at the end; winning the game was the peak of our time there."
For his coach, Coach Holtz, who recently passed away, Dr. Ho had nothing but praise to offer. "Coach Holtz wasa leader for all of us." Не continued, "He was tough on the field and expected you to be the best player, but he also expected you to be the best person you could be."
Finally, when asked to give some advice for high school students today, Dr. Ho said, "I would say, if you had a dream or a goal, go after it, because you don't know if you can't achieve it." Trying out new ventures are important, especially at this age, he explained. "After school, you have a whole life ahead of you, so keep on working hard."
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