Great story. It is worth remembering some of these kids do not come from familys or schools (coaches) with the means to even take a great opportunity that comes along.

It makes me want the kid right away.
Sir John | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 1:11 pm | #

It is a touching story, but let's not forget that this kid is getting a full ride to attend the school because of his hard work ethic and his God-given athletic ability.

Many students who have the same work ethic, but not the athletic ability, attend the University, work throughout the four years there, and have loads of debt when they leave. Their families are not necessarily poverty stricken, but still cannot afford $25-$30k per year for four years. I'd gladly trade a couple hundred dollars expense for a trip to the school with the loads of debt I left the school with.

I suppose I am missing the point, but I felt like ranting a bit, because every kid at ND does not either come from a wealthy family or have to be a full-ride scholarship athlete.
Domer97 | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 1:43 pm | #

It would hard for me to believe that after the church raises the money for him to go up to ND he would even think about going anywhere else. I love little towns like these they are the best part of America.
Michael Shutze | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 1:43 pm | #

Well said, Jay. It's easy to forget that most people don't have it as well as a lot of us, and a lot of people have it even worse.
My wife is a school teacher in the medium-sized TX town we live in. Most of her students are "at risk" kids who's families earn $12K a year on average.

(On an inappropriate note for this thread, she's reported a number of ND garments over the past year that weren't there before. Just thought that was interesting.)
BlackJagger | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 1:53 pm | #

Domer97 is right on the money. ND is becoming cost prohibitive for far too many and with a multi-billion endowment, tuition scholarships should be rising at a much more agressive rate. Hell, I went to school with plenty of kids whose parents took a second mortgage out. That shouldn't be the case today given the huge progress in fundraising. Building new building after new building -- even if the capital cost is philanthropic -- should not outpace financial aid.
Yago | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 1:56 pm | #

No, I think you're dead-on, Domer97. Clearly not every kid at ND these days comes from a privileged background; however, I think that's more the case these days than it used to be. Even middle class families struggle to pay for higher education along the lines of ND.

And of course, Neal, unlike probably a lot of his high school classmates, is on the escalator (going up) because of a unique talent. His sacrifices now, and those of his community, are going to certainly pay off handsomely in the long run. He deserves the opportunity to go to ND, but you have to wonder how many other deserving students out there cross ND off the list because of the financial impossibility of attending the school (and perhaps the financial appeal of other schools offering full scholarships for academic excellence).
Jay | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 2:05 pm | #

For the record, tuition, room & board at ND this year is not $25-$30k. It's $42,140 -- 4.5 times what I paid in 1986.

This, of course, places an exclamation point on the points made above.
Matt | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 2:35 pm | #

Hear, hear, Domer97.
Ironically, my parents had no money to send me to school, so I qualified for all kinds of grants and scholarships -- and loans. I borrowed every dime that I needed to get through NDLS. Now, I make a good living, but I'm saddled with so much debt that my 2-year-old triplets will have to go to Ohio State. Yar.
Fitzwater | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 2:36 pm | #

I hate to be the badguy here, but is anyone else worried about the potential for extra benefits that run afoul of NCAA regs? Presumably he had a preexisting relationship with the church, but all it would take is one ND fan giving a donation to make him ineligible...and one coach from Alabama or Nebraska to turn him in.
IndyTom | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 3:02 pm | #

The church is only raising funds to send him up to look at ND, there's no problem there. They aren't buying him tickets to a game, etc.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 3:30 pm | #

nd is $42k now? sweet jesus. when i graduated in '98, my four year bill was under $100K. my sister graduated in '99 and i believe the total room and board for her four years was just over $100K, making her the first class with a four year average over twenty five thousand a year. and now that's increased 60% in seven years? how big is that endowment again?
tjf | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 6:46 pm | #

I'm guessing we won't hear the "South Bend was just too small for me" complaint.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 7:06 pm | #

Sigh. Wish I had known about this before it happened. I would have made the drive up to Bunn to get church chicken and help out a fine young man.
dbldomer7375 | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 8:10 pm | #

poor kids do exist at notre dame. im one of them. single parent home (mother on disability), never saw the school in person, and yet knew this was the place for me. neal is the kind of kid we need here. tough in more ways then one.
dave | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 8:23 pm | #

I hear you, tjf--I'm class of 98 also. Wow--my 3 month old better start working on those scholarships, because even though we save pretty well, by the time he's there it'll be $100,000 a year and the Army doesn't pay me THAT well...
Nate | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 8:47 pm | #

The point is that the he lives in a tight knit neighborhood where people care about each other. I'm a not an alum, so I know what I'm talking about. I grew in a neighborhood like that and have done pretty well for myself. And this young man is going to do well for himself 'cause he won't take anything for granted. Forget your loans to attend ND. Get on your GD knees and thank the dear Lord that you are soooooooooooo blessed.

Now I've ranted, too, and you could add it to the collective.
Jude | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 9:26 pm | #

and don't even go after the grammar/spelling BS. That's so lame. I meant to say "grew up," etc.
Jude | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 9:31 pm | #

Why would someone attack the grew without the up? In the context of your point it is more than appropriate. In a community like that one grows, on many levels, as one grows up. I didn't even notice until you pointed it out.
Dan 96 | Email | Homepage | 03.22.06 - 10:26 pm | #

Met a lot of people from very financially successful families at ND. It happens.

Also met Karl who was from Jamaica. In his 4 years at ND, he never once went home to visit his parents/family, because the trip back to Jamaica was too expensive . . . . I'll never forget that. When we graduated I gave him my bestest blue & gold ND sweatshirt, because he didn't really have much ND paraphenalia and I figured he deserved it as much as I did.

I think I'm going to have to call that crazy old fool up one of these days. . .
atepesm | Email | Homepage | 03.23.06 - 1:21 am | #

ND's been prohibitively expensive for way too many years. My parents fell right on that bubble where they earned too much for me to qualify for financial aid, but if they wanted to send my little sister to college as well, there was no way I could go to ND.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 03.23.06 - 10:48 am | #

Jude,
I thank God every day for everything I have. I wouldn't have changed my experience at ND in any way... Well, that's a lie. I would have loved to have been part of the football team. Regardless, I hope this kid doesn't take anything for granted, and that HE thanks God every day that the talent and ability God has given him will help provide him with a $170k scholarship. He comes from what sounds like a community that cares for their own, even though they don't have much. He has a lot to be thankful for.
Domer97 | Email | Homepage | 03.23.06 - 12:07 pm | #

Alumns need to speak out about the astronomical tution increases, as it will end up creating a school full of kids like the Dukeys-- spoiled, arrogant, entitled brats.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 04.01.06 - 5:10 pm | #