SOUTH BEND, Ind. » It began as a murmur in the corner of the student section and grew into a full roar, rolling section by section like a sonic wave through Notre Dame Stadium.
"Man-Ti-Te’o … Man-Ti-Te’o … Man-Ti-Te’o …"
Thousands of Fighting Irish fans, many of them wearing plastic lei for the occasion, rose and took up the staccato chant as the final minutes wound down on linebacker Manti Te’o’s home career Saturday on senior night.
Notre Dame said goodbye to 29 seniors, but there was no louder, more poignant parting salute from the assembled 80,795 than the one reserved for Te’o, a Laie native and Punahou School graduate.
"There are no words that can describe what this place means to me," Te’o said. "I never thought that a place besides Laie could be my home and this has been my home and more."
It wasn’t about his six tackles or the havoc he caused the Wake Forest offense in a 38-0 victory. Nor was it just about the first undefeated home season since 1998 or the 11-0 record, though they all figured in for the man who helped make Fighting Irish football relevant again.
It was more about the man inside jersey No. 5 and what they had given each other over these past four years.
Which was why the Leprechaun Legion, a Notre Dame student organization, handed out 6,000 lei Saturday in its "come and wear a lei for Manti" campaign.
"People here — students, everybody — we just love Manti," said Brett Rocheleau, Notre Dame student body president.
Under the Golden Dome, the legend of Manti shines pretty bright.
Rocheleau can tell you stories about Manti and the conversations he strikes up with strangers on campus, about the charity work he does in the community. And about how Te’o patiently answered knocks on his dorm room door in Dillon Hall from complete strangers seeking his autographs to give to family and friends as Christmas gifts.
In fact, so glowing is the resume that it can be a while before Rocheleau even gets around to Te’o’s football prowess, the kind that has made him an All-American, Lombardi Award finalist and Heisman Trophy candidate.
When Te’o arrived here in 2009, fans embraced him for his stature as the nation’s top linebacker prospect and his willingness to step outside his comfort zone, 4,327 miles and five time zones from home. They embraced him, a member of the Mormon faith coming to this Catholic school to help rebuild the storied Fighting Irish’s sagging fortunes. Soon they came to prize him for who he is and the way he represents them and the school.
"He doesn’t tell you how great he is," Rocheleau said. "He’s a very humble guy."
Who else would end a postgame press conference by going around, reporter to reporter, offering a bag of li hing mui and sour apples?
It was the sense of family and challenge, Te’o says, that prompted him to come here instead of USC, the school he had been a fan of growing up. And it must have been a powerful force, because when Te’o took his official recruiting trip in November 2008 for that season’s senior day, wearing board shorts and zoris, it was 28 degrees and the team was floundering.
But he still signed on and overcame bouts of freshman homesickness. Then, last year he turned his back on an early entry for the NFL Draft and vowed to return for a degree (he graduates next month with a degree in graphic design) and a run at a national title.
Te’o, for his part, found support in his "Irish family" going through tough times in October when his girlfriend and a grandmother died less than 24 hours apart.
So Saturday, his 26th and last run out of the tunnel, was emotional for both him and his fans.
"I can’t believe this was my last time to be playing here," he said. He fought back tears until he got to midfield, where his parents were. "I was emotional, but I held it in. But I shed a few tears when I embraced my parents."
When Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly called time out with 13 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the game to remove, one by one, the seniors, Te’o got the biggest, most sustained ovation.
Radio announcer Don Criqui said "I think the stadium is shaking."
Te’o was, too.
"It was like magic, just magic," he said."Everything has come full circle. (I’m just) very grateful."
Afterward, bedecked in lei, his eyes reddening, Te’o told the fans, "I love you guys. I love you not only for what you did for me but for what you did for my family. I saw the parents section, the section my parents (Brian and Ottilia) were in, giving them a standing ovation as they were exiting the stands. It humbles me."
