After 4 Years with Fighting Irish, Notre Dame Grad Doubles Up in 5th by Entering Law School
A dedicated student as well as a dedicated athlete, Chris Stewart found time to focus on his education at the University of Notre Dame even as the offensive line starter starred on the football field.
But now he’s found a way to add a new academic challenge as he continues on the team for a fifth year, after graduating as a history major: Entering law school this fall at age 23, an ESPN blog post recounts.
A cum laude graduate of Notre Dame, he is the only law student playing major college football in the country, USA Today reported earlier, and no one else at Notre Dame has ever done so before.
A newspaper dogged Stewart’s steps around campus for a day, as he hit the books, packed a lunch (he eats six small meals a day) and then lifted weights before heading to his first class, on legal writing, at 9:40 a.m.
Carrying casebooks around campus is presumably a breeze for Stewart, but fitting a 6-foot, 5-inch, 351-pound body into a classroom chair is more of a challenge. After class he studies contract law, then film of a recent Notre Dame game. As he heads for ice treatment and the training table, he plans to focus on criminal law.
“I might actually take an hour off, and then study for about two to three hours. Today’s a light day,” he tells USA today. His criminal law professor “is the guy who wrote the RICO statutes, so you have to come to class prepared.”
It won’t always be like this: After he completes his first year as a law student, Stewart hopes to become a professional football player and then return to school at the conclusion of his pro career, the ESPN article explains.
“Outside of a few colleges, not too many people have an opportunity to go to law school and play football and play big college sports and be on TV every day,” says Stewart, who considers himself lucky to be at Notre Dame despite the team’s recent travails. “I know I’ve been blessed to set a precedent like that.”
Additional coverage:
Chicago Sun-Times: “Kelly defends ‘common sense’ “
Fanhouse (NCAA): “Notre Dame’s Chris Stewart Moves From OL to 1L”
WNDU: “Fifth year ND football player, Chris Stewart, shares his experiences as a law student-athlete “
This article was last updated on Nov. 10 at 9:22 a.m. to change “Notre Dame University” to the “University of Notre Dame.”
