Meet Lizzy Lombard, Football Manager extraordinaire and all-around hard worker!
Name: Elizabeth Lombard
Year: Junior
Dorm: Welsh Family hall!
Major: English and Accounting double major
Hometown: Western Springs, Illinois
Activities on Campus: I’m involved as the spiritual chair on my dorm and am a junior football manager!
Why did you decide to become a Football Manager? I decided to become a football manager because Notre Dame football has always been such an important part of my life. Some of my earliest and best memories are at Notre dame football games—cheering at pep rallies in my cute Notre Dame cheerleading outfit, walking to the grotto, doing the jig in the stands with my family, and I had a major crush on Brady Quinn. I was honored to have an opportunity to become a part of the magic that is Notre Dame Football.
What is your favorite part of the job? My favorite part about being a Football Manager is getting to be a part of something so much bigger than myself. There is no experience quite like the experience of standing on the field as the team runs out of the tunnel at a home game and the crowd lights up. It’s an experience you can’t quite put into words. It’s amazing to see all the hard work, all the hours, all the dedication of the coaches, players, managers, and trainers pay off in a game setting.
Name one thing you could change about the Football Manager program: If I could change one thing about Football Managing, it would be that no one gets cut from the program. Each year the number of managers is cut in half. There are 14 sophomores, 7 juniors, and 3 seniors. It is hard to say goodbye to people each year—they become part of our manager family and each has given so much to the program. Also the idea that I might have to say goodbye the program is also sad because it has become such a big part of who I am. Also I might have another change I’d like! I would make it mandatory that Notre Dame win every game, because who doesn’t love being undefeated!
Do you have a favorite memory with the team/other football managers? It’s very hard for me to pin down one experience which I could label my favorite with regards to managing. I think I might pick my trip to Dallas to play ASU this year, however. It was the first time I got to fly on the charter jet! That experience combined with staying at a high class Dallas hotel, getting to stand on the Cowboys Stadium field for the duration of the game, the AWESOME shamrock series uniforms, and of course a win against a ranked opponent led to a perfect, unbelievable moment. There was a moment where I just had to stop, breathe, and realize how incredibly lucky I was.
What’s something that you learned in your experiences with the football team that has carried over to another part of your life (academics, family, professional aspirations)? Something that I have learned through working with the team and through working with my fellow managers is the importance of teamwork. Just as the players do, so too do the managers use each others’ strengths and recognize each others’ weaknesses to work toward a common goal of helping the team reach its goals and prove successful. This importance of reliance on others and simultaneous recognition of self-value is something I will carry with me in all fields.
Any advice for girls interested in becoming a Football Manager? My advice for girls that would like to be Football Managers is to take the risk! Work those first few practices even though it might seem intimidating. Of course it will be intimidating—standing 10 feet away from Coach Kelly, throwing a football for maybe the first time, and being a part of something so big and so magical—but it is so worth it! Be responsible, be on time, and be a leader!