Listen: Frank Stams talks about nearly losing his scholarship

What if Frank Stams hadn’t switched to defense?

Chris Zorich had former Notre Dame teammate Frank Stams on his podcast Thursday. It’s really fascinating to hear if you want to know about the Irish in the mid-to-late 1980s (Warning:  Contains some NSFW language):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTs-nPXIF4g

There’s one moment in the podcast during which Stams mentions that Lou Holtz, who was not the coach when Stams arrived in South Bend, came very close to taking away his scholarship in part because he missed the entire previous season because of injury:

That “first-year coach” who pretty much saved Stams from becoming an afterthought was Barry Alvarez. With help from the future Wisconsin legend, Stams was able to transition from fullback to linebacker. That’s how he became a key cog on the Irish’s 1988 national championship team, and it ultimately led to a seven-year NFL career. It’s amazing how a simple raise of a hand can change someone’s life for the better like it did here.