Saturday’s 42-26 win over Florida State was Notre Dame’s first game since the passing of former Indiana State Police Sgt. Tim McCarthy. It only was appropriate for the university to use the game to do homage to the pun-telling safety message deliverer. Here’s the tribute that aired at Notre Dame Stadium during the contest:
๐๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐จ๐โฆ
Tonight at Notre Dame Stadium, we celebrate the legacy of Sgt. Tim McCarthy, who gave safety messages (& accompanying puns) at @NDFootball games for 55 years.
โก๏ธhttps://t.co/DFSscHEqyK pic.twitter.com/8numPhzqc9
— The Fighting Irish ๐ท (@FightingIrish) October 11, 2020
My first and only Notre Dame game was the 2012 win over Michigan. Like many newcomers to Notre Dame Stadium, I had no prior knowledge of McCarthy, but I distinctly remember hearing his message because the raucous capacity crowd suddenly fell quiet like they were in a church or a library. Though I don’t remember the exact pun McCarthy told on this particular night, I remember getting the same feeling I get whenever I hear a bad joke. The whole crowd groaned, as it did after every pun McCarthy told for over half a century.
Rest easy, Sgt. McCarthy. You may be gone, but we’ll be groaning at your jokes whenever we recall them. And yes, we hope you got to Heaven safely. In fact, we know you did.