Remembering Scott Delgadillo: A Friend, A Hero, An Inspiration

Remembering Scotty – November 12, 2011

Thank you, Steve, Carmen, and friends. I always like to say that I’m blessed to be at an event but tonight it’s especially true. I am blessed. I am honored. I am touched.

It was ten years ago that we lost Scotty Delgadillo. Ten years goes by in the blink of an eye, doesn’t it? It’s been ten short, or long, years. But his impact will last a lifetime.

Tonight I'd like to tell you my story of knowing Scott.

Let me tell you how I met Scott and his family. In the late summer of 2000, I was not too far removed from my years at the University of Notre Dame, and I was working at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  My phone rings and it’s the San Diego Make-A-Wish Foundation. They tell me that they grant wishes to kids battling illnesses and a young man named Scott Delgadillo had a special wish: to visit Notre Dame.

I had no clue how to put this together but I had a good friend that worked on Notre Dame’s campus, Jen Laiber, so I called her. Turns out Jen actually handled visits like those so she said, Sure, we can take care of him. I breathed a sigh of relief because, again, I had NO CLUE how to help grant this type of wish, or why out of alllll the alumni in San Diego, they called me. But God knew.

So I called back Make-A-Wish and they were ecstatic. And in mid-September 2000, with Jen Laiber’s help, they put Scotty on a plane to South Bend, Indiana.

Now, the weekend of his trip, Notre Dame’s football team, the Fighting Irish, were hosting the Purdue Boilermakers. The morning of the game, Scott’s mom, Carmen calls me, and says, “Alex, you’ll never believe this. We got here yesterday and toured the campus, and met the football team, and the head coach, Bob Davie, was so impressed by Scott, he asked him to speak.”

“To the team?” I asked.

“No,” said Carmen, “to the STUDENT BODY at the Pep Rally.”

I was stunned. There are 15,000 people at these rallies!  And Scotty brought down the house.

But Carmen had one more story. Apparently there was an Irish player from San Diego who met Scotty and promised him that, in his honor, he’d return an interception for a touchdown. That player was Shane Walton.

Midway through the game he broke on a pass, picked it off, and TOOK IT TO THE HOUSE. Notre Stadium went bananas!  I went bananas! Interception for a touchdown. The quarterback who threw it: Drew Brees.

I didn’t know Scott had such pull to where he could be an instant Notre Dame football legend like that. But God knew.

A few weeks later I finally had the opportunity to meet him. Unfortunately, not long after he returned to San Diego, he got sicker and had to return to Children’s Hospital. So I invited my buddy Adriana Holguin, who was also a Notre Dame graduate, to go with me.

On a crisp, fresh fall night, much like tonight, we walked into that hospital room and were so amazed. The Delgadillos – Carmen and Henry and Eric – were so welcoming. Scotty was too but that’s not what stood out to me. What stood out, first of all, was on his walls were letters and posters from Notre Dame students and alumni who had heard him speak at the September pep rally. Here he had given a completely unrehearsed speech and touched, LITERALLY, thousands of lives.

Second, there were pictures from girls everywhere! Lil’ Scotty was a pimp!

But what was interesting were the things he really DID NOT want to talk about. He didn’t wanna talk about his cancer or leukemia. He didn’t wanna talk about my prosthetics or that I obviously had some challenges. He wanted to talk football. He wanted to crack jokes. And because he was a pimp, he wanted to talk about girls.

That night was unforgettable and I quickly learned that THAT’S what Scotty was about. Did he want to recover from his illnesses? Sure. But he was more focused on visiting the rooms around him and making others happy. Lifting THEIR spirits. And telling people to always, always appreciate life.

A few months later, as you know, we lost Scotty.  <Long pause.>     It hurt. It still hurts.

But I’ve thought a lot about him in the ensuing years. And in 2008 when "Swinging for the Fences" was published, I dedicated a chapter to him because something he said stuck with me: Leave A Place Better Than How You Found It.

You see, Scotty knew there was a chance he may leave us early. But he didn’t whine and he didn’t pout. He was determined to raise awareness and get others to do good in this world. His friends continued that mission. His parents continued that mission with the Friends of Scott Foundation. DREW BREES even helps out now – amazing.

So I say to you tonight. As we remember Scotty, don’t be afraid to cry and definitely don’t be afraid to laugh. It is a night of remembrance. But I think about this every day as my employer, the San Diego Padres, strives to makes our city a better place.

Look for causes in which you can get involved! Look for lives you can touch. Look for how you can leave your community and school and church and relationships, better…than how you found it. 

Scott Delgadillo told the Notre Dame pep rally he’d return to campus one day to make an impact on it. I don’t think he knew he was making an impact right there and then!

But God knew.

And as sure as Scotty is watching us tonight…make him proud by making this world a better place. That is what Scotty wants.

God bless you; thank you.

Irish Football: We're On The Edge, The Edge, Of Glory

August 25, 2011

AND WE’RE BACK:

I have returned from the wilderness, where I was alone with the bare necessities: my thoughts, water, and a Blackberry Bold 9930. The Irish have consumed my thoughts and I have meditated daily on their upcoming campaign, a weekly battle of good vs. evil.

When we last left our Irish, they were in frigid El Paso, Texas, routing the University of Miami in the Sun Bowl. Little did we know the Hurricanes were swirling – see what I did there, Larimer? – toward a summer of immense controversy. More importantly, little did we know that Notre Dame would have a less controversial, but still eventful, offseason. Check out my remarks from the Sun Bowl Post-Game Reflections in early January:

“My thoughts on beating down The U; how it was not a one-day occurrence but a culmination of a month of improvement; and what it all means for next season and beyond:

-       I will be stunned if Floyd returns. If he does go pro, good on him. He has been an impact player since his frosh season and only injuries have slowed him. DB’s definitely haven’t and he absolutely schooled Miami’s trash-talking corners….Credit Weis and Clausen for recruiting him, Kelly for motivating him to elevate his game, and Floyd for working hard to be the next Vincent Jackson (minus the off-the-field headaches). If he does return to South Bend next fall…pssssht….kid will be unstoppable.

-       Dayne Crist is a great guy and deserves a fair shot in spring competition. But the de facto starter, the guy who’s job it is unless dethroned by a challenger, is Rees. He hangs tough, exhibits patience, makes great reads, and showed leadership in consoling Ruffer after the PK’s first miss of the season. “

Shows how much I know.

As you know by now, especially if you’re a member of our <inserts shameless plug here> IRISH FANS UNITED Group Page on Facebook, Floyd did indeed stay, then got in major trouble that temporarily got him removed from team activities, then was reinstated. Crist was not the afterthought I figured he’d become and in fact was confirmed as starting quarterback this week.

So with those two likely being the largest personnel moves in Brian Kelly’s offseason (as if head coaches really have an offseason), where will this place our beloved program this season?  By the way, I’m glad there is a season, Lord willing. That whole Judgment Day thing would’ve made USC-Notre Dame really hard to schedule.

But I digress.

Clearly this is the highest level of optimism Under the Dome in many years, due to last year’s 4-0 finish and a roster with more depth than The Help.  I’ve heard from more than one of you that 12-0 or 10-2 at worst is your expectation.

Boy do I hope you’re right but, truthfully, I respectfully disagree.

I do wonder if the pro-style Dayne is cut out for this spread option offense and also, if he can get past Halloween without an injury. Having said that, I think Kelly likes #10’s arm, size, and agility and also figures the running game and defense will carry this team. The guy at the throttle then, really, just needs to manage the game and not make mistakes. That’s a departure from Kelly’s past but does make sense for this seemingly physical Irish team.

My concerns are: Do the Irish have depth behind Floyd?  Can Cierre and Jonas finally be a strong 1-2 in the backfield?  Will losing Darrin Walls hurt the secondary?  Will we ever have a decent kick return game again?

Granted, those aren’t a lot of question marks and certainly the talent is there to turn those into affirmative answers. But I need to see that Dayne is a reliable starter and that the vaunted defense can withstand the number of strong passers on opposing squads.

USF is no pushover and two gauntlets scare me: UM-MSU-PITT-PUR and Maryland-BC-Stanford.   We also face ‘SC with Matt Barkley at the helm and need to prove we can – again – sink Navy.

The key then is attitude. These Irish have gotten more positive press than Derek Jeter. Will they be as hungry and excited as Clare Mundy at a Ke$ha concert?

If so, look out because the roster looks deep, physical, and fast. If we can stuff the run like late last fall, everything will flow from that – turnovers, offensive opportunities, points.

My meditations tell me the schedule isn’t as easy as many have claimed. So on the admittedly conservative side, I say:

PACO PREDICTS: 9-3 and a BCS Bowl.

Tell me if you disagree. Just don’t be a douche about it.

IT’S TIME FOR NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!