Hall of Fame
Position: Split End
Years: 1969-1971
Place of Birth: Baltimore
Date of Birth: Mar 07, 1950
Jersey Number: 44
Height: 6-2"
Weight: 208
High School: Baltimore City College (Md.)
The first African-American captain in Notre Dame history, Thom Gatewood set almost every receiving record in school history during an All-American career on and off the field. He becomes the 45th Fighting Irish player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
A consensus First Team All-American in 1970, Gatewood led Notre Dame in receiving all three seasons of his career. He owned multiple Irish receiving records for more than 30 years, including single-season (77) and career (157) receptions, single-season (1,123) and career (2,283) receiving yards and career receiving touchdowns (21). During his career, Gatewood led Notre Dame to an impressive 26-5-1 record and back-to-back Cotton Bowls, including a win in the 1971 edition against Texas. Playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach Ara Parseghian, the Baltimore native appeared alongside fellow Hall of Famers Dave Casper and Joe Theismann at Notre Dame. Academically, Gatewood excelled as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1971 and a two-time Academic All-American.
Gatewood spent two seasons in the NFL after being selected by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 1972 draft. A member of the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame, he went on to serve as director and stage manager for ABC News and ABC Sports, receiving both an Emmy and Peabody Award for his work.
A stalwart in the community, Gatewood serves on the advisory board for the “Healthy Children, Healthy Futures” initiative, which helps set ground work for fitness and nutrition in inner city communities, and he is a volunteer for Minority Athletes Networking Etc. He currently is the owner and president of the advertising specialty company Blue Atlas Productions and the co-owner of Larkspur Lane Ltd., a television production company.
