Tommy Hates Michigan Football
9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 8, 2009
Michigan's new long snapper, Tom Pomarico, grew up hating Maize and bleeding Blue and Gold. Pomarico is the son of standout Notre Dame offensive lineman Frank Pomarico (1970-73), who won a national championship with the Irish as a senior captain in 1973. Back when Tom was known as Tommy, the Pomaricos lived near the shadow of Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.
Tommy grew up hearing tales of Notre Dame football, learning about his father's exploits in a house full of Notre Dame memorabilia. Alongside his dad, Tommy attended every game he could at Notre Dame Stadium, tailgating with family friends and alumni accumulated over 25 years of living in South Bend. His father was a popular man on game day, introducing Tommy to a slew of well-known Notre Dame names, including his dad's old roommate, Gerry DiNardo. Tommy grew up adoring the gold helmets and following his favorite players, Jarious Jackson, Autry Denson and Courtney Watson.
Tommy couldn't wait to strap on the pads and join the fun, finally getting his chance to play full-contact in fourth grade. He played nearly every position from grade school to college, his dad helping to coach his grade school teams and going over corrections at the dinner table following long practices.
As Tommy became Tom and grew into his 6-4 frame, the family moved to Las Vegas for a year, then back to South Bend for his first two years of high school. Then, the Pomaricos crossed the border into Michigan and settled into Jackson, where Tom started school as a junior at Lumen Christi. He played tight end for the Titans, earning all-state honorable mention honors and attracting the attention of Mid-American Conference coaches offering him full scholarships. Tom appreciated the attention, but his goal was to play for the biggest school he could and experience as rich a football tradition as his father had. An unlikely solution came in the form of the University of Michigan.
As a Notre Dane football fan, Tom naturally grew up disliking the Wolverines. From kindergarten to his junior year of high school, Michigan and Notre Dame split eight meetings with Tom witness to more than his share of slug fests. The Notre Dame-Michigan game was always circled on the calendar. The Maize and Blue was respected and always a tough opponent but in the end, they were the enemy and they were treated as such.
His tune started to change once Tom began attending Michigan's football camps. He met the men who epitomized Michigan football and saw that they weren't half bad. He shook Lloyd Carr's hand and on one occasion met the legendary Bo Schembechler. He developed a soft spot for the Wolverines and realized that Notre Dame and Michigan shared a lot in common. When a phone call came from former Wolverine assistant coach Mike DeBord, offering him a spot with the Wolverines as a preferred walk-on, Tom was sold. He would turn in his Gold for Maize and join the Wolverines.
His first trip back to Notre Dame Stadium as a collegiate football player was in 2008. He wasn't Frank's little boy Tommy -- he was a 6-4, 248lb man in a Maize and Blue jersey with a winged helmet under his arm. Despite being on the wrong end of the cheers of the Notre Dame faithful, the experience was a dream come true. Tom waved to an usher, a longtime family friend, and shook hands with a priest he knew from high school. He was on familiar ground but in unfamiliar circumstances, a member of a football-rich program and part of a storied football rivalry but in the colors of the University of Michigan. This suited him just fine.
Frank will be in the stands on Saturday, wearing Michigan colors and rooting for the school that has adopted his son. His sister, also a Notre Dame grad, will be at the game too. She usually wears her Blue and Gold, but Tom is certain she too will be decked out in Michigan colors, cheering on her little brother.
In the Pomarico home, you can still find copies of Notre Dame Magazine and old Notre Dame media guides, but the place is undergoing a constant redesign. The old Irish posters and 1970s memorabilia are slowly moving to the corners, replaced by Michigan game programs and souvenirs of the younger Pomarico's playing days. Tom is looking to build a legacy of his own in college football, but for now he's happy with how the journey is going so far.
