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Pat McAfee Borrows Brady Quinn’s Sister’s Iconic Split Jersey Ahead of Ohio State-Notre Dame

This will bring back memories for Buckeyes and Fighting Irish fans alike.
Pat McAfee Borrows Brady Quinn’s Sister’s Iconic Split Jersey Ahead of Ohio State-Notre Dame
Pat McAfee Borrows Brady Quinn’s Sister’s Iconic Split Jersey Ahead of Ohio State-Notre Dame

Talk about a throwback.

At the end of the 2005 season, No. 4 Ohio State met No. 5 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes were led by linebacker A.J. Hawk, and the Fighting Irish by quarterback Brady Quinn—sixth- and fourth-place finishers in the Heisman voting, respectively.

The matchup between the two players was highly anticipated, and not merely because of their on-field heroics: Quinn’s sister Laura was Hawk’s girlfriend (and future wife).

Displaying her divided loyalty, Laura Hawk memorably wore a split jersey for the game that has lingered in the back of Ohio State and Notre Dame fans’ minds for decades... until Friday afternoon.

ESPN analyst and former West Virginia kicker Pat McAfee obtained the jersey and wore it ahead of the No. 6 Buckeyes’ showdown with the No. 9 Fighting Irish Saturday evening.

According to Hawk, a frequent collaborator of McAfee’s, his mother-in-law had kept the jersey in storage for nearly 20 years.

Although both went on to careers in media, Hawk got the better of Quinn on that day in 2006, sacking him twice and sharing MVP honors with quarterback Troy Smith in a 34–20 win.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .