Despite his family’s rich football history and success, NDA senior James Flanigan said,  “I was drawn to football on my own.” 

Flanigan recently committed and signed with the University of Notre Dame to play Division One football. 

He praised the faith aspect of the university as well as the academics. He also talked about the team’s success and its coaching staff. 

“I like the coaching staff very much,” Flanigan explained. “Coach Freeman is a great coach, and I can’t wait to play for him.”

He explained his excitement for his upcoming experience in South Bend over these next four years. “I look forward to continuing my academic and athletic career, I can’t wait to live on campus and experience college.”

His father, Jim Flanigan Jr., also played at the University of Notre Dame before being drafted into the National Football League. While in the league he played for nine years  and he won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. 

Similarly, his grandfather, Jim Flanigan Sr., played from 1967-1971. He was also a member of the 1967 Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers. 

Even with this in front of him, James has never felt pressure to live up to that success level. 

“I never felt pressure. My dad was always supportive of me in any sport I did,” he explained. “Obviously my family is there to help me with football, but the mentality is that I can do what I want to do.”

He is pretty set on his own goals, however. 

“I want to be an All-American in college, win a national championship at Notre Dame and get drafted to the NFL,” said the senior. 

A few weeks ago, Flanigan got the chance to go to Texas for a week and compete in the All-American Bowl which showcases some of the best high school football players in the nation. 

After Flanigan and the rest of the players arrived in Texas, they got their gear and had practice for a week to get their teams ready for the game. 

“Practice was pretty hard. It was long, and I did a lot of new drills. The speed of the other players I had to adjust to, but after that, I was able to feel like I could compete with anybody,” he said. 

Four of Flanigan’s future Notre Dame teammates were also playing in the game, some on Team East, and some on Team West. Flanigan’s team fell short in the game, losing 7-13, but he was very thankful for being able to meet so many players from across the country. 

He highly enjoyed the time he was able to spend with his future teammates. “We did a lot of cool stuff, like walking around the riverwalk. We also watched Notre Dame play in the College Football Playoff semifinals, and we were so hyped up when we won,” he shared.

“It was fun competing against them. There was one play in the game where I was in on pass protection, and I was lined up next to my teammate, and we double-teamed my other teammate who was on the defensive side of the ball,” added Flanigan. 

Flanigan has made a huge impact on athletics here at NDA. He is a state champ in shot put and discus, he has been on two state championship hockey teams and, most recently, his team won a football state championship this past season. 

He commented on this year’s football state championship win, saying, “It felt so good to finally win. Every year that I have played football here, we kept getting further and further into the playoffs, but we always fell short. But this year we got the job done, and I had so much fun this year with my teammates and coaches.”

During his signing, NDA Athletic Director Matt Koenig and Head Football Coach Mike Rader spoke about Flanigan being “good at everything” and leaving behind an athletic legacy at this school.

Flanigan also got emotional in his speech to the large crowd of fellow students, teammates, coaches, staff, family and news reporters that filled the gym. 

“I was just thinking about everything I have done and everyone I have met who have helped me here at Notre Dame Academy,” he said. “I feel very proud that I was able to win for my school. And that the community here made it possible to win all of those state championships. There were so many people either on the teams or around the teams that helped support. It was a great chance to say thank you to everyone.”