Scan the food options at Notre Dame and you’ll see labels everywhere: “H” for healthy, “V” for vegetarian, and “L” for lower fat or sodium. Turns out they are signs of quality: According to a survey of 1,175 colleges, Notre Dame has the ninth best campus food in the country, with more than 38% of the supply sourced within 250 miles.

Athletics are ahead of the curve, too. The Notre Dame football program is back in the national discussion as eight players were selected in the 2014 NFL draft, the second most to LSU’s nine selections.

That success starts with Paul Longo, director of football strength and conditioning, who pushes athletes to live by the motto: “Start fast. Finish strong.” And the strongest finisher he’s ever seen? Longo rattled off several options, but conceded that Prince Shembo (’14) was the pound-for-pound best.

“He could squat, butt to the floor, with 600 pounds for at least five reps. He was 255, with 8% body fat.” We mere mortals will just sit and think about that for a minute.

Cream of the Crop

Director of football strength and conditioning Paul Longo, pictured above right, saw five Notre Dame alumni go on to make the 2015 NFL Pro Bowl.

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