Rory Fox to make dream come true by joining Fighting Irish
WAUKESHA, Wis. (BVM) — As a kid, many dream of playing sports in college. Some even focus on one specific school. For Rory Fox, that school was Notre Dame.
“People who know me know that I’ve grown up around Notre Dame,” Fox said.
Three generations of Foxes had at least one person go to Notre Dame, including Rory’s father, Dr. Chris Fox.
“To be honest I think in my head I’ve never really thought of going to a different university,” Fox said. “I’ve always grown up being around Notre Dame, watching Notre Dame football games and going to their campus.”
Going to Notre Dame was a goal for Fox, but in general, he wanted to go to college using the sport he loved to get there.
“It was always my goal to get there through baseball,” Fox said .
Fox is a three-sport athlete who also plays football and basketball, but baseball always came first.
“It’s always been baseball in my head,” Fox said. “I’ve always considered it my number one sport and what I wanted to pursue at the next level.”
Just like with Notre Dame, Fox grew up around baseball. His dad had played in high school and his older brother Luke is currently playing for Duke University’s team as a freshman.
“Growing up around it and being influenced by playing it at a young age, I think that was a part of why it is my number one sport,” Fox said. “I started playing with my dad and my brother when I was like three years old.”
By freshman year of high school, Fox was already a talented player. Entering his sophomore year at Catholic Memorial High School (CMH), his coaches began informing him that colleges wanted to talk to him.
“For me it ramped up over the summer,” Fox said. “I started to gain a lot of interest from a lot of different schools.”
Unable to watch him play in person, scouts would live stream his games. By the end of the summer, as he began his junior year, Fox had narrowed down his choices to six schools. One of those schools was Notre Dame.
Fox entered the recruiting process with an open mind. He enjoyed talking with different coaches, getting to know their programs. But the choice was easy in the end.
“Notre Dame just felt right,” Fox said. “That’s where I felt comfortable. That’s what I grew up around with my dad going there.”
He will be the fourth generation of Foxes to attend Notre Dame, but the first one of them to play sports at the college.
“There’s been many doctors to have gone through from my family, but I think I’m the first athlete,” Fox said.
The announcement came via Fox’s Twitter on Sept. 8 and was met with an outcry of support from friends and family.
A childhood dream turned into reality☘️ @NDBaseball #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/mMXWIm4DwA
— Rory Fox (@RoryFox_05) September 8, 2020
“As it came down to it my dad was totally psyched about me going to Notre Dame,” Fox said. “Luke maybe not so much because he’s at Duke and that’s kind of a rivalry, but he was happy all the same.”
Happy because they know what this means to Fox and to his family. He takes pride in being able to follow in the footsteps of his dad and other family members.
“Carrying on the tradition in the Fox family that we’ve established,” Fox said. “I feel proud to be a part of that and to continue it. Hopefully it will continue past my generation as well.”
