Having grown up with Tobacco Road sports rivalries fueling childhood memories, at first I didn’t believe the news this week that yet another school in a distant land beyond Tobacco Road was joining the ACC. Once I got past the shock of hearing that the University of Notre Dame would become an ACC member in all sports except football, I remembered Connor Swarbrick (’11).

Connor Swarbrick (’11) bleeds black and gold

Swarbrick was a top-notch student in the first journalism class I taught at Wake Forest in the fall of 2010. That first week he had an answer when I asked whether anyone had had “journalism done to them or a family member.” Yes, he knew what I was talking about. Connor’s father is Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame’s vice president/director of athletics. The news conference Wednesday about the Irish’s departure from the Big East featured Jack Swarbrick in a starring role.

The dad’s announcement

I tracked Connor down at the Wasserman Media Group, where he worked in the golf division in Raleigh until moving a few months ago to the Los Angeles office. I asked him in an email which team he would pull for when the new rivalry heats up. The former Old Gold and Black sports writer had this to say:

“I always have and always will root for the Deacs. Wake Forest is my alma mater and I’m extremely proud of that. But the best part about it  — I can’t lose. It was great fun when Wake Forest hosted Notre Dame last fall (for the record I wore a green shirt with WF inside a clover and a “Beat ND” button on my lapel) and I can’t wait to travel to see the two teams play again this fall in South Bend. It is fantastic that the friendly rivalry will continue with the announcement yesterday. Now I just need some bragging rights….”

Connor Swarbrick, as he frequently did in my journalism class, had the right answer.