When life takes an unexpected turn, sometimes it’s not a detour—it’s the path you were meant to take all along.
We often walk through life with a sense of direction—believing our hard work, talents, and dreams are taking us somewhere specific. We make plans, set goals, and envision our future with a certain confidence. But sometimes, just when we think everything is falling into place, it falls apart—or so it seems. In those moments, we’re forced to pause, re-evaluate, and pivot. And while it’s rarely comfortable, it’s often exactly the redirection we need. That’s where faith, humility, and agility come in.
Pat Terrell thought he was exactly where he was meant to be—as a wide receiver for the University of Notre Dame. He had earned his spot, put in the work, and was part of the starting rotation. But in a wishbone offense built more for blocking than catching, opportunities to shine were few and far between. Then came the moment that shook everything up—a single dropped pass in a Cotton Bowl practice, under the watchful eyes of thousands of fans and his parents, who had driven from Florida to Texas just to see him.
(The below excerpt is from Chapter 17 – Pat Terrell – of Echoes From the End Zone: The Men We Became).
A pivotal moment in Pat’s career at Notre Dame was the day that head coach Lou Holtz decided to move him from wide receiver to defensive back. It was something that Pat never saw coming, but changed the course of his career and lead to the moment against Miami that is embedded in Notre Dame football lore. “I started my football career at Notre Dame as a wide receiver and in the starting rotation I was pretty good. But when you are wide receiver in a wishbone offense you do more blocking that you do receiving. This all happened during my sophomore year, which was the year Tim Brown won the Heisman Trophy and so my statistics were not looking all that good. I only had three or four catches on the whole season going into the Cotton Bowl. We were at one of our Cotton Bowl practices, and our practices were intense, to say the least. There were thousands of people piled into the stadium just to watch us practice and my parents had driven to Texas all the way from Florida just to see me play.”
“Holtz calls my number and it’s my turn to make a play. It was a middle crossing route from Tony Rice to me and it hits me right in the chest … and I drop it. This was the end of a very long season, and there I go and drop the ball. Coach Holtz is standing behind the secondary and his face turns red and he starts yelling. He runs right at me, and then keeps running, right past me, and over to Tony Rice. He grabs Tony by the face mask and is screaming at him, meanwhile Tony is looking at me like, ‘catch the dog-gone ball.’ Lou screams at Tony, ‘Tony, that is your fault! I don’t care if Pat is so wide open that you can walk the ball up and hand him the football! Take the sack! I don’t care how open he is, take the sack. Do not throw Pat Terrell the ball!’ After practice I walk off the field and feel just awful. Coach Holtz comes over to me and I am expecting him to apologize. He says to me, ‘Pat, you’re the best receiver I’ve ever coached. I have never coached a receiver with so much talent. You’re great …until we throw you the football. I’m moving you to defensive back in the spring.’ And that is how I found out I was being moved to defensive back. Coach Holtz made practice so much more intense than actual games, so much so that we looked forward to the games!” That was life for Lou’s Lads and it was a great life.
It was a moment of disappointment, embarrassment, and uncertainty—but it became the catalyst for Pat’s transformation. That unexpected shift led him to become a legendary defensive back, remembered forever for his game-saving play against Miami in 1988. What looked like a setback was really a setup for something greater. Life doesn’t always go according to our plan—but often, it’s in the rerouting that we find our true purpose. So when life redirects you, trust it. Stay agile. Keep the faith. Because your defining moment might be waiting just around the corner.
Cheers & Go Irish!