Inducted 2008. All-Time Leading Rusher in History of Football Program.
Many players have carried the ball for the football team during the history of Quincy Notre Dame, Catholic Boys, Christian Brothers and Quincy Academy, and none of them came close to the two years spectacular numbers posted by Dan Griffard.
Griffard, a 1996 graduate, played four years on the varsity team, and he was a contributor as a freshman, recording 14 tackles. He rushed for 577 yards as a sophomore and racked up 93 tackles as a linebacker. As a junior, Griffard helped the Raiders to a 10-1 record, their best since 1974, and helped them earn their first No.1 ranking in the Class 2A state poll for the final five weeks of the 1994 season. He rushed for a school-record 1,667 yards and 16 touchdowns, including a single-game record 311 yards against Knox County, and recorded 95 tackles.
Topping those numbers would not be easy, but Griffard was even better as a senior. He broke his own school record with 1,942 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per carry, and he also totaled 74 tackles. QND finished with a 10-2 record and reached the Class 2A quarterfinals. He topped the 300-yard mark twice that season in games against Unity and Williamsville.
Griffard was a first-team Class 2A all-state selection and was named The Quincy Herald-Whig’s Player of the Year. His 4,193 rushing yards, 216 points, 276 tackles and 4,465 all-purpose yards are all still school records.
Griffard now lives in Overland Park, Kan., and owns Rainmaker Graphics, Inc.
I would like to thank my parents, John and Rose, along with my sisters Brooke and Lindsay, who were both cheerleaders at QND, and my younger brother Logan, who is a senior at QND this year. For my teammates … we grew up together and as a team. My personal accomplishments wouldn’t have been attainable without you. Whether it be the o-line opening up a gaping hole or a linebacker standing up the fullback, we did it as a team. I would like to thank Bill Connell and the coaching staff. We were fortunate to be incoming freshmen when Coach Connell began his career. Coach Connell and his staff taught us lessons on and off the field that helped mold us into the men we are today. Next, I would like to thank the Notre Dame community. You believed in us and proved to be the best fans, home or away. It’s awesome to go to games year after year and see the winning tradition continue and grow. Finally, I would like to thank Dale and Marty Venvertloh for the countless hours and behind-the-scenes work they put into the QND football program to make it what it is today. I would especially like to thank like to thank Mrs. Venvertloh for all those wonderful breakfasts on Saturdays following games.