That day, Sept. 15, Kekua was buried in California. Te’o knew exactly what time the casket would be closed (noon in South Bend) and the Irish were going through their pre-game walk-thru in an empty stadium at the time. He turned to defensive coordinator Bob Diaco and asked for the time. Diaco said, “12:01.” It was then that Te’o took a moment to think about all that had occurred.
Kekua, by the way, had made Te’o promise to not miss a game in order to attend her funeral service. All she asked for was a dozen white roses, which Manti sent.
That night thousands of Notre Dame students–and others, including Wolverine supporters–honored Manti and his grief by wearing leis.
“When I lost my girlfriend and my grandmother, that was possibly the hardest time of my life,” Te’o told Kate Sullivan in an interview recently. “And to see the Notre Dame community rally around just one person . . . that’s where I just looked up and said, ‘Heavenly Father, you’re the man.’