Reginald T. Ho is a cardiologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Also known as Reggie Ho, he gained fame as the star kicker on the

1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national champ ...

Early life

Ho grew up in

Kaneohe Kāneohe () is a census-designated place (CDP) included in the City and County of Honolulu and located in Hawaii state District of Koolaupoko on the island of Oahu. In the Hawaiian language, ''kāne ohe'' means "bamboo man". According to an a ...

on the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an island of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. One of four children to Reginald and Sharilyn Ho, he attended St. Louis High School in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, where he played soccer and football. He was the Crusaders' placekicker. After high school, Ho enrolled in the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

and majored in pre-med.

College career

While at Notre Dame, Ho decided to try out for the football team as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music * ''Walk On'', a 1994 album by Boston, and its title song Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album), 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album), 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album), 1992 *''Walk On'', a 2007 album by ...

player. He made the team in 1987 and appeared in one game, kicking one PAT against the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

. For the following season, head football coach

Lou Holtz Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, and analyst. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the New York ...

named Ho the team's starting placekicker. Standing 5'5" (1.65 m) and weighing 135 pounds (61 kg), Ho was by far the smallest member of the football team. However, in the first game of the season he endeared himself to Notre Dame fans by his performance against rival

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Going into the game, the Fighting Irish were ranked #13 in the nation while the Wolverines were ranked #7. The game, played at

Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, the home field of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. It was built in 1930 under the guidance of Knute Rockne, regarded as one of the greatest co ...

, has since been known as the "Reggie Ho game." In that game, Ho kicked four field goals as the Irish won 19–17. The win was the beginning of an undefeated season for Notre Dame as they won the 1988

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

. Ho would finish the 1988 season with 32/36 PAT and 9/12 field goals.

Professional life

After graduating from Notre Dame, Ho attended medical school at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...

. He received his medical degree in 1993 and also performed his internship there. Ho is now a cardiologist specializing in electrophysiology at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He lives in Moorestown, NJ with his wife and two sons. On January 7, 2015, his story was a part of the

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

series,

30 for 30 ''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes three "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series un ...

: Shorts, as episode 29. The film was titled "Student/Athlete" and is the story of Ho's improbable journey to the Notre Dame football team, National Championship, and medical career. It was directed and produced by Ken Jeong, who, besides being an actor and comedian himself, has a medical degree.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Reginald 1960s births Living people American cardiologists American football placekickers Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Players of American football from Hawaii Saint Louis School alumni Sportspeople from Hawaii American sportspeople of Chinese descent Hawaii people of Chinese descent