Hosoda spent countless hours with Manti's family, cheering on the young man who would face tragedy with the death of his girlfriend and grandmother, pass on the NFL draft to finish with Notre Dame, then win nearly every defensive award.

The BCS Championship is just gravy on a golden season for a young man with the kind of character that will follow him far beyond his football career.

"Some kids just need a little bit of motivation and hopefully I was that person for them," said Te'o.

"As we all know athleticism is just one aspect of that man, so he really makes us all look inside ourselves as humans and say hey that's what we all ought to be doing," said Hosoda.