Reginald T. Ho is a cardiologist at

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the flagship hospital of Jefferson Health, a multi-state non-profit health system based in Philadelphia. The hospital serves as the teaching hospital for Thomas Jefferson University. With 937 licensed b ...

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 as an independent during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by third-year head coach Lou Holtz, the fighting Irish compiled a perfect record o ...

Early life

Ho grew up in

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

on the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

an island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

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

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, 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; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

and majored in pre-med.

College career

While at Notre Dame, Ho decided to try out for the

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album) or the title song, 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album) or the title song, 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album) or the title song, 1992 *''Walk On'', by Kellie Coffey, 200 ...

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

. For the following season, head football coach

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

named Ho the team's starting placekicker. Standing and weighing , 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 The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. 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 college football, football stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, the home field of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, Fighting Irish football team. It was built in 1930 under the guidance of Knute Ro ...

, 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 (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

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

. 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 Thomas Jefferson University is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. ...

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 (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

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 four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series und ...

: 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 Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong ( ; ; born July 13, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the NBC sitcom ''Community'' ...

, 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 Asian American players of American football Year of birth missing (living people)