Notre Dame’s Gabriel Rubio carries surname proudly

Growing up on the southside of San Jose, Calif., Angel Rubio learned early to defend himself and have pride in his surname. He and his wife Theresa passed that mindset down to their son Gabriel Rubio, a redshirt junior defensive tackle at Notre Dame.

Whenever Angel Rubio got into a scuffle as a kid, his stepdad Gary Nyquist would ask him if he got a piece of the opponent. If he didn’t, Angel was sent back to continue the altercation. In victory or defeat, through triumphs or setbacks, the Rubios continue to get their piece.

Gabriel Rubio, 21, has embodied his family’s determination during his time at Notre Dame. He has persevered through injuries to be in position to play a key role in the College Football Playoffs semifinal against Penn State on Thursday at the Orange Bowl. 

The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder from St. Louis made the first start of his career in the CFP quarterfinals. He had four tackles (two solo) to help Notre Dame beat Georgia 23-10.

Gabriel Rubio stepped into the starting lineup after Rylie Mills suffered a season-ending injury on Dec. 20 against Indiana. He played well in the first round of the playoffs against Indiana after Mills was hurt. Then he held his own against Georgia.

At one point in the CFP quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl, Gabriel manhandled a three-year SEC starter to make his first tackle of the night against Georgia. Rubio has fought through adversity at Notre Dame. A knee injury cost him three games in 2023. Then he broke his left foot’s metatarsal on Aug. 1, costing him the first five games of this season.

Gabriel Rubio sees ‘worthwhile battle’

“It’s been a battle, but it’s a worthwhile battle,” Gabriel told Notre Dame beat writers before the Sugar Bowl. “The spring was unfortunate. The summer was unfortunate going into fall camp with a broken foot, all that deal. I’m not the kind of guy to just give up as soon as hardship comes about.”

Gabriel Rubio developed his mindset from his parents. Angel and Theresa Rubio met as student athletes at Southeast Missouri State in 1994. Angel was a 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle and nose guard. Theresa was a middle hitter on the volleyball team. She helped set an NCAA record as one of three teammates with more than 1,000 kills. 

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Angel, who is now a firefighter with the Wentzville, Mo., Fire Department, was born in Tampa, Fla. He was raised in San Jose and Modesto, Calif. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The Steelers traded Angel to the San Francisco 49ers before the 1998 regular season. He spent 1998 on the 49ers’ practice squad. Then he signed with the Arizona Cardinals and played the 1999 season there, seeing action in two games. 

He signed with the XFL’s Las Vegas Outlaws in 2001. Through it all, Angel always wrote a childhood mantra on his tape for every game.

“Somos pocos, pero locos.” We are a few, but crazy.

That Spanish saying was a tribute to his Mexican roots. It was also a reminder that he was one of the few Mexican Americans in college football, the NFL and XFL. That was the saying his stepdad would utter to him after he came home after altercations.

Willingness to fight

“Somos pocos, pero locos, but did you get a piece?” Gabriel Rubio’s grandfather would tell Angel.

“That taught us how to stand up for yourself,” Angel said. “I would use that in football. I would say that to myself all the time, ‘We’re going to make this happen.’ 

“When I went to college, I really held on to that. I didn’t get tattoos written on it. I would write it on my tape. When I went to the NFL, there were five or six or seven of us (Latinos). I have us all on speed dial on my phone.”

There are more Latinos in the NFL and college football these days, but they are still in the minority. In the quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame, Rubio and Georgia defensive back Joenel Aguero were the only Latinos to see significant action.

Penn State star sophomore linebacker Tony Rojas and Rubio are the only Latinos expected to see significant action in the CFP semifinals. Texas and Ohio State aren’t expected to field any significant Latino contributors. But the Buckeyes just signed 5-star defensive back Devin Sanchez, the top rated player in Texas (No. 5 in the country) for the Class of 2025.  

Rubio excellence

The Rubios are definitely doing their part to represent Latinos in college football. Isaiah Rubio, the third of Angel and Theresa’s five kids, is a defensive lineman at Southwest Baptist University. The oldest of the Rubio children, Isabelle, 23, played soccer in college. She is now a nurse.  

Seth, 16, Isaac, 11, are the two youngest. Seth is a 6-foot-5 wrestler in high school. All the kids have helped over the years at Theresa’s popular Grandma’s Cookies, the St. Charles, Mo., staple that was rated the No. 1 Cookie Shop in America in 2024 by USA Today.

If their name is on it, they’re going to represent the family well.

“We’re big on what our name stands for and how that needs to be presented,” Angel says. “Whether it’s making cookies, or playing football or at the firehouse, we are strong. We don’t go back on our word.

“We honor our family name. And we don’t shine a poor light on it. We’re Rubios. I tell them, ‘What are we? Remember what we are. You’re going to do great because we’re Rubios.’”