Austin Ratigan’s final season at South Bend Saint Joseph High School already carried enough hardware to stand out on its own.
The senior football player wrapped up his prep career as a team captain, a First Team All-NIC selection, a Kiwanis Award winner, and an IFCA Academic All-State honoree, while also balancing basketball and lacrosse and maintaining a 4.40 GPA.
Now, his year has ended with one more major recognition: Ratigan was named to the 2026 National Football Foundation Team of Distinction.
He was chosen from a nationwide pool of more than 3,500 nominees, with the honor going to scholar-athletes recognized for excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and service.
Saint Joseph Athletics announced the selection this week and celebrated Ratigan as one of the top high school football scholar-athletes in the country.
The recognition adds a national layer to a senior year that was already filled with conference and academic honors, including All-NIC first team, Academic All-NIC, and the 2026 Moose Krause Scholar Athlete Award.
The Moose Krause Chapter of the National Football Foundation also awarded him an annual $2,500 scholarship earlier this spring, further underscoring how much respect he earned both on the field and in the classroom.
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A senior season built on more than football
Ratigan’s Saint Joseph career was defined by the same balance that helped him stand out in the first place.
The school recognized him not only for football but for being a multi-sport athlete in basketball and lacrosse, and for serving in student leadership roles across the school community.
In the school’s own year-end athletic summary, he appeared among the All-NIC First Team selections in football and on the Academic All-NIC list, a sign that his impact extended well beyond game nights in the fall.
The Moose Krause honor carried particular meaning because it reflects the same qualities Ratigan has built his reputation on.
The award celebrates football players who excel on the field, in the classroom and in the community, which made Ratigan a natural fit after a year that included both athletic production and high academic standards.
Earlier recognition from Sports Michiana as Student Athlete of the Week added another local nod to the same profile, dependable, accomplished and steady in multiple areas.
Ratigan’s school also highlighted his place among the program’s award winners in recent months, showing how consistently he was recognized throughout the year.
He was part of the 2025 IFCA Academic All-State group at Saint Joseph, and the school later celebrated him again when the Moose Krause Chapter handed out the scholarship.
Those honors created a clear pattern around his senior season: he was not just productive, but trusted and respected in every setting that mattered.
Ratigan’s own words fit that picture. After receiving the NFF honor, he said,
“And football itself has taught me a lot over the years. It’s taught me how to handle adversity, how to trust the people around me, and how to keep showing up even when things don’t go your way. It’s also taught me the importance of consistency and doing the little things right each and every day. Those are the lessons I’ll know I’ll carry on with me forever.”
He added that being recognized alongside his teammates meant a great deal and said he was grateful for everyone who helped him reach that point.
That kind of response makes the honor feel right at home. Ratigan’s Saint Joseph career was built on consistency, leadership and range, and the new National Football Foundation recognition simply puts a national spotlight on a season the school has already been celebrating for months.
From conference honors to academic awards to scholarship recognition, he leaves Saint Joseph with one of the more complete résumés in the program’s recent history.
