Cryptozoologists, monster hunters and those just intrigued by the weird are buzzing across the nation over the possibility that a rare, previously believed-to-be mythical creature has been spotted in central Missouri.   

"I've studied a lot of cases over the last decade or so about supposed sightings," said Jeff Meldrum, a professor at Idaho State University and author of the book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, "and this seems to be like the most legitimate instance of a 'Whoosh' appearance since late in the summer of 2006."

The 'Whoosh' Meldrum mentions, and the one that hunters and football fans have apparently been seeing about two hours west of St. Louis, exploded in the cryptozoology world in the waning days of the summer of 2006.  There were multiple 'Whoosh' sightings in Missouri before the rumors began concentrating in northern Indiana, near the campus of the University of Notre Dame.   

"The 'Whoosh?'  I never believed it at first," reminisced Jericho Williams from his front porch in Gloster, Louisiana.  Williams has been around the world, attempting to hunt down creatures most people would consider cooked up by crackpots with too much time on their hands.  His left cheek is divided by a long scar, which he claimed came from a run-in with a chupacabra near the Texas-Mexico border.   He leaned back in his rocking chair and added to the spittoon of tobacco juice next to him.  "There were dozens of us in the Mishawaka area over that summer – a damned hot one, too – and we never saw nothin' until, eh, middle of August."

His eyes got bigger and he stared off into the darkness, something in the distance – or perhaps the past – seemingly haunting him. 

"That's when we saw it the first time, speeding across a field in…South Bend?  It was South Bend, I think.  Nobody believed us, but they started to listen after a while."  He shook his head.  "It was so damned fast."

The first buzz about 'Whoosh,' also known by its scientific name of 'Munir Prince', began near the same time as the Fighting Irish's fall football camp.  The stories came from the darkest, least visited parts of the internet, where crazed fans breathlessly recounted stories about the mysterious creature: 

However, it looks as if things are about to change. The whoosh factor appears to have at long last returned to the Irish.

And it comes in the form of a 5-10, 175-pound blur who answers to the name of Munir Prince. Fitting name. For the freshman back from Florissant, Missouri looks to be a prince of a player.  

And given time and the right set of circumstances, Munir has the potential to eventually be a king-sized talent. Someday he might rule the gridiron.

It's also apropos that Munir should hail from the Show-Me state. Because ever since preseason practice began some two weeks ago, Prince has been showing a hell of a lot.  

His performance to date, along with his breathtaking swiftness, has caused both coaches and teammates alike to experience many anatomical reactions. Among these are eyes popping, jaws dropping and mouths salivating.

Even the hard to please Charlie Weis hasn't been able to contain his excitement over his incoming recruit. Weis speaks about Prince's speed as if it's a treasure that just fell into his lap.  

Weis must be intoxicated just thinking about the damage Prince can do whenever he gets a sliver of daylight or just a crease of an opening.

If you combine Weis' knack for scheming with Prince's ability to motor, the results could be spectacular. If Weis can just figure out ways to get his baby back in open space, plenty of thunder will be shaken down from the sky.  

Prince's impact has been so dramatic that he never had the luxury of flying under the radar. He literally thrust himself into the limelight from the get-go. As a result, he's not going to sneak up on anyone. His reputation has already proceeded him.

Before he's even taken his first snap in college, the expectations are that he's destined to be a major contributor to the Irish not only in the years to come but right off the bat.

As September approached, slightly more legitimate sources reported that Coach Weis had actually caught the 'Whoosh' and was apparently using it as a new toy.  There were rumors that the beast showed an uncommon ability to get off the line quickly, verifying Weis' claims of his magnificent speed.  Even some of the most trusted sources in the South Bend area were beholden to the whispers and hints of a previously unknown creature:

One freshman would did stand out in practice was Munir Prince. The 5-10, 175-pound speedster from Florissant, MO is in a battle to handle the backup carries at running back behind starter Darius Walker. If the first session is a good indicator of what's to come, Weis will have a smile on his face many times after Prince touches the ball.  

"I'm not used to seeing that type of speed," Weis said of his freshman back. "The last running back I spent time with (who had that type of speed) was Napoleon Kaufman out of Washington before he went to the Raiders. We all know Reggie (Bush) had giddy up but there aren't that many guys at that position who run that fast. He (Prince) runs really fast.

"I'm not used to seeing that type of speed at running back. When I'm talking speed, I'm talking about 'Whoosh.' I can't describe that sound but you know what I'm talking about." 

Weis was indeed talking about 'Whoosh,' but as summer bled into a cold autumn, the interest in the Munir Prince mystery waned.  There were occasional whispers (to the tune of 15 carries for 21 yards), but there would never be as many 'Whoosh' sightings as there were in that magical August of 2006.  Some hunters thought they had discovered an entirely new creature in the spring of 2007, but it turned out to be an evolved 'Whoosh,' but he wasn't nearly as interesting to cryptozoologists across the country, as they focused on newer, more exciting prospects.

"Do you see how the specimen moves in this footage?" asked Meldrum, showing what a local claimed to be a clip of the ‘Whoosh’ in its natural habitat.  "The locomotion here, taken last week Missouri, matches up exactly with some of the first video supposedly filmed two summers ago in South Bend." 

A family in Southern California visiting for the weekend claimed to have had a gift left outside their hotel room by the 'Whoosh,' but after that, all sightings of the cryptid ended in Northern Indiana, almost as if it had left the area entirely.  There were rumors earlier in the year that hunters in Georgia had recovered the body of a deceased 'Whoosh' and put it in their freezer, but it appears it to have revealed itself against in its native homeland of the Show Me State.

"The 'Whoosh' ain’t there, I tell yeah!" affirmed Williams, shaking his head angrily.  "Ain't nobody seen one in months.  Those people up in Missoura wouldn't know a Sasquatch from a Yeti, and you're telling me the 'Whoosh' is back?  I’ll believe it when I see it, and I tell ya, I’ve seen a lot."