Veteran's Day Salute: A Second Chance

Gene Dixon, the just elected president of the Notre Dame Club of Detroit, earned a MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 1969.  But, on graduation day -- June 1, 1969 -- Dixon was wearing the uniform of the US Army at Fort Knox, not the cap and gown his classmates were wearing that day in South Bend.  Well, 41 years later (May 21, 2010) -- Dixon received the opportunity to wear that cap & gown as he walked across the stage at Notre Dame's 2010 Commencement and received a standing ovation from the entire crowd.  Congratulations Gene!  Here's a link to Notre Dame's press release:

LINK:  A SECOND CHANCE AT GRADUATION

Veteran's Day Salute: Green & Bleier

Former Notre Dame student athletes; Danielle Green '99 and Rocky Bleier '68 had the distinct honor of wearing the uniform of the Fighting Irish and the uniform of the US Army.  We salute these two and all Veterans today -- for the sacrifices they and their families have made for our country!

Danielle Green-Byrd is a former left-handed shooting guard for Muffet McGraw's Irish in the late 90's -- she graduated as the 17th leading scorer in Notre Dame history.  After graduation she became an assistant coach at Washington High School (Chicago) and then Chicago State University.  In January 2003, she enlisted in the US Army -- a year later, Green-Byrd was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Freedom. On May 24, 2004 -- while on duty on the roof of a Baghdad police station, Green was hit by what she believes was a grenade. She lost her left hand, the shooting hand that helped her score 1,106 points at Notre Dame. She also has significant damage to her left leg, a dislocated left shoulder and shrapnel wounds down the left side of her body.  Danielle was one of the first women, in the US Miltary wounded in Iraq.  Green-Byrd's inspirational story has been told a number of times by ESPN, CBS, etc. -- here's a profile the US Department of Defense did on Danielle:

LINK:  DANIELLE GREEN

Rocky Bleier is a former running back for Ara Pareseghian's teams in the mid-60's.  A member of the 1966 national championship team and captain of the 1967 team -- Bleier left Notre Dame to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers who drafted him on the 16th round of the 1968 NFL Draft.  The 412th overall pick -- Bleier was drafted into the US Army after his rookie season (December 1968) with the Steelers.  He volunteered for duty in the Vietnam War and was sent there in May of 1969.  On August 20th, while on patrol in Heip Duc, Bleier was wounded in the left thigh by a rifle bullet when his platoon was ambushed in a rice paddy. While down, an enemy grenade landed nearby, sending shrapnel into his lower right leg.  While Rocky was recovering in a Tokyo hospital, doctors told him that he would not play football again. Soon after, he received a postcard from Steelers owner which just read "Rock - the team's not doing well. We need you. Art Rooney".  Well, the rest is history...   A book and movie "Fighting Back" memorialized Bleier's struggles over a two-year period to get back on the football field.  It should be noted that Rocky has four Super Bowl rings for his efforts.  Here's a link to a story that ESPN did on Rocky this past year:

LINK:  ROCKY BLEIER

Coach Kelly After Today's Practice

As is his usual, Coach Kelly met with the media after practice today.  What was not so usual today -- the first questions came from a Utah sportswriter who's already in town for Saturday's game.  Here's a link to Notre Dame Football Coach, Brian Kelly's session with the media this afternoon:

LINK:  COACH KELLY WITH THE MEDIA

Impersonating Lou Holtz -- A Few Laughs...

Notre Dame fans have had little to smile about these days -- let alone laugh -- when it comes to our beloved Fighting Irish.  So, for a little change of pace, I did a YOUTUBE search of people who like to impersonate  one of our favorite Notre Dame football coaches of all time -- Lou Holtz.  Just click on the links below -- ENJOY!

LINK:  AN ALABAMA RADIO SHOW'S IMPERSONATION OF LOU

LINK:  LOU'S RETURN TO THAT SAME ALABAMA RADIO SHOW

LINK:  DAN PATRICK'S IMPERSONATION OF LOU HOLTZ

LINK:  DAN PATRICK'S IMPERSONATION OF SKIP'S DAD

LINK:  FAN #1'S IMPERSONATION OF LOU HOLTZ

LINK:  RADIO STATION'S FAKE LOU HOLTZ

Domer NBA Coach -- Off to a 7-0 Start!

Former Notre Dame basketball star, Monty Williams is still undefeated as a NBA Head Coach!  The youngest head coach in the NBA -- led his New Orleans Hornets past the Los Angeles Clippers last night,  to go 7-0 on the young season.  Here's a link to Monty's post game interview:

LINK:  MONTY WILLIAMS -- UNDEFEATED NBA HEAD COACH

Where Are They Now? -- Kelly Tripucka

New York Knick fans probably know the answer to where former Notre Dame basketball player Kelly Tripucka is these days.  Tripucka is the color analyst for the Knicks home games on the MSG Network.  The four year starter for the Irish -- led Digger's teams in scoring all four years -- before heading off to the NBA.  Kelly's NBA career lasted 10 years -- with his best seasons in Detroit -- where he averaged 26.3 points per game in his second season for the Pistons.  A two-time NBA All Star, Tripucka was traded after the 1986 season to the Utah Jazz for former Notre Dame great Adrian Dantley.  Tripucka played two seasons for the Jazz before a trade to Charlotte where he played three seasons before retiring.  In 2000, the New Jersey Star Ledger named Kelly the "New Jersey Boy's Basketball Player of the Century."  In 2004, Tripucka was named to the 25 man -- "All Century Men's Basketball Team" at Notre Dame.  And, in 2008, Kelly was selected to the Detroit Pistons "All Time Team."  Here's a link to a video of Kelly's career with the Pistons:

LINK:  KELLY TRIPUCKA

Notre Dame Coaches; Martin & Alford

Chuck Martin and Tony Alford -- coaches on Brian Kelly's Notre Dame Football staff -- met with the media yesterday after practice.  Martin joined Kelly's staff from Grand Valley State where he led the Lakers to a couple of Division II National Championships as their head coach.  Alford, the only hold over from Charlie Weis's staff -- faces a unique challenge this Saturday.  Tony's brother Aaron is the running backs coach at Utah!   You're going to enjoy listening to Tony talk about his "little" brother. Here's a link to the interviews:

LINK:  MARTIN & ALFORD WITH THE MEDIA

Rees and Hendrix Meet with the Media

University of Notre Dame's Tommy Rees (#13) and Andrew Hendrix (#12) -- both Freshman QB's -- met with the media yesterday after practice, as they get ready for 15th ranked Utah this Saturday.  You're going to be impressed with both young men.  Here's a link to their interviews:

LINK:  REES AND HENDRIX -- MEET WITH MEDIA

Brian Kelly's Tuesday Press Conference

University of Notre Dame Football Coach, Brian Kelly -- met with the media today at noon to talk about Saturday's game against the 15th ranked Utah Utes.  Here's a video link to the session with the media:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

Manti Teo -- Bednarik Award Semi-Finalist

University of Notre Dame sophomore linebacker, Manti Teo (Laie, HI) has been named a SEMI-FINALIST for the 16th Annual Chuck Bednarik Award.  The Maxwell Football Club made the announcement yesterday.  Teo, is the only Sophomore among the 16 semi-finalists for the award given to the College Defensive Player of the Year.  Last year's Bednarik Award winner was Nebraska' Ndamukong Suh -- the 2nd overall pick of the Detroit Lions.  The Finalists for the award will be announced on November 22nd -- with the winner being honored on December 9th at the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show.  Congratulations and Good Luck Manti!  Here's a link to The Maxwell Football Club website:

LINK:  THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB

Former Irish Fencer Wins World Title!

Mariel Zagunis, a 2004 and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist and former Notre Dame student athlete -- won the gold medal in the individual Women's Saber at the 2010 World Fencing Championships this weekend in Paris, France.  The win, is a repeat for Zagunis as the Women's World Saber Champion -- as she won it last year as well.  Here's a link to the story along with a Sports Illustrated story, proclaiming her America's best ever:

LINK:  ZAGUNIS WINS AGAIN!

LINK:  AMERICA'S BEST EVER!

Clausen Back As Starter In Carolina?

Former Notre Dame QB, Jimmy Clausen -- MAY BE BACK in the role of starter for the NFL's Carolina Panthers.  You'll recall, Clausen lost the position to Matt Moore a couple of games ago - but that all changed this past Sunday when Moore went down to a season ending shoulder injury.  Clausen and former Cincinnati Bearcats QB and fellow rookie, Tony Pike -- are now the top two QB's on the Panthers roster.  Clausen's performance this past Sunday -- coming into the game for the injured Moore in the 2nd quarter -- was lackluster at best.  He went 8 for 18 for 47 yards with an interception.  Carolina Head Coach, John Fox has yet to announce who will start at QB this Sunday for the 1-7 Panthers in their game against Tampa Bay.  Here's what a Charlotte Observer writer had to say about the QB situation:

LINK:  WHO WILL START AT QB FOR THE PANTHERS?

It's Not ND Football -- But This Is MUST SEE!

If you haven't seen this trick play by the 14 year-old QB (Jason Garza) of the Driscoll Middle School football team in Corpus Christi, TX -- YOU MUST -- click on the link below.  From the sideline, a Driscoll coach yelled (which was part of the setup of the play) "That should have been a ten yard penalty!"  Then, Garza (QB) took the ball from his center and told the opposition's defense "I am going to move the ball up five more yards..."  Driscoll had purposely taken a "five yard" offsides play just before -- setting up what they called the "Penalty Play."  The YouTube video has surpassed 3.2 million views!

LINK:  THE ULTIMATE QB SNEAK!

Notre Dame Junior on Jeopardy Tonight!

Olivia Colangelo (Murrysville, PA), a junior in the University of Notre Dame's College of Engineering was a contestant tonight on Jeopardy's The College Championship.  Unfortunately,  Colangelo ran into a "buzzsaw" in the form of Sid Chandrasehkar, a senior from the University of Pennsylvania.  Olivia ended up with $15,000 as compared to Sid's $28,401.  Nice effort Olivia, you did the IRISH proud!  For what it's worth -- you would have cleaned my clock!  Here's a link to Jeopardy's The College Championship website and a photo of all of the contestants along with a second link to a video of Olivia talking about getting chosen for the show, her "dream" categories and her future plans:

LINK:  THE COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP -- JEOPARDY

LINK:  OLIVIA TALKS TO THE JEOPARDY CAMERA

Domer Update: CBS's The Amazing Race

Thomas Wolfard '02 and his girlfriend Jill Haney -- survived some problems last night "spinning plates" as CBS's globe-trotting adventure race was in St. Petersburg, Russia.  The Domer's team finished in fifth place out of the seven teams still in the race -- meaning they live to move on to next week's show, as the last place team was eliminated from the competition.  Here's a link to a replay of last night's episode:

LINK:  THE AMAZING RACE -- SEASON 17

Notre Dame Grad -- Fighting Human Trafficking

Brigette Carr, a 1998 graduate of the University of Notre Dame -- directs the Human Trafficking Law Clinic at the University of Michigan.  Carr was profiled in a Detroit Free Press story yesterday about her crusade against commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking.  Here is a link to the story:

LINK:  BRIGETTE CARR -- FIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Domer Condoleeza Rice -- Her Memoir

The former Secretary of State -- and Notre Dame grad -- Condoleeza Rice '75, released her memoir this weekend entitled; Extraordinary, Ordinary People.  This weekend, Condi was in her hometown of Birmingham, AL signing copies of her book (photo above).  Here's a link to a video of Dr. Rice signing her new book and a link to where you can buy it online:

LINK:  CONDOLEEZA RICE'S MEMOIR

LINK:  CONDI'S BOOK SIGNING

Two Domers Named Among Top TE's in History

Sports Illustrated's Peter King was given the duty of selecting the NFL's top 10 Tight End's of all-time -- and two former Notre Dame All-Americans made this list;  #5 Dave Casper and #9 Mark Bavaro.  I want to thank ND GO IRISH BLOG regular,  Cappy Gagnon '66, for bringing this story to my attention. Here's a link to the top tight ends of all-time:

LINK:  TOP 10 TIGHT ENDS OF ALL-TIME

Latest Photo of Football Field @ Yankee Stadium

Here's the most recent photo supplied by the New York Yankees of the football field they're constructing inside Yankee Stadium for the November 20th -- Notre Dame vs. Army game.  You'll note they've planted sod over top of the infield dirt.

Paterno's 400 Wins vs. Rockne's 105 Wins

In the wake of Joe Paterno's 400th win at Penn State yesterday afternoon -- I thought it was time to compare his 45-year career as a head coach, versus Knute Rockne's 13-years as a head coach at Notre Dame.  So here we go:

Both are the all-time winningest football coach at their respective schools.  Paterno's 400 wins are the most all-time for a head coach at a FBS school.  Surprisingly, Rockne's 105 career wins are still the most for a head coach at the University of Notre Dame.

Paterno's overall winning percentage is .748 compared to Rockne's .882 -- which is still the all-time record for head coaches at FBS schools.

Both coaches have had five undefeated seasons, Paterno has 5 perfect seasons in his 45 seasons at Penn State while Rockne had 5 perfect seasons in his 13 seasons at Notre Dame.

Paterno has had five losing seasons in his 45 at Penn State.  Rockne had only two seasons where his team lost more than one game in his 13 seasons at Notre Dame -- he never had a losing season.

In Paterno's 45 seasons at Penn State he's won two national championships -- Rockne won five national championships in his 13 seasons at Notre Dame.

Both are members of the College Football Hall of Fame; Paterno was inducted in 2007, Rockne was inducted in the Hall of Fame's charter class in 1951.

Rockne is credited with bringing the "forward pass" and the "shift" to college football.  Paterno is credited for coaching the longest at one school.


So, there you have it -- a comparison of the coach with the most wins in college football history versus the greatest coach in college football history.

Please note -- to be fair, I didn't play the following cards in this comparison: "one had a President of the United States play him in a movie" or "one has his own US postage stamp" or "one had an automobile named after him" -- etc.  Penn State fans -- I truly tried to play nice in this comparison!  Here are the "wiki's" for these two coaches -- you'll enjoy reading up on both:

LINK:  KNUTE ROCKNE -- WIKI

LINK:  JOE PATERNO -- WIKI