Muffet's IRISH Receive #1 RPI Ranking !!!

When you play the schedule the Fighting Irish have -- with four wins ON THE ROAD against teams ranked in the TOP TEN -- you earn a #1 RPI Ranking! 

Click on the link below:

LINK:  RPI RANKING #1

Skylar Diggins' 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend

Former Notre Dame All-American Skylar Diggins played this evening in the NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game in New Orleans...

Skylar led her EAST team to the 60 - 56 win!

You'll want to watch Skylar and Kevin Hart's interview -- click on link below.

LINK:  KEVIN HART AND SKYLAR INTERVIEW

LINK:  GAME STORY

LINK:  KEVIN HART CHASES DOWN SKYLAR

Never Before! Fighting Irish Go 24 - 0 Tonight!

For the very first time in school history, Muffet's Notre Dame Fighting Irish start a season with 24 straight wins after beating Boston College on the road 82 - 61.

The Irish, one of only two teams still undefeated in women's college basketball, have now won 47 straight regular season games!

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  BOX SCORE

NFL Mock Draft Has 3 ND Guys in First 24 Picks

This NFL mock draft has three former Notre Dame student-athletes going among the first 24 players taken in the 2014 NFL Draft.  Click on the link below to see who they are and where they might be playing:

LINK:  DOMERS GALORE

NCAA to Slow Down the Irish Offense in 2014?

There are some new rule changes that are being considered by the NCAA Football Rules Committee that might prohibit the Fighting Irish from going to an up-tempo offense...

The spin on this is "fewer plays in a game -- fewer injuries."  Here's what is being proposed:

LINK:  SLOWING DOWN FOOTBALL

Always Wanted this Young Man at Notre Dame

If you're a fan of talent -- you must read this story about former Florida State football player Myron Rolle.  He was a "five-star" recruit on the football field and a "five-star" recruit in the classroom -- always hoped he would end up playing for the Fighting Irish.

I had lost track of this young man when he went off to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

You'll want to read this story:

LINK:  MYRON ROLLE

#4 Ranked Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse Preview

Kevin Corrigan's Fighting Irish kick off their 2014 season this weekend with a televised game.  This Sunday at 7 PM ET the Irish play Jacksonville University -- in the sunshine of northern Florida -- on the NBC Sports Network.

To learn more about this year's team -- click on the link below:

LINK:  LACROSSE PREVIEW

ND Goalie Up for Hockey Humanitarian Award

Notre Dame student-athlete Joe Rogers -- we shared his story this past week -- is one of five finalists for the BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award.

Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  ROGERS A FINALIST

Most Beautiful College Cathedral in the World!

The most beautiful college cathedral in the world -- resides in northern Indiana!

LINK:  WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!

Lady Irish are Now 23 - 0 -- Win 46th Straight!

Muffet McGraw's #2 ranked Fighting Irish are now 23 - 0 on the season -- matching the greatest start to a regular season in school history.  They've also won 46 straight regular season games...

The latest victim Syracuse -- whom the Irish beat 101 - 64.  See the highlights below -- along with a link to the post game press conference:

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  POST GAME PRESSER

Kelly Finished Tied for 46th at Pebble Beach

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly and his PGA Tour partner Michael Thompson (Alabama grad) finished in a tie for 46th at this weekend's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.  There's a link to the final scoreboard below.

Michael Thompson finished in 19th place with a -3 -- meaning Coach Kelly contributed 10 strokes to their -13 team score for the tournament.

LINK:  AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

Quick Interview with ND QB Everett Golson

Notre Dame student-athlete Everett Golson was interviewed this weekend while watching the Irish track team compete at the Meyo Invitational.  Here's a link:

LINK:  EVERETT GOLSON

#4 ND Women's Fencing Beats #6 Penn State

Now, I'm willing to bet that there are very few ND GO IRISH BLOG followers who have ever attended a fencing competition.  So, here's a little treat from our friends at Fighting Irish Digital Media.

Yesterday's competition between #4 Notre Dame and #6 Penn State came down to the very last match -- here's the winning point -- in front of the largest crowd ever to watch a fencing competition at ND.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME WINS!

LINK:  WOMEN'S RANKINGS

Samardzija Signs One-Year $5.3 Million Deal

The Chicago Cubs came to terms yesterday afternoon with former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, on a one-year deal worth $5,345,000 -- avoiding arbitration.

Jeff was seeking $6.2 million and the Cubs were offering $4.4 million -- they split the difference.

With this contract -- Samardzija will have earned $15,345,000 in his first six years in professional baseball.

Now, when you consider the average length of an NFL career for a wide receiver is 2.91 years -- you'll know why Jeff is smiling in this photograph!  He made a great decision!

Samardzija finished fourth in the National League last year with 214 strikeouts in 213 innings pitched.  Here's how he stacked up in a number of other pitching categories in the National League last season:

• Games Started -- tied for second with 33 starts
• Innings Pitched -- fifth place with 213.2 innings
• Complete Games -- tied for fifth place with 2

Congratulations Jeff!

LINK:  SAMARDZIJA AND CUBS AGREE

Muffet's Irish: 4 Road Wins Over Top Ten Teams

How's this been for a schedule!

Notre Dame has played four teams currently in the TOP TEN in both women's college basketball polls and all four games have been on the ROAD...

• Notre Dame 77 -- #9 Penn State 67
• Notre Dame 86 -- #8 Tennessee 70
• Notre Dame 87 -- #10 Maryland 83
• Notre Dame 88 -- #5 Duke 67

LINK:  WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RANKINGS

Three ND Football Recruits in All-Star Game

Three future Notre Dame football players played last night for TEAM USA in the 2014 International Bowl on ESPN3 -- if you'd like to watch the replay click on the link below.  You'll see Jay Hayes (#7), Nile Sykes (#9) and Greer Martini (#47) on the defensive side of the football for America's team.

You will have to have some patience with the broadcast team -- they make a number of mistakes on where the players have committed to...

But, first -- click on the top link -- you'll see all three being interviewed about playing for Notre Dame!

LINK:  INTERVIEW OF NOTRE DAME RECRUITS

LINK:  GAME REPLAY

Debbie Brown Talks USA's Moscow Boycott

Notre Dame women's volleyball coach Debbie Brown was featured on NBC's Nightly News tonight in a story about the United States' boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games.

Brown and her USA volleyball teammates missed out on competing for a medal when President Jimmy Carter ordered the boycott.  Click on the link below to see this news feature:

LINK:  MOSCOW BOYCOTT

Brian Kelly Playing AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Well, after two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am -- Notre Dame head football coach and his professional playing partner Michael Thompson are -10 and in a tie for 42nd place.

To make the cut -- Coach Kelly's team must finish in the top-25 and ties.  Right now they're three strokes off the cut line which is currently at -13.  

Thompson, an Alabama grad is -3 on his own ball -- meaning Coach Kelly has contributed -7 on his own ball (with his 12 handicap) these first two rounds!  The Tournament will be televised LIVE tomorrow on the GOLF CHANEL and CBS.  Here's the schedule:

• Golf Channel:  1:00 PM ET to 2:30 PM ET
• CBS:  3:00 PM ET to 6:00 PM ET

LINK:  SCOREBOARD

LINK:  CELEBRITY PLAYERS

Andrew & Nic Weishar -- A Brother's Love...

Notre Dame football recruit Nic Weishar lost his brother Andrew to cancer in October of 2012. 

You're going to want to know this story...

LINK:  THE WEISHAR BOYS

Recruiting a Heisman Trophy Winner...

Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown tells a recruiting story... 

You'll want to watch this!

LINK:  TIM BROWN TELLS A STORY

Nine ND Football Players: NFL Combine Invite

The NFL's annual talent show -- THE NFL SCOUTING COMBINE -- invited nine former Notre Dame student-athletes to participate this February in Indianapolis.  Here's the list of the Fighting Irish:

• George Atkinson III
• Bennett Jackson
• T.J. Jones
• Zach Martin
• Troy Niklas
• Louis Nix III
• Prince Shembo
• Stephon Tuitt
• Chris Watt

The list of all participants receiving an invite -- see list below:


LINK:  NFL COMBINE INVITATION LIST

Local News Stories on ND Footbal Recruits

Took a lap around the worldwide web this evening to see if there were any local news stories about the commitment of their local high school football stars to the University of Notre Dame.  Here's what I found:

LINK:  QUENTON NELSON

LINK:  JIMMY BYRNE

LINK:  NYLES MORGAN

LINK:  COREY HOLMES

LINK:  PETER MOKWUAH

LINK:  DESHONE KIZER

LINK:  SAM MUSTIPHER

LINK:  DRUE TRANQUILL

Fr. Edward Sorin's 200th Birthday Today!

The Holy Cross priest who founded the University of Notre Dame du Lac was born 200 years ago today in Ahuille, France.  Notre Dame is planning a number of events today and throughout the year to celebrate this bi-centennial.

Notre Dame Women's Soccer Recruiting Class

The Notre Dame women's soccer team signed their first recruiting class in 15 years without Coach Randy Waldrum at the helm.  Here's the list of girls who have signed -- which includes two sets of twins and another recruit who has a twin sister-- to play for the Fighting Irish!

LINK:  GINNY MCGOWAN -- RANKED #11

LINK:  SABRINA FLORES -- RANKED #17

LINK:  KAITLIN KLAWUNDER -- RANKED #30

LINK:  KATIE UHLER -- RANKED #39

LINK:  MEGAN MCCASHLAND -- RANKED #44

LINK:  MONICA FLORES -- RANKED #58

LINK:  TAYLOR KLAWUNDER -- RANKED #70 

LINK:  LEXI NICHOLAS -- RANKED #79

LINK:  PAIGE CROWLEY

LINK:  MEGHAN DOYLE

Rankings of ND's 2014 Recruiting Class

Took a lap around the worldwide web this evening to see how the experts are ranking Notre Dame's recruiting class.  Just click on the links below to see how the Fighting Irish stack up:

LINK:  SCOUT -- ND #6 

LINK:  TOM LEMMING -- ND #7

LINK:  MAXPREPS -- ND #9

LINK:  RIVALS -- ND #11

LINK:  ESPN -- ND #11

Coach Brian Kelly Talks 2014 Recruiting Class

Notre Dame football released the names of the 23 members of their 2014 recruiting class -- and it's one of the best in the country!  To see what Coach Kelly had to say about these young men -- click on the links below:

LINK:  COACH KELLY ON SIGNING DAY SHOW

LINK:  COACH KELLY'S PRESS CONFERENCE

Greer Martini Commits to Notre Dame Today!

Here is a photo of Woodberry Forest High School's Greer Martini after signing his National Letter of Intent to become a student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame!

LINK:  GREER MARTINI BIO

Tyler Luatua Commits to Notre Dame Today!

Notre Dame's lone commitment from California this year -- Tyler Luatua -- puts on a Notre Dame hat at his signing ceremony at La Mirada High School today!

LINK:  TYLER LUATUA BIO

Jhonny Williams Commits to Notre Dame!

Here is a photo of Berrien Springs High School's Jhonny Williams after he signed his National Letter of Intent to become a student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame!

LINK:  WSBT-TV INTERVIEW

LINK:  JHONNY WILLIAMS BIO

Corey Holmes Commits to Notre Dame!

Here's a photo taken today at St. Thomas Aquinas High School of Corey Holmes signing his National Letter of Intent to become a student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame!

LINK:  COREY HOLMES BIO

Drue Tranquill Signs With Notre Dame!

Here's a photo of today's signing ceremony at Carroll High School for Drue Tranquill -- who signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame!

LINK:  TRANQUILL BIO

Golden Tate at Seattle's Super Bowl Celebration

Here's a couple of photos of former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate waiving the #12th Man flag at Seattle's celebration of their Super Bowl XLVIII win!  More than 700,000 people turned out!

Also note the photos of the Boeing plane painted up specifically for this event...  Pretty impressive!

LINK:  VIDEO OF CELEBRATION

Notre Dame's National Signing Day Coverage

Folks, today's the day we find out who will be next to don the GOLD HELMET at the University of Notre Dame!

To keep track of what is transpiring -- the first NLI came in this morning and it's from punter Tyler Newsome (Georgia) -- be sure to go to UND.COM or to TWITTER and @NDFootball.  They will have all of the information as soon as it can be publicly announced by Notre Dame.

At 11:00 AM ET -- UND.COM will go live with their National Signing Day Show and then at NOON ET -- Coach Kelly will meet with the media to unveil this year's recruiting class.

LINK:  NATIONAL SIGNING DAY COVERAGE

LINK:  NATIONAL SIGNING DAY SHOW AND COACH KELLY PRESSER

Golden Tate's $100,000 Bottle of Champagne!

This photo of former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate celebrating the Seahawks win over the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII -- was on Twitter today.

The bottle of Armand de Brignac carries a price tag of $100,000!!!

Football's National Signing Day Tomorrow !!!

In approximately 14 hours or so, the University of Notre Dame's football office fax machine will begin to tell the story of how many young men have decided to wear the GOLD HELMET!

To get you ready for tomorrow -- let's take a look back at the last three incoming recruiting classes here at Notre Dame:

LINK:  2013 RECRUITING CLASS

LINK:  2012 RECRUITING CLASS

LINK:  2011 RECRUITING CLASS

How's This For a Notre Dame Ride?

This photo was on TWITTER today...

Golden Tate: Super Bowl XLVIII Champion!

Will be posting all photos and interviews I can find of former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate from tonight's Super Bowl XLVIII -- congratulations Golden!

ND Men's Tennis Beats #13 Kentucky -- Again!

Last week these two teams faced each other in Lexington, KY -- at the time, Kentucky was ranked #8 in the country.  The #29 ranked IRISH beat the Wildcats (4 - 3).

Well, this afternoon in South Bend -- the now #22 ranked NOTRE DAME beat #13 ranked Kentucky (4 - 3) -- again !!!

Congrats Coach Sachire (pictured) and the Fighting Irish!

Now, if Kentucky is ranked ahead of our IRISH next week...

LINK:  MEN'S COLLEGE TENNIS RANKINGS

Two Hours to Kick-Off Which Domer Gets Ring?

Super Bowl XLVIII features two former Notre Dame football stars; the Denver Broncos' David Bruton (a team captain) and the Seattle Seahawks' Golden Tate. 

Who's going to become the 39th former Notre Dame football player to earn a Super Bowl Ring?

LINK:  NOTRE DAME IN THE SUPER BOWL

#2 Notre Dame Beats #3 Duke By 21 Points!

Muffet's Fighting Irish put on quite a show this afternoon -- as they went into Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the #3 Blue Devils and they beat them going away 88 - 67 -- snapping Duke's 42 home game winning streak.

The win -- Notre Dame's 44th consecutive regular season win -- was the first by an ACC opponent at Duke in almost six years.

LINK:  GAME RECAP

#2 Notre Dame vs. #3 Duke on ESPN @ 2 PM ET

It's the biggest game in women's college basketball so far this season!  The undefeated and #2 ranked Fighting Irish against the once beaten and #3 ranked Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  This is the third consecutive road game for Notre Dame against a top-10 ranked opponent...

NOTRE DAME HAS WON 43 CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON GAMES!

The fun starts at 2 PM ET on ESPN -- don't miss it!

Here's what the media is saying about today's game:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S OFFICIAL SITE

LINK:  DUKE'S OFFICIAL SITE

Eric Atkins' "OT -- BC BUZZER BEATER"

It's been a difficult stretch of games for Mike Brey's Fighting Irish -- but, Eric Atkins' huge 3 pointer with less than a second on the clock in OT lifted Notre Dame to a 73 - 71 win over Boston College this afternoon.  Here's a replay of the game...

LINK:  IT'S GOOD!

Stephon Tuitt a TOP TEN NFL Draft Pick?

This was surprising to see...

A Detroit Free Press story today lists former Notre Dame student-athlete Stephon Tuitt as a potential pick for the Detroit Lions in the first round at #10 overall.

LINK:  STEPHON TUITT TO LIONS

Super Bowl XLVIII: Latest On David Bruton

Former Notre Dame student-athlete David Bruton -- and captain of the Denver Broncos -- is playing in his first Super Bowl game tomorrow night.  Here's a story about his parents' hometown.

LINK:  DAVID BRUTON

Super Bowl XLVIII: Latest On Golden Tate

Took a lap around the worldwide web this morning to see what was being reported about former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate as he gets ready for tomorrow night's Super Bowl game.  Here's what I found:

LINK:  NESN

LINK:  KOMO NEWS -- SEATTLE

LINK:  SEATTLE TIMES