2014 Commencement at Notre Dame Stadium

The "house that Rock built" is preparing for its last event ever on "real grass" -- as the crews here at Notre Dame set-up the Stadium for Sunday's Commencement.

The installation of field turf -- which will take many weeks -- begins Monday.

There is a web-cam located inside Notre Dame Stadium -- updating photos every 15 minutes of the set-up progress.  Click on the link below to take a look:

LINK:  LIVE WEB CAM

NASCAR CEO: Talks Domer Choice in Iowa

NASCAR CEO Brian France met with the media today -- on the eve of their first weekend of racing at Iowa Speedway -- to talk about the purchase of the race track and his selection of Notre Dame alum Jimmy Small '08 to run this operation.  Here's the story:

LINK:  FRANCE ON SMALL'S HIRING

Zack Martin Will Now Wear Cowboys Jersey #70

The Dallas Cowboys released Frank Kearse -- clearing the way for former Notre Dame student-athlete to wear his familiar jersey #70.  See the story below...

I wonder if they'll be issuing refunds to the Cowboy fans who bought the Zack Martin jersey #71?

LINK:  ZACK MARTIN'S NEW NUMBER

MSU AD Jokes About Playing ND At the Vatican

The Big Ten Athletic Directors have been meeting this week in Rosemont, IL and wouldn't you know it -- Notre Dame was on the mind.

Michigan State's Athletic Director Mark Hollis (photo above) let it be known that he's in conversations with Notre Dame about playing "five times" over a fourteen year period -- then he threw out the idea of playing in Rome...

LINK:  MSU AD TALKS NOTRE DAME

Three ND Students Win Sunset Film Festival!

Three Notre Dame seniors; Katie Mattie '14, Vincent Moore '14 and Will Neal '14 -- (photo above of them walking the "red carpet" in Hollywood) took first place for the Short Documentary category at the Sunset International Film Festival for their film "The Suicide Disease."

This is a pretty big deal. 

The film tells the story of Frances Shavers -- a former chief of staff for Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame -- who suffers from Trigeminal Neuralgia, considered "one of the most painful experiences in the human experience."

Frances was brave enough to allow these three Notre Dame students to tell her story in this sixteen-minute film.

This is MUST SEE -- France Shavers is an inspiration...

LINK:  THE SUICIDE DISEASE

Troy Niklas Arrives at Cardinals' Workout

The Arizona Cardinals selected former Notre Dame tight end Troy Niklas on the second round -- teaming him at that position with former Irish standout Jon Carlson.  (photo above has Troy on left and Carlson on the right).

The story linked below is the first interview of Niklas since his selection by the Cardinals:

LINK:  NIKLAS A CARDINAL

Steelers: Stephon Tuitt Gets His Gear!

The Pittsburgh Steelers posted these photos of former Notre Dame defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt getting his helmet fitted and his shoes for their Rookie Mini-Camp.  Here's the story:

LINK:  TUITT IS EXCITED TO PLAY...

Detroit Tigers' Tori Hunter Sr. -- Hit By Pitch

Detroit Tiger outfielder Torii Hunter Sr. -- who doubles as the father of Notre Dame student-athlete Torii Hunter Jr. -- was drilled by a 94 mph fastball last night that looked quite intentional.  

It escalated from there...

Here's more of the story:

LINK:  BASEBALL TONIGHT'S REPORT

LINK:  HUNTER TALKS WITH THE MEDIA

CBS Sports: Texans Get an "A" for Nix Pick!

The folks at CBS Sports weighed in on the Houston Texans selection of former Notre Dame student-athlete Louis Nix '14 who they selected in the third round of this weekend's 2014 NFL Draft.  See story below:

LINK:  LOUIS NIX

San Diego Chargers: Chris Watt Media Session

Former Notre Dame student-athlete Chris Watt '13 -- was drafted 89th overall by the San Diego Chargers in last weekend's 2014 NFL Draft.  Here's a story about Chris and the versatility he brings to the Chargers' offensive line -- along with a video of his inaugural media session in San Diego:

LINK:  CHRIS WATT

NFL Draft: Notre Dame Football Stands Alone!

77 years and counting -- that's how many years in a row that a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team has been drafted by a NFL Team -- the longest such streak in college football history.

The NFL Draft began in 1936 -- that year the Fighting Irish had five players drafted, including the #3 pick overall Bill Shakespeare.  In 1937 -- not a single Notre Dame player was drafted -- thus, the current streak began in 1938...

Notre Dame stands alone -- because the Texas Longhorns, who like ND had a 76 year streak going into the 2014 NFL Draft -- went without a single player drafted for the first time since 1938.  Here's the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME STANDS ALONE

LINK:  ALL-TIME LIST OF NOTRE DAME PLAYERS DRAFTED INTO THE NFL

Holy Cross College Graduates Reflect...

I was sent this video yesterday (via Twitter) from the folks across the street at Holy Cross College -- who celebrated their 47th Commencement exercises yesterday afternoon.  It's a video of a number of their seniors reflecting on their time at Holy Cross College.

I am very fond of this institution.

Enjoy!

LINK:  HOLY CROSS COLLEGE

Happy Mother's Day!

It's a sunny Mother's Day morning -- just a few blocks away from the college campus named after Mary Our Mother -- the University of Notre Dame.

As a special treat, I've attached two videos below of the world-famous Notre Dame Glee Club singing Ave Maria and Notre Dame, Our Mother.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mom's out there!


LINK:  AVE MARIA

LINK:  NOTRE DAME, OUR MOTHER

Pittsburgh Steelers: Photo of Stephon Tuitt

Here's a photo of Stephon Tuitt arriving in Pittsburgh today -- signing autographs for Steeler fans.

San Diego Chargers: Photo of Chris Watt

 

Former Notre Dame student-athlete Chris Watt -- left on a plane this morning from Chicago to start his new life as a professional football player in San Diego.  Very happy for you Chris!

Teams Signing ND Players to Free Agent Deals

Here's the list -- as the information becomes available -- of the former Notre Dame football players who sign free agent deals with NFL teams this evening.  The first to agree to a deal was George Atkinson -- and he signed with his Dad's old team, the Oakland Raiders.  Here's the list:

• George Atkinson III -- Oakland Raiders
• Dan Fox -- New York Giants
• Carlo Calabrese -- Cleveland Browns
• Tommy Rees -- Washington Redskins
• Kona Schwenke -- Kansas City Chiefs
• Mike Golic, Jr. -- New Orleans Saints

NFL Draft: Eight Notre Dame Players Selected!

After three long days -- the Fighting Irish ended up with eight former student-athletes drafted in the first six rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft -- the most since 1994!

The top photo is of the "luxury bus" that picked up Zack Martin at the Dallas airport to take him to the Cowboy's facility -- you're going to want to click on the "SLIDE SHOW" below...

Today -- Prince Shembo, Bennett Jackson and T.J. Jones joined their five teammates as NFL drafted players -- pretty awesome!  Here's the detail on all eight players:


ZACK MARTIN -- Drafted 16th overall (1st Round) by the Dallas Cowboys

• Signing bonus:  $5.3 million
• Projected value of first NFL contract:  $9.6 million
• Introductory Press Conference:  ZACK
• Zach's arrival to Dallas:  SLIDE SHOW

STEPHON TUITT -- Drafted 46th overall (2nd Round) by the Pittsburgh Steelers

• Signing bonus:  $1.8 million
• Projected value of first NFL contract:  $4.8 million
• Pittsburgh Steelers Press Conference:  LINK 

TROY NIKLAS -- Drafted 52nd overall (2nd Round) by the Arizona Cardinals

• Signing bonus:  $1.4 million
• Projected value of first NFL contract:  $4.2 million
• Arizona Cardinals Press Conference:  LINK

LOUIS NIX III -- Drafted 83rd overall (3rd Round) by the Houston Texans

• Signing bonus:  $630,000
• Projected value of first NFL contract:  $2.9 million
• Houston Texans Press Conference:  LINK
• Interview: IRISH CHOCOLATE

CHRIS WATT -- Drafted 89th overall (3rd Round) by the San Diego Chargers

• Signing bonus:  $600,000
• Projected value of first NFL contract:  $2.9 million
• San Diego Chargers Press Conference:  LINK

PRINCE SHEMBO -- Drafted 139th overall (4th Round) by the Atlanta Falcons

• Signing bonus:  $330,000
• Projected value of first NFL contract:  $2.5 million 
• Interview:  PRINCE 

BENNETT JACKSON -- Drafted 187th overall (6th Round) by the New York Giants

• Signing bonus:  $121,000
• Projected value of first NFL contract:  $2.3 million 
• New York Giants Press Conference:  LINK

T.J. JONES -- Drafted 189th overall (6th Round) by the Detroit Lions

• Signing bonus:  $116,000
• Projected value of first NFL contract:  $2.3 million 
• Detroit Lions Press Conference:  LINK

LINK:  NOTRE DAME -- 2014 NFL DRAFT PICKS

ND Softball in ACC Championship Game Today!

The #20 ranked Fighting Irish made a remarkable comeback (from five runs down) to beat Virginia Tech yesterday in the ACC Championship Semi-finals to advance to today's Championship game against #4 ranked Florida State.

The game will be televised LIVE on ESPN2 beginning at 2 PM ET -- GO IRISH!

Here's a few highlights from yesterday's comeback win!

LINK:  BIG WIN!

ND's New Field: A Baseball Field With No Dirt!

Folks, I'd never thought I'd see the day when you couldn't find a "spec of dirt" on a baseball field...

NONE.

Notre Dame baseball's new playing surface is made entirely from field turf, even the pitching mound!  Here's a few of the photos I could find online of this "unique" -- beautiful field.  The bottom photo was taken by Notre Dame's award winning photographer Matt Cashore -- which I'm sure you could buy at photos.nd.edu

Oh, by the way -- the Fighting Irish (behind the pitching of multi-sport star Pat Connaughton) beat #24 ranked Clemson 2 - 1 in the first game on their new playing surface.

Media Reaction to ND Players Drafted: Day Two

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the LSU Tigers lead all college football programs with the most players drafted after the first three rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft -- with five each.

It's been twenty years since Notre Dame has had this many players taken in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.

Here's what the media is saying this morning about all five of Notre Dame's drafted student-athletes:

ZACK MARTIN -- Dallas Cowboys:

• LINK:  RADIO INTERVIEW

STEPHON TUITT -- Pittsburgh Steelers:

• LINK:  TEARS OF JOY
• LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE
• LINK:  TRIBUNE REVIEW

TROY NIKLAS -- Arizona Cardinals:

• LINK:  ARIZONA CENTRAL
• LINK:  ARIZONA SPORTS
• LINK:  ESPN

LOUIS NIX III -- Houston Texans:

• LINK:  CBS SPORTS
• LINK:  HOUSTON CHRONICLE
• LINK:  ESPN

CHRIS WATT -- San Diego Chargers:

• LINK:  FIRST INTERVIEW
• LINK:  SB NATION
• LINK:  UT-SAN DIEGO

The 2014 NFL Draft LIVE Beginning at NOON ET

The final day of the 2014 NFL Draft begins in less than 12 hours away -- with Round 4 scheduled to begin at NOON ET on ESPN and the NFL NETWORK.  The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame -- tied with LSU with the most players drafted in the first three rounds -- have a number of players whose names could be called later today:

• T.J. Jones
• Prince Shembo
• Jackson Bennett
• Dan Fox
• Carlo Calabrese
• George Atkinson III

LINK:  NOTRE DAME 2014 NFL DRAFT PICKS

Four Domers Selected on Day Two of NFL Draft

Stephon Tuitt, Troy Niklas, Louis Nix III and my man Chris Watt (pictured above) were drafted this evening in Rounds Two and Three of the 2014 NFL Draft --- congratulations!!!

When you add in First Round pick Zack Martin -- the Fighting Irish and the SEC's Louisiana State University are tied with the most players drafted in the first 3 rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft -- think about that!

Here's the detail on each former Notre Dame football star:

Stephon Tuitt:

• Selected #46 overall (Round 2) by the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Projected signing bonus: $1.8 million
• Projected four-year value of first NFL contract: $4.8 million

Troy Niklas:

• Selected #52 overall (Round 2) by the Arizona Cardinals
• Projected signing bonus:  $1.4 million
• Projected four-year value of first NFL contract:  $4.2 million

Louis Nix III:

• Selected #83 overall (Round 3) by the Houston Texans
• Projected signing bonus:  $630,000
• Projected four-year value of first NFL contract:  $2.9 million

Chris Watt:

• Selected #89 overall (Round 3) by the San Diego Chargers
• Projected signing bonus:  $600,000
• Projected four-year value of first NFL contract:  $2.9 million

ND Baseball's New Field on ESPNU Tonight!

The Fighting Irish baseball program has a new playing surface -- FIELD TURF -- and it will be unveiled on national TV tonight in a 7:30 PM ET game televised on ESPNU between Notre Dame and Clemson.

Notre Dame's multi-sport star -- Pat Connaughton will get the start for the IRISH.  

LINK:  GAME NOTES

Video Replay of Cowboys Calling Zack Martin

Thought you'd enjoy the replay of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, head coach Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and their call to former Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin -- just prior to the official announcement that he's their first round selection -- 16th overall.

A pretty special moment for Zack and his family!


LINK:  PHONE CALL TO ZACK MARTIN

Media Reaction to Cowboys Selecting Martin

Well, the media has forever labeled former Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin as "the guy the Cowboys picked over Johnny Manziel" in the 2014 NFL Draft.  I don't think Zack is going to spend much time concerning himself with this...

And, when he's a perennial Pro Bowler -- all will be forgotten.

Here's the media reaction this morning to the Dallas Cowboys selection of Zack Martin as the 16th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft:

LINK:  DALLAS MORNING NEWS

LINK:  ESPN DALLAS

LINK:  CBS SPORTS

LINK:  FORBES

NFL Draft Day Two -- Domers Expected to Go...

The 2014 NFL Draft's "DAY TWO" will comprise of Rounds 2 and 3 -- with a few former Notre Dame student-athletes projected to be possibly drafted in these two rounds.

Here's a few MOCK DRAFTS of this evening's Round Two that has Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix III being selected -- see below.

The telecast on ESPN and the NFL NETWORK begins at 7:00 PM ET tonight!

LINK:  ROUND TWO -- MOCK DRAFT -- USA TODAY

LINK:  ROUND TWO -- MOCK DRAFT -- NFL NETWORK

LINK:  ROUND TWO -- MOCK DRAFT -- CBS SPORTS

Zack Martin Goes 16th Overall to the Cowboys!

Former Notre Dame offensive tackle and team captain Zack Martin -- was just drafted 16th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Zack is the 64th Notre Dame football player all-time to be drafted in the NFL's First Round.

Picked at this position -- Zack should receive a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $5.3 million with a total compensation package of $9.6 million over his first four-year contract with the Cowboys...

Congratulations Zack!

LINK:  OFF TO THE COWBOYS !

LINK:  BUY ZACK'S JERSEY HERE

Three Domers Still in First Round Mock Drafts

Zack Martin, Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt are among the forty college football stars who are in the discussion to go among the 32 picks of tonight's First Round of the 2014 NFL Draft.  The fun begins at 8 PM ET on ESPN and the NFL NETWORK.

Here's a look at NFL NETWORK guys and their latest mock drafts.

LINK:  LATEST MOCK DRAFTS

Expect Zack Martin to Go in First Round Tonight

The 2014 NFL Draft begins tonight at 8 PM ET on ESPN and the NFL NETWORK -- and sometime between 10 PM ET and 11 PM ET -- former Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin will know what football helmet we'll be wearing this Fall.

Here's a story about Zack Martin in the Indianapolis Star:

LINK:  ZACK MARTIN

Less Than 21 Hours to the 2014 NFL Draft

The ever changing NFL "Mock Drafts" -- still have a couple of Notre Dame players going in tomorrow night's PRIME TIME coverage of the First Round of the 2014 NFL Draft.  Zach Martin seems to be a lock -- Louis Nix, could be...

The fun begins at 8 PM ET (Thursday) on the NFL Network and ESPN -- here's the latest mock drafts at the NFL.COM site:

LINK:  LATEST MOCK DRAFTS

Skylar Diggins Drops 30 on San Antonio Today!

The former Notre Dame All-American is off to a fantastic start in the WNBA preseason -- scoring 30 points today (making two free throws in the last 2.3 seconds) to lead the Tulsa Shock to a 76 - 75 win over the San Antonio Stars.

Oh what a difference a year makes -- in the Shock's two pre-season games, Skylar is averaging 27.5 points per game -- she averaged just 8.5 points per game as a rookie...

The other former Notre Dame All-American in this game was Kayla McBride -- who made her first start and she responded with a team high 17 points for the Stars.  Congrats Kayla!

LINK:  GAME STORY

Domer Dad Torii Hunter Sr. Shows Off His Pants

The starting right fielder for the Detroit Tigers -- and father to Notre Dame student-athlete Torii Hunter Jr. -- is seen in this photo wearing his Zubaz pants with his teammates.  That's Torii Hunter Sr. -- with the big smile -- on the right.

Jeff Samardzija: You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

How can you have seven starts -- fifty innings pitched -- have an ERA of 1.62 (second best in all of Major League Baseball) and have a winning record of 0 and 3?

You play for the Chicago Cubs...

Last night -- the former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver throws nine SCORELESS innings, giving up three hits while striking out seven.  Yet, he doesn't get a decision in the Cubs 3 - 1 loss to the White Sox in 12 innings.

Samardzija's on pace to become the first starter in history to pitch in the MLB All-Star game without a win...


LINK:  SAMARDZIJA INTERVIEW -- AFTER THE GAME

LINK:  SAMARDZIJA'S OVER THE SHOULDER CATCH

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE STORY

Five Draft Experts PIck the NFL's First Round

Two former Notre Dame football stars are among the college players that these "five" CBS SPORTS writers are projecting will go in Thursday night's First Round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

What's disappointing to me is the two players who left early from Notre Dame (Tuitt and Niklas) -- are no where to be found in the first round of these five mock drafts.  Here's hoping that they will be "first round surprises."

LINK:  MOCK DRAFTS

Sporting News College Football Issue: Golson!

This didn't take long -- the first of many covers for the Notre Dame QB...

I suspect this season we'll see the right hand on the laces of the football.

Doyle's Late Goal Beats #19 Army Saturday!

The Fighting Irish are on a roll at the right time of the season -- beating their third ranked opponent in the past eight days...

This time it was a goal by Conor Doyle with just 20 seconds left in the game -- giving Notre Dame a 18 - 17 win over #19 Army.  Here are the highlights:

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Must See: Kayla McBride TV Interview...

Former Notre Dame All-American Kayla McBride was a guest on the San Antonio TV show San Antonio Living -- click on the link below to watch...

LINK:  KAYLA MCBRIDE

Skylar Diggins Dominates in Tulsa Shock's Win

The former Notre Dame All-American put on a show last night in front of the home crowd scoring 25 points (in just 22 minutes) in the Shock's 82 - 59 win over the San Antonio Stars.

Another former Notre Dame All-American -- Kayla McBride who plays for San Antonio -- made her pro debut last night.  I'm quite sure Kayla's going to quickly forget about this performance.  Kayla was 1 for 7 from the field for 3 points in 18 minutes of action.

Here's the media coverage:

LINK:  KTUL-TV

LINK:  DIGGINS DOMINATES

Muffet McGraw Looks Back at Historic Season

Notre Dame's Hall of Fame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw (and "Back to Back" National Coach of the Year) sat down with the folks at Fighting Irish Digital Media to look back at the 2013-14 season.

This is "must see..."

LINK:  MUFFET LOOKS BACK

Jordan Talks About $75 Million Gift to ND

Yesterday's announcement that Jay Jordan '69 had given $75 million to his alma mater -- the largest single gift in Notre Dame's 172 year history -- was national news...

If you'd like to learn why Jordan made this historic gift -- click on the Chicago Sun-Times article linked below:

LINK:  JORDAN'S MOTIVATION

OT: Pretty Funny Jimmy Fallon Prank in NYC

The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon set-up a prank for Yankee fans in midtown Manhattan the other day...  It involves Robinson Cano -- you'll want to see this.

LINK:  TONIGHT SHOW PRANK

Sporting News Ranks Top College FB Coaches

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly is ranked towards the top -- see the link below:

LINK:  TOP COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES

Golden Tate Has a New NFL Jersey Number

Former Notre Dame All-American and Super Bowl Champion Golden Tate is sporting a new number with the Detroit Lions.  Tate is now wearing #15...

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE

Izzo Will Finally Coach a Game at Notre Dame

Michigan State's men's basketball coach Tom Izzo -- who had a $5 bet with his best friend in high school Steve Mariuccci (NFL coaching fame) on who would become a head coach at Notre Dame first -- will finally coach a game at ND.  See story linked below...

It was announced today that Michigan State will come to South Bend, IN on December 3rd to play the Fighting Irish in the ACC - Big Ten Challenge.  Should be fun!

LINK:  IZZO - MARIUCCI BET

LINK:  SPARTANS AND IRISH TO PLAY

Must See: Notre Dame Athletics 2013-14 Video

You're going to want to watch this!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS