Vikings GM Talks Harrison Smith

The Minnesota Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman met with the media after their selection of Notre Dame captain Harrison Smith in the First Round of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Here's a link to the video:

LINK:  VIKINGS GM SPIELMAN TALKS HARRISON SMITH

Arizona Cardinals Top Brass Talk About Floyd

The General Manager and Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals met with the media to discuss their selection of Michael Floyd as their #1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Here's a link to the video:

LINK:  CARDINALS TALK ABOUT FLOYD

Looks Like a Football Final Four is Possible!

University of Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick spoke with the folks at the South Bend Tribune recently to talk about the latest on-going discussion about a play-off format for college football.

The good news is the Pac 12's motive to limit the participants to the winners of the four largest football conferences fell on deaf ears...

Thus, the independents and the schools that don't belong to the SEC, Big Ten, Pac 12 and ??? -- won't be shut out of an opportunity to play for the national championship.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  JACK SWARBRICK TALKS PLAYOFF

Who's Counting? I Am...

We sure hear from the pundits when a NFL First Round goes by and not a single player from the University of Notre Dame is drafted... 

Well, thankfully -- that's not the case this morning.  Here's a list of the school counts of the #1 draft picks in last night's opening round:

• ALABAMA: 4 players
• NOTRE DAME:  2 players
• STANFORD:  2 players
• BAYLOR:  2 players
• USC:  2 players
• SOUTH CAROLINA:  2 players
• ILLINOIS:  2 players
• LSU:  2 players
• OKLAHOMA STATE:  2 players
• BOISE STATE:  2 players
• TEXAS A&M:  1 player
• BOSTON COLLEGE:  1 player
• MEMPHIS:  1 player
• MISSISSIPPI STATE:  1 player
• WEST VIRGINIA:  1 player
• NORTH CAROLINA:  1 player
• SYRACUSE:  1 player
• IOWA:  1 player
• WISCONSIN:  1 player
• VIRGINIA TECH:  1 player

Schools Notre Dame typically recruits against, without first round draft picks last night:  Michigan, Florida, Texas, Ohio State, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Nebraska. 

62 Notre Dame Players, NFL First Round History

I was surprised to learn that in the previous 12 NFL Drafts -- only two Notre Dame players had been drafted in the 1st Round; Jeff Faine in 2003 and Brady Quinn in 2007.

That changed today -- BIG TIME -- when Michael Floyd (13th overall) and Harrison Smith (29th overall) became the 61st and 62nd players in the 125 year history of Notre Dame football to be drafted in the First Round of the NFL Draft.  (Painting above of Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame's first #1 overall player taken in the NFL Draft.)

ALL TIME -- NOTRE DAME FIRST ROUND NFL SELECTIONS

• 2012:  Michael Floyd and Harrison Smith
• 2007:  Brady Quinn
• 2003:  Jeff Faine
• 1999:  Luke Pettigout
• 1997:  Renaldo Wynn
• 1994:  Bryant Young, Aaron Taylor and Jeff Burris
• 1993:  Rick Mirer, Jerome Bettis, Tom Carter and Irv Smith
• 1992:  Derek Brown
• 1991:  Todd Lyght
• 1989:  Andy Heck
• 1988:  Tim Brown
• 1986:  Eric Dorsey
• 1984:  Greg Bell
• 1983:  Tony Hunter
• 1982:  Bob Crable
• 1980:  Vagas Ferguson
• 1978:  Ken MacAfee, Ross Browner and Luther Bradley
• 1976:  Steve Niehaus
• 1975:  Mike Fanning
• 1972:  Walt Patulski*, Clarence Ellis and Mike Kadish
• 1970:  Mike McCoy
• 1969:  George Kunz and Jim Seymour
• 1968:  Kevin Hardy
• 1967:  Paul Seller, Alan Page and Tom Regner
• 1965:  Jack Snow
• 1960:  George Izo and Monty Stickles
• 1959:  Nick Pietrosante
• 1957:  Paul Hornung*
• 1955:  Joe Heap, Frank Varrichone and Ralph Guglliemi
• 1954:  Johnny Lattner, Art Hunter and Neil Worden
• 1951:  Jerry Groom and Bob Williams
• 1950:  Leon Hart*
• 1949:  Bill Fischer and Frank Tripucka
• 1946:  Bobby Dancewicz*, George Connor, Emil Sitko and Johnny Lujack
• 1945:  Frank Szymanski and John Yonakor
• 1944:  Angelo Bertelli* and Creighton Miller
• 1936:  William Shakespeare

LINK:  NFL ALL-TIME DRAFT LIST OF NOTRE DAME PLAYERS

*DENOTES:  Drafted #1 Overall!