Coach Kelly's Press Conference -- Irish Beat BC!

Here's the link to Coach Kelly's post-game press conference -- after Notre Dame's 31-13 victory over Boston College.  This was Kelly's first road victory with the Irish and it came in his home town.  That's freshman Prince Shembo in the photo getting one of his two QB sacks in the game -- the first of his career!  There's a second link to Highlights from the game with Don Criqui's radio call:

LINK:  COACH KELLY'S PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Irish Locker Room -- After Win Over BC!

Coach Kelly's been giving the gang at UND.COM great access this season -- and we saw that again last night.  Here's a link to Coach Kelly's post game talk with his team and the singing of the GREATEST college fight song in the land!



LINK:  POST GAME CELEBRATION

Post Game Radio Show -- Irish Beat BC!

Here's a link to the Post Game Radio Show -- Irish win 31 - 13.  Coach Kelly will be happy with the win, not so happy with his team's offensive performance the last three quarters.  Just click on the link:

LINK:  ND POST GAME -- BC WIN

Toronto Paper Ranks College Football Movies...

 

Kind of interesting that the #1 paper in a country not known for football -- let a lone college football -- would run a story yesterday ranking the top college football movies.  Well, that was the case for the Toronto Globe And Mail - and they picked two Notre Dame movie in their top 12!  Rudy was picked #1 and Knute Rockne All-American was ranked #11.  Here's a link to their rankings:

LINK:  COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST MOVIES

The Money on Tonight's Game

Here's what a few of the "betting sites" are saying about tonight's 8 PM EST game between the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Eagles of Boston College.  Please know I don't bet -- I really don't!  It's just interesting to see what these so called "experts" are saying about the game and how they analyze each of the teams:


LINK:  BET US -- PREVIEW OF ND vs. BC

LINK:  CAPPERSPICKS -- PREVIEW OF  ND vs. BC

LINK:  ACCUSCORE -- PREVIEW OF ND vs. BC

LINK:  SPORTSODDS -- PREVIEW OF ND vs. BC

Boston Media Coverage -- ND vs. BC

It becomes quite obvious when looking for stories about the Notre Dame vs. Boston College game tonight that Boston is not a "college sports town."  There is very little media coverage of tonight's game -- ONLY ONE STORY in each paper.  Here's what I could find:


LINK:  BOSTON GLOBE STORY

LINK:  BOSTON HERALD STORY

LINK:  WORCESTER HERALD STORY

The Odd Couple: Mishawaka Nun & BC Star

This is a wonderful story about Boston College star linebacker, Mark Herzlich, a cancer survivor and Sister Barbara Ann Hallman -- a devout Notre Dame fan from Our Lady of Angels convent in Mishawaka, IN.  Sister Barbara Ann (a colon cancer survivor) began praying for Herzlich after reading about his cancer diagnosis on May 14, 2009.   That same day she sent a letter to the Boston College star -- letting Herzlich know they would "fight this cancer together."  (The content of this first letter is in the Sports Illustrated story linked below).   Thus, the beginning of a unique relationship between a 75 year-old nun and a 22 year-old linebacker. When Herzlich and his Boston College teammates visited Notre Dame this past season, Sister Barbara Ann was there to finally meet Mark in person.  (The photo is from halftime of that game when then Notre Dame Head Football Coach Charlie Weis gave Mark a framed ND football jersey). Earlier this season, Boston College flew Sister from South Bend to Boston for Herzlich's first game back in uniform -- after missing last season to the cancer.  Here's a WNDU story about their friendship:

LINK:  THE ODD COUPLE

LINK:  SI ARTICLE ON HERZLICH & SISTER BARBARA ANN

An Independent "Consortium" for Football

Here's an idea I'd like to float by the Athletic Directors of the following eight schools:  Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, BYU, Miami, Navy and Army -- and the top executives at NBC and Fox.  FYI:  We launch this in 2015:

The creation of the Consortium of Football Independents (CFI) -- a group of eight college football programs (all independent) that cover each time zone and every top high school recruiting hotbed in the country.  The aforementioned eight schools would have an "allegiance" that would call for the following:

1. They would agree to schedule each other -- on a home and home basis -- every year.
2. They would agree to negotiate their own individual TV contracts with either NBC or FOX -- keeping 100 % of their own revenue.
3. They would all agree to schedule a "13th" game each year  -- a CFI Championship Weekend -- a three day celebration of college football where all eight teams would play.  On Friday night, the #8 and #7 ranked teams in the CFI would play each other.  On Saturday at 1 PM, the #6 and #5 ranked teams would play each other.  At 8 PM the #4 and #3 ranked teams would play each other and then on Sunday evening, the CFI Championship game would pit the #2 and #1 ranked teams.  
4. The revenue generated from the CFI Championship Weekend would be the only revenue the eight schools would ever share in this consortium.  This would become the greatest single collection of games ever in the same city, same facility -- over a 48 hour period -- in the history of sport in America!  Imagine the "rights fees" the CFI could generate from the host city and NBC/FOX.  It would be a bigger "get" than the SUPER BOWL or FINAL FOUR for any US town!
5. Now, if the NCAA wouldn't allow all eight teams to play a 13th game then I'd ask each of the eight schools to play their "rivalry" game on Thanksgiving Weekend -- in the same town, same facility and over the same three day schedule.  (See the proposed "rivalry" game schedule below)  Please note:  The Texas/Oklahoma and ND/USC games would rotate each year from Saturday night to Sunday night if we weren't playing a 13th game.  In this scenario - each of the teams would keep the revenue generated from their specific game -- negotiating their own revenue share with their opponent -- and there would be a revenue share amongst all eight schools on any "over arching" deals that might be packaged for the four game weekend.
6. The CFI would also negotiate an automatic berth in the BCS for the winner (or highest ranked team) and would also secure Bowl deals with the following bowls:  Gator, Cotton, Capital One and Hawaii.
7. Each of the eight teams would keep "100%" of the revenue they generate from earning a spot in a bowl game.
8. The CFI would also establish their own officiating crews -- to handle their games.

Can you imagine a football weekend with the following games in the same city, same facility, same weekend?:

• Friday night at 8PM -- Army vs. Navy
• Saturday at 1 PM -- Miami vs. BYU
• Saturday at 8 PM -- Oklahoma vs. Texas
• Sunday at 8 PM -- Notre Dame vs. USC

The bottom line here is this -- overnight the CFI would become the most powerful voice in college football.

What do you guys think?  All I ask for is 1% of the profits!

A Father and His Son -- The Kelly's

Brian Kelly's Dad -- Paul Kelly sat down for an interview with The Boston Globe this week to talk about his son's rise to the pinnacle of college coaching -- Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame.  You'll enjoy the story about the two of them in the Tunnel before Brian's first game in Notre Dame Stadium.  Here's a link:

LINK:  PAUL & BRIAN KELLY

A Family Divided: The Gallup Family

Barry Gallup is a fifth-year senior football player at the University of Notre Dame.  Barry's dad, Barry Sr. -- is the long-time Associate Athletic Director Football Operations at Boston College  Tomorrow's game will be the last time the Irish and Eagles will play each other with the "family-divided."  Here's a link to a story WNDU-TV aired this week on the Gallup's:

LINK:  THE GALLUP FAMILY

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Football Team Charter

Jake Golic, a tight end on the Notre Dame Football team -- just "tweeted" this photo of the team's charter plane to Boston.  Obviously, the team is just now boarding this Delta plane in South Bend.  Got to love the Notre Dame flags flying from the flag poles!

Did ND Fans Catch a Break?

Just saw a promotion on ESPN this morning (during the Ryder Cup delay) that said the Stanford vs. Oregon game and the Notre Dame vs. Boston College game would be on ABC and ESPN2.  When you see this -- it typically means if you're not getting the game on ABC you'll find it on ESPN2.  Now, when I go to the ESPN site and look at their TV schedule for tomorrow's games I only see the Stanford vs. Oregon game being on both networks.  Let's hope ESPN doesn't "stick it" to ND fans and force them to buy a GamePlan package to see the Irish play tomorrow night.  Here's a link to the ESPN TV schedule I'm talking about:

LINK:  ESPN TV SCHEDULE

Notre Dame Athletics Annual Report

The University of Notre Dame's Athletic Department released it's annual report for the 2009-2010 school year yesterday.  Here's a link to where you can view the report online:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT

Coach Kelly's Press Conference Last Night

Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly met with the media after yesterday's practice -- for the last time prior to the Boston College game tomorrow night.  Here's a link to www.und.com's coverage:


LINK:  BRIAN KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

Options to Watch the Irish on Saturday

If you've checked out the TV coverage map for the Notre Dame vs. Boston College game on ABC tomorrow night (CLICK HERE) you would have noted that 53% of the households in America won't see the game.  If you live in one of those areas -- blue on this map -- you still have options!  ESPN3 is ESPN's online network which would allow you to watch the game on your computer -- IF, your internet provider is a subscriber to this service.  Here's a list of the ESPN3 Participating Providers.  If you'd rather watch the game on TV, your option would be to subscribe to ESPN GamePlan.  If you don't have a GamePlan subscription you'll need to buy at least a $24 "weekly" subscription.  Here's a link to more information on ESPN GamePlan -- specifically, a list of phone numbers to the various cable services to place your order:

LINK:  ESPN GAMEPLAN

Sorin Society: All Access

The NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG received permission this morning from the Sorin Society and Allen Pinkett (photo of Pinkett at the 1983 Liberty Bowl) to show this video of Allen's talk at the Sorin Society Reception after Saturday's loss to Stanford.  One of the many benefits of being a Sorin Society member is the opportunity to bring a guest to the post game reception (food and drinks) at the McKenna Hall conference center on the Notre Dame campus.  During the event, former Notre Dame All-American and radio analyst for Notre Dame football -- Allen Pinkett talks about the game and takes questions from the crowd.  Here's a link to a video of Pinkett talking Notre Dame football, at the event, and a link to the Sorin Society website:

LINK:  SORIN SOCIETY POST GAME RECEPTION -- ALL ACCESS

LINK:  SORIN SOCIETY WEBSITE

Bid on a Notre Dame Soccer Jersey Today!

The #5 ranked University of Notre Dame Women's Soccer Team will be wearing special Kicks Against Breast Cancer commemorative Adidas jerseys (pictured) in their games next weekend against Seton Hall and Rutgers.  The jerseys will be signed by the IRISH players and auctioned off to raise money for this national soccer initiative to raise money for breast cancer research.  Here's a link to the Auction Site:

LINK:  BUY A NOTRE DAME SOCCER JERSEY FOR BREAST CANCER RESEARCH!

Muffet Gets Commit From 6' 3" Post Player

Markisha Wright, a 6'-3" post player out of Des Moines East High School (Des Moines, IA) committed to the Irish this morning!  Markisha led East to the Iowa 4-A State Runner-up title last year as a junior.  She's ranked the 20th best at her position by ESPN.  Here's a story about Markisha's performance at the AAU National Championships this summer:

LINK:  ESPN STORY ON MARKISHA

THANK YOU! -- 30,000 Unique Visitors!

The Notre Dame Go Irish Blog went over the 30,000 unique visitors mark this morning!  Launched the last week of January -- this blog has attracted Notre Dame fans from all 50 States and 79 countries around the world!  It's been great fun sharing Notre Dame!  Thanks for making the Notre Dame Go Irish Blog one of your "NOTRE DAME VISITS" each week on the web.

Students Only Pep Rally Tonight at 8 PM EST

The Stepan Center will be rockin' tonight!  The Notre Dame student body will be hosting their own "student only" Pep Rally tonight for the Fighting Irish football team at the Stepan Center.  The doors will open at 6:30 PM and the rally is expected to start at 8 PM.  Go Irish!

Brian Kelly Radio Show -- 7 PM EST TONIGHT!

It's Thursday and that means the Brian Kelly Radio Show will be coming live to you from Legends of Notre Dame.  The show will air from 7 PM EST to 8 PM EST -- and here's where you can watch it or listen to it online:


LINK:  WATCH COACH KELLY'S SHOW ONLINE

LINK:  LISTEN TO COACH KELLY'S SHOW ONLINE

Coach Kelly Going Home...

He was the starting middle linebacker for the Assumption College Greyhounds (photo of Assumption's campus) -- twenty-seven years later -- he's grown up to be the Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame.  That's our Coach Kelly, and when he takes his team to Boston College tomorrow for Saturday's game -- he'll be heading home.  Here's a story from today's Worcester Telegram -- about Brian Kelly's return to where he grew up along with a link to the Assumption College website:

LINK:  HE'S AN ASSUMPTION GREYHOUND

LINK:  ASSUMPTION COLLEGE WEBSITE

WSJ Ranks Notre Dame's EMBA Program #6

The Wall Street Journal just released their 2010 rankings of the top Executive MBA programs in the country and the University of Notre Dame's was ranked 6th!  What I found most interesting is the "investment" to get an EMBA these days.  Believe it or not, Notre Dame's total program cost (per student) of $88,000 -- was the second lowest of the schools ranked in the top 10 in the Wall Street Journal's rankings.  Only the #10 ranked University of North Carolina's EMBA program was lower at $87,000. The Wall Street Journal didn't even rank Notre Dame's EMBA program among the top-25 in the country in their 2008 rankings -- another "feather in the cap" of the Mendoza College of Business!  The photo is of Notre Dame EMBA students on a trip to Beijing.  Here's the link to the rankings:

LINK:  THE TOP EXECUTIVE MBA PROGRAMS IN AMERICA

Scout Ranks ND Recruiting Class #2

ESPN's Scout recruiting service just released it's updated recruiting rankings and they've moved Notre Dame up to #2 in the country.  In the past week, the Irish have picked up one of the top DE's in the country (Stephon Tuitt - #74 in picture) and one of the top WR's in the country (Davaris Daniels).  Here's a link to Scout's rankings:

LINK:  IRISH HAVE THE #2 RANKED RECRUITING CLASS

Weather Forecast for Boston College Game

Here's the weather forecast for the Boston area -- looks like the rain will be gone before game time Saturday night.  Here's a link to live National Weather Service Radar for the Boston area:


LINK:  LIVE BOSTON WEATHER RADAR

ABC-TV Coverage Map: ND vs. BC

ESPN on ABC just released it's coverage map for Notre Dame's game against Boston College this Saturday night on ABC.  Game starts at 8 PM EST.  As you can see, only about half of the country (households) will see the Irish play on ABC.  Just click on the map to enlarge.

Notre Dame's "SUPERMAN" Silk Worms

The University of Notre Dame and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories (Lansing, MI) made a major announcement in the past hour.  Tiny, genetically altered silkworms in a laboratory at the University of Notre Dame are spinning a novel thread of artificially created spider silk.  The resulting thread is twice as strong as natural silkworm silk and 10 times as strong as steel.  The thread has a host of possible commercial applications in surgery, healing bandages, ligament repair, bulletproof vests, athletic clothing, improved automobile airbags, etc.  "We've succeeded in genetically engineering silkworms so they produce spider webs," boasted Malcolm J. Fraser Jr., a University of Notre Dame Biological Sciences Professor -- who led the research on this project along with researchers from Kraig Biocraft Laboratories and the University of Wyoming.  Here's a link to Notre Dame's news release along with a video of Professor Fraser talking about their discovery.  I must admit I never thought I would be writing about "silk worms" on my blog -- but it's pretty exciting news coming out of Notre Dame today!  Maybe we'll see a GOLD HELMET, manufactured from this material, on our football team some day!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S "SUPERMAN" SILK WORMS

Former Irish Kicker -- Back in NFL @ 46!

John Carney, who played for Notre Dame from 1984 to 1986 -- was signed by the Super Bowl Champion, New Orleans Saints yesterday to shore up their field goal kicking.  Carney, the third leading scorer in NFL history with 2,044 points, is 46 years young!  He's a two-time Pro Bowl kicker who was named by Sports Illustrated to Notre Dame's All-Time team.  Last season, Carney went over the 300 game mark in his career, becoming only the sixth player in NFL history to do so.  Here's a link to a story on Carney's signing.  Good Luck John!

LINK:  CARNEY BACK WITH SAINTS

Irish Golfer Smashes Scoring Record!

University of Notre Dame freshman, Nicole Zhang (Calgary, Canada) let the college golf world know that she'll be a force to be reckoned with as she wins the Mary Fossum Invitational at Michigan State University with a tournament record score!  Zhang, playing in her first college tournament, shot 69-67-71 on the par-72 course -- to finish NINE UNDER PAR.  Her 207 was the only score under par -- winning the tournament by nine strokes -- and leading the Irish to their first team win at this tournament in 16 tries.  Zhang's three day total broke the previous tournament record by seven shots!

Muffet Gets Top 100 Commit Last Night!

Madison Cable, a senior guard at Mt. Lebanon High School (Pittsburgh area) informed Notre Dame Women's Basketball Coach Muffet McGraw that she was committing to the Irish!  The 5'-11" Cable is ranked the #57 overall prospect in the country and will bring some length to the Notre Dame backcourt.  She led her high school team to their second straight State Championship last season scoring 30 in the final game.  Madison was on campus this past weekend for her official visit.  Here is a link to a story on Cable's commitment -- and a link to a story about her performance in last year's State Championship game:


LINK:  TOP 100 RECRUIT COMMITS TO IRISH

LINK:  CABLE SCORES 30 IN STATE FINAL

Rivals Ranks Notre Dame Recruiting Class #3

The commitment last night of wide receiver Davaris Daniels (pictured) to Brian Kelly's first full recruiting class has vaulted Notre Dame's incoming recruiting class to #3 in the country -- according to Rivals.  Daniels, the son of Washington Redskins DE Phillip Daniels (who's currently in his 15th season in the NFL), hails from Vernon Hills High School (Chicago suburbs) -- where he's ranked the #2 overall prospect in Illinois.  Here's the most current Rivals Top Ten College Football Recruiting Rankings -- along with a link below to their website:
#1:  Texas
#2:  Alabama
#3:  Notre Dame
#4:  LSU
#5:  Florida State
#6:  Oklahoma
#7:  Ohio State
#8:  Stanford
#9:  Florida
#10:  Mississippi

LINK:  RIVALS TOP TWENTY RECRUITING CLASSES

Learning a Teammate Took His Own Life...

The University of Notre Dame launched a wonderful website in 2007 called PRAY ND -- if you haven't had the chance to visit this site, you should.  Each day, the site will post a prayer for the day -- it's a wonderful way to start your day.  Last week, former Notre Dame QB, Brady Quinn '07, was asked to offer up a reflection on Living the Gospel Every Day.  While thinking about what to write -- Quinn learned one of his Bronco teammates (Kenny McKinley) allegedly committed suicide.  Here's a link to what Brady offered up to PRAY ND in reaction to McKinley's death: "Life is but a Breath"

LINK:  BRADY QUINN'S REFLECTION

LINK:  PRAY ND WEBSITE

Domers on NBA Training Camp Rosters

Just did a lap around the NBA to see where our former Notre Dame basketball stars are playing these days.  Today is the NBA's first official day of Training Camp for the 2010-2011 season -- and here's where your favorite Irish players are competing to stay or, earn a spot on an NBA roster.  Click on the player's name and you'll be directed to a recent story or bio:

-Luke Harangody - Boston Celtics
-Matt Carroll - Charlotte Bobcats
-Tory Jackson - Milwaukee Bucks (Free Agent Tryout)
-Troy Murphy - New Jersey Nets
-Chris Quinn - Philadelphia 76ers (Free Agent Tryout)

COACHES / FRONT OFFICE / TV-RADIO TEAM
-Monty Williams, Head Coach - New Orleans Hornets
-Adrian Dantley, Assistant Coach - Denver Nuggets
-Bill Laimbeer, Assistant Coach - Minnesota Timberwolves
-Kelly Tripucka, TV Analyst - New York Knicks
-Austin Carr, TV Analyst - Cleveland Cavaliers
-Tim Kempton, Radio Analyst - Phoenix Suns
-John Paxson, Executive VP - Chicago Bulls

LINK:  DATABASE OF ALL-TIME NOTRE DAME PLAYERS IN NBA

Where Are They Now? -- Alan Page

He's probably best known as #88 with the "Purple People Eaters" -- a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings.  Or, as a dominant defensive end for the Fighting Irish's 1966 National Championship team -- which earned him College Football Hall of Fame honors.  But these days -- he's known as the "bow-tie" wearing Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.  Alan Page is a 1967 graduate of the University of Notre Dame who played 15 years in the NFL.  His football career is legendary -- yet, it's what he's done with his life after football that is what he's immensely proud of.  Page earned his law-degree during the off-seasons while playing with the Vikings.  He became a lawyer after his NFL days were over and moved up through the ranks as an Attorney General in Minnesota and on to their Supreme Court.  He's also probably the only Pro Football Hall of Famer who's run a marathon!  These days -- when he's not making law decisions on the Supreme Court -- Alan and his wife Diane oversee the Page Education Foundation, which they started in 1988.  To date, they've awarded grants to more than 4,100 students who in turn have given more than 300,000 hours to younger students.  When he retires from the Supreme Court, Page intends to become a public school teacher.  To say Alan Page is unique -- would be an understatement!  Here's a link to the Page Education Foundation website along with a 2008 interview with Justice Page:

LINK:  PAGE EDUCATION FOUNDATION

LINK:  JUSTICE PAGE INTERVIEW

The Notre Dame Pep Rally

It's one of the "must see" events for Notre Dame fans who make it to campus by 6 PM EST on Friday of a Football Weekend.  This is a video of this past Friday's Pep Rally which ESPN's Dick Vitale was the guest speaker.  Here's the link:

LINK:  THE NOTRE DAME PEP RALLY

Notre Dame's Quarterback Luncheon

Every Friday, on a home football weekend, the University of Notre Dame hosts a luncheon in the north dome of the Joyce Center.  It's typically a gathering of about 1,500 Notre Dame fans who are treated to lunch and a visit from the Head Football Coach, a current player, a former player, etc., in a set-up much like the Tonight Show.  Here's a link to a video I took from this past Friday's QB Luncheon:

LINK:  THE NOTRE DAME QUARTERBACK LUNCHEON

Team's Arrival to Notre Dame Campus

In all of my years of going to Notre Dame Football games this was a first for me -- watching the team's motorcade to the circle behind the Main Building (Golden Dome), see them depart from their buses, then assemble and walk to the Basilica.  Here's a video of their arrival to campus -- along with their traditional walk after Mass from the Basilica to Notre Dame Stadium:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL TEAM'S ARRIVAL

Coach Weis Had Emergency Surgery Today

Former Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Charlie Weis '78 - was taken to a Kansas City Hospital after the Chief's third straight win yesterday.  Chief's Head Coach Todd Haley released a statement that the issue is "not life threatening."  ESPN is reporting he had emergency Gall Bladder surgery -- and Weis's agent just confirmed that Coach Weis was diagnosed with the infection on Friday and chose to wait until after the game -- and did have surgery this morning.  Say some prayers for Coach Weis.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  COACH WEIS SURGERY