Under Armour All-America Game -- Tonight!

Irish fans, if you want to catch a glimpse of the "fastest" football recruit to commit to Notre Dame in the last fifteen to twenty years -- you're going to want to set your alarm for 7:30 PM ET and ESPN -- TONIGHT!

Ronald Darby (who will be wearing uniform #25 for the team in the black jerseys and white helmets) will be playing defensive back for Herm Edwards (former NFL head coach) team in the Under Armour All-America Game.  I suspect Herm will also have Ronald running back a kick-off and punt during this game as well.

Darby won the Bronze Medal in the 200 meters at this past summer's World Youth Championships in France. He's also the current US Junior National Indoor Champion in the 200 meters.  He verbally committed to the Fighting Irish back in April this year -- yet schools are still trying to convince him to go elsewhere.

WE NEED AN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD FOR FOOTBALL!

Here's a feature that ran yesterday at ESPN where Herm Edwards met with Darby and a couple of other players to talk about the technique required to play the defensive back position.

LINK:  RONALD DARBY WITH HERM EDWARDS

Irish Football Commit: KeiVare Russell

Irish fans are going to like this young man.  The folks at RIVALS caught up with KeiVare Russell at the Army All-American game in San Antonio -- here's a link to the video:

LINK:  KEIVARE RUSSELL -- YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE HIM

ND Hockey Legend Passed Away Last Night

Long-time Notre Dame hockey coach Charles "Lefty" Smith passed away last night at the age of 82.  Smith, the longest tenured employee in the University of Notre Dame's Athletic Department -- officially retired on December 31st -- just three days earlier.

Lefty was Notre Dame's first varsity hockey coach when he took the job in 1968.  Smith coached the Irish for 19 seasons (1968-87), amassing a 307-320-30 record, including runner-up finishes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1973 and 1977. He was named the WCHA Coach of the Year in 1973 and turned out numerous All-Americans, including two-time honoree Jack Brownschidle (1976-77), 1976-77 WCHA Most Valuable Player Brian Walsh, 1980 All-American (and 2005 NCAA Silver Anniversary recipient) Greg Meredith, and 1982 Hobey Baker Award finalist (and eventual NHL standout) Dave Poulin. What's more, all 126 players who completed their collegiate eligibility under Smith's tutelage earned their college degrees.

Smith served as the president of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) for two years and also was the head coach of the at-large team in the first-ever National Sports Festival in 1978. Eight members of that team would go on to be part of the gold-medal winning 1980 United States Olympic hockey team.

43 years at the University of Notre Dame -- Lefty Smith left a wonderful legacy.  In fact, the university's new ice rink in the Compton Family Ice Arena is scheduled to be dedicated as the "Lefty Smith Ice Rink" on February 4th. 

Here's a link to UND.COM's tribute to Lefty Smith:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S LEFTY

Tee Shepard Tells the World: "Notre Dame"

After last night's inaugural Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl -- one of the top cornerbacks in the country, Tee Shepard, finally set the record straight on where he'll be attending college on January 18:

THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME!

Six future Notre Dame stars and maybe one or two more, played in this all-star game in Phoenix last night.  The photo above (Shepard #2 and Westerkamp #81) could happen on a practice field next August if Westerkamp decommits from Nebraska and chooses to play for Notre Dame -- which a few suspect could happen.

Here's a link to a South Bend Tribune story about Shepard and a few of his future Irish teammates:

LINK:  SHEPARD IS ALL IRISH

Irish Fianna Tailgate -- Wins Championship!

The 2011 TLG8 TAILGATE TOUR had three Notre Dame "tailgates" competing for the championship -- and I didn't know anything about this!

And the winner...

IRISH FIANNA!

Special thanks to ND GO IRISH BLOG "ND Insider Correspondent" Micki Kidder for alerting me to this story.

The Lost Dunes, Irish Fianna and Irish Daddy "tailgates" were are all competing for the championship.  Just click on the link below to see the video of the IRISH FIANNA's tailgate as well as Lost Dunes and Irish Daddy.  Enjoy!

LINK:  TLG8 TAILGATING TOUR!

Photo of the Day: Creativity At Its Best!

University of Notre Dame's Don Schindler just "re-tweeted" this photo (originally tweeted by Tim O'Connor) from Matt Cashore's vast library of ND photos.  You've got to love the creativity & ingenuity of the Notre Dame student body!

Must See TV: Semper Fidelis Bowl @ 6 PM ET

Notre Dame fans will want to find the CBS SPORTS NETWORK on their cable system this afternoon -- because at 6 PM ET the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl will be televised.

This inaugural all-star game from Phoenix will feature a few future IRISH stars:  Tee Shepard (wearing jersey #2 for the WEST), Deontay Greenberry (wearing jersey #1 for the WEST), Justin Ferguson (wearing jersey #10 for the EAST),  Mark Harrell (wearing jersey #74 for the EAST), Sheldon Day (wearing jersey #91 for the EAST) and Ronnie Stanley (wearing jersey #79 for the WEST).  Five of the six ND commits are in the photo above.

Should be great fun!  Here's the link to the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl website along with a link to the CBS SPORTS NETWORK site -- and a tool to assist you in finding their channel in your area:

LINK:  SEMPER FIDELIS ALL-AMERICAN BOWL

LINK:  WHERE TO FIND THE CBS SPORTS NETWORK WHERE YOU LIVE

OT: Oregon's Helmet for Rose Bowl Game

Folks, the gang at NIKE did not miss an opportunity today to show off their brand at the Rose Bowl.

I have to admit, this Oregon helmet looks pretty awesome -- kind of makes the Wisconsin helmet look like amateur hour...

We'll have to see how they look on TV this afternoon.  I do like how the facemask is painted to match the helmet.  Thought the IRISH should have done the same with its new helmet this year.  Maybe next year?

You have to see the video below.  There are concerns that the "glare" may cause problems for Oregon's receivers.  Stay tuned!

LINK:  VIDEO OF OREGON HELMET 

LINK:  FIRST LOOK OF OREGON GEAR ON FIELD

Live Video of Notre Dame's Snow Storm!

WOW!  Just took a look at the live webcam of the Main Building (Golden Dome) on the University of Notre Dame campus at 10:38 AM.  IT IS SNOWING in the BEND -- as the ol' "lake effect" is in full force!  Here are three links to live webcams:

LINK:  SNOW STORM -- LIVE SHOT OF GOLDEN DOME

LINK:  WEBCAM OF SOUTH QUAD

LINK:  WEBCAM OF NORTH QUAD

30 Notre Dame Football Players On NFL Rosters

Took a lap around the NFL today to see what former Notre Dame football stars were still employed by an NFL team and their playing status for the last weekend of the regular season.  Here's the list of the 30 ex-Irish football stars still receiving an NFL paycheck this morning (Chris Stewart signed with the Arizona Cardinals on January 5th) -- 11 are on teams in the NFL PLAYOFFS:

LINK:  JIMMY CLAUSEN -- INACTIVE -- CAROLINA PANTHERS

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE -- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LINK:  BRADY QUINN -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  ANTHONY FASANO -- MIAMI DOLPHINS 

LINK:  JEFF FAINE -- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

LINK:  BRIAN SMITH -- CLEVELAND BROWNS

LINK:  MARK LEVOIR -- ST. LOUIS RAMS

LINK:  J.J. JANSEN -- CAROLINA PANTHERS

LINK:  TOMMY ZBIKOWSKI -- BALTIMORE RAVENS

LINK:  RYAN GRANT -- GREEN BAY PACKERS

LINK:  JUSTIN TUCK -- NEW YORK GIANTS

LINK:  SAM YOUNG -- INACTIVE -- BUFFALO BILLS

LINK:  KYLE MCCARTHY -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  JOHN CARLSON -- INJURED RESERVE -- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LINK:  DEREK LANDRI -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  IAN WILLIAMS -- INACTIVE -- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

LINK:  TERRAIL LAMBERT -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- OAKLAND RAIDERS

LINK:  DAVID BRUTON -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  JOHN SULLIVAN -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  VICTOR ABIAMIRI -- INJURED RESERVE -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  TREVOR LAWS -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  MAURICE STOVALL -- DETROIT LIONS

LINK:  ARNAZ BATTLE -- INACTIVE -- PITTSBURGH STEELERS

LINK:  SERGIO BROWN -- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

LINK:  ERIC OLSEN -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- WASHINGTON REDSKINS

LINK:  ROBERT HUGHES -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- CHICAGO BEARS

LINK:  DARRIN WALLS -- ATLANTA FALCONS

LINK:  ARMANDO ALLEN -- CHICAGO BEARS

LINK:  CHRIS STEWART -- ARIZONA CARDINALS 

A New Year's Resolution for ND Fans

I've taken the liberty of offering up a New Year's Resolution for the entire Notre Dame Family -- a year we'll have an EXTRA DAY (this is a leap year) OF NOTRE DAME :

• SMILE -- we know we couldn't be as passionate about another school!

LINK:  HAPPY NEW YEAR

ND Hockey on VERSUS Today at 7 PM ET

Jeff Jackson's Fighting Irish will be in action this New Year's Eve at 7:05 PM ET on the VERSUS channel.  The #5 ranked Irish will be taking on the #9 ranked Boston University Terriers.  After the game, VERSUS will air "ONWARD TO VICTORY" an hour long show produced by the gang at UND.COM.  Here's a link to the ONWARD TO VICTORY trailer...

LINK:  ONWARD TO VICTORY

Photo of the Day: "Tee, Dee & ND"

Here's the two cousins from northern California who have had the recruiting world "buzzing" the past couple of weeks.  Both are playing in the Semper Fidelis Bowl. Tee Shepard #2 and Deontay Greenberry #1.  These two will look good in their NOTRE DAME GOLD HELMETS next fall!

Muffet's Irish Put 128 Pts. on Mercer Last Night!

The #3 ranked Fighting Irish had a RECORD SETTING night in Atlanta against Mercer -- scoring 128 points! It was the first appearance for one of Muffet's teams in 15 years in the state of Georgia.  I'm guessing they might not want to wait so long next time!  Here are the records the Irish set last night:

• Most points in the first half:  72 points  (Irish led 72 - 30 at half)
• Most points in a game:  128 points  (previous record was 113) 
• Most points in one half:  72 points 
• Largest margin of victory:  86 points
• Highest Field Goal Percentage:  70.2%  (tied the previous record)
• Most free throws made:  43
• Most free throws attempted:  52

Note:  The 128 points is the 17th most scored in one game ALL-TIME in NCAA history.  The 72 points scored in the first half are the 8th most scored ALL-TIME in NCAA history.  It's the most points scored in a game this season in women's college basketball.

LINK:  IRISH MAUL MERCER

A Look Back @ Notre Dame's 169th Year...

The University of Notre Dame released their 2011: Year In Review, last night.  The report looks back at the previous 364 days of 2011 and a number of the accomplishments of the Notre Dame students, alumni, faculty and staff.  Just click on the link below to see the report:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S 2011

Ronald Darby Returns Kick-off for TD!

The Chesapeake Bowl (featuring high school all-stars from; Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, D.C., Virginia and West Virginia) was played tonight in Edgewater, MD -- and University of Notre Dame verbal commit, Ronald Darby followed up the opening play of the game -- a 90 yard kick-off return for a TD by the North's Nate Smith by taking the ensuing kick-off for a 75 yard TD for the South!  Here's a link to the news article -- along with a link to the video:

LINK:  DARBY RETURNS KICK-OFF FOR TD!

LINK:  VIDEO OF DARBY'S KICK-OFF RETURN

Semper Fidelis Bowl -- ND Commits Playing

The University of Notre Dame will be well represented in Tuesday's inaugural Semper Fidelis Bowl in Phoenix.  Here's a list of the high school stars playing in the game who have verbally committed to playing for the IRISH:

LINK:  TEE SHEPARD

LINK:  RONNIE STANLEY

LINK:  JUSTIN FERGUSON

LINK:  DEONTAY GREENBERRY

LINK:  SHELDON DAY 

LINK:  MARK HARRELL

The Notre Dame Family Doing Florida Right

The day before the Irish took on Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl -- fifty members of the Notre Dame Family (alumni, cheerleaders and fans) went to work at the New Image Youth Center (Parramore, FL) painting, sanding, weeding, assembling new furniture and playing with the kids.

This community service project is just one of many -- that the Notre Dame Alumni Association will perform around the world each year.  It's what sets ND apart from most institutions in this country.

Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME GIVING BACK

Champs Sports Bowl: Mornin' After...

Have to admit I didn't sleep too well last night.

Yet, I wake up this morning -- once again -- knowing I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE A FAN OF ANY OTHER SCHOOL IN THE WORLD!

Here's what our friends in the media had to say about Florida State's 18 to 14 win over the Irish last night in the Champs Sports Bowl:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- AL LESAR

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- ERIC HANSEN

LINK:  ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINK:  TAMPA BAY TIMES

LINK:  NBC SPORTS

LINK:  ESPN BLOG

LINK:  PALM BEACH POST

LINK:  THE OBSERVER

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  NEWS SENTINEL

LINK:  ORLANDO SENTINEL

LINK:  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE

LINK:  SPORTING NEWS

LINK:  THE LEDGER

LINK:  FLORIDA TIMES UNION

LINK:  TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

Florida State Scores 15 in Fourth Quarter...

A difficult game for the Notre Dame Family as the Seminoles erase ND's 14 point to win the Champs Sports Bowl.  Here's a link to the "low-lights" courtesy of our friends at ESPN and a link to Coach Kelly's post game comments.


LINK:  CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL

LINK:  COACH KELLY POST GAME 

LINK:  PLAYER INTERVIEWS AFTER GAME

Champs Sports Bowl: ND Team Photos

The top photo of the Irish warming up was just "tweeted" from the Champs Sports Bowl  -- the bottom two photos  of the Irish leaving their team hotel, and the official team photo, were just put up on FACEBOOK by Notre Dame Athletics.  CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE.  GO IRISH!

KeiVarae Russell Commits to Notre Dame!

KeiVarae Russell, one of the top running backs on the West Coast, announced his college choice today at 3 PM ET -- and he chose to wear the GOLD HELMET!

The US Army All-American and 7th ranked "athlete" in the country will play running back for the Irish!

You can watch the LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT at the link below:

LINK:  KEIVARAE RUSSELL DECISION DAY -- LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT

LINK:  NEWS STORY ABOUT KEIVARAE RUSSELL

LINK:  KEIVARAE RECRUITING PROFILE

LINK:  KEIVARAE INTERVIEW

Notre Dame's Champs Sports Bowl JERSEY!

The University of Notre Dame's Football Equipment Manager Ryan Grooms just "tweeted" these photos of the jersey the Fighting Irish will be wearing against Florida State in today's Champs Sports Bowl game.

Must Read: Matt Mulvey's "Red Hat Diaries"

He wears uniform #17 and he's been standing right next to Brian Kelly for every Notre Dame football game the past two seasons.  You'll see him again today on ESPN, signaling in every IRISH offensive play.

For the past seven days, Matthew Mulvey (Senior out of Del Mar, CA)  has been reporting on his experiences at the CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL in what he calls the "RED HAT DIARIES."  You'll enjoy this!

LINK:  THE RED HAT DIARIES

Champs Sports Bowl: Weather Forecast

All you need to know is this -- the GOLD HELMETS will be in FULL SHINE mode prior to kick-off -- and when the lights go on in OrlaNDo's Citrus Bowl Stadium they will go into ULTRA SHINE mode.  Great day for football with the temps in the mid to upper 60's.  Irish caught a break with the game temps!  Here's the link to the hourly forecast for today's Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando:

LINK:  THE WEATHER CHANNEL -- CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL FORECAST

Champs Sports Bowl: The "Experts" Predict...

Took a lap around the web this morning to check in on the media experts and their predictions for the Champs Sports Bowl game this evening (5:30 PM ET) between Notre Dame and Florida State.  Just click on the links below:


LINK:  ESPN BLOG

LINK:  ACC SPORTS JOURNAL

LINK:  NBC SPORTS

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  TAMPA BAY TIMES

LINK:  OBSERVER

LINK:  TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINK:  CSN CHICAGO

LINK:  PALM BEACH POST

LINK:  ATHLON SPORTS

It's GAME DAY! Irish Beat Seminoles Today!

It's less than nine hours to kick-off when "HISTORY'S TEAM" takes on that school from northern Florida in the Champs Sports Bowl.

To get ND fans fired up for this game -- I take you back to a November in 1993 when #1 FSU visited then #2 ND.  Folks all over the world tuned-in to NBC's telecast that day to see this introduction and Bob Costas at his best.  Enjoy!

LINK:  NBC'S INTRO TO ND'S GAME AGAINST FSU IN 1993

Will Clements Be Penn State's Next Coach?

Don't be surprised if former Notre Dame QB Tom Clements is named, this week, the next head football coach at Penn State University.

Just hours ago, the rumored front-runner, Mike Munchak denied any interest in the position.  Clements, the QB coach of the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers, has been very open in his desire to get this gig.  Sure hope he does!


LINK:  TOM CLEMENTS TO PENN STATE?

Champs Sports Bowl: First Wednesday Update

The gang at UND.COM has been busy "having fun" down in OrlaNDo with the Fighting Irish.  Here's a look at what the Irish did off the field yesterday.  Get ready to ride a roller coaster!!!

LINK:  IRISH IN ORLANDO

LINK:  CHAMPS BOWL PRESS CONFERENCE

Irish Beat #22 Pitt @ Home -- 28 Straight Wins!

Playing their best game of the year -- Mike Brey's Fighting Irish defeated the #22 ranked Pitt Panthers last night. 

WOW!

The win extends ND's home winning streak to 28 games and puts the IRISH in FIRST PLACE tie in the BIG EAST!  Here's the game highlights along with Coach Brey's post game comments and what the two team's local papers had to say about the game.  A BIG WIN FOR THE IRISH!

LINK:  IRISH BEAT PITT

LINK:  COACH BREY WITH MEDIA

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE STORY

Rumor: Michigan & ND to End Football Series

There's a rumor flying around this evening on the Michigan fan boards that an announcement could come, as soon as tomorrow, that the football series between Michigan and Notre Dame will end.  Irish fans may recall an announcement last year that the two teams had agreed to a 25-year extension of the home & home series.  Well, the rumor is the contract was never signed and Michigan wants out of the game.

I sure hope this is not the case...  Stay tuned!

LINK:  MICHIGAN vs. NOTRE DAME WIKIPEDIA

Great Piece On Irish Hockey: Onward to Victory!

The Fighting Irish will be playing hockey on New Year's Eve against Boston University at 7:05 PM ET on VERSUS.  The folks at UND.COM produced a wonderful piece to entice you to TUNE-IN.  You'll enjoy this!

LINK:  ONWARD TO VICTORY

Champs Sports Bowl: Tuesday Irish Update

As we've come to expect, the folks at UND.COM caught Coach Kelly after practice.  Here's a link to his interview:

LINK:  COACH KELLY

ESPN's Gottlieb Tells His Notre Dame Story

Doug Gottlieb is an on-air personality at ESPN.  You'll hear him on the radio and you'll see him talk college basketball and other sports from time to time on TV.

What some Notre Dame fans might now know about Gottlieb is he's a former Irish student-athlete.  Unfortunately, Doug Gottlieb made some mistakes while at Notre Dame and he was asked to leave school.

Gottlieb recently gave a little more detail about his departure from ND.  Here's a link to the Los Angeles Times story:

LINK:  GOTTLIEB TALKS ABOUT HIS PROBLEMS AT ND

Champs Sports Bowl: Monday Irish Update

The gang at UND.COM are down in Orlando this week with the Fighting Irish football team as they gear up for Thursday's bowl game against Florida State.  Here's a couple of their video stories today:

LINK:  COACH KELLY AFTER PRACTICE

LINK:  IRISH CONNECTION -- INSIDE BOWL PRACTICE

LINK:  INSIDE NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

Photo of the Day: Champs Sports Bowl Practice

The @und_video_crew just "tweeted" this photo of today's
Champs Sports Bowl football practice for the Fighting Irish.

Tough duty!

Champs Sports Bowl: Coach Kelly & Media

The University of Notre Dame football team is in Orlando preparing for Thursday's bowl game against Florida State University.  After Sunday's practice (Christmas Day) Coach Kelly spent a few minutes with the assembled media.  Click on the link below:

LINK:  COACH KELLY AFTER PRACTICE

Notre Dame's Most Popular Student-Athlete!

For the first time in the history of Notre Dame Athletics -- its most popular athlete with the media doesn't wear a GOLD HELMET.

This honor goes to a female student-athlete by the name of SKYLAR DIGGINS -- Father Ted must be beaming!

In the past five weeks, ESPN has produced two significant stories about Skylar that speaks to her playing ability, her popularity (cult status) and her beauty.  In fact, they've even gone so far as calling her the "game changer" that women's basketball has been waiting for.  Take a look:

LINK:  BALANCING ACT

LINK:  THE NEXT BIG THING

Armando Allen Gets First Game Action in NFL

Former University of Notre Dame running back Armando Allen got his first taste of life in the National Football League, last night, gaining 40 yards on eleven carries for the Bears in their nationally televised game against the Packers at Lambeau Field.  Allen, who was injured much of his senior season at ND, was signed by the Bears on September 5th to their practice squad and was placed on the active roster (earlier in the week) for this game.  That's Armando in his new #25 in the photo.

I am very happy for ArmaNDo!

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES STORY

LINK:  BEARS ACTIVATE ARMANDO

Notre Dame Football Takes Over OrlaNDo!

The folks at UND.COM along with Mike Golic, Jr., Brandon Newman and a number of their Irish football teammates have been chronicling their time in Orlando for the Champs Sports Bowl.  Enjoy!

LINK:  CHRISTMAS EVE IN ORLANDO

LINK:  CHRISTMAS DAY IN ORLANDO

LINK:  CHRISTMAS NIGHT IN ORLANDO

A ND Christmas Blessing From Father Jenkins

Here is the University of Notre Dame's 17th president -- Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., with his Christmas Blessing for the Notre Dame Family:

LINK:  A CHRISTMAS BLESSING FROM NOTRE DAME

Merry Christmas to the Notre Dame Family!

Went looking around the web this morning for a recent video of the Notre Dame Glee Club singing a Christmas carol.  Found this impromptu performance on campus (11/20/11) instead.  ENJOY!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Notre Dame's Cleats for Champs Sports Bowl!

Looks like Santa brought the ND football team new shoes for Christmas...

Adidas and the University of Notre Dame teamed up to create this "three-tone" shoe for the Fighting Irish.  I can say with great confidence that you've never seen a ND team play in shoes like these!

Photo of Champs Sports Bowl Practice -- ND!

The Fighting Irish held their first Champs Sports Bowl practice today in Orlando in 76 degree weather...

Our Team, Our Story: Champs Sports Bowl

The gang at UND.COM is keeping busy.  Here's their first report from Orlando and the Champs Sports Bowl.  Click on the link:

LINK: OUR TEAM OUR STORY -- NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

IRISH Athletes Talk About Christmas Memories

A nice feature on a number of NOTRE DAME ATHLETES talking about Christmas, created by the gang at UND.COM.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LINK:  NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Latest News on Gunner Kiel's College Choice

Five-star QB Gunner Kiel is expected to announce his college choice in the next 24 hours -- though I wouldn't be surprised if this might wait for a few more days.

Folks at LSU believe he made his choice -- as rumors are flying around the web this morning that Kiel called LSU coach Les Miles, last night, to say he was committing to the Tigers.  The sentiment of many ND fans, on the web, is he's probably BAYOU BOUND.

However, didn't ND fans think another Five-star recruit was headed to another school (three years ago) with an "S & U" in its name -- and he (Manti Teo) shocked most recruiting experts when he chose the FIGHTING IRISH instead!  Stay tuned...

First Photo From Champs Sports Bowl: ND1

This photo of the Notre Dame Football Equipment Truck (AKA: ND1) was just "tweeted" from Orlando's Citrus Bowl -- site of next Thursday's CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL.  Photo tweeted by @NDirishfan91 Ross Pepin.  Here's a link to a blog story about ND's arrival in Orlando:

LINK:  ND FOOTBALL ARRIVES IN ORLANDO