Coach Kelly ESPN Interview -- Yesterday

University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly, agreed to sit down with an ESPN reporter yesterday to talk about the state of Notre Dame Football. You'll enjoy the interview. Click on the link below:

COACH KELLY WITH ESPN

Notre Dame Alum's -- Latest Book!

I posted a story about Notre Dame Alum (Class of 1979), Bryan Gruley, back on June 8th. At the time I was writing about his first book; Starvation Lake: A Mystery. Well Bryan, who "moonlights" as the Chicago Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, sent me a note this morning announcing the release of his latest book: The Hanging Tree -- which is available today at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon. To see some reviews of The Hanging Tree - click on the link below. I've also attached a link to Bryan's book tour schedule -- which begins today in Petoskey, MI. If you get a chance, please stop in and see Bryan -- and tell him the NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG sent you!

REVIEWS OF THE HANGING TREE

BUY THE BOOK HERE!

BRYAN GRULEY'S BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE

Live Coverage of Media Day -- This Friday!

The 2010 Notre Dame Football season "officially" begins this Friday with its annual Media Day. Coaches and players will be made available to the media and you can watch it LIVE on www.und.com. Their live coverage begins at 11:30 AM EST!

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL -- MEDIA DAY COVERAGE

Golic Up to the NFL Conditioning Test!

Former Notre Dame football player, father of two current ND football players and co-host of ESPN's "Mike & MIKE" -- Mike Golic, took on a unique challenge yesterday. Golic decided to take on the NFL Conditioning Test that the Washington Redskins' Albert Haynesworth continues to fail. Now, it goes without saying that Mike Greenberg (Golic's on air partner) was the impetus of this challenge. He told Golic there was no way a "fat former NFL player" could finish this test. Now mind you, if Haynesworth (29 years-old) doesn't pass this test -- his $115 - $120 million contract can be voided. So, 47 year-old Golic decided to take on the test of running two 300 yard "shuttle runs" in less than 143 seconds -- LIVE on the ESPN show "NFL LIVE." I won't spoil the fun -- when you get to the linked site below, first click on the video of the two of them arguing on the show. Then click on the second video which is Golic taking on the conditioning test:

GOLIC TAKES ON REDSKINS CONDITIONING TEST

NEWS REPORT OF GOLIC'S FEAT

Notre Dame Unveils New Game Day Site!

You're going to love the University of Notre Dame's new "Game Day" website! IT'S A MUST VISIT IF YOU'RE ATTENDING A NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAME THIS SEASON! Be sure to "click on" the "WHAT'S NEW FOR 2010" button -- which will take you to the new initiatives planned for Football Weekend's at Notre Dame. I'm very pleased to learn that the University is going to add "complimentary" shuttle service around campus-- a great idea! The first "Pep Rally" is set for South Quad on Friday, September 3rd -- it's the annual Dillon Hall Pep Rally, which was the best PEP RALLY last season! Here's a link to the Game Day site:

2010 NOTRE DAME GAME DAY SITE

ND's Steve Filer -- At It Again!

His athletic leaping ability is becoming YOUTUBE LEGEND -- we're talking about University of Notre Dame linebacker, Steve Filer. You'll recall he jumped out of a pool on to the pool deck (see below). The latest escapade of the 6'-3" 235 lb. OLB -- has him jumping over the "roped off" Notre Dame Monogram logo in their practice facility lockerroom. Take a look for yourself:

LEAPING ND IN A SINGLE BOUND

FILER'S POOL TRICK

Mike Mayock Named as Haden Replacement

Well, so much for my prediction of Joe Theismann! For what it's worth -- the hiring executive at NBC Sports really must have a desire for selecting graduates from schools who despise Notre Dame! Haden is a USC grad -- and get this, Mayock is a Boston College grad. Mayock is one of the NFL Draft gurus employed by the NFL Network. I'm assuming he'll keep that gig as well. I guess Mayock's replacement will come from the University of Michigan. Oh well...

Desert to Dome -- They're in Texas!

University of Notre Dame's Dean of the College of Science, Greg Crawford and his wife Renate (pictured) have rolled into Texas -- and they're still smiling! Here's a quick update as to what they've experienced in the Lone Star State so far:


DESERT TO DOME -- TEXAS RIDE

Notre Dame Asked to Save Great Lakes!

You've undoubtedly seen photos or videos of large fish literally "jumping into boats" in some rivers in the United States. These fish are called Asian Carp and they seek to potentially destroy the ecosystem of the Great Lakes. The invasive Asian Carp species is worrying officials as it is currently flying and leaping its way up the Mississippi River towards the Great Lakes, specifically Lake Michigan. This fish invasion, if it occurs, would devastate the ecosystem of the Great Lakes, the largest body of fresh water in the world, and would destroy the $7 billion sport fishing industry. The Asian Carp is so feared because an invasion of them in other bodies of water have caused the native fish to die as the Asian Carp eats up to 40% of their body weight in a day, and they number in the hundreds of thousands. The fish can grow to about four feet long and weigh up to 100 pounds, and has been moving up the Mississippi River, destroying it for decades. An electrical barrier was set up to stop the Asian Carp entering the Great Lakes ecosystem, but they appear to have breached that fence and are now only kept out due to a lock for ships outside of Lake Michigan. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association recently awarded the University of Notre Dame $2.5 million to go toward finding a new way to keep the Asian Carp out without closing waterways connecting Chicago's canals to Lake Michigan. "This program is positioned to detect what species will next affect the Great Lakes," said Christopher Jerde, a research assistant professor at Notre Dame. "We will study food chains and webs, locations and economic issues." Jerde said despite the fact that Asian carp, which includes the bighead and silver varieties, have been found below the electric barriers designed to keep the fish inside the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and out of Lake Michigan, it's still not too late to prevent them from taking over the Great Lakes. Good Luck!!! Here's a link to a story about a massive Asian Carp just caught in the Chicago River:

84 LB. ASIAN CARP CAUGHT IN CHICAGO RIVER!

Notre Dame Athlete to Leave on Mormon Misson

Chris Badger (Provo, UT), a member of Coach Kelly's first recruiting class at Notre Dame, has decided to leave school to serve his Mormon mission beginning September 1st. Chris will be serving his two-year mission in Ecuador and will be returning to Notre Dame to enroll in classes in September 2012 - with four years of NCAA eligibility remaining. Badger was admitted to Notre Dame in January -- allowing him to participate in Spring Practice with his Irish teammates. We wish Chris safe travels and a great life experience. Your Notre Dame Family looks forward to your return!

Why a Notre Dame Degree is Important

Lou Holtz was quick to sell high school athletes on the idea that choosing Notre Dame was a "forty year decision" -- not a four year decision. Twenty-five years later, Brian Kelly is making the same pitch. Here's why. FACT: The average career for a NFL player is 3 1/2 seasons. By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of all NFL Football players have either gone bankrupt or are under financial distress because of joblessness or divorce. That means the majority of these "kids" are 28 years old and broke. FACT: The average career of a NBA player is five seasons. Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke. I found this Sports Illustrated story on this very subject -- and ironically they interviewed former Notre Dame All American Rocket Ismail for the article. Rocket, while not broke, lost several million dollars due to self admitted "ignorance." In the story the writer infers that Ismail is more fortunate than most since "he has his Notre Dame degree..." I believe you'll find this story quite interesting.

FINANCIAL STRUGGLES FOR PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES

Notre Dame Professor Receives $1.9 Million

No, he didn't win the Indiana Lottery -- but, this Notre Dame professor potentially could save the lives of millions with this money. Marvin Miller, the George and Winifred Clark professor of Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame, has received a $1.9 million research grant from the National Institute of Health to advance tuberculosis research. 14.4 million people are infected by TB every year and 4,500 die each day from this disease. Here's a release from Notre Dame on Miller's planned research - along with a second link to Dr. Miller's biography:

FIGHTING TUBERCULOSIS

DR. MARVIN MILLER BIO

Track Brady Quinn's Training Camp Experience

Former Notre Dame star, Brady Quinn, is in his first training camp with the Denver Broncos -- after being traded in the offseason to Denver from Cleveland. One of Brady's fans has put together a nice website that tracks Quinn's progress in the Mile High City. Good Luck Brady! Here's the link:

BRADY QUINN'S WEBSITE

Clausen Fumbles Away First NFL Practice

Jimmy Clausen is getting over the jitters of being in his first NFL Training Camp. The second round draft pick, out of Notre Dame, is currently running as the third string QB for the Carolina Panthers. Here's a link to an ESPN story on Clausen's first day -- as well as a link to a NFL site that's selling Clausen's new jersey:




GETTING A CAREER STARTED

CLAUSEN'S NFL JERSEY

Are You Notre Dame Material?

The incoming freshman class at the University of Notre Dame (the Class of 2014) may well be its most accomplished in the classroom yet. Those who were admitted early were in the top 3.3% of their high school class, scored an average 1460 on the SAT (composite of the Math and Science scores) and had an average ACT score of 33.1. In addition, more than 400 Valedictorians who applied to Notre Dame were not accepted. Better keep studying and getting involved in extracurricular activities at your school and in your community!!! The photo (above) is of Katie Washington, the Valedictorian for Notre Dame's Class of 2010. Here's a link to an Observer article about Notre Dame's Class of 2014 along with a link to a site that claims to track admittance results for all Notre Dame students - including those on athletic scholarships:

THE CLASS OF 2014 -- THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED EVER?

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS -- TRACKER RESULTS

Desert to Dome -- Texas?

It's been a couple of days since the University of Notre Dame's Dean of the College of Science, Greg Crawford and his wife Renate Crawford have posted an update on their blog -- they're probably quite tired! This photo shows the pair climbing a "hill" (in Michigan we call it a mountain), during their ride through New Mexico. A 25 mile climb from 4,600 ft. in elevation to nearly 9,000 ft. above sea level -- on their ride from Tucson, AZ to the Notre Dame campus. The Crawford's are "bringing home" the relationship between the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and the University of Notre Dame. I believe they're in western Texas by now - here's a link to their blog:

DESERT TO DOME -- UPDATE

Your Irish QB -- A Great Story!

Dayne Crist is ready for his chance to lead the Fighting Irish! Here's a great story in today's Chicago Tribune on the "fat kid stuck in a skinny kid's body." Enjoy!

DAYNE CRIST -- NOTRE DAME QB!

Big Recruiting Weekend for Irish!

Over the last 24 hours -- Brian Kelly & staff received commitments from four of the top players in the country! The "gold rush" began at 11 AM yesterday morning when Justice Hayes, a running back out of Grand Blanc, MI chose the Irish over Michigan, Michigan State & Tennessee at a news conference at his high school. A couple of hours later; Anthony Rabasa, an OLB out of Miami, FL committed to the Irish. Rabasa chose ND over Florida, Florida State, UCLA and Miami. Then later yesterday -- out of nowhere -- Jalen Brown, a defensive back out of Irving, TX committed to the Irish, even though he's yet to visit the Notre Dame campus! Brown chose ND over Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Nebraska. Then this morning at 11 AM -- on live television in the South Bend area -- Aaron Lynch, the 6'6" 245 lb. defensive end out of Cape Coral, FL "made it four in less than 24" for the Fighting Irish. Lynch, one of the top defensive end prospects in the country - chose Notre Dame over Florida, Florida State and many, many other top programs. Welcome all to the Notre Dame Family! (Photo LtoR: Brown, Hayes, Lynch & Rabasa). The verbal commitments from these four prep stars brings the total to 16 for the Class of 2011 -- and a #6 national ranking for this Notre Dame recruiting class. High school Student-Athletes will make their commitment "official" next February -- though word on the street is Lynch will enroll early (January 2011). Here's a link to Lynch's "live" announcement:

LYNCH COMMITS TO NOTRE DAME

PHOTO OF THE DAY -- Golden Tate's Autograph!

Former University of Notre Dame All-American, Golden Tate, stayed after practice the other day signing autographs for Seahawk fans. One "avid" fan asked Golden to sign his head (see photo).

Grotto -- Five Days After Fire

This photo was taken this morning at the Grotto on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Five days earlier, a fire broke out inside the Grotto. As you can see, the small fire left its mark on the inside of the Grotto and burned away much of the ivy that draped the shrine. The University is still restricting access to the interior of the Grotto until it completes its inspection.