College Football Awards Show -- Tonight...

The annual ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show airs tonight on ESPN at 7 PM EST.  Notre Dame's David Ruffer is the only member of the Fighting Irish up for an award -- as he's one of the three finalists for the Lou Groza Award for college football's top kicker.  The "red carpet" show begins at 6 PM EST on ESPNU.  Good Luck David!!!!  Here's a link to a the winners of all of the awards -- over the years:

LINK:  PREVIOUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARD WINNERS

2010 - 2011 Bowl Games -- Graduation Rates

Here's a look at every one of the 35 bowl games this season and the Graduation Success Rates (GSR) for each of the teams.   The GSR is the NCAA's calculation of the graduation rate of student athletes, over a six year period, after initial college enrollment.  It's an eye-opener.

Here's a ranking of the bowls by the "fewest graduated" amongst both teams:

1. Meinke Car Care Bowl:  South Florida (44 GSR) vs. Clemson (60 GSR)
2. Valero Alamo Bowl:  Oklahoma State (59 GSR) vs. Arizona (48 GSR)
3. Little Caesars Bowl:  Toledo (65 GSR) vs. Florida International (46 GSR)

Here's a ranking of the bowl games by the "most graduated" amongst both teams:

1. Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Notre Dame (96 GSR) vs. Miami, FL (81 GSR)
2. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl:  Army (85 GSR) vs. SMU (76 GSR)
3. TicketCity Bowl:  Northwestern (95 GSR) vs. Texas Tcch (69 GSR)

A PROPOSAL FOR UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS:  It's about time that the NCAA, BCS and the Bowls get together and factor in the Graduation Success Rates (GSR) of all of the bowl eligible teams -- especially when determining what 6-6 teams get into bowl games.  This year, there were two bowl eligible teams that were "overlooked" by the bowls;  Temple; 8-4 record (56 GSR) and Western Michigan University; 6-6 record (59 GSR).

The ND GO IRISH BLOG's proposal is as follows;

• Any team that has a record better than 6-6 automatically "qualifies" for a bowl, if there are enough spots.  

• All of the teams with 6-6 records would be ranked, for selection into bowl games, by their current GSR score for their football team.  The team with the highest GSR would be ranked #1 among the 6-6 teams.  If there were six spots available to teams with 6-6 records and there were 8 teams to pick from -- the six teams with the highest GSR would qualify for a bowl game.  The two teams with the lowest GSR would not be playing in a bowl game.

If these rules were in effect this bowl season -- the following would have happened:

• Temple, with their 8-4 record -- would be playing in a bowl game.
• Western Michigan, with their 6-6 record and 59 GSR -- would be playing in a bowl game.
• Florida International, with their 6-6 record and 46 GSR -- would not be playing in a bowl game.
• Tennessee, with their 6-6 record and 53 GSR -- would not be playing in a bowl game.
• UTEP, with their 6-6 record and 57 GSR -- would have been the last team qualifying for a bowl game.

Here's the 2010 - 2011 Bowl Game Schedule 

along with the GSR for the teams in each Bowl Game:

New Mexico Bowl -- December 18th

• UTEP:  57 GSR
• BYU:  62 GSR

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl -- December 18th

• Fresno State:  52 GSR
• Northern Illinois:  67 GSR

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl -- December 18th

• Troy:  75 GSR
• Ohio:  71 GSR

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl -- December 21st

• Southern Mississippi:  84 GSR
• Louisville:  63 GSR

  
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl -- December 22nd

• Utah:  62 GSR
• Boise State:  63 GSR

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl -- December 23rd

• San Diego State:  55 GSR
• Naval Academy:  92 GSR

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

• Hawaii:  46 GSR
• Tulsa:  66 GSR

Little Caesars Bowl -- December 26th

• Toledo:  65 GSR
• Florida International:  46 GSR

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl -- December 27th

• Georgia Tech:  49 GSR
• Air Force Academy:  86 GSR

Champs Sports Bowl -- December 28th

• North Carolina State:  56 GSR
• West Virginia:  72 GSR

Insight Bowl -- December 28th

• Missouri:  71 GSR
• Iowa:  79 GSR

Military Bowl -- December 29th

• Maryland:  64 GSR
• East Carolina:  63 GSR

Texas Bowl -- December 29th

• Illinois:  76 GSR
• Baylor:  64 GSR

Valermo Alamo Bowl -- December 29th

• Oklahoma State:  59 GSR
• Arizona:  48 GSR

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl -- December 30th

• Army:  85 GSR
• SMU:  76 GSR

New Era Pinstripes Bowl -- December 30th

• Kansas State:  69 GSR
• Syracuse:  76 GSR

Franklin American Mortgage Music Bowl -- December 30th

• North Carolina:  75 GSR
• Tennessee:  53 GSR

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl -- December 30th

• Washington:  82 GSR
• Nebraska:  68 GSR

Meineke Car Care Bowl -- December 31st

• South Florida:  46 GSR
• Clemson:  60 GSR

Hyundai Sun Bowl -- December 31st

• Miami, FL:  81 GSR
• Notre Dame:  96 GSR

Auto Zone Liberty Bowl -- December 31st

• UCF:  70 GSR
• Georgia:  68 GSR

Chick-fil-A Bowl -- December 31st

• Florida State:  64 GSR
• South Carolina:  57 GSR

TicketCity Bowl -- January 1st

• Northwestern:  95 GSR
• Texas Tech:  69 GSR

Outback Bowl -- January 1st

• Penn State:  84 GSR
• Florida:  67 GSR

Capital One Bowl -- January 1st

• Michigan State:  55 GSR
• Alabama:  67 GSR

Gator Bowl -- January 1st

• Michigan:  72 GSR
• Mississippi State:  64 GSR

Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO -- January 1st

• Wisconsin:  65 GSR
• TCU:  71 GSR

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl -- January 1st

• Oklahoma:  44 GSR
• UCONN:  77 GSR

Discover Orange Bowl -- January 3rd

• Virginia Tech:  79 GSR
• Stanford:  83 GSR

AllState Sugar Bowl -- January 4th

• Arkansas:  55 GSR
• Ohio State:  63 GSR

GoDaddy.com Bowl -- January 6th

• Miami, OH:  79 GSR
• Middle Tennessee:  55 GSR

AT&T Cotton Bowl -- January 7th 

• Texas A&M:  57 GSR
• LSU:  67 GSR

BBVA Compass Bowl -- January 8th

• Pittsburgh:  69 GSR
• Kentucky:  63 GSR

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl -- January 9th

• Boston College:  90 GSR
• Nevada:  66 GSR

Tostitos BCS National Championship Game -- January 10th

• Auburn:  63 GSR
• Oregon:  54 GSR

The Athletic Facilities Race -- Today's Reality

This is a little off topic and then again it isn't -- this is the reality for today's NCAA Division 1 athletic programs and our University of Notre Dame.

The University of Tennessee is in the process of raising money for a new Football Training Center.  To say their plans might be a "little over the top" -- would be an understatement.  You've just go to love their justification for such a facility;

As the UT-Knoxville campus continues to grow as a research and teaching institution, the need for academic space has become increasingly important. In an effort to address this issue, the University Master Plan has called for the antiquated Stokely Athletic Center (SAC) to be demolished in order to allow for an academic facility to be built in its place.  As a result, the University of Tennessee Athletic Department (UTAD) must relocate approximately 110 coaches and administrators.

If you don't think college football is "big business" -- you may change your mind after watching this:

LINK:  TENNESSEE'S FOOTBALL TRAINING CENTER

Notre Dame Receives $1.3 Million from US Army

The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) has awarded the University of Notre Dame's Colleges of Engineering and Science more than $1.3 million for the development of novel materials for improved battery technology.  The goal is to improve battery performance, reliability and safety for batteries that power military vehicles.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME "POWERS" THE US ARMY

Irish Basketball on TV Tonight -- 9:30 PM EST

Mike Brey's undefeated and 23rd ranked Fighting Irish Men's Basketball team is taking on John Calipari's 16th ranked Kentucky Wildcats on a so-called "neutral" floor tonight in Louisville, KY.  It's a matchup of "experience vs. talent" as Notre Dame's starting five (all seniors) take on Kentucky's talented freshman.  Be sure to tune in tonight at 9:30 PM EST on ESPN -- it's "OLD SCHOOL" versus "NEW SCHOOL."  Here's a few links to stories about tonight's game along with UND.COM's preview:

LINK:  ESPN CHICAGO -- PREVIEW

LINK:  WILDCATS THUNDER BLOG -- PREVIEW

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- PREVIEW

LINK:  UND.COM GAME NOTES -- PREVIEW

ESPN's Lame Attempt at a Sun Bowl Preview

You know it's quite sad when the "talking heads" at ESPN -- MAKE A JOKE -- about "renaming" the Hyundai Sun Bowl, because it has two of the teams with the highest graduation rates in college football (Notre Dame and Miami, FL) playing each other.

I felt sorry for former Notre Dame Hesiman Trophy winner, Tim Brown -- having to be associated with this crew.  Here's the link:

EDIT:  ESPN'S LAME ATTEMPT AT PREVIEWING THE SUN BOWL

Oregon Ducks WR -- Honors Declan Sullivan

D.J. Davis, a wide-receiver for the #1 ranked Oregon Ducks -- paid tribute to Notre Dame student, Declan Sullivan -- by wearing a photo of Declan in a protective covering attached to his belt.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  AN OREGON PLAYER'S TRIBUTE TO DECLAN

The "Leprechaun Legion" Blog Needs Our Help!

Dan Murphy a 2009 Notre Dame grad has entered his "Leprechaun Legion" Blog into the "Who's the Biggest Fan in the Big East" contest being sponsored by Volvo.  To vote for Dan as the BIGGEST FAN IN THE BIG EAST -- click on the link below.  The winner gets a Volvo, tickets to the Big East Championship tournament and a $10,000 check for their alma mater.  I told Dan that the ND GO IRISH BLOG gang would get behind him in this effort.  Go Irish!!! and Go Dan Murphy!!!

LINK:  BIGGEST FAN IN THE BIG EAST

LINK:  DAN MURPHY'S PROFILE

LINK:  LEPRECHAUN LEGION BLOG

Notre Dame's National Championship Teams

Since Lou Holtz's 1988 National Championship football team -- Notre Dame's Women's athletic teams have won FOUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.  The Men's teams have zero.

Now, to be fair the Notre Dame Fencing Team (Men & Women) has won four "combined" National Championships in that time frame.

The above photo is of the eight foot tall "Grace Hall #1 sign" that is lit up every time a Notre Dame team is ranked #1 in the country.  This tradition started in 1973 when Grace Hall put up this sign after the football team beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to win the 1973 National Championship.  That sign was lit again last Sunday night when Notre Dame's Fencing Team won the 2011 National Championship!

Here's a list of every Notre Dame National Championship team by year and by sport -- UPDATED on 4/4/11:

• 2011 National Champions:  Fencing (combined)
• 2010 National Champions:  Women's Soccer
• 2005 National Champions:  Fencing (combined)
• 2004 National Champions:  Women's Soccer
• 2003 National Champions:  Fencing (combined)
• 2001 National Champions:  Women's Basketball
• 1995 National Champions:  Women's Soccer
• 1994 National Champions:  Fencing (combined)
• 1988 National Champions:  Football
• 1987 National Champions:  Women's Fencing
• 1986 National Champions:  Men's Fencing
• 1978 National Champions:  Men's Fencing
• 1977 National Champions:  Football & Men's Fencing
• 1973 National Champions:  Football

NOTRE DAME ACCEPTS FIRST FEMALE STUDENTS: FALL OF 1973

• 1966 National Champions:  Football
• 1959 National Champions:  Tennis
• 1957 National Champions:  Cross Country
• 1949 National Champions:  Football
• 1947 National Champions:  Football
• 1946 National Champions:  Football
• 1944 National Champions:  Tennis &  Golf
• 1943 National Champions:  Football
• 1930 National Champions:  Football
• 1929 National Champions:  Football
• 1924 National Champions:  Football

NCAA All Tournament Team: Six from ND!

The 2010 Women's Soccer National Champions -- the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame -- was well represented on the All Tournament Team, with six team members among the eleven given this honor!  Notre Dame's Melissa Henderson (photo on right) was named Most Outstanding Offensive Player and Notre Dame's Jessica Schuveiller (photo on left) was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player.  CONGRATULATIONS!!! Here's the All Tournament Team:

• GK: Emily Oliver, Stanford
• GK: Katie Baumgardner, Ohio State
• D: Hannah Cerrone, Boston College
• D: Jessica Schuveiller, Notre Dame
• M: Courtney Barg, Notre Dame
• M: Mandy Laddish, Notre Dame
• F: Rose Augustin, Notre Dame
• F: Camille Levin, Stanford
• F: Christen Press, Stanford
• F: Adrianna Leon,  Notre Dame
• F: Melissa Henderson, Notre Dame
• Most Outstanding Offensive Player: Melissa Henderson, Notre Dame
• Most Outstanding Defensive Player: Jessica Schuveiller, Notre Dame

LINK:  2010 NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Fastest Sellout in Sun Bowl's 77 Year History!!!

Well, it took approximately 21 hours for the 2010 Hyundai Sun Bowl to be declared a SELLOUT!  To put this in perspective, last year's Sun Bowl game between Oklahoma and Stanford was the fastest sellout in Sun Bowl history and it took 16 days for them to sell out the 50,000 seat stadium.   

When was the last time we heard "Oklahoma and IRRELEVANT" in the same sentence on ESPN?

Now we know why the Hyundai Sun Bowl's CEO was in "tears" when he spoke with great joy about having Notre Dame play in their bowl game...

It just goes to show you that there's College Football and then there is NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL.

LINK:  SUN BOWL ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE

Brian Kelly Talks Sun Bowl Preparation...

University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly -- met with the media today to discuss Notre Dame's decision to play in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.  Coach Kelly also answered questions about the Miami Hurricanes, recruiting, the status of Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph for next season, etc.  Plenty of ground covered in the session.  There's a second link to a press conference that Notre Dame seniors Ian Williams and Robert Hughes, had with the media yesterday, to talk about Notre Dame's accepting an invitation to play in the Sun Bowl.  Here's the links:

LINK:  COACH KELLY TALKS SUN BOWL

LINK:  IAN WILLIAMS & ROBERT HUGHES TALK SUN BOWL

Hyundai Sun Bowl -- Sunday Teleconference

The 2010 Hyundai Sun Bowl pulled together a quick "media teleconference" yesterday afternoon -- to talk about their announcement that they have Notre Dame and Miami coming to El Paso, TX to play in their bowl game.  Here's a link:

LINK:  HYUNDAI SUN BOWL -- TELECONFERENCE

Rocket Ismail Talks "Brawl Miami"

I just had to bring this Rocket Ismail interview back again to the blog -- in light of Notre Dame's decision to accept an invitation yesterday to take on the Miami Hurricanes in the 2010 Hyundai Sun Bowl.  Rocket's "story-telling" of the pre-game fight in the 1988 game against Miami is legendary.  A little "kick-start" to a bowl game that's still 25 days away... Enjoy!

LINK:  ROCKET TELLIN' A STORY...

WOMEN'S SOCCER -- NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

The University of Notre Dame "welcomed home" its NATIONAL CHAMPIONS last night with a celebration in Purcell Pavillion for the Irish Women's Soccer Team!  Here's a link to the video along with another look back at Notre Dame's 1-0 win over Stanford for the National Championship, including the on field celebration, press conference, an interview with Coach Waldum and an interview with the game winning goal scorer, Adriana Leon.  What a wonderful day for NOTRE DAME!:

LINK:  THE NATIONAL CHAMPS COME HOME! 

LINK:  IRISH WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! 

LINK:  ON FIELD CELEBRATION 

LINK:  POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  INTERVIEW WITH COACH WALDRUM

LINK:  INTERVIEW WITH ADRIANA LEON

LINK:  COLLEGE CUP RECAP

THE AMAZING RACE: Another Win for Irish!

Notre Dame Alum, Thomas Wolfard '02 and his girlfriend Jill Haney won again last night -- reaching the finish line in South Korea before the other three teams!  This means they're among the final three teams left competing for the $1 million first prize -- in season 18 of CBS's globe-trotting adventure race.  Here's a link to an interview with Thomas and Jill -- after their win last night along with a replay of the entire episode:

LINK:  THOMAS AND JILL INTERVIEW 

LINK:  REPLAY -- CBS'S THE AMAZING RACE

THE HYUNDAI SUN BOWL IT IS FOR IRISH!!!

The University of Notre Dame accepted an invitation to the Hyundai Sun Bowl to take on the Miami Hurricanes @ Noon EST on New Year's Eve!  The game is played in El Paso, TX and will renew one of the most "INTENSE" rivalries in college history.  Hyundai Sun Bowl Chairman had this to say about their bowl game:  "We never in our wildest dreams in 77 years of bowl business thought we'd have a matchup like that.  This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to our community."

Yeah, Notre Dame is irrelevant...  Here's a few stories about the announcement -- along with video of a "teary eyed" Sun Bowl Official talking about "getting Notre Dame."

LINK:  KTSM-TV STORY

LINK:  SUN SENTINEL STORY

LINK:  MIAMI HERALD STORY 

LINK:  EL PASO TIMES STORY

LINK:  KVIA-TV STORY

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

LINK:  WNDU-TV STORY

LINK:  HYUNDAI SUN BOWL -- OFFICIAL WEBSITE

NOTRE DAME -- NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

The University of Notre Dame Women's Soccer Team beat Stanford this afternoon to win the 2010 NCAA Women's Soccer National Championship!!! The Irish only needed one goal, from freshman Adriana Leon, eleven minutes in the second half -- in their 1-0 win over the #1 ranked and undefeated Stanford Cardinal. Two Fun Facts from the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships:  Notre's last four goals in the tournament were scored by FRESHMAN!  And, Notre Dame is now undefeated -- the last three years -- every time junior, Melissa Henderson gets an assist!  Melissa assisted Leon's winning goal.  Here's a link to all of the coverage following today's THIRD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR NOTRE DAME'S WOMEN'S SOCCER PROGRAM!!!!

YOU CAN WELCOME HOME THE NATIONAL CHAMPS 

AT 8:30 PM THIS EVENING @ PURCELL PAVILLION!!!

LINK:  ESPN GAME STORY

LINK:  NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- GAME STORY

Irish Play for NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP @ NOON!!!

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame's Women's Soccer Team is playing in the National Championship game today at NOON EST against the top ranked, and undefeated, Stanford Cardinal.  It's the fourth time in the last seven years, and the eighth time overall. that the Irish will be playing in the National Championship final -- having won this game in 1995 and 2004.  This game will also mark the 300th game in Randy Waldrum's coaching career at Notre Dame.  The game will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com   Here's a link to the 2010 College Cup Tournament Central website where you'll see a video of Saturday's press conference and a link to today's South Bend Tribune story.   GO IRISH!!!!

LINK:  GAME DAY CENTRAL -- NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Are the Irish Heading to El Paso?

With both West Virginia and UCONN winning today -- and Washington beating Washington State -- all signs point to Notre Dame heading to El Paso, TX to play in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve!  And, don't be surprised if the Irish will be taking on the Miami Hurricanes -- in an "early renewal" of the "CATHOLICS vs. CONVICTS" series.  Notre Dame has called a press conference for Sunday to officially announce where the Irish will be "bowling!"  Here's a link to the Hyundai's Sun Bowl official website:

LINK:  HYUNDAI SUN BOWL -- OFFICIAL WEBSITE