Kyle Rudolph -- Gatorade / NFL Films Series

Gatorade and the NFL FILMS teamed up to create a web series called "Everything To Prove" -- and former ND football star Kyle Rudoph was featured with fellow Viking draftee Christian Ponder.  FYI - that's Kyle above in his new uniform and number (#82).  Here's a link:

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH -- EVERYTHING TO PROVE

Notre Dame Football Update -- UND.COM

The gang at UND.COM did a feature today on the Offensive Line -- one of the more experienced OL's the Irish have had in a few seasons.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  UND.COM -- OL UPDATE

ND Coach Kelly on Rome Is Burning Today!

University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly will be appearing today (August 11th) on ESPN's "Rome Is Burning" -- the show airs at 4:30 PM ET -- on the self proclaimed "sports leader."

Here's a link to the interview:  COACH KELLY ON ROME

ND's 5th Practice Report -- UND.COM

The good folks at UND.COM were out at practice again today under absolutely BEAUTIFUL conditions!  It's the first day of fall camp that the NCAA would allow teams to practice in full pads.  Here's a link to UND.COM's coverage:

LINK:  PRACTICE REPORT -- UND.COM

Coach Kelly Meets With Media After Practice #5

University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly met with the media after his team practiced in full pads today for the first time during fall camp.  Here's a link to UND.COM's coverage:

LINK: COACH KELLY MEETS WITH MEDIA

ND's 4th Football Practice Report -- UND.COM

 

The Irish practiced in shoulder pads and shorts this afternoon -- for the last time before they put on "all" the equipment for tomorrow morning's practice.  Today's UND.COM feature focuses on the defensive backfield at ND.  Here's a link to the video:

LINK:  ND FOOTBALL PRACTICE REPORT -- UND.COM

NBC To Push Notre Dame Football to VERSUS

This should come as no surprise -- the Salt Lake Tribune broke a story this afternoon that NBC is going to "use" Notre Dame football to assist them in building distribution for their VERSUS network, by moving one to two ND games a year to their cable network.  The story also reported that VERSUS will become the NBC SPORTS CHANNEL in January.

My educated guess is this -- the University of Notre Dame and NBC will also announce a deal with NBC before year's end that will include the following:

• Select Notre Dame basketball (men's & women's) games will be aired on the NBC SPORTS CHANNEL
• Notre Dame hockey games will be aired on the NBC SPORTS CHANNEL
• As will games in every Varsity sport that Notre Dame plays -- they'll all have a select number of games televised on the NBC SPORTS CHANNEL

The NBC SPORTS CHANNEL is going to take on ESPNU, the Big Ten Network and any of the other cable TV carrier with college athletic programming.  This pending deal will also give Jack Swarbrick and the Notre Dame Athletic Department with a "platform" that will promote ALL of their sports on TV -- which is what the BIG TEN NETWORK offers the Big Ten schools right now.

And, it wouldn't surprise me if Notre Dame ends up with an "ownership" stake in this new network -- getting a piece of the subscription revenue that NBC is counting on from this play.

When all is said and done -- I believe Notre Dame will be able to say they have the best MEDIA package in college sports and "higher education" history when they get done with this NBC deal and with what they end up doing in the digital space.

Frankly -- I believe we'll have a NOTRE DAME NETWORK/CHANNEL on cable, on the web and possibly satellite radio before the end of this decade -- with NBC as our partner.  This network will also carry religious programming -- with the potential to become the CATHOLIC CHANNEL as well.  And, I can envision "educational" programming coming out of the academic engine at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame all the time...

It's got to be an exciting time for Fr. Jenkins and his senior management team at ND right now!

Here's a link to the Salt Lake Tribune story:

LINK:  NBC TO LEVERAGE THE NOTRE DAME BRAND

"Irish Chocolate" -- AKA ND's Louis Nix

He just might be the biggest player in college football this year wearing a "single digit" number on his uniform.  And, he just might be thee DIFFERENCE MAKER in the middle of the Notre Dame defense.

His name is Louis Nix -- he tips the scales at 326, he wears #9 and fans of Twitter will see him use the hash tag #IrishChocolate.

The folks at the South Bend Tribune may have found their "best interview" subject on the Fighting Irish football team -- here's the link to the story:


LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S IRISH CHOCOLATE

Coach Kelly on Scott Van Pelt's Show -- ESPN

Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly was a guest this afternoon on ESPN Radio's The Scott Van Pelt Show.  Here's a link to the interview:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY -- SCOTT VAN PELT

Former Notre Dame HFC Charlie Weis on ESPN

Former ND Football Coach Charlie Weis '78 allowed the ESPN cameras and former Gator QB Jesse Palmer into his QB meeting at Florida.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the "media" to talk about Charlie's "success" with Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen -- versus Tom Brady.  Were Quinn & Clausen ready for the pro game coming out of Charlie's program?

Thought ND fans would find this of interest:

LINK:  CHARLIE WEIS "TEACHING"

Forbes Ranks Notre Dame 18th in the Nation

Forbes just published its annual ranking of America's Top Colleges -- and the University of Notre Dame was selected 18th in the country.  The rankings are prepared exclusively for Forbes by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington, D.C. think tank founded by Ohio University economist Richard Vedder.  Their ranking of the top 650 colleges in America (see the methodology below) is quite controversial.  Here's their top 20 and a link to their list of 650:

1. Williams College
2. Princeton University
3. United States Military Academy
4. Amherst College
5. Stanford University
6. Harvard University
7. Haverford College
8. University of Chicago
9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
10. United States Air Force Academy
11. Northwestern University
12. Claremont McKenna College
13. California Institute of Technology
14. Yale University
15. Carleton College
16. Swarthmore College
17. United States Naval Academy
18. UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
19. Wellesley College
20. Colby College

LINK:  THE REST OF THE 630 RANKED COLLEGES

LINK:  METHODOLOGY BEHIND FORBES RANKINGS

ND's 3rd Football Practice Report -- UND.COM

If you're interested in the wide receiver position or what Notre Dame's Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco is thinking about his squad -- you'll find UND.COM was thinking like you today.  After watching Coach Diaco -- he's still not comfortable with the media -- he'll get better.  Here's the links:

LINK:  COACH DIACO

LINK:  PRACTICE REPORT

Jimmy -- Where Did It Go Wrong So Fast?

A few years ago, HBO Sports proclaimed Jimmy Clausen as the "LeBron James of high school football" during his prep days in southern California.  Well, if you look at the last year for LeBron James and Jimmy Clausen -- maybe HBO Sports was correct!

Who would have believed fifteen months ago that Clausen:

• Would not have been drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft
• He would only throw 3 TD passes in the thirteen games of his NFL rookie season
• That the team who drafted him in 2010 -- would turn around and draft a QB #1 overall in 2011

Here's a link to a Chicago Tribune story on Clausen's status in Carolina:

LINK:  CLAUSEN -- WHAT WENT WRONG?

ND's 2nd Football Practice Report -- UND.COM

The gang at UND.COM is back at it -- better than ever!  Here's a link to the practice report from practice #2 for the Notre Dame football program:

LINK:  UND.COM -- PRACTICE REPORT

Mike Lee's Fighting @ ND on September 16th

Mike Lee '09 was back "home" earlier this week (Notre Dame & Chicago) to promote his fight at Purcell Pavillion on Friday night of the Michigan State football weekend.  Lee, who's undefeated as a professional will make history -- as the University of Notre Dame will host a professional fight for the first time in the school's 169 year history!  It's a "must see" -- "must have" ticket for Notre Dame fans.  Here's a link to some interviews Mike's given this week:

LINK:  MIKE LEE WITH COMCAST CHICAGO

LINK:  MIKE LEE WITH UND.COM'S JACK NOLAN

ESPN @ Notre Dame for First Football Practice

The folks at ESPN showed up in force these past two days in South Bend, IN.  Here are the links to the stories they've filed:

LINK:  FAMILIARITY BREEDS STRENGTH

LINK:  PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  NOTES FROM ND'S FIRST PRACTICE

Coach Kelly's Media Session After Practice #1

Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly met with the media after today's first practice of the 2011 fall camp.  Here's a link to the UND.COM video:

LINK:  COACH KELLY MEDIA SESSION

Tim Abromaitis Named to US National Team!

University of Notre Dame's Tim Abromaitis was named to the US National Men's Basketball Team for the upcoming World University games in China.  He'll be joining three other ND basketball stars (from Muffet's team) at this tournament.  Here's a link to the South Bend Tribune story.  Congratulations Tim!

LINK:  ABROMAITIS -- US NATIONAL TEAM!

OT -- Got To Love This "Sting" Operation in AL!

I'm guessing the Indiana State Police could do this in Northern Indiana with a ND vs. USC ticket this month...  You'll get a laugh out of this!

LINK:  ALABAMA POLICE STING OPERATION

Irish Hoops Recruit Severly Injures Left Eye

Notre Dame basketball recruit Eric Katenda -- the 27th ranked power forward in the Class of 2011 suffered what is being called a freak injury in a pick up game last week.  The injury severed his optic nerve -- which has led to the permanent loss of vision in his left eye.  Here's a link to the ESPN.com story and a South Bend Tribune story:

LINK:  ND HOOPS RECRUIT LOSES VISION IN LEFT EYE

LINK:  NCAA CLEARINGHOUSE ISSUE