Rudy Settles Today with SEC -- $382,866

Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger -- wrote a check today to the Securities Exchange Commission for $382,866 to settle charges that he deceived investors who bought stock in his sports drink company.  Here's a link to the Chicago Sun Times story:

LINK:  RUDY WRITES BIG CHECK TO SEC

Photo of the Day -- Notre Dame Christmas Tree

The University of Notre Dame's Main Building (AKA Golden Dome) -- has this Christmas Tree on display.

Nowhere Else But Notre Dame -- The Video

ND GO IRISH BLOG Oakland Country correspondent, Rick Rachner -- passed on this link tonight to this video tribute to Notre Dame Women's Basketball program.  It's really good.  Enjoy!

LINK:  NOWHERE ELSE BUT NOTRE DAME!

Irish Get HUGE OT Commit Today in Las Vegas!

They say "what happens in Vegas...stays in Vegas..."

Well, at 5 PM ET -- what happened in Vegas was 6'-6" 285 lb. offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley chose the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame!  Stanley, out of Bishop Gorman HS had offers from USC, Oregon, etc., -- he's a huge get for the Irish!

Here's a link to his announcement video and Las Vegas Sun story:

LINK:  HE'S NOT STAYING IN VEGAS!

LINK:  LAS VEGAS SUN STORY

ND's Brian Boitano Skating Special -- Sunday!

It didn't take long for the University of Notre Dame's brand "spanking" new ice arena to host a world-class event!  Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic Champion -- along with the band Chicago, the Band of the Fighting Irish and South Bend's 14 year-old Isabela Nanni put on quite a show in front of the NBC cameras in the Compton Family Ice Arena.

ND fans can watch the broadcast on NBC this Sunday from 4 PM to 6PM ET

Here's a link to show's promotion:  BRIAN BOITANO SKATING SPECATULAR

ND Football Awards Show -- Back Stage...

The folks at UND.COM have their act together...

This week's Irish Connection gives us ND fans a behind the scenes look at Notre Dame Football's Award Show.  You'll enjoy this!


LINK:  ND FOOTBALL AWARDS SHOW -- BACK STAGE!

Charlie Weis Tells All -- Chicago Tribune Story

Former University of Notre Dame head football coach, Charlie Weis '78 -- sat down with the Chicago Tribune's Brian Hamilton.  Weis was quite candid in his assessment of the five years in South Bend.  You'll find this a story worth reading.

LINK:  CHARLIE WEIS & NOTRE DAME

A Tale of Two Florida Bowls -- Take the Test!

Over the course of seven days in central Florida -- four college football teams will play bowl games in a stadium in Orlando and a stadium in Tampa.  Here's a quick analysis of the two bowl games:
 

• The game in Orlando pays out $2.25 million per team
• The game in Tampa pays out $3.5 million per team

• The game in Orlando features two teams who have lost a total of eight games this season
• The game in Tampa features two teams who played in their respective Conference Championship game

• The game in Orlando features two teams not ranked in the final Top 25 BCS Poll
• The game in Tampa features two teams who are ranked #16 and #17 in the final BCS Poll

• The game in Orlando had never been sold out in its previous 21 bowl games
• The game in Tampa has sold out multiple times in its previous 25 bowl games

• The game in Orlando is played in a stadium that has 72,000 seats
• The game in Tampa is played in a stadium that has 65,000 seats

TIME TO TAKE THE TEST!

Question:  Which bowl game is sold out?

Answer:  The Champs Sports Bowl game played in Orlando matching the Seminoles of Florida State vs. the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  This is Notre Dame's first appearance in the Champs Sports Bowl -- the GAME SOLD OUT -- FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER -- IN THREE DAYS!

Notes:  The Outback Bowl game in Tampa pits the SEC's Georgia Bulldogs vs. the Big Ten's Michigan State Spartans.  MSU has sold less than half of its tickets -- and it doesn't look good for them selling many more!  See the story:


LINK:  BIG TEN RUNNER-UP CAN'T SELL BOWL TICKETS

Senior Parents' Video -- Notre Dame Football

If you're prone to crying easily -- you may just want to grab the Kleenex right now!  This video, produced by the folks at the NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL VIDEO DEPARTMENT, is a wonderful testament to what it means to wear the GOLD HELMET from the parents' perspective.  This is very well done and a MUST SEE VIDEO!

LINK:  ND FOOTBALL PARENTS' VIDEO

The Smack Talk Begins -- Champs Sports Bowl

Florida State University players have already begun "talkin" about how they're going to blowout the Irish on December 29th in Orlando.  Here's video proof!

LINK:  FSU -- TALKIN' SMACK

The Brian Kelly Radio Show Tonight @ 7 PM ET

University of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly will be hosting his final radio show of the season TONIGHT at Legends.  Rumor has it he'll have a SPECIAL GUEST!  The fun begins at 7 PM ET -- and you can watch it here LIVE:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY RADIO SHOW -- WATCH IT LIVE

ND Mongoram Club -- Jacket Presentation

This is a special moment that many Notre Dame fans know very little about -- it's the awarding of a Notre Dame Letter Jacket.  Here's a video produced by UND.COM of the ceremony.  Click on the link below:

LINK:  FALL LETTER JACKET CEREMONY

ND Football Awards Show -- Highlight Video

The folks at UND.COM produced a highlight video for the 2011 ND Football Awards Show -- which was held this past Friday night at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the University of Notre Dame campus.  It's good!

LINK:  ND FOOTBALL AWARDS SHOW

Irish to Play in China? -- New York Times Article

The New York Times' Pete Thamel is reporting that the University of Notre Dame and Stanford University are in talks to play their 2013 football game in CHINA!  If true, this would represent the first time American football will be played in China.  BIG NEWS!  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL IN CHINA

Manti Teo Gives IRISH Fans an Early Present!

University of Notre Dame star linebacker, Manti Teo -- announced last night at the Lott Impact Trophy awards banquet, in Los Angeles, that he would be RETURNING for his senior season!  Many had speculated that Manti was headed to "NFL Millions" with a pick in the mid first round-- not so fast my friends!!!!  Here are links to the South Bend Tribune and Chicago Tribune stories -- along with an interview of Manti and Coach Kelly about the GREAT NEWS!  Irish fans will enjoy the Chicago Tribune and South Bend Tribune interview of Manti's Dad -- good stuff here!:

LINK:  MANTI TEO TO RETURN TO ND!

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE STORY 

LINK:  ERIC HANSEN STORY -- SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  MANTI & COACH KELLY INTERVIEW

My Favorite ND Commit From This Next Class!

His name is Tee Shepard and he's a defensive back from Fresno, CA.   The folks at FOXSPORTS recently caught up with Tee to tell his story.  All I will tell you is this -- Notre Dame fans are going to fall in love with Mr. Shepard, who committed to ND back in March.  Here's a direct link to the story.  THIS IS A MUST WATCH VIDEO!

LINK:  TEE SHEPARD

Mike Lee Wins Fight -- Now 8 - 0 as a Pro!

Notre Dame alum, Mike Lee '09 is now 8 - 0 as a professional boxer after his fourth round knockout of Allen Medina in his light heavyweight bout in front of 22,000 at Madison Square Garden Friday night.  Here's a link to some of the coverage:

LINK:  MIKE LEE INTERVIEW

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

Notre Dame Football & the Heisman Trophy

Last night -- Robert Griffin III, from Baylor University, became the 77th recipient of the Heisman Trophy.  If you regularly follow the ND GO IRISH BLOG you'll know that a week ago, we cast our Heisman vote for Griffin.  Congratulations!

Now, some fun and "not so fun" facts as they relate to the Heisman Trophy and the University of Notre Dame:

• Notre Dame's seven Heisman Trophy winners; Bertelli, Lujack, Hart, Lattner, Hornung, Huarte & Brown (pictured) -- still the most from one university!
• 22 of the 70 other Heisman Trophy winners played against the University of Notre Dame during their Heisman trophy season (including bowl games).  23 if you count the Heisman Trophy winner formerly known as Reggie Bush.
• The University of Notre Dame is (5 - 15 - 2) all-time in games played against teams with a player that won a Heisman Trophy that season (including bowl games).
• The past six winners of the Heisman Trophy did not play that season (including bowl game) against the University of Notre Dame -- the longest streak in the 77 year history of the Heisman Trophy without a ND player winning or an opponent's player winning the Heisman in a season.
  
• The worst team in history to have a Heisman Trophy winner was the 1956 Fighting Irish who won just 2 games during Paul Hornung's Heisman campaign.
• The last Heisman Trophy winner the Irish defeated was the 1993 game against Charlie Ward and the Florida State Seminoles.  ND fans will remember the Irish dropped the game the next week to Boston College, yet won their bowl game - only to see Florida State claim the National Championship with the same record as the Irish (even though ND beat them "head to head.").  I still haven't gotten over this!
• Notre Dame has now gone 24 seasons without a member of the Fighting Irish football team winning a Heisman Trophy -- which is now the longest consecutive season streak without a Heisman winner in a ND uniform, surpassing the 23 seasons between Huarte's and Brown's Heisman trophies. 

Here's a look at every Heisman Trophy winner who played against Notre Dame or played for Notre Dame.  You'll also see the score from that game - or, if it was an Irish player, the team record that year:

1939:  Nile Kinnick, Iowa -- Iowa 7 - ND 6
1943:  ANGELO BERTELLI, NOTRE DAME -- (9 - 1)
1945:  Doc Blanchard, Army -- Army 48 - ND 0
1946:  Glenn Davis, Army -- Army 0 - ND 0
1947:  JOHN LUJACK, NOTRE DAME -- (9 - 0)
1949:  LEON HART, NOTRE DAME -- (10 - 0)
1952:  Billy Vessels, Oklahoma -- ND 21 - Oklahoma 21
1953:  JOHN LATTNER, NOTRE DAME -- (9 - 0 - 1)
1956:  PAUL HORNUNG, NOTRE DAME -- (2 - 8)
1958:  Pete Dawkins, Army -- Army 14 - ND 2
1960:  Joe Bellino, Navy -- Navy 14 - ND 7
1961:  Ernie Davis, Syracuse  -- ND 17 - Syracuse 15
1963:  Roger Staubach, Navy -- Navy 35 - ND 14
1964:  JOHN HUARTE, NOTRE DAME -- (9 - 1)
1965:  Mike Garrett, USC -- ND 28 - USC 7
1968:  O.J. Simpson, USC -- ND 21 - USC 21
1972:  Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska -- Nebraska 40 - ND 6
1976:  Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh -- Pittsburgh 31 - ND 10
1977:  Earl Campbell, Texas -- ND 38 - Texas 10
1979:  Charles White, USC -- USC 42 - ND 23
1981:  Marcus Allen, USC -- USC 14 - ND 7
1987:  TIM BROWN, NOTRE DAME -- (8 - 4)
1991:  Desmond Howard, Michigan -- Michigan 24 - ND 14
1993:  Charlie Ward, Florida State -- ND 31 -- FSU 24
1994:  Rashaan Salaam, Colorado -- Colorado 41 - ND 24
1997:  Charles Woodson, Michigan -- Michigan 23 - ND 7
2001:  Eric Crouch, Nebraska -- Nebraska 27 - ND 10
2002:  Carson Palmer, USC -- USC 44 - ND 13
2004:  Matt Leinart, USC -- USC 41 - ND 10

Tate Coming in to His Own in Seattle

Here's a nice story about former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate.  Tate, has finally earned a starting spot for the Seahawaks and he's delivering!  Link to the story:

LINK:  TURNING GOLDEN AGAIN

NFL FILMS -- Feature on ND's David Ruffer!

University of Notre Dame kicker, David Ruffer is the subject of a NFL FILMS feature called "Rudy 2.0" -- this is really cool!!!

Notre Dame fans need to watch this!

LINK:  RUFFER -- NFL FILMS