Best Selling Domer -- Takes Questions...

Former University of Notre Dame track star Nicholas Sparks '88 -- has been busy writing BEST SELLER AFTER BEST SELLER -- since his days in South Bend.  Six of his books have been adapted to movies; Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song. Two more are in various stages of development. The Lucky One will be released as a film April 20, 2012. "Safe Haven" is expected to be in theaters February 2013.

ABC purchased the TV rights to a Spark's archangel love story drama called The Watchers -- which will be his first foray into a television series.  We'll have to keep an eye out for this...

A few weeks ago, the folks at CNN.COM were able to get Nicholas to sit down and take some questions from his fans.  Enjoy!

LINK:  NICHOLAS SPARKS TAKES QUESTIONS

George Atkinson III Takes 7th in 60m Dash

University of Notre Dame's George Atkinson III competed this afternoon in the Men's 60 Meter Dash at the Indiana University Relays in Bloomington, IN.  Atkinson III, who showed off his speed during his rookie football season with the IRISH (running back two kick-offs for TD's), finished 7th in a time of 6.92 seconds.  He ran a 6.88 in the Semi-Finals.  His brother Josh Atkinson, finished 13th with a time of 6.97 in the Semi-Finals.  Photo:  You've just got to love the ND Leprechaun in the background on this TD against USC.

LINK:  INDIANA UNIVERSITY RELAYS

Is this the "NEXT" Great Hoops Star @ ND?

The name is Demetrius Jackson and he plays basketball at nearby Marian High School (Mishawaka, IN).  He's ranked by Rivals as one of the TOP TEN point guards in the country and it appears to be a battle between Michigan State, Butler and Notre Dame for his commitment.  THE VIDEO BELOW IS MUST SEE! 

GO IRISH!

LINK:  A SLAM DUNK YOU MUST SEE

LINK:  HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

Harrison Smith Playing in Senior Bowl Today!

Notre Dame fans can see former Irish football captain, Harrison Smith, wear his GOLD HELMET for the last time today at 4 PM ET on the NFL NETWORK -- as he suits up for the NORTH in the Senior Bowl.  Good luck Harrison!

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH -- ESPN INTERVIEW

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE STORY

Will There Be More Wearing the Gold Helmet?

National Signing Day is next Wednesday (February 1) and as of this very moment, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame can expect to add a class of seventeen talented high school stars.  Three of them are already on campus taking classes;  Gunner Kiel, Tee Shepard and Sheldon Day. 

Here's some of the accolades/achievements bestowed on these young men:

• Top QB in the country -- Gunner Kiel
• Top DB in the country -- Tee Shepard
• California's Mr. Football -- Deontay Greenberry
• Top Long Snapper in the country -- Scott Daly
• Top Triple Jumper in the country -- Chris Brown
• High School All-American honors:  Gunner Kiel, Tee Shepard, Deontay Greenberry, Sheldon Day, Elijah Shumate, KeiVarae Russell, Mark Harrell, Ronnie Stanley, Jarron Jones, Justin Ferguson

Here's a look at a highlight video of every player who's verbally committed to ND:

LINK:  GUNNER KEIL, QB

LINK:  TEE SHEPARD, DB

LINK:  SHELDON DAY, DL

LINK:  DEONTAY GREENBERRY, WR

LINK:  JARRON JONES, DL / OL

LINK:  WILLIAM MAHONE, RB

LINK:  KEIVARAE RUSSELL, RB / WR

LINK:  ELIJAH SHUMATE, DB

LINK:  RONNIE STANLEY, OL

LINK:  NICKY BARATTI, DB

LINK:  CHRIS BROWN, WR

LINK:  JUSTIN FERGUSON, WR

LINK:  MARK HARRELL, OL

LINK:  ROMEO OKWARA, DL

LINK:  C.J. PROSISE, DB

LINK:  JOHN TURNER, DB

LINK:  SCOTT DALY, LS

Are You Smarter Than an NFL QB?

Over the next few months we're going to be hearing about NFL hopefuls and their "WONDERLIC SCORES."  Some of the more famous Wonderlic scores among QB's:

• Ryan Fitzpatrick:  48
• Blaine Gabbert:  42 
• Alex Smith:  40
• Eli Manning:  39
• Colin Kaepernick:  38
• Matt Stafford:  38
• Tony Romo:  37
• Sam Bradford:  36
• Aaron Rodgers:  35
• Matt Leinart:  35
• Christian Ponder:  35
• Tom Brady:  33
• Matt Ryan:  32
• Matt Schaub:  31
• Rick Mirer:  31
• Phillip Rivers:  30
• Brady Quinn:  29
• Andy Dalton:  29
• John Elway:  29
• Mark Sanchez:  28
• Peyton Manning:  28
• Drew Brees:  28
• Josh Freeman:  27
• Joe Flacco:  27
• Ryan Mallett:  26 
• Carson Palmer:  26
• Jay Cutler:  26
• Ben Roethlisberger:  25
• Colt McCoy:  25
• Jamarcus Russell:  24
• Jimmy Clausen:  23
• Tim Tebow:  22
• Brett Favre:  22
• Cam Newton:  21 
• Michael Vick:  20
• Jake Locker:  20
• Dan Marino:  16
• Terry Bradshaw:  15
• Jim Kelly:  15
• Randall Cunningham:  15
• Donovan McNabb:  14
• Jeff George:  10
• Chris Leak:  8
• Terrelle Pryor:  7
• Vince Young:  6

LINK:  TAKE THE TEST!

Harrison Smith Impressing @ Senior Bowl!

Former University of Notre Dame football captain, Harrison Smith -- is turning NFL heads this week at the Senior Bowl.  So much so, that the ESPN gang decided to report on this!  HINT:  Quite a testament to Coach Longo and his team!

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH -- NFL'S FIRST TEST!

The Best Campus in College Football!

The folks at Bleacher Report came out today with their rankings of the top-50 college football campuses in America -- and, to no surprise here -- the University of Notre Dame campus was picked #1!   Special thanks to ND GO IRISH BLOG regular contributor Ken Devine for alerting me to this!

Here's a link to their rankings of the top 50:

LINK:  TOP FOOTBALL CAMPUS IN AMERICA!

NIKE Calls it Platinum -- I See Gray...

 

Here's the latest "creative" look coming out of the folks in Beaverton -- the NIKE PLATINUM uniform.  The gang at Adidas must just shake their head -- how do they get ahead?

UCONN will debut the new uniform this Sunday in their game against Notre Dame.

LINK:  THE NIKE PLATINUM -- ESPN STORY

Mike Floyd in All-Star Football Challenge!

University of Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd, has agreed to participate in the 14th Annual All-Star Football Challenge (ASFC).  Floyd and eleven other college football stars will compete in these individual events;  FRS Healthy Performance QB Scramble, U.S. Marines Obstacle Course, Wide Receiver Hands Competition and the Lineman Challenge. 

ND fans will be able to watch the ASFC on ESPN2 -- Super Bowl Sunday at 4 PM ET.  If you'd like to watch this in person -- the ASFC takes place on February 2nd in Indianapolis at the SportZone.  The doors open up at 6 PM with the competition set to begin at 7 PM.  Admission is not guaranteed and limited -- so arrive early!

If you'd like to see the Wide Receiver Hands Competition and the Obstacle Course from last season -- click on the video below:

LINK:  WHAT MIKE FLOYD WILL BE DOING...

Joe Montana's Home For Sale: $35 Million!

Former Notre Dame QB and Super Bowl Champion, Joe Montana -- just dropped the price of his home $14 million -- to a more "reasonable" price of $35,000,000.  The home is set on 500 acres of incredible real estate in northern California.  Here's a link to the story about the sale of the house and plenty of additional photos.  Good Luck Joe!

LINK:  MONTANA'S HOME FOR SALE

Justin Tuck Returns to the Super Bowl!

He wears #91 for the New York Giants -- Notre Dame fans will remember the #44 he wore with the GOLD HELMET.

Over the next two weeks, Mr. Tuck will be the focus of many interviews as he's become one of the media's "favorite gets" with the New York football Giants and he's a TEAM CAPTAIN.

Here's a few stories that have run in the past two days since Tuck & Company beat the 49'ers.  Enjoy!

LINK:  TUCK RETURNS TO THE SITE OF HIS GREATEST MOMENT

LINK:  ESPN'S "TUCK NOTEBOOK"

LINK:  TUCK'S TOUGHEST YEAR

#2 Irish Roll Over #9 Tennessee 72 - 44!

After a first half that would best be classified as SLOPPY -- Muffet's IRISH put away the Tennessee Vols with a second half burst that carried Notre Dame to a lopsided victory.  It just goes to show you how good this year's edition of the Fighting Irish is -- they played one half of basketball and beat the #9 team in the country by 28 points.

It was a special moment before the game when the Notre Dame crowd gave the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history, Tennessee's Pat Summitt, a very warm welcome when she was introduced.  Coach Summitt is fighting a very public battle with dementia -- a tough fight for a proud lady.  I know ND fans join me in wishing her all the best.

Here's a link to the game recap from ESPN and highlights from UND.COM:

LINK:  IRISH ROLL OVER VOLS

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Irish vs. Volunteers -- ESPN2's Big Monday!

Our #2 ranked Fighting Irish take on the #9 ranked Lady Vols tonight at 7 PM ET on ESPN2.  The perennial powers will be playing at Notre Dame's Purcell Pavillion.  The Irish have only beaten Tennessee once in women's basketball in 21 games -- that victory came last season.  Will Muffet add to her winning streak against Pat Summitt...  I believe she will!

LINK:  GAME NOTES

Photo of the Day: Sergio's Super Bowl Bound!

Domer Sergio Brown just "tweeted" this photo of him laying on the field at Gillette Stadium -- hours after he and his New England Patriot teammates earned a trip to Indianapolis, next week, to play in Super Bowl XLVI after beating the Baltimore Ravens 23 - 20.

Congratulations Sergio!

Hoops Across America -- Visits Notre Dame!

The folks at ESPNW are visiting sixteen college women's hoops programs -- and this week it was Notre Dame.  Here's a look at their story entitled "Love of the Irish drives volunteers."

LINK:  HOOPS ACROSS AMERICA

Coach Paterno, May You Rest In Peace...

Penn State University's "COACH" Joe Paterno, passed away this morning at the age of 85.  Here's a link to the ESPN & CNN stories along with a link to a FACEBOOK page where you can share your thoughts about Coach Paterno.

LINK:  ESPN STORY

LINK:  FACEBOOK PAGE

LINK:  CNN COVERAGE -- FANS MOURN PATERNO'S DEATH

Mornin' After Last Night's Historic Win!

For the eighth time in the 107 year history of Notre Dame basketball -- the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame beat the top ranked team in college basketball -- the seventh time at PURCELL PAVILLION.  Here's the highlights from ND's 67 - 58 win over Syracuse -- as well as links to what the media is sayin' about the game:

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY #1

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY #2

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINK:  SYRACUSE POST STANDARD

LINK:  SYRACUSE STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Where #1 Goes to LOSE! -- WOW!!!

Nine times in the 107 year history of Notre Dame basketball, the #1 team in the nation has come to campus to play the IRISH.  And, now SEVEN OUT OF NINE TIMES -- the IRISH BEAT #1!

My wife Susan and I are spending our first weekend at Notre Dame (after starting the new job at ND on Monday) and we watched the IRISH beat MICHIGAN (3 - 1) last night in hockey at a sold-out Compton Family Ice Arena...

And, we just watched the IRISH beat undefeated and #1 SYRACUSE (67 - 58) in a sold-out Purcell Pavillion!  The eighth time Notre Dame has beaten a #1 in basketball -- which ties them for fourth all time!

What a first weekend on the job!

The photo was taken by Susan at game's end -- what a scene!

GO IRISH!

LINK:  ESPN BLOG STORY

LINK:  LOCKER ROOM AFTER BIG WIN!

LINK:  COACH BREY PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  IRISH CONNECTION RECAP -- YOU'LL LOVE THIS!

Irish vs. #1 Syracuse: 6 PM ET on ESPN

Mike Brey's Fighting Irish take on their toughest test this evening when Jim Boeheim's (pictured) #1 ranked and undefeated -- Syracuse Orangemen come to Purcell Pavillion.  The game tips off at 6 PM ET TODAY on ESPN.

As I sit here (writing this blog post) ESPN's "High Def" production trucks are rolling onto campus.  Should be quite the show!

Here's a story published this morning by the Syracuse Post Standard -- you'll enjoy!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME -- WHERE #1 TEAMS GO TO LOSE