A Notre Dame Leprechaun Tells His Story !!!

Former Fightin' Irish Leprechaun Daniel Colt Collins '10  is proud to present his brand new behind-the-scenes book "Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun: Behind the Face of the Fighting Irish" now available at the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore and online at LeprechaunBook.com.

Collins is a "double Domer" -- earning a B.A. in 2010 and a J.D. from the Notre Dame Law School in 2013.

In his unfiltered tell-all book, Collins offers a never-before-seen insider's look at Notre Dame from his own first-hand perspective as he shares unforgettable stories about becoming the face of the Fighting Irish.

From the nerve-racking anxiety of annual Leprechaun tryouts and the surging energy of Notre Dame Stadium on game days, to the adventures that come with constant travel, service, celebrations, parades, and pep-rallies, his story offers inspiration, excitement, laughter, tears, and hope.

Ultimately, this must-read for every Fightin' Irish fan is a love story about a place, its people, and the joy that awaits all those who seize what life has to offer.

Every book sold through www.LeprechaunBook.com comes personally signed by Collins, who will host in-person book signings on campus at the Notre Dame Bookstore this Friday, September 20 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday (ND v. MSU Game Day) from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. 

LINK:  BUY THE BOOK

ND Women's Soccer Beats #1 North Carolina

The #8 ranked Fighting Irish traveled down to Chapel Hill today to take on the #1 ranked Tarheels -- and Randy Waldrum's Notre Dame squad won the match 1 - 0 !!!

Irish freshman star Morgan Andrews scored the lone goal in the first half on a header -- here's a link to a recap of today's game along with a second link to an ESPNW profile on Andrews:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME BEATS #1

LINK:  MORGAN ANDREWS

Game Highlights: Notre Dame 31 - Purdue 24

Here are the highlights from Notre Dame's 31 to 24 victory over Purdue.

LINK:  HIGHLIGHTS

Coach Kelly Purdue Post Game With Media

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly met with the media after last night's 31 - 24 win over Purdue:

LINK:  COACH KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

The Mornin' After Notre Dame Beats Purdue

Took the customary lap around the worldwide web this morning to see what the media is saying about Notre Dame's 31 to 24 win over Purdue.  Just click on the links below:

LINK:  WEST LAFAYETTE JOURNAL COURIER

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Two Big Plays in 4th Qtr. -- IRISH WIN!!!

A 82 yard TD catch by Davaris Daniels (photo above) -- and then three plays later -- Bennett Jackson intercepts a pass and returns it for a touchdown...  The Irish win 31-24 over Purdue.

THOSE TWO PLAYS CHANGED THE GAME!

It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy -- BUT IT IS A WIN!

LINK:  POST GAME COMMENTS

LINK:  BOX SCORE

GAME DAY for Notre Dame: Bring on Purdue!

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame play in PRIME TIME tonight at 8 PM ET on ABC against the Purdue Boilermakers.  Here's what the media is saying about the game:

LINK:  WEST LAFAYETTE JOURNAL COURIER

LINK:  WEST LAFAYETTE JOURNAL COURIER #2

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- LESAR

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- HANSEN

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- KEYS TO THE GAME

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE #2

The Chicago Blackhawks Tour of Notre Dame

Here's a NHL.COM video replay of the Chicago Blackhawks tour of Notre Dame earlier this week -- enjoy!  That's Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly shaking hands with the Stanley Cup Champioins' head coach Joel Quenneville.

LINK:  THE BLACKHAWKS AT NOTRE DAME

Blackhawks' Shaw Surprises ND Students!

The Chicago Blackhawks are here on the Notre Dame campus this week for training camp -- and last night Andrew Shaw and GM Stan Bowman dropped in on some students in Keenan Hall to play a little NHL 13 -- the video game!

(Photo above -- that's Shaw in the middle!)

LINK:  BLACKHAWKS AT NOTRE DAME

Think You Know the Rules of Golf? Lew Does!

Dr. Lew Blakey Ph.D., a Notre Dame alum (Class of 1954) -- is generally regarded as one of the world's foremost authorities on the rules of golf.  He has served on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee continuously since 2000 and the Joint USGA-R&A Rules of Golf Committee since 2001.  

During Lew's time on these Committees, the Rules of Golf were rewritten into a more modern form and many important issues were resolved including the problem of correcting an official’s error and the long-standing conflicts between the definitions of lost ball, substituted ball, and wrong ball. 

Blakey has worked as a Rules Official at many national championships including the U.S. Women’s Open and the U.S. Senior Open and, most notable, all four major men’s professional championships, the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship. 

Lew is also quite a player.  In 1991, Blakey won the Northern Virginia Senior Amateur Championship and the Delaware State Senior Amateur Championship. He also won the Washington Metropolitan Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship in 1992 and 1998 and has won six senior club championships at three different clubs. 

Lew and his wife Claire were recently seen at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course -- Lew with his clubs and Claire with her camera.  Here's a link below to Lew's website on the rules of golf and a link to a nice feature story on him:

In the photo above -- that's Lew on the right (light blue shirt), observing Vijay Singh make a proper drop at the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst. 

LINK:  THROUGH THE GREEN

LINK:  LEW BLAKEY PROFILE 

Domer to Take Over South Bend's Mayor Post

Mark Neal '83, the current Controller for the City of South Bend, will be elevated to Deputy Mayor in charge of the city -- when Mayor Pete Buttigieg deploys on February 28, 2014 to Afghanistan.

Buttigieg is expected to return to his mayoral post in late September (2014).

LINK:  BUTTIGIEG TO SERVE

Kate Markgraf '98 Returns Home to ND!!!

Former Notre Dame All-American an Olympic Gold Medalist Kate Markgraf (Class of 1998) -- returned home to South Bend to broadcast a men's soccer game.  Here's the story:

LINK:  RETURNING HOME

Coach Kelly's Last Media Session This Week

The Fighting Irish are 48 hours away from Purdue -- and head football coach Brian Kelly met with the media to talk about Saturday's game.

LINK:  COACH KELLY

Domer Frank Tripucka Passes Away Today

Frank Tripucka '49, the former Notre Dame QB, first-ever quarterback of the Denver Broncos and father of former Irish basketball star Kelly Tripucka -- passed away today at the age of 85.

Frank is one of only three Denver Broncos who have had their number retired.  Some will remember the gesture Tripucka made to Peyton Manning -- letting him bring the #18 out of retirement last season...

Here are links to the stories written in the past hour about Tripucka:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

LINK:  DENVER'S FIRST QB

LINK:  THE ORIGINAL #18

LINK:  A RING OF HONOR RECIPIENT

Domer Stan Bowman Gets Contract Extension

Notre Dame alum and Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman '95 received a two-year contract extension yesterday.  It was announced from the campus of Notre Dame -- as he brought his Stanley Cup Champs "home" for the start of their training camp.  Here's the story:

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Stanley Cup Champs Training at Notre Dame

The Chicago Blackhawks moved the start of their training camp to the University of Notre Dame this week.  One of their first stops yesterday afternoon was the Notre Dame Locker Room.

LINK:  BLACKHAWKS TRAINING AT NOTRE DAME 

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE STORY

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN-TIMES STORY

Purdue Head Football Coach Talks Notre Dame

The Purdue Boilermakers will host the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame this Saturday night in "PRIMETIME" on ABC.  Their head coach Darrell Hazell met with the media to talk about the game:

LINK:  HAZELL ON THE IRISH

Charlie Weis' Long Road Ahead in Lawrence

Charlie Weis '79 is the subject of a Grantland story about the difficulty path he's chosen to revive Kansas Jayhawk football.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  LONG ROAD

The Latest on Manti's Foot Injury

Former Notre Dame All-American Manti Te'o has been out of action for a few weeks now with a foot injury.  The injury has delayed his debut in the NFL regular season.  Here's the list:

LINK:  MANTI'S FOOT INJURY

Now I Know Why I've Been a Fan of This Guy

As you'll see if you read this article linked below -- Rasheed "the ball don't lie" Wallace is a huge fan of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame!


LINK:  RASHEED WALLACE