Notre Dame Feature on Lee Kiefer in 2017

Photo of the Day: Lee Kiefer '17 Gold Medalist

The former Fighting Irish star just won an Olympic Gold Medal -- the first ever for an American (man or woman) in Foil!

Lee's husband, Gerek Meinhardt '13 is currently ranked #2 in the world in Foil -- and he begins his Olympic journey tonight at 10:35 PM ET

OLYMPIC FUN FACT:  America has won only three Olympic Gold Medals in history in Fencing -- and all three have been won by former Notre Dame student-athletes!

• 2004:  Mariel Zagunis, Sabre Olympic Gold Medalist
• 2008:  Mariel Zagunis, Sabre Olympic Gold Medalist
• 2021:  Lee Kiefer, Foil Olympic Gold Medalist
  

Notre Dame's "Power Couple" at Olympics!

 

Just minutes ago -- Lee Kiefer just became the first American ever to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the Foil!  

Here's the moment it happened:  OLYMPIC HISTORY

Her husband (and fellow Domer) Gerek Meinhardt is currently ranked #2 in the World -- he begins his quest for a Gold Medal in the Foil this evening at 10:35 PM ET

Kiefer Wins First Ever GOLD MEDAL for USA!

No American has ever won an OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL before or, an individual medal of any color for that matter -- men or women -- in FOIL.

Notre Dame alum Lee Kiefer makes history!!!

Brady Quinn Talks NIL on Dan Patrick Show...

Pat Connaughton on Dan Patrick Show...

Olympics Start Tonight -- Cheer on Our Irish!

The Opening Ceremonies for the 2021 Olympic Games in Japan -- started this morning LIVE at 7 AM ET on NBC.  The "encore" TV coverage begins this evening at 7:30 PM ET -- again on NBC.

The University of Notre Dame will be well represented in Tokyo these next few months -- with a total of 24 athletes and coaches on Olympic & Paralympic Teams!

Here's the list of all of the athletes and coaches who currently call or did call -- Notre Dame home:

TEAM USA (17):

• Yared Nuguse -- Track & Field Team
• Molly Seidel -- Track & Field Team
• Sam Grewe -- Track & Field  -- PARALYMPIAN
  
• Skylar Diggins-Smith -- Basketball
• Jewell Loyd -- Basketball
• Jackie Young -- Basketball
• Molly Bruggemann -- Rowing
• Kevin Hurley -- Fencing
• Nick Itkin -- Fencing
  
• Gerek Meinhardt -- Fencing
• Lee Kiefer -- Fencing
• Sabrina Massislas -- Fencing
• Mariel Zagunis -- Fencing
• Francesca Russo -- Fencing
• Angie Akers -- Beach Volleyball (coach)
• Bucky Leach -- Fencing (coach)
• Christian Rascioni -- Fencing (coach)
  

 

TEAM CANADA (1):

• Natalie Achonwa -- Basketball
  

 

TEAM HONG KONG (1):

• Kaylin Hsieh -- Fencing 

 

TEAM MONTENGRO (1):

• Ilija Tadic -- Fencing
  

 

TEAM PANAMA (2):

• Tyler Christianson -- Swimming
• Mike Litzinger -- Swimming (coach)
  

 

TEAM POLAND (1):

• Ewa Nelip  -- Fencing 

TEAM SINGAPORE (1):

• Anita Berhier -- Fencing

 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S TRACKING OF OLYMPIANS

Marcus Freeman at Rockne Gala in Chicago

Notre Dame Club of Chicago's 2021 Rockne Gala from Notre Dame Club of Chicago on Vimeo.

A Custom Golf Car -- The Build Begins!

I joined the Development Team at the University of Notre Dame back in January of 2012 -- in December that same year, we moved into our new home just a couple of blocks away...

In that new home, we specifically designed an area in the garage to park a golf car -- that was more than eight years ago.  I've been waiting a long time to finally have that golf car built!

This past February, I started the process of talking with custom golf car builders who could help create my long dreamed Notre Dame themed golf car.  Surprisingly, most every company I spoke with had been severely impacted by COVID.  They've been unable to acquire used golf cars from golf courses (they are hanging on to them for another year) limiting their ability to find inventory for custom golf car builds.

So, I had to expand my search beyond Indiana, Michigan and Illinois -- which led me to seeking out one of the top players in this space, EXCESSIVE CARTS out of the Dallas, TX.  Rob & Stacie Wallach have built quite a business out of "tricking out" new and used golf cars -- and, they've agreed to build my golf car.

The custom golf car (pictured above) is one of the many that Excessive Carts has built for customers around the world.

Back in April, we began the process of designing the golf car and doing our best to try to match the helmet paint color of our Notre Dame Football team -- it's a color you can't order at any paint store.  It's made exclusively for Notre Dame by Finish Line Industries and their company Hydro Graphics, Inc.

So -- we had to look around to try to find the closest match to that exquisite GOLD HELMET.  We ended up choosing a powder coat color called GOLD GLITZ from a company called Columbia Coatings in Columbia, TN -- this took a lot longer than I had hoped...

That takes us to today -- Rob & Stacie just sent this video clip of the first golf car parts that have been powder coated in the Gold Glitz color and delivered to their production floor -- here's the video...

 

The plan, is to keep you updated with the build of this golf car over the next few weeks -- here at the ND GO IRISH BLOG. As you can see in the photo below -- they've just begun the build!  My hope is to have the completed golf car delivered to South Bend in mid to late August.

 

 

 

The bottom photo is the MadJax 4" Lift Kit powder coated in Gold Glitz

 

 

 

 

Replay: Milwaukee Buck's NBA Champ Parade

 

Our guy Pat Connaughton is introduced to the thousands in attendance at the 2:02:18 mark.

You will also find Pat in the parade for the first time at the 35:50 mark.

Pat Connaughton: NBA Finals Victory Presser

ACC Commissioner Talks Notre Dame Football

 

Jim Phillips, the new Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference is well acquainted with the University of Notre Dame.  He is a parent of two Notre Dame students and he's a former member of the Notre Dame Athletics staff -- serving as an Associate Director of Athletics for the Fighting Irish from 2000-2004...

Watch the Bucks Parade Today at NOON ET

The Milwaukee Bucks will be celebrating their NBA Championship today at NOON ET -- you can watch it all LIVE right here at the LINK below -- be sure to keep an eye out for Pat Connaughton!!!

LINK:  MILWAUKEE BUCKS PARADE

Must See: Monty Williams Post Game Presser

 

This is a special man...

Our NBA Champ's Post Game Interview...

Our Guy Pat Connaughton -- NBA CHAMPION!

Notre Dame's Pat Connaughton -- front row and center of NBA Championship photo!  Click on photo to enlarge...

Extremely Proud of This Notre Dame Graduate

 

This is what a class act does -- minutes after losing a chance at an NBA Championship as a head coach...

 Monty Williams -- you are a wonderful human being.

Notre Dame's "Shake Down the Thunder Shoe"

Got to love this new shoe from Under Armour that has a gold lightning strike on the heel...

Big Night for Pat Connaughton & Milwaukee!

 

What a night it could be for the fans of the Milwaukee Bucks.  The city is building a second "watch party" area, just north of the Fiserv Forum on a vacant site where a hotel is to be constructed.  

They are expecting a total of 65,000 people will be "outside" the arena watching the game -- see photo below from ND GO IRISH BLOG regular Brian Couch '84

Here's hoping they get a win and our guy Pat Connaughton earns a RING!  

Sorry Monty -- Pat is a good friend.

Monty Talks Preparation for Elimination Game

 

Fast forward the video to the 11:56 mark to watch Monty Williams' press conference...