The Million Dollar Road Trip

The Million Dollar Road Trip, a national advertising campaign that promotes small businesses and entrepreneurship across America -- founded by Notre Dame alums; Walter and Patrick Hessert (Patrick on the left and Walter on the right, in photo) -- will pass through New York City this week as part of a yearlong cross-country tour.  In addition, the two "Domers" will host a tailgate at the Notre Dame vs. Army game this Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

The mission of the Million Dollar Road Trip is to inspire others to dream big and act boldly despite a poor economy.  The Notre Dame alums are traveling the nation in a bright blue Airstream trailer and sharing the stories of thousands of people from around the country who are continuing to take risk in pursuit of their passions.  Million Dollar Road Trip supports fellow entrepreneurs who the Hessert brothers meet on the road by awarding bi-weekly cash grants.  Recent recipients include: an ex-convict from Houston who started his own printing business using skills learned in prison classes; a high school Senior from Chicago's West Side who started a beverage company to pay for college; and a stay at home father in Iowa City who founded a gym in his garage.  Nominees are posted on their website (link below) where the public can vote for the most inspiring entrepreneur.

Over the course of the year, Walter and Patrick hope to sell $1 million dollars worth of advertising on the exterior of the Airstream and transform it into a mosaic of American businesses. Since the road trip's launch on July 4th, more than 120 businesses have purchased ad space on this traveling billboard. The Million Dollar Road Trip Airstream will cover over 40,000 miles, visit 48 states, pass through 50 of the nation's largest cities, and attend some of the most notable events in the country.  Good luck guys!  Here's a link to their website:

LINK:  THE MILLION DOLLAR ROAD TRIP

Notre Dame Changes Its Name...

The "College of Notre Dame" -- founded in 1895, in Baltimore -- has renamed itself as "Notre Dame of Maryland University."  You'll enjoy the story and especially the University's president's reply to a question regarding the "more famous -- University of Notre Dame, in South Bend, IN."  Here's a link to the story and the school's website:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME CHANGES ITS NAME 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY

UPDATED: ND's Defense -- National Ranking

It's time for our weekly look at where Notre Dame Football ranks in certain statistical categories amongst the 120 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision -- AFTER TEN GAMES OF THE 2010 SEASON.  In today's analysis you'll see how Notre Dame's defense currently stands on a national basis -- as compared to their final ranking for 2009 and against the top team in the country -- in each category this season.

DEFENSE -- TEAM STATISTICS

Quarterback Sacks:  2010 Rank - #17 with 26 QB sacks -- in 2009 we had 19 QB sacks for the season, ranking us #92 -- Florida State leads the country with 39 QB sacks.  

Tackles for Loss:  2010 Rank - #53 with an average of 6.0 tackles for loss per game -- in 2009 we averaged 6.0 tackles for loss per game, ranking us #48 in the country.  Boise State leads the country with an average of 8.89 tackles for loss per game.  

Interceptions:  2010 Rank - #38 with 11 interceptions -- in 2009 we had 12 interceptions for the season, ranking us #50 -- Alabama, Boston College, Florida, Ohio State and Tulsa lead the country with 17 interceptions. 

First Downs:  2010 Rank - #57 allowing an average of 19.5 first downs per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 19.67 first downs per game, ranking us #72   -- TCU leads the country giving up an average of 11.55 first downs per game.

Third Down Conversion Rate:  2010 Rank - #22 allowing only 35.44% conversion rate on third down -- in 2009 we allowed a 39.5% conversion rate, ranking us #67 -- West Virginia leads the country allowing only a 22.4%  conversion rate. 

Red Zone Efficiency:  2010 Rank - #36 allowing the team to score 79% of the time -- in 2009 we allowed teams to score 75% of the time, ranking us #15 -- Boise State leads the country allowing teams to score 50% of the time.

Turnovers Gained:  2010 Rank - #50 with 18 turnovers gained -- in 2009 we gained 19 turnovers for the season, ranking us #80 -- Hawaii and Oregon lead the country with 29 turnovers gained this season. 

Rushing Yards:  2010 Rank - #66 giving up an average of 155 yards rushing per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 170 yards rushing per game, ranking us #89 -- Boston College leads the country giving up an average of 74 yards rushing per game.  

Passing Yards:  2010 Rank - #76 giving up an average of 225 yards passing per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 227 yards passing per game, ranking us #76 in the country.  TCU leads the country giving up an average of 135 yards passing per game.

Total Yards:  2010 Rank - #66 giving up 380 yards per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 397 yards per game, ranking us #86 -- TCU leads the country giving up 223 yards per game.  

Points Allowed Per Game:  2010 Rank - #45 giving up 22.70 points per game -- in 2009 we gave up 25.3 points per game, ranking us #63 -- TCU leads the country giving up 10.91 points per game. 

DEFENSE -- INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Tackles Per Game:

• Manti Teo -- averaging 10.9 tackles per game -- ranked #9 in the country

Sacks:

• Darius Fleming -- 5.5 sacks this season -- ranked #55 in the country
• Ethan Johnson --  5.0 sacks this season -- ranked #68 in the country

Interceptions

• Harrison Smith -- 3 interceptions this season -- ranked #81 in the country

TOMORROW AN ANALYSIS OF THE NOTRE DAME OFFENSE

Notre Dame's Defensive Line: Talkin' Army

Three members of the University of Notre Dame's defensive line; Ethan Johnson, Sean Cwynar and Kapron Lewis Moore -- met with UND.COM's Jack Nolan yesterday to talk about Saturday's game against Army's "triple-option."  Here's the link:



LINK:  ND'S FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE!

Notre Dame Takes Over the Big Apple!

Only one school in America could take over Manhattan -- and it's that little school "in the middle of nowhere" -- the University of Notre Dame!  If you're a Notre Dame fan -- and you live in the New York area -- here's a schedule of when and where you can see the Irish in town -- along with a link to Notre Dame's GameDay site:





FRIDAY:

-11:30 AM:  Friday Football Luncheon @ Marriott Marquis, Times Square -- Regis Philbin '53 to host (you need a ticket)

-3:50 PM:  Notre Dame's "ringing of the closing bell" @ NASDAQ in Times Square -- Leprechaun & ND Cheerleaders along with ND administration  (open to the public)

-5:30 PM:  Pep Rally @ Lincoln Center  -- The Band of the Fighting Irish, Coach Kelly, etc. (open to the public)

SATURDAY:

-10:30 AM:  Mass @ St. Patrick's Cathedral  (open to the public)

-12:00 PM to 12:45 PM:  The Band of the Fighting Irish -- "Concert On The Steps"  in Times Square -- they'll be playing from the "steps" in Duffy Square above the TKTS booth  (open to the Public)

-1:30 PM to 6:00 PM:  Game Day in New York -- Tailgate @ Sheraton Hotel & Towers (sold out)

RUMOR HAS IT:  That the Band of the Fighting Irish will be jumping on the Subway to ride "Notre Dame Subway Alumni" designed subway cars -- out to Yankee Stadium.  I'm guessing they'll be doing this from Grand Central -- keep an eye out for this!

-7:00 PM:  Football game vs. Army @ Yankee Stadium -- a few standing room tickets were still available yesterday.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME "GAMEDAY" SITE

Coach Kelly's Press Conference -- Army Week

University of Notre Dame Football Coach, Brian Kelly -- met with the media today to talk about this Saturday's "prime time" game on NBC from Yankee Stadium.  This will be the 50th meeting between Army and Notre Dame, with the Irish holding a 37-8-4 advantage in the series.  Here's a link to the press conference:

LINK:  COACH BRIAN KELLY TALKS ARMY

Squeezing Football Fields Into Landmarks!

This Saturday -- football games will be played inside two of the "landmark" sports stadiums in the world;  Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field.  Football will be played, for the first time ever, this Saturday in the Yankees new $1.5 billion home -- when the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame host the Black Knights of West Point.  And, football returns to Chicago's Wrigley Field, for the first time in 40 years, when Northwestern hosts Illinois.  Here's the latest photos from each venue -- you'll see how "tight" the endzones and sidelines are.  Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly -- commented at today's press conference that they don't have any concerns about the field's proximity to some of Yankee Stadium's walls.  BREAKING NEWS:  The "proximity" of the infamous ivy covered outfield walls of Wrigley Field (see link below to photo) -- has led to a ONE WAY football game between Illinois and Northwestern tomorrow.  This link will take you to the breaking news story:

LINK:  THE END ZONE -- THAT ISN'T

New York Times History Lesson: ND vs. Army

A sports writer at the New York Times wrote a story today about the historical significance of the Notre Dame vs. Army game.  The photo (courtesy of the New York Times) is from the 1944 game at the old Yankee Stadium between Notre Dame and Army.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME vs. ARMY

A Tour of Yankee Stadium - ND's Home Field!

Here's a video done this spring by the YES Network -- on the new $1.5 billion home of the Yankees.  Since the Irish will be calling it "home" this Saturday night -- I thought you would enjoy seeing it.

LINK:  A TOUR OF YANKEE STADIUM

Regis On Notre Dame's Win Saturday

You'll want to click on this quickly -- because I'm sure the video will be gone soon!  Notre Dame alum, Regis Philbin '53 -- spoke yesterday morning about the Irish win over Utah.  Enjoy:

LINK:  REGIS TALKS IRISH!

A Salt Lake City Columnist's ND Experience

A Notre Dame alum sent this to me this morning -- it's a column that ran in yesterday's Deseret News -- a Salt Lake City newspaper.  The columnist, Brad Rock -- tells of his trip to the University of Notre Dame this past weekend -- covering the home team Utah Utes.  As you'll see in Rock's column -- he had a wonderful time visiting (what I like to call Notre Dame) "America's Holy Land."  Enjoy:

LINK:  NOSTALGIA THICK

Notre Dame's "Sleep" Research...

University of Notre Dame Professor, Jessica Payne, Ph.D. -- just finished a research study on the impact of having enough sleep each night.  The key finding:  People who regularly spend quality time with their pillow, around eight hours every night, have better memories than those who do not.  Dr. Payne noted, that by restructuring memories, good sleepers are also better able to come up with new and creative ideas.  "In our fast-paced society, one of the first things to go is our sleep.  I think that's based on a profound misunderstanding that the sleeping brain isn't doing anything." Payne added, "People who say they'll sleep when they're dead are sacrificing their ability to have good thoughts now."  Sounds like our Notre Dame defensive staff should get plenty to sleep this week as they come up with a "creative" approach to stopping Army's triple option!  Here's a link to an interview with Dr. Payne:


LINK:  SLEEP IS IMPORTANT!

Time Lapsed Video: Football @ Yankee Stadium!

The folks at UND.COM will have "un-precedented" coverage this Saturday of the 'first ever' football game inside the new Yankee Stadium -- beginning at 4 PM EST.  The New York Yankees' $1.5 billion home will serve as the "home field" for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame football team in their 7 PM EST game, this Saturday night, against Army.  It's PRIME TIME in the BIG APPLE for the Irish!  Here's a link to a "time-lapsed" UND.COM video of the transformation of Yankee stadium's baseball field into "Notre Dame Stadium EAST."  You'll also find a NY1 news story on what's going on inside Yankee Stadium and a link to the official Notre Dame vs. Army Facebook Page:

LINK:  TIME-LAPSED VIDEO OF YANKEE STADIUM CONVERSION!

LINK:  NY1 NEWS STORY

LINK:  NOTRE DAME vs. ARMY -- FACEBOOK PAGE

Yankee Stadium -- A Few Tickets Remain!

It's a game I've been excited about since it was announced last year -- Notre Dame vs. Army @ Yankee Stadium!  The University of Notre Dame just released a statement that a "very limited" amount of standing room only tickets will be sold beginning tomorrow morning (November 16th) at 8:30 AM EST -- for this Saturday's game.  Just call the Notre Dame Ticket Office at:  574.631.7356

Irish Women's Soccer Crushes USC!

In yesterday's second round game, of the 2010 Women's NCAA Soccer Championships, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rolled over the USC Trojans 4-0!  Coach Waldrum's #7 ranked Irish just dominated the #22 ranked Trojans as they move on to the Round of 16 for the seventh straight year.  Next up for the Irish -- #3rd ranked North Carolina on their home field this Saturday.  Notre Dame is 3-1, all time, in games played against North Carolina on the Tar Heels home field.  Good Luck Irish!

Sorin Wins 2010 Interhall Football Title!

There was a "big game" at Notre Dame Stadium Sunday -- yes, Sunday!  The University of Notre Dame's infamous Interhall Football Championship was held yesterday inside Notre Dame Stadium with the #1 seed Dillon Hall taking on the #2 seed Sorin Hall (College) in the championship game.  The game went into OVERTIME, with Sorin upsetting heavily favored Dillon 7-6 on a 17-yard third-down TD pass!  You'll love the quote from Sorin's QB in the Observer article.  Here's a link to the Observer story along with a link to the Sorin Otters' website:



LINK:  SORIN WINS CHAMPIONSHIP!

LINK:  SORIN HALL'S WEBSITE

Ruth Riley '01 -- Notre Dame's Ring of Honor!

Former Notre Dame All-American, NCAA Champion, WNBA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist -- Ruth Riley -- was inducted into Notre Dame's Ring of Honor this past Friday.  A banner with her "00" was hung from the rafters of Purcell Pavillion -- making her the first member of the Notre Dame's women's team to be so honored.  Riley, left Notre Dame as the first player to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in a career.  But, she'll always be remembered for the last two points scored in her college career -- click on the link below!  Congratulations Ruth!

LINK:  RILEY'S LAST TWO POINTS AT NOTRE DAME!

CBS's The Amazing Race: Domer Update

The team of Thomas Wolfard '02 and his girlfriend Jill Haney -- spent this week's globe trotting adventure show in Muscat, Oman.  And, they arrived at the "finish line" in first place - only to learn that they would be penalized for "paying a taxi driver" to show them how to drive their own car to a destination.  Their penalty -- a "30 minute timeout" -- meaning they had to wait another half-hour before their "race" was officially over.  Fortunately only one team reached the finish line while they were waiting -- so TEAM NOTRE DAME finished in 2nd place -- surviving another week!  Only five teams are left in CBS's The Amazing Race!  Here's a link to a replay of last night's episode:

LINK:  SEASON 17 OF CBS'S THE AMAZING RACE

A Sunday Conversation -- Coach Brian Kelly

University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly -- met with UND.COM's Jack Nolan this afternoon for their weekly Sunday chat.  The mood was a little different today -- in the wake of Notre Dame's 28-3 win over Utah.  Here's a link:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY CONVERSATION

A Utah Grad's First Visit to Notre Dame...

I found this online this morning -- it was a post on a site from a Utah grad who was in town for the game against the University of Notre Dame.  I thought ND fans would enjoy reading this.  The photo above is of the Utah Utes taking pictures of Touchdown Jesus after their Friday "walk through" at Notre Dame Stadium.

Posted by snowbirdute:  Sunday 14 November 2010, at 12:41 am -- Purchased a 45 dollar ND sweat shirt that I thought was really cool yesterday when I first saw it. But at that time I felt like "what was the need to buy another teams apparel? I'm a Ute!"... I gladly paid for it, at the register I took off my Utah shirt and put on the ND sweatshirt. why? I was treated 100 times better by the host school than the sports team of my own school this weekend.


In our tour yesterday the fine...and I mean "FINE" young lady expressed how difficult it was for the senior class to be the losing-est class to attend ND. She gave us detailed history such as steps at ND that no current students walk on until they graduate, because years ago some students were told if they hovered around these very steps they would not graduate. she told us how all the seniors were excited for the Marshmallow Fight at half time, she spoke with great pride on how the school built passage ways through buildings to abide by state laws dictating that "nothing shall impede the marching band". She patiently took pictures of hundreds of Ute fans in front of TD Jesus, cell phone camera shots of red clad fans in the stadium, smiled and pleasantly answered all questions asked. She explained the rivalry within dorms, and traditions surrounding statues, flags, pep rallies. As I put on that sweat shirt this evening I felt great pride in knowing I was wearing the colors of a school I believed in. I had admiration for how the students and fans behaved, I envied their spirit, and drive to achieve what has been, and what may be. I felt the shame of a fellow Utah fan that had been kicked out of the stadium disappear. For several moments I did not know anything about that "crazy lady" who wouldn't stop having voluntary convulsions in front of the band. 


For several rich moments, I didn't care about a drunk shirtless woman, exposing herself for attention at my own stadium during an --- kicking, because at that moment our co-eds were using their good looks, AND brains for attention, not just their breasts. For a few moments My QB dove for first downs not away from hits. I will forever have fond memories of this trip to South Bend Indiana in spite of a few token idiots who attempted to de-rail some amazing Utah fans reputations. 


We as fans are truly infants compared to this group. We have something to aspire too. I graduated from the University of Utah, and I will be a Ute til I die...but tonight its not Go Utes...Its Go Irish!