Did You Know? Soldier Field & Notre Dame

I learned something this evening -- the largest crowd ever to attend a college football game was held at Chicago's Soldier Field -- when 123,000 people watched Notre Dame beat USC; 7 to 6 on November 26, 1927.   

FYI:  Soldier Field now only seats 61,000 -- the smallest football stadium in the National Football League.

Notre Dame has played eleven games at Soldier Field and the Irish are unbeaten!  The IRISH have given up only 72 points in eleven games at Soldier Field -- pitching three shutouts.   Offensively, Notre Dame scored 88 points in their first 9 games at Soldier Field and 84 in the last 2 games...

 Here's the scores of the previous eleven games:

• 1924:  Notre Dame 13 -- Northwestern 6
• 1927:  Notre Dame 7 -- USC 6
• 1928:  Notre Dame 7 -- Navy 0
• 1929:  Notre Dame 19 -- Wisconsin 0
• 1929:  Notre Dame 19 -- Drake 7
• 1929:  Notre Dame 13 -- USC 12
• 1930:  Notre Dame 7 -- Army 6
• 1931:  Notre Dame 0 -- Northwestern 0
• 1942:  Notre Dame 13 -- Great Lakes 13
• 1952:  Notre Dame 42 -- Northwestern 7
• 1994:  Notre Dame 42 -- Northwestern 15

Tim Brown to Meet ND Fans on Saturday!

Former Notre Dame All-American Tim Brown -- will be located just east of Chicago's Field Museum from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM CT tomorrow (Saturday) with his HEISMAN TROPHY.  It's the 25th Anniversary of Tim's Heisman season at Notre Dame -- and the folks at Sports Illustrated and Nissan are putting on this event.

LINK:  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S HEISMAN TOUR

Notre Dame's Soldier Field Makeover: PHOTO!

Here's the first photo I've seen "tweeted" of Notre Dame's Soldier Field!  I like what we've done to the walls of the Stadium -- AWESOME!

Notre Dame's Chicago Pep Rally -- PHOTO!

Thousands of Notre Dame fans took over the Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago's Millennium Park this evening for the traditional Friday Pep Rally.  Here's a photo of The Band of the Fighting Irish on the stage.

This Video Will Fire You Up for MIAMI !!!

Notre Dame fans -- it's our time!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME VIDEO

Chicago Weather: Notre Dame vs. Miami

The weather's looking pretty good for this weekend in Chicago!

The latest forecast has partly sunny skies with a very little chance for rain.  Here's the forecast for the big events this weekend:

• Friday's Pep Rally:  51 degrees -- mostly cloudy
• Saturday's Kick-Off:  47 degrees -- ZERO CHANCE OF RAIN

LINK:  CHICAGO -- WEATHER CHANNEL FORECAST

Miami Week: Coach Kelly With Media Thursday

The University of Notre Dame's head football coach Brian Kelly -- met with the media after practice yesterday for the last time before Saturday night's game with Miami.  Take a look!

LINK:  COACH KELLY WITH MEDIA

Manti Inteview: College Gameday Saturday

University of Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Teo was interviewed this week for a segment that will air Saturday morning on ESPN's College Gameday.  Here's a photo of ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski with Manti during the interview.

Notre Dame Football Players Talk Miami

The University of Notre Dame football team will be heading "just up the road" tomorrow for the Shamrock Series game at Soldier Field against the Miami Hurricanes Saturday night.  This will the third PRIME TIME appearance in a row for the IRISH!

Here's a link to a UND.COM interview with a number of the IRISH players:

LINK:  ND FOOTBALL TALKS MIAMI

Saint Mary's Creates Their Own "Animal House"

Senior students at Saint Mary's College (Notre Dame, IN) were given the option this fall semester to bring their dog or cat to school -- to LIVE with them -- in their dorm room.  It was a marketing effort to get more seniors to live in the dorms -- and it worked!

I've been meaning to share this story for sometime.  Click on the links below:

LINK:  ANIMAL HOUSE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

Notre Dame Connection to MLB's Triple Crown!

This evening -- some time after 10 PM ET -- Miguel Cabrera will become the 15th player in the history of Major League Baseball to win the "Triple Crown."

And, the first to win it in the last 45 years -- when a former Notre Dame student by the name of Carl Yastrzemski (photo) won the Triple Crown in 1967 playing for the Boston Red Sox.

As a fan of the Detroit Tigers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish I just had to make this connection!

LINK:  YAZ TALKS ABOUT CABRERA

"Save Jimmy Johnson's ___ For Me" -- Holtz

It's been 24 years since these words were said in the Notre Dame locker room prior to the game against Miami in 1988...

This story will be told forever.

The gang at Fighting Irish Digital Media caught up with Coach Holtz, Pat Terrell, Steve Belles, Tony Rice and Scott Kowalkowski to talk about that moment.

LINK: SAVE JIMMY JOHNSON FOR ME...

Coach Kelly: Miami Week Press Conference

Coach Kelly met with the media for the first time in ten days -- as the IRISH get ready for Saturday's Shamrock Series game against Miami at Chicago's Soldier Field.  It's going to be a good one!

LINK:  COACH KELLY PRESSER

Fox's Jimmy Johnson Talks ND vs. Miami

It didn't take long for the folks at the Sun Sentinel to reach out to the former Miami Hurricanes coach to talk about Notre Dame.  As you will see in this story -- he hasn't lost his bravado...

LINK:  JOHNSON TALKS NOTRE DAME

Rocket Ismail's "Brawl Miami" Story!!!

If you ever want to get fired up for a significant Notre Dame football game -- you just have to turn on this video. 

A few years ago, Rocket Ismail sat down with Aaron Taylor to tell the story about the "fight in the tunnel" before the 1988 game against Miami.

If this doesn't get your heart racing, arms tingling, etc., -- nothing will!

GO IRISH!

LINK:  BRAWL MIAMI

Lou Holtz Talks Notre Dame vs. Miami 1988

The gang at Fighting Irish Digital Media have been highlighting 125 great stories about Notre Dame Football -- and surprise, surprise -- today's story is Notre Dame vs. Miami -- 1988.

You'll also hear from Tony Rice and Scott Kowalkowski.

Enjoy!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME vs. MIAMI 1988

South Bend Celebrates & Thanks Notre Dame

On the eve of Notre Dame's 170th birthday -- South Bend's Center for History honored the university and its contributions to the Michiana region -- last Wednesday night.  As part of the celebration, two video were produced that I thought were quite excellent -- see the links below.  Enjoy!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME & SOUTH BEND

LINK:  THANK YOU -- NOTRE DAME

Miami Hurricanes' Coach Talks Notre Dame

University of Miami Hurricanes head football coach Al Golden -- with a last name like that he should be working in South Bend -- was on a local radio show (WQAM) to talk Notre Dame.  I've also updated this story with his press conference today.  Here's the link:

LINK:  MIAMI COACH TALKS NOTRE DAME

LINK:  TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE

Know Thy Opponent: Miami Hurricanes Week

Took a lap around the internet to see what the "hometown" media in south Florida has to say about Saturday's game between their Hurricanes and our Fighting Irish.  As most Notre Dame fans know, this has been an interesting rivalry over the years.  Here's what the media has to say:


LINK:  MIAMI HERALD #1

LINK:  MIAMI HERALD #2

LINK:  SUN SENTINEL #1

LINK:  SUN SENTINEL #2

LINK:  SUN SENTINEL #3

Manti's Captain Jersey for Shamrock Series!

This photo was "tweeted" by Notre Dame's Ryan Grooms -- and it's of the jersey Manti Teo will be wearing in Saturday night's game at Chicago's Soldier Field.

Note the "four stars" on the band of the jersey -- they represent the four stars on the City of Chicago's flag.