Sun Bowl: El Paso's "Touch of Notre Dame"

Cathedral High School -- an all boys Catholic high school in El Paso, TX -- established in 1927, has taken on many of the traditions of the University of Notre Dame.  Here's a link to a story I know you'll enjoy, along with a link to the school's website:


LINK:  CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL'S LINK TO ND

LINK:  CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL'S WEBSITE

Today's Media Session -- Coach Kelly

Notre Dame head football coach, Brian Kelly -- met with the media for the first time in the last six days -- today at the Guglielmino Athletic Complex.  He talked about the new Notre Dame Football Awards Banquet (which will be held on January 22nd), yesterday's decision by the St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney, Miami preparation, the QB position, Dayne Crist, etc,.  Here's the story:

LINK:  COACH KELLY WITH THE MEDIA TODAY

A "Notre Dame" Christmas for Cancer Patients

This past week the University of Notre Dame Athletic Department had its annual Christmas Party for 100 families from the Michiana area who have children battling cancer at Memorial Hospital.  Many Notre Dame student-athletes have "adopted" these kids as part of the "Fighting Irish Fight for Life" program.   You'll enjoy this video -- I posted this story earlier this week, but I didn't have a direct link to the video -- now we do!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME CHRISTMAS PARTY

"Domer" Cunningham Stays at Tulsa!!!

Fomer Notre Dame student and long-time administrator in the Irish athletic department, Bubba Cunningham '84 -- did a "180" yesterday afternoon and decided not to take the Athletic Director's position at the University of Kansas.  Cunningham instead, signed a contract extension with the University of Tulsa to remain as its Athletic Director.  What was rumored as a "done deal" on Tuesday -- is no more -- and the Kansas media is not to happy about this!  Current Deputy Athletic Director at Notre Dame, Bill Scholl was rumored to also be a candidate for the position at Kansas -- maybe he'll be their hire?  Here are the links to the stories:



LINK:  KANSAS DOESN'T GET DEAL DONE WITH CUNNINGHAM!

LINK:  CUNNINGHAM TO REMAIN AT TULSA

ND Students Head Home for Christmas!

Today is the the University of Notre Dame's last day of Final Exams for the Fall Semester -- the dorms will be closing, so students will be heading home for the Christmas break.  To get the Notre Dame Family "in the spirit" of Christmas -- here's a link to Notre Dame's Glee Club signing some Christmas carols.  Enjoy!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S GLEE CLUB -- CHRISTMAS CAROLS

Mike Haywood Introduced as Pitt Head Coach

Former Notre Dame student-athlete and Offensive Coordinator -- Mike Haywood, was introduced yesterday afternoon as the 35th head coach in the history of the Pitt Panther football program.  Haywood a 1986 graduate of the University of Notre Dame -- becomes the first African American head football coach in Pitt's history.  During yesterday's press conference Haywood announced that he had "already cleaned out his office" at Miami of Ohio -- where he led the RedHawks to the Mid American Conference Championship this year -- and that he would begin "recruiting immediately."  Haywood will not be coaching Miami of Ohio in their upcoming GoDaddy.com Bowl game.  FYI:  NOTRE DAME PLAYS @ PITT ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2011.   Here's a link to the video from the press conference introducing Haywood -- along with links to stories from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pitt University Athletics site.  Congratulations Mike!

LINK:  PRESS CONFERENCE -- INTRODUCING HAYWOOD 

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE STORY

LINK:  PITT ATHLETICS OFFICIAL SITE

Kiper & McShay -- Best Bowl Matchups

ESPN'S Mel Kiper and Todd McShay did a segment today on the best "bowl matchups" this next month -- and surprise, surprise -- Notre Dame was involved in the conversation.  Here's a link:

LINK:  ESPN'S KIPER & McSHAY ON BEST BOWL MATCHUPS

Harvard, Yale and Notre Dame: Graduate!

The Chronicle of Higher Education, just came out this week with a study that compared graduation rates at public and private research universities in 2002 and 2008, surveying students who enrolled in 1996 and 2002, respectively.  And, the top three schools in America for graduating its students are:

• Harvard:  98%
• Yale:  97%
• Notre Dame:  96%

What's even more impressive about these results is that 33% of the universities showed a drop in graduation rates from 2002 to 2008.  A ND GO IRISH BLOG "thank you" to Notre Dame alum,  Jim Conway Jr, '69 -- for alerting us to this story.  Here's a link to the survey results:

LINK:  THEY GRADUATE THEIR STUDENTS!

Own a Piece of Notre Dame History!

Matt Cashore, who just happens to be the University of Notre Dame's award winning "official photographer" -- took a "panoramic" photo (above) of the Band of the Fighting Irish's historic performance in New York's Times Square on November 20th.  Please note -- this small image above -- doesn't do this three foot wide photo justice.  I learned yesterday morning that it was being made available for sale and I bought one immediately for my "Notre Dame" room at home.  This 12" x 36" print would make a great "Christmas" present for every Notre Dame student, alum and fan!  To purchase one or two -- just click on the link below titled "a piece of Notre Dame history."  I'm also providing a link to Matt's "portfolio" of a few of the "official" photos he's taken for the University of Notre Dame -- you're going to want to own every one!

LINK:  OWN A PIECE OF NOTRE DAME HISTORY

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S OFFICIAL PHOTO LIBRARY

Off Topic: A Little "Math Problem" @ Michigan

The much ballyhooed; "The Big Chill at The Big House" -- turned into "The Big Myth at The Big House" -- thanks to the "honest" folks at Guinness World Records.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a quick refresh -- The University of Michigan hockey team took on the Michigan State University hockey team this past Saturday -- outdoors -- inside Michigan Stadium (photo).  And, the University of Michigan "announced" a world record crowd of 113,411 people attended the hockey game...

Well, they "mis-represented" the facts...

Representatives of the Guiness World Records were in attendance to "verify" the crowd and they reported -- the attendance was actually:  85,451.

Now, that's a difference of 27,960 spectators.

When a representative of the University of Michigan was asked about the discrepancy, he responded:  "The difference in figures may be attributed to different standards in counting. Michigan included people working the game such as media, staff and concession workers – but Guinness doesn’t include those people in the attendance figure."

REALLY????

As a "point of reference" -- I've seen it reported before -- that a typical football Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, you'll have approximately "4,000 to 5,000" people inside the Stadium that didn't pay for their tickets; 

• 900 concession workers
• 400 home band members and 350 visiting band members
• 750 Ushers
• 60 First Aid
• 1,500 Media and Guests in the Press Box
• 100 Traffic and Stadium Police
• 150 Field Passes
• 90 Program Sellers
• 10 game officials
• 15 Grounds Crew
• 25 Housekeeping & 20 repair personnel
• 50 managers and trainers

For you "non-Michigan" math majors that adds up to "approximately" 4,420 in the "different standards in counting" method that the University of Michigan is claiming.

MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT IS THE "BIG HOUSE'S" TRUE CAPACITY?

Here's a LINK to Michigan's official website for The Big Chill -- as you'll see, they're still claiming a SELL OUT of 109,901...   Here's a second link to a local Detroit news story on the controversy:

LINK:  THE BIG MYTH @ THE BIG HOUSE

RUMOR NO MORE: "Domer" Haywood HIRED!

There's a rumor on the web this morning that's "picking up steam" -- and it involves former Notre Dame student-athlete and the Offensive Coordinator during the Charlie Weis era -- Mike Haywood.

See link to blog post below...

Rumor has it -- that the University of Pittsburgh reached an agreement with Haywood, late last night, to become their next head football coach -- replacing Dave Wannstedt.

Haywood just finished his second year as a head coach, leading the Miami of Ohio RedHawks to a 9-4 record, a  Mid American Conference Championship -- and a spot in the GoDaddy.com Bowl -- after going 1-11 in his first season!!!  This was the "biggest turnaround"-- in number of wins -- in college football this year!   I'm also posting a nice story from the Sporting News -- about Haywood's impact on the RedHawks program and a video I found of Mike Haywood talking about his coaching philosophy. We'll keep you posted on this story...  ESPN'S JOE SCHAD -- JUST CONFIRMED HAYWOOD'S BEEN HIRED (7:14 PM EST) -- CONGRATULATIONS MIKE!  See link to his quick post:

LINK:  HAYWOOD HIRED AS PITT HEAD COACH!

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE  BLOG POST

LINK:  SPORTING NEWS STORY ON HAYWOOD

LINK:  MIKE HAYWOOD COACHING PHILOSOPHY

Notre Dame "Sister/Brother" Act at NORDAM

The Nordam Group -- one of the largest independently owned aerospace companies in the world, announced yesterday (link below) that former Notre Dame grads; Meredith Siegfried and her brother Hastings Siegfried have been promoted to President and Vice Chairman respectively -- in a company their late father (Ray Siegfried II) -- who was also a "DOMER" --  founded in 1969.

Notre Dame students and alums will recognize the "last name" -- as the same name that adorns Siegfried Hall (photo) at the University of Notre Dame -- they are one in the same!  

The Siegfried Family is a NOTRE DAME FAMILY -- "Grandpa" Robert Siegfried - Class of 1937 and his son, Ray Siegfried Class of 1965 -- made a gift to the University of Notre Dame that led to the building of Siegfried Hall in 1988.  In addition, the Ray and Milann Siegfried family and The NORDAM Group donated the MBA wing of the College of Business Administration in 1995.  And, in 1997 the family funded the Chair for Entrepreneurial Studies at Notre Dame.  Ray was also a long-time member of Notre Dame's Board of Trustees.

Please note:  Now I couldn't find any information on the genesis of the name NORDAM -- but, it sure looks like Ray Siegfried used some help from his  beloved "alma mater" NOTRE DAME to name his company...

For those of you who are interested, NORDAM designs, certifies and manufactures integrated propulsion systems, nacelles and thrust reversers for business jets.  In addition, NORDAM manufactures composite aircraft structures, interior shells, custom cabinetry, radomes, and aircraft transparencies such as cabin windows, wing tip lenses and simulator screens.  It is also one of the world’s largest third-party providers of maintenance, repair and overhaul services to the military, commercial airline and air freight markets.  The company employs approximately 2,000 people around the globe, with facilities in the U.S., United Kingdom, and Singapore.

You'll enjoy the story about the Siegfried "dynasty" and their impact on the Tulsa community...

LINK:  TWO TOP SPOTS GO TO DOMERS

LINK:  THE SIEGFRIED DYNASTY IN TULSA

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S SIEGFRIED HALL WEBSITE

LINK:  SIEGFRIED HALL "WIKI"

"Domer" Cunningham Takes Kansas AD Job...

Lawrence "Bubba" Cunningham, a 1984 graduate of the University of Notre Dame -- and long-time member of the Notre Dame's athletic administration -- is "rumored" to be announced today or tomorrow as the new Athletic Director at the University of Kansas.  Ironically, the rumored "other top candidate" for the position was current Notre Dame Deputy Athletic Director, Bill Scholl.

Bubba spent 15 years in the Notre Dame athletic department before departing to Ball State to become their Athletic Director in 2002.  In 2005, Cunningham was named the Athletic Director at the University of Tulsa -- where he's served the last five years.  Many ND fans will recall his decision to have his Tulsa football team wear the Declan Sullivan "helmet sticker" in their game at Notre Dame Stadium in October.  Congratulations Bubba!!!

Here's a link to a story in today's KUSPORTS.COM where you'll learn -- in "Bubba's" own words how he got his nickname -- funny stuff!  And, a link to a Washington Post story where they're reporting that Kansas is negotiating a contract with Cunningham.  HERE'S THE LATEST ON THE NEGOTIATIONS -- SEE LINK BELOW:

LINK:  CUNNINGHAM STILL IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH KANSAS

LINK:  BUBBA CUNNINGHAM TO KANSAS

LINK:  CUNNINGHAM IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH KANSAS

NFL Update -- Notre Dame Players

The 2010 NFL Season is winding down -- so, the ND GO IRISH BLOG decided to take a "lap" around the League and see how a few of our favorite Notre Dame football players are doing.  You'll note a number of season ending injuries to a few former Notre Dame stars -- two this weekend!  It's a good thing they have that Notre Dame degree!!!

LINK:  JIMMY CLAUSEN -- CAROLINA PANTHERS

LINK:  JUSTIN TUCK -- NEW YORK GIANTS

LINK:  KYLE McCARTHY -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  BRADY QUINN -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  CHINENDUM NDUKWE -- CINCINNATI BENGALS

LINK:  JOHN CARLSON -- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE -- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LINK:  RYAN GRANT -- GREEN BAY PACKERS

LINK:  SERGIO BROWN -- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

LINK:  DAVID BRUTON -- DENVER BRONCOS 

LINK:  ANTHONY FASANO -- MIAMI DOLPHINS

LINK:  JULIUS JONES -- NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

LINK:  JEFF FAINE -- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

LINK:  DEREK LANDRI -- CAROLINA PANTHERS

LINK:  RYAN HARRIS -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  JOHN SULLIVAN -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  TOMMY ZBIKOWSKI -- BALTIMORE RAVENS

LINK:  MAURICE STOVALL -- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

LINK:  VICTOR ABIAMIRI -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  MARK LEVOIR -- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

LINK:  TREVOR LAWS -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  COREY MAYS -- KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

LINK:  JORDAN BLACK -- HOUSTON TEXANS

LINK:  HUNTER SMITH -- WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Teo and Ruffer -- Second Team All Americans!

The University of Notre Dame's Manti Teo and David Ruffer were named today to SI.COM's All American 2nd Team!  Congratulations!  Here's a link:

LINK:  SI.COM -- ALL AMERICANS

Theismann Talks Notre Dame QB's

Former Notre Dame All-American QB, Joe Theismann -- spoke with the South Bend Tribune's Eric Hansen about the QB position next year for the Irish.  Never without an opinion -- Theismann talks about Dayne Crist coming back from his knee injury, Rees and his experience -- and the QB position in general at Notre Dame.  Here's a link to the South Bend Tribune story:

LINK:  WHO STARTS AT QB NEXT YEAR FOR THE IRISH?

Two "Domers" -- The Million Dollar Road Trip

Two Notre Dame brothers/alums; Patrick and Walter Hessert -- are now on DAY 163 of The Million Dollar Road Trip, celebrating and inspiring the American entrepreneurial spirit.  To date, they've raised over $114,000 in their travels across America!!!  The ND GO IRISH BLOG last checked in on these two when they were in NYC for Notre Dame's game at Yankee Stadium -- as you'll see, they just left Las Vegas and their next stop is Flagstaff, AZ.  Safe travels!!!  Here's a link to their blog:

LINK:  THE MILLION DOLLAR ROAD TRIP -- BLOG

Notre Dame to Honor Austin Carr!

It's about time...  If you're going to have a 'Ring of Honor' in Notre Dame's Purcell Pavillion -- to recognize Irish basketball stars -- the VERY FIRST player honored should have been Austin Carr.  Well,  on February 26th -- Austin Carr will finally get that recognition, as he'll join Luke Harangody and Ruth Riley in Notre Dame's Ring of Honor.

Austin Carr is the greatest basketball player in the history of the University of Notre Dame -- PERIOD!  Take a look at what he accomplished wearing the uniform of the Fighting Irish:

• 2,560 career points -- in just 3 seasons -- at the time, the fifth-all time in college history and Notre Dame's all-time scoring leader
• a 34.5 career scoring average at Notre Dame
• during his last two seasons at Notre Dame, Carr scored more than 1,000 points in both seasons -- joining Pete Maravich as the second player in college basketball history to accomplish this
• holds the single game scoring record for most points in an NCAA Tournament game;  61 points, and most field goals scored in a game; 25 -- folks this was before the 3-point line!
• holds the career scoring average record -- for the NCAA Tournament -- averaging 41.3 points a game in the seven games he played -- a record most experts believe will never be broken!
• named National Player of the Year and a consensus All-American in his senior season
• ESPN named him one of the Top 25 College Basketball Players of All Time!
• Inducted into the second class of the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007

Austin was the #1 overall selection in the 1971 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.  He played ten years in the NBA -- and even though he had severe foot and knee injuries that required surgeries, he averaged 15.4 points per game.  The Cleveland Cavaliers retired Carr's #34 jersey -- one of six they've retired in their history.  Affectionately known in Cleveland as "Mr. Cavalier" - Austin is currently the color analyst for the Cleveland Cavaliers television broadcast, serving alongside my good friend Fred McLeod.  Congratulations Austin!!!  A ND GO IRISH BLOG 'thank you' to Dr. Jim Clancy for alerting us to this story.  Here's a link to a video of Carr "starring" in a music video for the Cavaliers, when LeBron was still in town...

LINK:  AUSTIN CARR IN MUSIC VIDEO

Jill & Thomas -- You Did the Irish Proud!!!

More than 12 million people tuned into the final race last night of Season 17 of CBS's The Amazing Race -- and, many, many Notre Dame fans were part of that crowd as we cheered on OUR TEAM -- Jill Haney and her boyfriend, "Domer" Thomas Wolfard '02.  Unfortunately, they didn't reach the final finish line, first last night -- missing out on the $1 million prize that went to the winner of this globetrotting adventure race.  Here's a link to an interview with the two after The Amazing Race and a link to a replay of the final episode.  THOMAS and JILL -- you did Notre Dame proud!!!

LINK:  AN INTERVIEW WITH JILL AND THOMAS

LINK:  REPLAY OF THE FINAL RACE FOR $1 MILLION!

The Best of Nick Garner -- ND Player Interviews

Sports Talk 4 Kids' Nick Garner is back again this morning on the ND GO IRISH BLOG -- and today he's interviewing some current Notre Dame players and a couple of players you'll remember from the past.  You'll enjoy Derrick Mayes' response to Nick's question about what it was like to play in the Super Bowl:



LINK:  ROBERT BLANTON INTERVIEW

LINK:  TOMMY REES INTERVIEW

LINK:  MICHAEL FLOYD INTERVIEW

LINK:  SEAN CWYNAR INTERVIEW

LINK:  DERRICK MAYES INTERVIEW

LINK:  JOEY GETHERALL INTERVIEW

Justin Tuck & NY Giants -- Off to Detroit!!!

In what has easily become the video of the day -- and probably the year -- the Minnesota Metrodome roof collapsed at 6 AM this morning from the weight of 20 inches of snow.  See the link below.  Former Notre Dame defensive lineman, Justin Tuck, and his New York Giants teammates -- who have been stuck in Kansas City because of the snow storm -- are now off to Detroit's Ford Field to play their game against the Minnesota Vikings tomorrow night at 7:20 PM ET.  Here's the FOX-TV video of the roof collapse:

LINK:  METRODOME ROOM COLLAPSES

"Sports Talk 4 Kids" @ Notre Dame!

Well, I found this young man on the web this morning and I think I've found my new hero!!!  Nick Garner, is a sports reporter who hails from Southern California -- and as you'll see in the links below -- the kid's "got game!"  Hope he ends up as a student at the University of Notre Dame someday.  Here's a link to few stories that Nick produced -- on our favorite subject.  You'll enjoy the questions he asked Coach Kelly -- GREAT STUFF!  Tomorrow, we'll post a number of Nick's interviews of current and former Notre Dame players.  Enjoy!!

LINK:  NICK GARNER INTERVIEWS COACH BRIAN KELLY!

LINK:  NICK GARNER INTERVIEWS ND CHEERLEADER!

LINK:  NICK GARNER INTERVIEWS THE ND LEPRECHAUN! 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL TRADITIONS!

ND Student's Family's -- Christmas Display!

This home might just be the "most decorated" Christmas house in America!  Matt Prygoski, a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame -- returned home to Okemos, MI to help the family continue their nine-year tradition.  As you'll learn in the story, Matt put his "engineering" skills to good use!  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  THE PRYGOSKI'S -- A CHRISTMAS HOME

A Sports Editor Returns "Home" to ND...

Found this story this morning in the Pueblo Chieftan News -- a newspaper in southern Colorado -- about its Sports Editor's (Judy Hildner) return home to Notre Dame for the first time since the 50's.  Thought you would enjoy!

LINK:  GOING HOME TO NOTRE DAME

ND Alumni Club of Buffalo -- In The News!

It didn''t surprise me to learn of a story like this in today's Buffalo News -- as the "Senior" Notre Dame Alumni, in the Buffalo area, turn out every week between Thanksgiving and Christmas to help their community!  You'll enjoy the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ALUMNI -- PACKAGING TOYS!

Where Are They Now? -- Kyle McAlarney

The former 2008 first-team Big East basketball stand-out, for Mike Brey's Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, is now playing professional basketball in Greece!  This past October, McAlarney signed a contract to play with the Ikaros Esperos in the Greek A-1 League.  

Prior to signing with Ikaros, McAlarney briefly played for a professional team in the Israeli Superior League before heading back to America to play in the NBA Development League for the Springfield "Armor" and then the  Fort Wayne "Mad Ants" (photo).  Kyle averaged 11 points per game in his 43 games in the NBADL.

The Ikaros Esperos play out of Kalithea -- which is a suburb of Athens, Greece.  Kyle scored 19 points in his debut with Ikaros -- and is currently averaging 13.9 points per game, seven games into the season (stats linked below).

This past year, Kyle was the subject of a controversial "Outside The Lines" segment on ESPN -- where they profiled the lack of "white" players in the NBA, see the link below.  And to give you a little flavor of what professional basketball is like in Greece -- take a look at the link below to the riots in their Championship game this past season.  Good Luck Kyle!

LINK:  ESPN "OUTSIDE THE LINES" -- KYLE McALARNEY

LINK:  McALARNEY SIGNS WITH IKAROS

LINK:  McALARNEY STATS WITH IKAROS

LINK:  RIOT AT GREEK PRO BASKETBALL GAME

Hyundai Sun Bowl -- Post Practice Interviews

Notre Dame's football team practiced today "inside" -- getting ready for their upcoming bowl game against Miami.  Here's a link to Notre Dame's Hyundai Sun Bowl Central -- where you'll find videos of interviews with a few players and an interview with Coach Brian Kelly:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME  -- HYUNDAI SUN BOWL

Irish Hoops on ESPN2 Tonight vs. Gonzaga!

Mike Brey's Fighting Irish of Notre Dame take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs tonight in a home game that will be televised on ESPN2 at 8:30 PM EST.  It's the first time these two schools have met in basketball -- and the Irish are 7 point favorites -- as they attempt to "bounce back" from Wednesday's loss to Kentucky.  Should be a very good game!  Here's a link to the South Bend Tribune story about tonight's game:

LINK:  IRISH HOST GONZAGA TONIGHT!

A Little Off Topic: Army - Navy Game Today!

I know this is a Notre Dame blog -- but, we did play both of these teams this year!  The "Army - Navy Game" has always been my favorite "non- Notre Dame" football game of the year.  I'll be glued to the TV set this afternoon at 2 PM EST (CBS) as they kick off the 111th game in the history of "America's Game" from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Navy leads the series over Army; with 54 wins, 49 losses and 7 ties.

One of the greatest spectacles in sport is the MARCH ON -- as the Army Corps of Cadets and the Navy Midshipmen take the field in Philadelphia (this takes place two hours before kick-off) -- I've posted some videos below of this.  And, here's a link to the official website for the game - when you get there, click on the RIVALRY tab.  You'll enjoy the stories.

LINK:  ARMY-NAVY GAME:  OFFICIAL WEBSITE

LINK:  "AMERICA'S GAME" -- SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM 2009

LINK:  MARCH ON -- TO THE STADIUM

LINK:  MARCH ON -- ARMY'S CORPS OF CADETS

LINK:  MARCH ON -- NAVY'S MIDSHIPMEN

A Notre Dame Christmas for Cancer Patients

Athletes from nineteen of the the University of Notre Dame's varsity athletic teams were represented at a Christmas Party in Notre Dame's Heritage Hall for 100 pediatric cancer patients and their familes from South Bend's Memorial Hospital.  Here's a link to the WNDU-TV news story along with a second link to an eleven minute video that UND.COM produced about the event.  I wasn't able to provide a direct link to the UND.COM video -- so you'll need to click on it when you get to the page!

LINK:  WNDU-TV STORY 

LINK:  UND.COM COVERAGE

Henderson -- Finalist for Player of the Year!

Notre Dame junior soccer star, Melissa Henderson -- was named as one of the three finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Award yesterday by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.  This award is given annually to the top player in women's soccer -- and the winner will be announced on January 7th at a news conference in downtown St. Louis at the Missouri Athletic Club followed by an awards dinner that evening at the M.A.C.  Henderson was named a first team All-American, Most Valuable Offensive Player in the NCAA Tournament, Big East Offensive Player of the Year and 1st Team all-Big East -- as she led the Irish to their third National Championship.  One "fun fact" about Henderson's career at Notre Dame -- the Irish are undefeated in the 45 games that Melissa has an assist -- including the National Championship game where her assist led to the winning goal!  Henderson is the third Notre Dame women's soccer player to be a finalist for the Hermann Award; Katie Thorlakson in 2005 and two-time Hermann Trophy Award winner -- Kerri Hanks who won the award in 2006 and 2008.  The other two finalists this year are;  Alex Morgan (California) and Christen Press (Stanford).  This next week -- Henderson and her Irish teammate Lauren Fowlkes are off to train with the United States's U23 Team from December 12th to the 19th at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.  Congratulations Melissa!!!  A ND GO IRISH BLOG "thank you" goes out to Dr. Jim Clancy for alerting us to this story.  Here's a link to the story at UND.COM.

LINK:  HENDERSON A FINALIST FOR NATIONAL POY

PHOTO OF THE DAY: New York's Times Square

The Notre Dame Women's Soccer Team just "tweeted" this photo taken in New York's Times Square -- that celebrates their recent National Championship!  Pretty awesome!

A JBL Sound System Installed @ Notre Dame?

The final touches of the recently completed renovation of the Purcell Pavillion at the University of Notre Dame included a state-of-the-art SOUND SYSTEM!  Here's a link to what was installed inside the arena:

LINK:  SOUND? -- NOT A PROBLEM AT NOTRE DAME

#1 Catholic University in the World!

Knowing the great pride that the University of Notre Dame takes in its "rankings" amongst its peer institutions -- I'm not quite sure how some will react to The World University Rankings that were just released by a group out of the United Kingdom.

Notre Dame was ranked as the #1 Catholic university in the world -- was that ever in question?!

However, the overall ranking of #63 in the world may not sit to well on the Golden Dome's 4th Floor -- and I see that as a great thing!!! 

168 years ago, in a letter that Fr. Sorin sent (December 5, 1842) to the Very Reverend Basil Moreau, CSC -- Founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross -- Sorin, made the following claim about the founding of Notre Dame du Lac:  

"Before long, it will develop on a large scale.... 

It will be one of the most powerful means for good in this country."

Well, Fr. Sorin -- your vision for Notre Dame has come true.  I'm sure if you could have a "do-over" 168 years later -- you would have substituted the word "world" for country.  No worries -- your associates have done just that for you!

Kind of puts this all into perspective -- doesn't it...

Here's the criteria and weighting the Times Higher Education used in their rankings of the Top 200 Universities in the World:

• Teaching — the learning environment (worth 30 per cent of the overall ranking score)
• Research — volume, income and reputation (worth 30 per cent)
• Citations — research influence (worth 32.5 per cent)
• Industry income — innovation (worth 2.5 per cent)
• International mix — staff and students (worth 5 per cent).

LINK:  THE TOP 200 UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD

NFL Draft Evaluations -- Floyd & Rudolph

Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly announced earlier this week that his two "prized" juniors; Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph have petitioned the NFL for a "draft evaluation."  What this means is a panel of "pro football scouting experts" (NFL Draft Advisory Board) will determine the draft status of both players -- telling Floyd and Rudolph where they believe they'll go in the 2011 NFL Draft.   

You can bet that both players and their families are also talking with Charlie Weis about their draft status. 

The "wrinkle" this year is the negotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL and NFLPA.  College underclassmen (Juniors and redshirt Sophomores) must declare for the NFL Draft by the second week of January and it's expected that the CBA will not be settled at that point.

It appears very likely that there will be a "lockout" this year -- delaying the start of the NFL season and impacting the "incomes" of the NFL players -- as the CBA is negotiated.  College players, thinking about coming out early, will have to determine if they want to risk the chance that there could be a prolonged delay to the start of the NFL season or even no season at all.  (the latter is highly unlikely)

You'll recall that twelve months ago -- the impending NFL/NFLPA CBA negotiation was one of the motivating factors for a number of underclassmen to declare early last year.  One of the issues on the negotiation table, is the pay scale for rookies.  It was widely assumed that the 2010 NFL Draft would be the "last time" NFL teams would pay out large sums of money to rookies in their first NFL contract.  Thus, players like Clausen and Tate had even more reason to believe leaving early last year was the right thing to do.  The college underclassmen this year have much different circumstances to assess. 

The good news is we will know one way or another by January 15th -- as to whether we'll have #3 and #9 back in gold helmets next season.  The bad news is the ND GO IRISH BLOG predicts -- they both will enter the 2011 NFL Draft.  

Here's some links to what's being said about Floyd and Rudolph's NFL Draft status along with a look back at Jimmy Clausen's evaluation process last year:
 
LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH -- DRAFT STORY 

LINK:  MICHAEL FLOYD -- DRAFT STORY

LINK:  SCOUT INC'S TOP 32 FOR 2011 NFL DRAFT

LINK:  JIMMY CLAUSEN'S DRAFT EVALUATION

Sun Bowl Coaches Press Conference -- REPLAY

The Hyundai Sun Bowl Coaches Press Conference -- took place this afternoon -- in El Paso, TX with Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly and Miami's Interim Head Coach, Jeff Stoutland.  Here's a link to a replay of the press conference:

LINK:  PRESS CONFERENCE REPLAY

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Main Building in Snow!

Notre Dame student Amy Holsinger (@amyholsinger) just "tweeted" this photo of a "snow replica" -- of Notre Dame's Main Building.  Only at Notre Dame!

Irish Beat Providence In Front of 179 Fans...

Can you believe it -- Muffet McGraw's Fighting Irish played a Big East road game last night against Providence in front of an "announced" crowd of 179 fans.  WHAT???!!!  Here's a team (Notre Dame) that averages more than 8,000 in attendance for its home games -- 4th best in the country -- playing in front of 179 fans on the road...  C'MON PROVIDENCE!!!   Oh, by the way -- the 18th ranked Irish won the game 79-43.  Fun Fact of the Day:  Notre Dame is now 19-0 all time against Providence in women's basketball.  A ND GO IRISH BLOG Thank you to Dr. Jim Clancy for alerting us to this story.  Here's a link to the South Bend Tribune game story:

LINK:  IRISH ROLL OVER PROVIDENCE

"Domer" Hesse '75: Sprint's TV Pitchman!

Dan Hesse '75, the CEO of Sprint Nextel and a Notre Dame grad -- was appointed by President Obama yesterday to the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.  Hesse is best known for his "starring" role in Sprint's TV commercials -- here's a link:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ALUM -- COMMERCIAL PITCHMAN!

College Football "Rudy Awards" -- Vote Today!

University of Notre Dame "walk on" David Ruffer is one of 55 college football players up for the Rudy Award -- named after former Irish movie legend, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger.  Voting takes place online -- and it ends on December 13th.  So, please vote for Ruffer today!  A big thank-you to Cappy Gagnon '66 -- for bringing this story to the attention of the ND GO IRISH BLOG.  Here's the link:

LINK:  COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S "RUDY AWARD"

College Football Awards Show -- Tonight...

The annual ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show airs tonight on ESPN at 7 PM EST.  Notre Dame's David Ruffer is the only member of the Fighting Irish up for an award -- as he's one of the three finalists for the Lou Groza Award for college football's top kicker.  The "red carpet" show begins at 6 PM EST on ESPNU.  Good Luck David!!!!  Here's a link to a the winners of all of the awards -- over the years:

LINK:  PREVIOUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARD WINNERS

2010 - 2011 Bowl Games -- Graduation Rates

Here's a look at every one of the 35 bowl games this season and the Graduation Success Rates (GSR) for each of the teams.   The GSR is the NCAA's calculation of the graduation rate of student athletes, over a six year period, after initial college enrollment.  It's an eye-opener.

Here's a ranking of the bowls by the "fewest graduated" amongst both teams:

1. Meinke Car Care Bowl:  South Florida (44 GSR) vs. Clemson (60 GSR)
2. Valero Alamo Bowl:  Oklahoma State (59 GSR) vs. Arizona (48 GSR)
3. Little Caesars Bowl:  Toledo (65 GSR) vs. Florida International (46 GSR)

Here's a ranking of the bowl games by the "most graduated" amongst both teams:

1. Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Notre Dame (96 GSR) vs. Miami, FL (81 GSR)
2. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl:  Army (85 GSR) vs. SMU (76 GSR)
3. TicketCity Bowl:  Northwestern (95 GSR) vs. Texas Tcch (69 GSR)

A PROPOSAL FOR UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS:  It's about time that the NCAA, BCS and the Bowls get together and factor in the Graduation Success Rates (GSR) of all of the bowl eligible teams -- especially when determining what 6-6 teams get into bowl games.  This year, there were two bowl eligible teams that were "overlooked" by the bowls;  Temple; 8-4 record (56 GSR) and Western Michigan University; 6-6 record (59 GSR).

The ND GO IRISH BLOG's proposal is as follows;

• Any team that has a record better than 6-6 automatically "qualifies" for a bowl, if there are enough spots.  

• All of the teams with 6-6 records would be ranked, for selection into bowl games, by their current GSR score for their football team.  The team with the highest GSR would be ranked #1 among the 6-6 teams.  If there were six spots available to teams with 6-6 records and there were 8 teams to pick from -- the six teams with the highest GSR would qualify for a bowl game.  The two teams with the lowest GSR would not be playing in a bowl game.

If these rules were in effect this bowl season -- the following would have happened:

• Temple, with their 8-4 record -- would be playing in a bowl game.
• Western Michigan, with their 6-6 record and 59 GSR -- would be playing in a bowl game.
• Florida International, with their 6-6 record and 46 GSR -- would not be playing in a bowl game.
• Tennessee, with their 6-6 record and 53 GSR -- would not be playing in a bowl game.
• UTEP, with their 6-6 record and 57 GSR -- would have been the last team qualifying for a bowl game.

Here's the 2010 - 2011 Bowl Game Schedule 

along with the GSR for the teams in each Bowl Game:

New Mexico Bowl -- December 18th

• UTEP:  57 GSR
• BYU:  62 GSR

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl -- December 18th

• Fresno State:  52 GSR
• Northern Illinois:  67 GSR

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl -- December 18th

• Troy:  75 GSR
• Ohio:  71 GSR

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl -- December 21st

• Southern Mississippi:  84 GSR
• Louisville:  63 GSR

  
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl -- December 22nd

• Utah:  62 GSR
• Boise State:  63 GSR

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl -- December 23rd

• San Diego State:  55 GSR
• Naval Academy:  92 GSR

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

• Hawaii:  46 GSR
• Tulsa:  66 GSR

Little Caesars Bowl -- December 26th

• Toledo:  65 GSR
• Florida International:  46 GSR

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl -- December 27th

• Georgia Tech:  49 GSR
• Air Force Academy:  86 GSR

Champs Sports Bowl -- December 28th

• North Carolina State:  56 GSR
• West Virginia:  72 GSR

Insight Bowl -- December 28th

• Missouri:  71 GSR
• Iowa:  79 GSR

Military Bowl -- December 29th

• Maryland:  64 GSR
• East Carolina:  63 GSR

Texas Bowl -- December 29th

• Illinois:  76 GSR
• Baylor:  64 GSR

Valermo Alamo Bowl -- December 29th

• Oklahoma State:  59 GSR
• Arizona:  48 GSR

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl -- December 30th

• Army:  85 GSR
• SMU:  76 GSR

New Era Pinstripes Bowl -- December 30th

• Kansas State:  69 GSR
• Syracuse:  76 GSR

Franklin American Mortgage Music Bowl -- December 30th

• North Carolina:  75 GSR
• Tennessee:  53 GSR

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl -- December 30th

• Washington:  82 GSR
• Nebraska:  68 GSR

Meineke Car Care Bowl -- December 31st

• South Florida:  46 GSR
• Clemson:  60 GSR

Hyundai Sun Bowl -- December 31st

• Miami, FL:  81 GSR
• Notre Dame:  96 GSR

Auto Zone Liberty Bowl -- December 31st

• UCF:  70 GSR
• Georgia:  68 GSR

Chick-fil-A Bowl -- December 31st

• Florida State:  64 GSR
• South Carolina:  57 GSR

TicketCity Bowl -- January 1st

• Northwestern:  95 GSR
• Texas Tech:  69 GSR

Outback Bowl -- January 1st

• Penn State:  84 GSR
• Florida:  67 GSR

Capital One Bowl -- January 1st

• Michigan State:  55 GSR
• Alabama:  67 GSR

Gator Bowl -- January 1st

• Michigan:  72 GSR
• Mississippi State:  64 GSR

Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO -- January 1st

• Wisconsin:  65 GSR
• TCU:  71 GSR

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl -- January 1st

• Oklahoma:  44 GSR
• UCONN:  77 GSR

Discover Orange Bowl -- January 3rd

• Virginia Tech:  79 GSR
• Stanford:  83 GSR

AllState Sugar Bowl -- January 4th

• Arkansas:  55 GSR
• Ohio State:  63 GSR

GoDaddy.com Bowl -- January 6th

• Miami, OH:  79 GSR
• Middle Tennessee:  55 GSR

AT&T Cotton Bowl -- January 7th 

• Texas A&M:  57 GSR
• LSU:  67 GSR

BBVA Compass Bowl -- January 8th

• Pittsburgh:  69 GSR
• Kentucky:  63 GSR

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl -- January 9th

• Boston College:  90 GSR
• Nevada:  66 GSR

Tostitos BCS National Championship Game -- January 10th

• Auburn:  63 GSR
• Oregon:  54 GSR

The Athletic Facilities Race -- Today's Reality

This is a little off topic and then again it isn't -- this is the reality for today's NCAA Division 1 athletic programs and our University of Notre Dame.

The University of Tennessee is in the process of raising money for a new Football Training Center.  To say their plans might be a "little over the top" -- would be an understatement.  You've just go to love their justification for such a facility;

As the UT-Knoxville campus continues to grow as a research and teaching institution, the need for academic space has become increasingly important. In an effort to address this issue, the University Master Plan has called for the antiquated Stokely Athletic Center (SAC) to be demolished in order to allow for an academic facility to be built in its place.  As a result, the University of Tennessee Athletic Department (UTAD) must relocate approximately 110 coaches and administrators.

If you don't think college football is "big business" -- you may change your mind after watching this:

LINK:  TENNESSEE'S FOOTBALL TRAINING CENTER

Notre Dame Receives $1.3 Million from US Army

The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) has awarded the University of Notre Dame's Colleges of Engineering and Science more than $1.3 million for the development of novel materials for improved battery technology.  The goal is to improve battery performance, reliability and safety for batteries that power military vehicles.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME "POWERS" THE US ARMY

Irish Basketball on TV Tonight -- 9:30 PM EST

Mike Brey's undefeated and 23rd ranked Fighting Irish Men's Basketball team is taking on John Calipari's 16th ranked Kentucky Wildcats on a so-called "neutral" floor tonight in Louisville, KY.  It's a matchup of "experience vs. talent" as Notre Dame's starting five (all seniors) take on Kentucky's talented freshman.  Be sure to tune in tonight at 9:30 PM EST on ESPN -- it's "OLD SCHOOL" versus "NEW SCHOOL."  Here's a few links to stories about tonight's game along with UND.COM's preview:

LINK:  ESPN CHICAGO -- PREVIEW

LINK:  WILDCATS THUNDER BLOG -- PREVIEW

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- PREVIEW

LINK:  UND.COM GAME NOTES -- PREVIEW

ESPN's Lame Attempt at a Sun Bowl Preview

You know it's quite sad when the "talking heads" at ESPN -- MAKE A JOKE -- about "renaming" the Hyundai Sun Bowl, because it has two of the teams with the highest graduation rates in college football (Notre Dame and Miami, FL) playing each other.

I felt sorry for former Notre Dame Hesiman Trophy winner, Tim Brown -- having to be associated with this crew.  Here's the link:

EDIT:  ESPN'S LAME ATTEMPT AT PREVIEWING THE SUN BOWL

Oregon Ducks WR -- Honors Declan Sullivan

D.J. Davis, a wide-receiver for the #1 ranked Oregon Ducks -- paid tribute to Notre Dame student, Declan Sullivan -- by wearing a photo of Declan in a protective covering attached to his belt.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  AN OREGON PLAYER'S TRIBUTE TO DECLAN

The "Leprechaun Legion" Blog Needs Our Help!

Dan Murphy a 2009 Notre Dame grad has entered his "Leprechaun Legion" Blog into the "Who's the Biggest Fan in the Big East" contest being sponsored by Volvo.  To vote for Dan as the BIGGEST FAN IN THE BIG EAST -- click on the link below.  The winner gets a Volvo, tickets to the Big East Championship tournament and a $10,000 check for their alma mater.  I told Dan that the ND GO IRISH BLOG gang would get behind him in this effort.  Go Irish!!! and Go Dan Murphy!!!

LINK:  BIGGEST FAN IN THE BIG EAST

LINK:  DAN MURPHY'S PROFILE

LINK:  LEPRECHAUN LEGION BLOG