Emma Reaney Sets New American Record!

WOW!!!

Notre Dame junior Emma Reaney set a new American, NCAA and U.S. Open record time tonight in the 200 Breast of 2:04.34 at the Atlantic Coast Championships.  The previous record was set in 2012 by Breeja Larson of Texas A&M.

This is an incredible feat!!!

LINK:  ACC INTERVIEW

LINK:  REANEY FASTEST AMERICAN OF ALL-TIME!

Pope Installs Notre Dame Alum a Cardinal

Pope Francis installed nineteen Cardinals today, including University of Notre Dame alum Archbishop Kelvin Edward Felix, in a consistory ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica.  Cardinal Felix earned a masters degree in 1969 from Notre Dame.

LINK:  POPE FRANCIS APPOINTS 19

LINK:  CARDINAL FELIX

White Sox Player & Notre Dame's Grotto...

Matt Davidson who should be the Chicago White Sox's third baseman this April -- played the 2010 season for the South Bend Silverhawks.  He recently admitted when he struggled that season he made the trek to the Notre Dame campus to seek solace at the Grotto.

Here's the story:

LINK:  THE GROTTO

Seattle Seahawks GM: "Golden Tate #1 Priority"

Former Notre Dame All-American and now Super Bowl Champion Golden Tate is a free agent -- but, word on the street is he's wiling to accept less from the Seahawks to stay in Seattle...

Here's the story:

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE

Bench Press Results: ND Players NFL Combine

We will keep track of all of the Bench Press totals for the nine former Notre Dame student-athletes at the NFL Scouting Combine.  Here are the number of times they bench pressed 225 lbs:

• Stephon Tuitt:  31 reps -- 6th best among DL
• Chris Watt:  29 reps -- 11th best among OL
• Zack Martin:  29 reps -- 11th best among OL
• Troy Niklas:  27 reps -- 4th best among OL
• Prince Shembo:  26 reps -- 6th best among LB's
• George Atkinson III:  19 reps
• Louis Nix:  did not lift
• Bennett Jackson:  13 reps
• T.J. Jones: did not lift

Chris Watt's NFL Scouting Combine Presser

Former Notre Dame student-athlete Chris Watt '13 met with the media yesterday at the NFL Scouting Combine.  You'll hear him talk about a possible position switch in the NFL.

LINK:  CHRIS WATT

Troy Niklas Begins His NFL Scouting Combine

First up today for former Notre Dame student-athlete Troy Niklas at the NFL Scouting Combine was the Bench Press and he finished fourth among the Tight Ends with 27 reps of 225 lbs.  Here were some of his other measurables:

• Height:  6'-6"
• Arm Length:  34 1/8"
• Weight:  270 lbs.

LINK:  TROY NIKLAS

Zack Martin "Will Impress With Intangibles"

The NFL Scouting Combine will be dominating the ND GO IRISH BLOG for the next five days as nine former Notre Dame student-athletes will be looking to impress the NFL scouts in Indianapolis. 

Here's a story that features Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin as one of "five" who will "impress with intangibles:"

LINK:  ZACK MARTIN

NFL Network Feature on "Irish Chocolate"

He's one of a kind...

Former Notre Dame student-athlete Louis Nix III had the NFL NETWORK cameras following him as he prepares for this weekend's NFL SCOUTING COMBINE.

You're going to want to watch this!

LINK:  IRISH CHOCOLATE

Update: Under Armour's Stock Performance...

When Notre Dame's announced that they had agreed to a ten-year agreement with Under Armour -- that included a stock option -- Under Armour's stock was at $81.95 a share.  30 days later the stock has increased to $107.06 a share at today's close.  A 31% increase in the value of this company!

Bottom Line:  Under Armour's market cap has gone up more than $2.3 Billion since the Notre Dame deal was announced thirty days ago!

Here was Under Armour's CEO Kevin Plank talking about their deal with Notre Dame on CNBC -- click on the link below:

LINK:  KEVIN PLANK ON CNBC

LINK:  UNDER ARMOUR MARKET-CAP

Florida Gators' Starting Safety Transfers to ND!

Head football coach Brian Kelly made it official this afternoon -- Cody Riggs will be transferring to the University of Notre Dame upon his graduation from the University of Florida.  Griggs, who has started 26 games during his time in Gainesville -- has a fifth year of eligibility that will be spent wearing a GOLD HELMET this Fall as a Notre Dame grad student!

Here are some of the stories about Rigg's transfer:

LINK:  ESPN STORY

LINK:  YAHOO! SPORTS STORY

LINK:  GATOR SPORTS

ND Men's Tennis Beats #12 Florida 4 - 0 !!!

Ryan Sachire's 16th ranked Fighting Irish are making quite an impression on the top ranked tennis programs in the country.  In the past few weeks Notre Dame has four wins over teams ranked in the Top-20! 

In less than 24 hours (this weekend) they beat the #9 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs and the 12th ranked Florida Gators at the ITA National Indoor Championships.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME BEATS FLORIDA

LINK:  MEN'S COLLEGE TENNIS RANKINGS

Skylar Diggins' SI Swimsuit Issue Photo Shoot!

Former Notre Dame All-American Skylar Diggins can now add another line to her resume -- Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model.  Diggins (in the photo above) is included in the 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Here's a link to Skylar's SI photo shoot:

LINK:  SKYLAR'S PHOTO SHOOT

Former ND Staffer Resigns From Diaco's Staff

Ernest Jones, a former member of Brian Kelly's staff at Notre Dame has resigned from his coaching position at UCONN.  Here's the story:

LINK:  JONES RESIGNATION

#5 Notre Dame Routs Jacksonville 19 - 7 !!!

Notre Dame's Men's Lacrosse team hammered the Dolphins of Jacksonville University 19 - 7 tonight on the NBC Sports Network.  The fifth ranked Fighting Irish were in complete control.  Impressive win!

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

First Ever ACC Road Win for ND Men's Hoops!

Mike Brey's Fighting Irish won their first ever Atlantic Coast Conference game this evening at Boston College as Notre Dame won 73 - 69 to go 15 - 12 on the season. 

Congrats!

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  BOSTON HERALD

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S FIRST!

Notre Dame Lacrosse on NBCSN at 7 PM ET

Kevin Corrigan's #5 ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame kick off their 2014 season on the NBC Sports Network this evening at 7 PM ET.  They are playing Jacksonville University. 

Click on the link below for media notes:

LINK:  LACROSSE BEGINS SEASON TONIGHT

Mike Brey's Irish on ESPNU at 6 PM ET Today!

The Fighting Irish are on the east coast playing the Boston College Eagles tonight at 6 PM ET on ESPNU.  Notre Dame is 13 - 12 with an OT win already over BC who is 6 - 18 on the season.

Mike Brey is looking for his first win on the road versus an ACC foe.  Here's a link to the media notes for tonight's game:

LINK:  MEDIA NOTES

Sachire's IRISH Beat #9 Mississippi State

The #16 Notre Dame's Men's Tennis team now has three wins over ranked opponents!  Tonight, the Fighting Irish beat the #9 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs 4 - 1 at the ITA National Indoor Championships!!!

This comes on the heels of their match last night against #1 Virginia -- where the Irish became the first team to score points on the Cavaliers this season -- losing 4 - 2.

The IRISH are now 8 - 2 on the season!

Opening Day: Fighting Irish Beat #24 FAU

Mik Aoki's Notre Dame baseball team played their first game of the season today in sunny Florida and the IRISH beat #24 ranked Florida Atlantic University 9 - 2!

Big win for Notre Dame!

LINK:  GAME STORY

Chris Watt and Zack Martin Posing at IMG !!!

The former "left side" of the Notre Dame offensive line has been training in Bradenton, FL the past six weeks at the IMG ACADEMY -- getting ready for next Saturday's NFL SCOUTING COMBINE in Indianapolis.

That's Zack and Chris in the photo above -- 2nd and 3rd from the left on the back row...

OT: Mother Nature's Antarctica Ice Show!

This photo wasn't taken in Lake Huron -- it was taken in Antarctica!  It just goes to prove you can't trust everything you read on FACEBOOK!  Thanks for all of the ND GO IRISH BLOG followers who set me straight!

It's still INCREDIBLE!

Muffet's IRISH Receive #1 RPI Ranking !!!

When you play the schedule the Fighting Irish have -- with four wins ON THE ROAD against teams ranked in the TOP TEN -- you earn a #1 RPI Ranking! 

Click on the link below:

LINK:  RPI RANKING #1

Skylar Diggins' 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend

Former Notre Dame All-American Skylar Diggins played this evening in the NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game in New Orleans...

Skylar led her EAST team to the 60 - 56 win!

You'll want to watch Skylar and Kevin Hart's interview -- click on link below.

LINK:  KEVIN HART AND SKYLAR INTERVIEW

LINK:  GAME STORY

LINK:  KEVIN HART CHASES DOWN SKYLAR

Never Before! Fighting Irish Go 24 - 0 Tonight!

For the very first time in school history, Muffet's Notre Dame Fighting Irish start a season with 24 straight wins after beating Boston College on the road 82 - 61.

The Irish, one of only two teams still undefeated in women's college basketball, have now won 47 straight regular season games!

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  BOX SCORE

NFL Mock Draft Has 3 ND Guys in First 24 Picks

This NFL mock draft has three former Notre Dame student-athletes going among the first 24 players taken in the 2014 NFL Draft.  Click on the link below to see who they are and where they might be playing:

LINK:  DOMERS GALORE

NCAA to Slow Down the Irish Offense in 2014?

There are some new rule changes that are being considered by the NCAA Football Rules Committee that might prohibit the Fighting Irish from going to an up-tempo offense...

The spin on this is "fewer plays in a game -- fewer injuries."  Here's what is being proposed:

LINK:  SLOWING DOWN FOOTBALL

Always Wanted this Young Man at Notre Dame

If you're a fan of talent -- you must read this story about former Florida State football player Myron Rolle.  He was a "five-star" recruit on the football field and a "five-star" recruit in the classroom -- always hoped he would end up playing for the Fighting Irish.

I had lost track of this young man when he went off to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

You'll want to read this story:

LINK:  MYRON ROLLE

#4 Ranked Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse Preview

Kevin Corrigan's Fighting Irish kick off their 2014 season this weekend with a televised game.  This Sunday at 7 PM ET the Irish play Jacksonville University -- in the sunshine of northern Florida -- on the NBC Sports Network.

To learn more about this year's team -- click on the link below:

LINK:  LACROSSE PREVIEW

ND Goalie Up for Hockey Humanitarian Award

Notre Dame student-athlete Joe Rogers -- we shared his story this past week -- is one of five finalists for the BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award.

Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  ROGERS A FINALIST

Most Beautiful College Cathedral in the World!

The most beautiful college cathedral in the world -- resides in northern Indiana!

LINK:  WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!

Lady Irish are Now 23 - 0 -- Win 46th Straight!

Muffet McGraw's #2 ranked Fighting Irish are now 23 - 0 on the season -- matching the greatest start to a regular season in school history.  They've also won 46 straight regular season games...

The latest victim Syracuse -- whom the Irish beat 101 - 64.  See the highlights below -- along with a link to the post game press conference:

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  POST GAME PRESSER

Kelly Finished Tied for 46th at Pebble Beach

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly and his PGA Tour partner Michael Thompson (Alabama grad) finished in a tie for 46th at this weekend's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.  There's a link to the final scoreboard below.

Michael Thompson finished in 19th place with a -3 -- meaning Coach Kelly contributed 10 strokes to their -13 team score for the tournament.

LINK:  AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

Quick Interview with ND QB Everett Golson

Notre Dame student-athlete Everett Golson was interviewed this weekend while watching the Irish track team compete at the Meyo Invitational.  Here's a link:

LINK:  EVERETT GOLSON

#4 ND Women's Fencing Beats #6 Penn State

Now, I'm willing to bet that there are very few ND GO IRISH BLOG followers who have ever attended a fencing competition.  So, here's a little treat from our friends at Fighting Irish Digital Media.

Yesterday's competition between #4 Notre Dame and #6 Penn State came down to the very last match -- here's the winning point -- in front of the largest crowd ever to watch a fencing competition at ND.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME WINS!

LINK:  WOMEN'S RANKINGS

Samardzija Signs One-Year $5.3 Million Deal

The Chicago Cubs came to terms yesterday afternoon with former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, on a one-year deal worth $5,345,000 -- avoiding arbitration.

Jeff was seeking $6.2 million and the Cubs were offering $4.4 million -- they split the difference.

With this contract -- Samardzija will have earned $15,345,000 in his first six years in professional baseball.

Now, when you consider the average length of an NFL career for a wide receiver is 2.91 years -- you'll know why Jeff is smiling in this photograph!  He made a great decision!

Samardzija finished fourth in the National League last year with 214 strikeouts in 213 innings pitched.  Here's how he stacked up in a number of other pitching categories in the National League last season:

• Games Started -- tied for second with 33 starts
• Innings Pitched -- fifth place with 213.2 innings
• Complete Games -- tied for fifth place with 2

Congratulations Jeff!

LINK:  SAMARDZIJA AND CUBS AGREE

Muffet's Irish: 4 Road Wins Over Top Ten Teams

How's this been for a schedule!

Notre Dame has played four teams currently in the TOP TEN in both women's college basketball polls and all four games have been on the ROAD...

• Notre Dame 77 -- #9 Penn State 67
• Notre Dame 86 -- #8 Tennessee 70
• Notre Dame 87 -- #10 Maryland 83
• Notre Dame 88 -- #5 Duke 67

LINK:  WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RANKINGS

Three ND Football Recruits in All-Star Game

Three future Notre Dame football players played last night for TEAM USA in the 2014 International Bowl on ESPN3 -- if you'd like to watch the replay click on the link below.  You'll see Jay Hayes (#7), Nile Sykes (#9) and Greer Martini (#47) on the defensive side of the football for America's team.

You will have to have some patience with the broadcast team -- they make a number of mistakes on where the players have committed to...

But, first -- click on the top link -- you'll see all three being interviewed about playing for Notre Dame!

LINK:  INTERVIEW OF NOTRE DAME RECRUITS

LINK:  GAME REPLAY

Debbie Brown Talks USA's Moscow Boycott

Notre Dame women's volleyball coach Debbie Brown was featured on NBC's Nightly News tonight in a story about the United States' boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games.

Brown and her USA volleyball teammates missed out on competing for a medal when President Jimmy Carter ordered the boycott.  Click on the link below to see this news feature:

LINK:  MOSCOW BOYCOTT

Brian Kelly Playing AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Well, after two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am -- Notre Dame head football coach and his professional playing partner Michael Thompson are -10 and in a tie for 42nd place.

To make the cut -- Coach Kelly's team must finish in the top-25 and ties.  Right now they're three strokes off the cut line which is currently at -13.  

Thompson, an Alabama grad is -3 on his own ball -- meaning Coach Kelly has contributed -7 on his own ball (with his 12 handicap) these first two rounds!  The Tournament will be televised LIVE tomorrow on the GOLF CHANEL and CBS.  Here's the schedule:

• Golf Channel:  1:00 PM ET to 2:30 PM ET
• CBS:  3:00 PM ET to 6:00 PM ET

LINK:  SCOREBOARD

LINK:  CELEBRITY PLAYERS

Andrew & Nic Weishar -- A Brother's Love...

Notre Dame football recruit Nic Weishar lost his brother Andrew to cancer in October of 2012. 

You're going to want to know this story...

LINK:  THE WEISHAR BOYS

Recruiting a Heisman Trophy Winner...

Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown tells a recruiting story... 

You'll want to watch this!

LINK:  TIM BROWN TELLS A STORY

Nine ND Football Players: NFL Combine Invite

The NFL's annual talent show -- THE NFL SCOUTING COMBINE -- invited nine former Notre Dame student-athletes to participate this February in Indianapolis.  Here's the list of the Fighting Irish:

• George Atkinson III
• Bennett Jackson
• T.J. Jones
• Zach Martin
• Troy Niklas
• Louis Nix III
• Prince Shembo
• Stephon Tuitt
• Chris Watt

The list of all participants receiving an invite -- see list below:


LINK:  NFL COMBINE INVITATION LIST

Local News Stories on ND Footbal Recruits

Took a lap around the worldwide web this evening to see if there were any local news stories about the commitment of their local high school football stars to the University of Notre Dame.  Here's what I found:

LINK:  QUENTON NELSON

LINK:  JIMMY BYRNE

LINK:  NYLES MORGAN

LINK:  COREY HOLMES

LINK:  PETER MOKWUAH

LINK:  DESHONE KIZER

LINK:  SAM MUSTIPHER

LINK:  DRUE TRANQUILL

Fr. Edward Sorin's 200th Birthday Today!

The Holy Cross priest who founded the University of Notre Dame du Lac was born 200 years ago today in Ahuille, France.  Notre Dame is planning a number of events today and throughout the year to celebrate this bi-centennial.

Notre Dame Women's Soccer Recruiting Class

The Notre Dame women's soccer team signed their first recruiting class in 15 years without Coach Randy Waldrum at the helm.  Here's the list of girls who have signed -- which includes two sets of twins and another recruit who has a twin sister-- to play for the Fighting Irish!

LINK:  GINNY MCGOWAN -- RANKED #11

LINK:  SABRINA FLORES -- RANKED #17

LINK:  KAITLIN KLAWUNDER -- RANKED #30

LINK:  KATIE UHLER -- RANKED #39

LINK:  MEGAN MCCASHLAND -- RANKED #44

LINK:  MONICA FLORES -- RANKED #58

LINK:  TAYLOR KLAWUNDER -- RANKED #70 

LINK:  LEXI NICHOLAS -- RANKED #79

LINK:  PAIGE CROWLEY

LINK:  MEGHAN DOYLE

Rankings of ND's 2014 Recruiting Class

Took a lap around the worldwide web this evening to see how the experts are ranking Notre Dame's recruiting class.  Just click on the links below to see how the Fighting Irish stack up:

LINK:  SCOUT -- ND #6 

LINK:  TOM LEMMING -- ND #7

LINK:  MAXPREPS -- ND #9

LINK:  RIVALS -- ND #11

LINK:  ESPN -- ND #11

Coach Brian Kelly Talks 2014 Recruiting Class

Notre Dame football released the names of the 23 members of their 2014 recruiting class -- and it's one of the best in the country!  To see what Coach Kelly had to say about these young men -- click on the links below:

LINK:  COACH KELLY ON SIGNING DAY SHOW

LINK:  COACH KELLY'S PRESS CONFERENCE

Greer Martini Commits to Notre Dame Today!

Here is a photo of Woodberry Forest High School's Greer Martini after signing his National Letter of Intent to become a student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame!

LINK:  GREER MARTINI BIO

Tyler Luatua Commits to Notre Dame Today!

Notre Dame's lone commitment from California this year -- Tyler Luatua -- puts on a Notre Dame hat at his signing ceremony at La Mirada High School today!

LINK:  TYLER LUATUA BIO