It's the 2nd largest TV audience for an opening weekend game in college football since 1996...
LINK: HUGE TV RATINGS
Monday, September 6, 2021
Huge TV Audience for Notre Dame vs. FSU
It's the 2nd largest TV audience for an opening weekend game in college football since 1996...
Sunday, September 5, 2021
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Notre Dame Players Still Earning NFL Paycheck
Here's a team-by-team look at all of the former Notre Dame football players still getting paid by a NFL team -- after rosters were cut down to 53 -- and players were signed to practice squads. As of 6 PM ET on September 1st:
Atlanta Falcons
- Ade Ogundeji
Baltimore Ravens
- Miles Boykin
- Daelin Hayes
- Ronnie Stanley
Carolina Panthers
- J.J. Jansen
- Tommy Tremble
- Troy Pride, Jr -- Injured / Reserve
Chicago Bears
- Alex Bars
- Cole Kmet
- Sam Mustipher
Cincinnati Bengals
- Khalid Kareem
Cleveland Browns
- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
- Sheldon Day -- Practice Squad
Dallas Cowboys
- Zack Martin
- Jaylon Smith
Detroit Lions
- Scott Daly
- Julian Okwara
- Romeo Okwara
- Jalen Elliott -- Practice Squad
- Tommy Kramer -- Practice Squad
- Alize Mack -- Practice Squad
- Javon McKinley -- Practice Squad
- Brock Wright -- Practice Squad
Green Bay Packers
- Equanimeous St. Brown -- Practice Squad
Indianapolis Colts
- Quenton Nelson
- Isaac Rochell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Nick Martin
Los Angeles Chargers
- Alohi Gilman
- Jerry Tillery
- Drue Tranquill
Los Angeles Rams
- Ben Skowronek
Miami Dolphins
- Liam Eichenberg
- William Fuller V.
- Durham Smythe
Minnesota Vikings
- Harrison Smith
New Orleans Saints
- Ian Book
- Tony Jones, Jr.
New York Giants
- Julian Love
- Kyle Rudolph
New York Jets
- Josh Adams -- Practice Squad
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Chase Claypool
- Jamir Jones
- Stephon Tuitt -- Reserve / Injured
San Francisco 49ers
- Aaron Banks
- Mike McGlinchey
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Robert Hainsey
Tennessee Titans
- Matthias Farley
Most notable former Notre Dame players that are free agents as of 6 PM ET on September 1st:
- Manti Te'o
- Dexter Williams
- Golden Tate
- Donte Vaughn
- Asmar Bilal
- C.J. Prosise
- DeShone Kizer
- Bennett Jackson
- Jarron Jones
- Cole Luke
- Tyler Eifert
- KeiVarae Russell
- Nick McCloud
Former Notre Dame players who have announced their retirement:
- Theo Riddick
- James Onwualu
- Sam Young
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Monday, August 30, 2021
Sunday, August 29, 2021
Harrison Smith Moves to #2 With New Contract
The Minnesota Vikings just agreed to a $64,000,000 four-year contract extension with former Notre Dame Football team captain -- Harrison Smith! Over the next eight months Harrison will be paid $22.5 million, the most ever for a safety in NFL history.
Harrison is now the 2nd highest paid former Notre Dame student-athlete of all-time!
Congrats Harrison!
Here's a look at the TOP 30 current and former Notre Dame athletes (football, basketball, baseball and hockey) who have been (and will be) paid the most as a professional athlete:
- Ronnie Stanley: $136,145,183 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2025
- Harrison Smith: $127,666,546 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
- Jeff Samardzija: $116,341,666
- Zack Martin: $100,285,531 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2024
- Jaylon Smith: $75,095,997 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2025
- AJ Pollock: $68,841,944 -- guaranteed contract to 2023
- Anders Lee: $66,044,038 -- guaranteed contract to 2026
- Troy Murphy: $66,000,000
- Stephon Tuitt: $64,760,551 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2022
- Kyle Rudolph: $62,936,853 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2023
- Golden Tate: $56,337,672 -- current free agent
- Brad Lidge: $55,335,000
- Romeo Okwara: $47,258,474 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2023
- Bryant Young: $44,000,000
- Justin Tuck: $43,248,463
- Quenton Nelson: $38,010,393 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2022
- John Sullivan: $35,800,027
- Jerome Bettis: $35,122,500
- Jeff Faine: $34,456,892
- Will Fuller: $34,243,347 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2022
- Kyle Palmieri: $30,192,154 -- guaranteed contract to 2021
- Matt Carroll: $29,537,032
- Mike McGlinchey: $29,481,766 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2023
- Tim Brown: $28,432,686
- Laphonso Ellis: $27,939,000
- Rocket Ismail: $27,885,021
- Tyler Eifert: $26,310,317
- Joe Montana: $26,000,000
- Ian Cole: $25,949,694 -- guaranteed contract to 2021
- John Axford: $25,306,209
LINK: VIKINGS EXTEND CONTRACT WITH HARRISON SMITH!
Saturday, August 28, 2021
Friday, August 27, 2021
Cubs Announce "Notre Dame Day" at Wrigley
It's the Friday (September 24th) before the Fighting Irish take on Wisconsin at Soldier Field.
The first 2,000 fans who purchase a ticket to the game will receive a coupon that will give them the Notre Dame / Cubs hat for free.
The Cubs will be playing the St. Louis Cardinals that day.
Thursday, August 26, 2021
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Watch Notre Dame's "Back to School Mass"
Because of the extreme heat conditions here on campus today -- the University of Notre Dame's Opening of the Academic Year Mass has been moved indoors to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Mass will begin at 5:30 PM ET and can be watched LIVE at the video player above.
Will Conference Alliance Impact Notre Dame?
Here's a Yahoo! sports story about the alliance between the ACC, Big Ten and Pac 12 -- before today's announcement -- and how it might impact future scheduling for Notre Dame Football...
LINK: STORY
Monday, August 23, 2021
Sunday, August 22, 2021
OT: Ty Cobb Giving My Dad Hitting Tips...
(click on image to enlarge)
There was a photo on Twitter today of Ty Cobb giving hitting tips to Mickey Mantle -- see below...
Well, my Dad (Jim Small, Detroit Tigers center fielder) had the same experience with Ty Cobb -- just before my Dad headed to Lakeland, FL for Spring Training in 1957. Here's the newspaper story from the San Francisco Examiner in February of 1957.
The folks at the San Francisco Examiner set up this interview / feature between Ty Cobb and my Dad, after his second season with the Detroit Tigers in 1956. My Dad is one of the very few players in Major League Baseball history to jump straight from high school to the big leagues -- which he did in June of 1955 after his high school graduation from Bellarmine Prep (San Jose, CA). He is 19 years-old in this photo with Cobb.
The photo on bottom left shows Ty splitting my Dad's hands apart on the bat -- which is how Cobb held the bat during his Hall of Fame career...
The coolest moment happened at the end of the day at Cobb's home -- when he went into a closet and pulled out a photo of his first day in a Tiger's uniform in 1905 -- and signed it and gave it to my Dad.
Here is Joe Theismann interviewing my Dad about his baseball career:
Ty Cobb giving a young Mickey Mantle hitting tips pic.twitter.com/3qmbEAjEbf
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) August 22, 2021
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Working On "Finishing Touches" to Golf Car...
I'm told we're getting closer to the arrival of the Notre Dame themed golf car...
The hold up has been "Tropical Storm Fred" which delayed the construction of the seats for the golf car (Lazy Life Seats + Covers -- Grovetown, GA) and the challenges in matching the color GOLD.
Finding the right gold paint color -- is DIFFICULT!
I did take on the task of creating a few medallions (photo above) that could be used on the front grille and the steering wheel of the golf car. Matt Leevy and Anthony Van Avermaete at Notre Dame's Idea Center were kind enough to knock out some Notre Dame Monograms out of acrylic for me -- then I took it from there.
Here's hoping we'll have wheels on the ground in South Bend before the Toledo game!
Friday, August 20, 2021
My First Trader Joe's Experience -- EVER!
Just traveled a couple of hundred yards from our home, to the grand opening of the Trader Joe's on the southern end of Eddy Street Commons...
I've been hearing about this store for years -- from my wife -- but, I had never stepped foot inside one, until today. IMPRESSED.
Prediction -- they are going to do very well here at Notre Dame!
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Monday, August 16, 2021
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Jamir Jones Getting Some Love in Pittsburgh!
The former Notre Dame DL/OLB is turning some head so far after two preseason games for the Pittsburgh Steelers!
LINK: JAMIR JONES
LINK: FILM STUDY ON JAMIR
Tony Jones Jr. Had a Big Night for the Saints!
The former Fighting Irish running back (pictured above) met with the media after his 82 yards on 7 carries last night vs. the Ravens...
LINK: TONY JONES JR.
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