Incoming ND Frosh in Sports Illustrated!

Her name is Dani Aragon (Billings, MT) and she'll be enrolling at the University of Notre Dame this August as a member of the Fighting Irish Track & Field team.  Aragon will be joining her "big sister" Alexa who will be a "rising junior" on the track team at Notre Dame.

Dani was featured in the July 2nd edition of Sports Illustrated in their FACES IN THE CROWD section after qualifying for the World Junior Championships in Barcelona later this month with her time of 2:05.06 in the 800 meters.

Here's a few links to the story:

LINK:  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

LINK:  BILLINGS GAZETTE

LINK:  NOTRE DAME INCOMING FRESHMAN

Image of the Day for the Notre Dame Nation!

Thought the Notre Dame Family would enjoy seeing this!  It was posted on Twitter by @TurningP2011

All-Time Record Temperatures @ Notre Dame!

Folks, it was 100 degrees today -- setting an all-time record for heat on July 4th at the University of Notre Dame.  That's ALL-TIME!

And, the tough news to take is this -- it's going to be warmer Thursday (tomorrow) 101 degrees and even warmer on Friday 103 degrees.

WOW!

LINK:  UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME WEATHER FORECAST

Happy Birthday #236 America!

On this July 4th -- our country's 236th birthday -- I encourage all of you to watch this music video (linked below) of the U.S. Army Chorus singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  It chokes me up every time!

LINK:  THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC

ND Football to Bring $30 Million to Ireland!

The biggest draw in college sports -- has to be Notre Dame football.  What other team can take their show across the Atlantic -- and bring 40,000 fans and $30,000,000 in cash -- to a country that doesn't play the game...

Here's a story on the economic impact the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will have on the Ireland economy.

LINK:  THE IRISH ARE COMING!

Shark Strikes Out a Career High Eleven Tonight!

Former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, struck out eleven tonight in the Cubs 4 - 1 win over the Atlanta Braves.  The eleven "K's" are a career high for Jeff.  Congratulations! 

Samardzija is now 6 - 7 on the season with a 4.77 ERA.

LINK:  THE SHARK STRIKES OUT ELEVEN

Muffet Signs Ten-Year Contract Extension!

She's not going anywhere else -- not that we ever thought she was...

The University of Notre Dame just announced that our Hall of Fame women's basketball coach, Muffet McGraw has signed a ten-year contract extension -- keeping her on the ND bench through the 2021 - 2022 season.

The contract extension is believe to be one of the longest -- if not the longest -- in the history of women's basketball.  It's well deserved!

LINK:  UND.COM STORY

LINK:  MUFFET IS NEVER LEAVING!

Chris Quinn Back in America from Russia

Former Notre Dame basketball star Chris Quinn just finished up a year playing professional basketball for a team out of Moscow, Russia -- and they won the EUROCUP!

Quinn signed a one-year $1.1 million dollar deal, last year, to play for BC Khimiki.

Here's a link to a story about Quinn's experience in Russia and a link to the post-game celebration of the EUROCUP:

LINK:  BACK IN AMERICA WITH A CHAMPIONSHIP

LINK:  VIDEO OF CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRATION

Jed York Talks About the 49ers New Home!

Jed York '03, is the youngest CEO / Owner in the National Football League.  The Notre Dame alum has been busy these days building a new stadium in Santa Clara, CA for his San Francisco 49ers.  The $1.2 billion "monument to technology" hopes to bring the Super Bowl to northern California for the first time.

Here's the latest on the stadium's construction -- including the fight over $30 million in funding:


LINK:  GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY

LINK:  LIVE WEBCAM OF STADIUM CONSTRUCTION

LINK:  49ERS SUE SANTA CLARA 

LINK:  SANTA CLARA STADIUM -- OFFICIAL SITE