Former Notre Dame All American and Heisman Trophy winner -- Tim Brown, will be coming home this weekend to South Bend for his enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame. Brown will become the 49th Notre Dame Football player to be so honored -- the most of any school in the country. The festivities begin tomorrow -- so if you're in the South Bend area, think about attending a few of them. Here's a link to the schedule:
The infamous "Game of the Century -- the 10 - 10 Tie" between Notre Dame and Michigan State, in 1966, will be commemorated with a special two hour show on ESPN Classic -- Tuesday, July 20th from 4 PM to 6 PM EST. MSU's Bubba Smith and Notre Dame's Rocky Bleier will be commentating and the entire second half will be shown. If you can't see it - be sure to TIVO or RECORD it.
Former University of Notre Dame Hockey Player, Riley Sheahan spent the past three days in a new uniform (pictured). Sheahan joined a number of the Detroit Red Wings top prospects at a three-day camp in the Detroit area. Sheahan, the Wing's #1 draft pick, didn't disappoint -- as you'll learn if you click on this Detroit Free Press article:
University of Notre Dame's Dean of their College of Science -- Greg Crawford and his wife Renate (pictured) are going to ride their bikes from Tuscon, AZ to Notre Dame, IN this summer. The ride -- dubbed; "Desert to Dome" -- begins on July 24th and it celebrates the Ara Parseghian Family Medical Foundation and the University of Notre Dame's partnership to find treatment options for Niemann-Pick Type C -- a rare and deadly disease that primarily strikes children. Former ND Football Coach Ara Parseghian's family has lost three children to Neimann-Pick. The 2,200 mile bike ride will end on the Notre Dame campus -- some time in August. Good Luck to the Crawford's! Here's a link to a video Notre Dame created to promote this event and a link to Dean Crawford's BLOG -- where you can track what they're doing to prepare for the ride:
I missed this video of Coach Kelly meeting with students at Notre Dame on April 27th. I thought it was quite good -- especially the answer to the question: "Have you spoken with any of the previous Notre Dame Head Coaches?" Here's a link:
ESPN Journalist Wes Morgan was in Grand Rapids, MI with Coach Kelly this past Friday -- as he joined the Notre Dame Club of Grand Rapids for their 27th Annual Golf & Scholarship Invitational at Centennial Country Club. Kelly played golf in the afternoon and then he spoke at the dinner that evening. Here's a link to Morgan's ESPN Blog article:
There are strong rumors on the internet that Pat Haden, NBC color analyst for their Notre Dame Football telecasts is the leading candidate to replace embattled USC AD, Mike Garrett. Haden is a former QB at USC and Rhodes Scholar. Although he chose to play for USC over the Irish, Haden readily admits that his mother wanted him to go to Notre Dame and always lights a candle in her memory at the Grotto whenever he is on campus. Pat is currently a member of USC's Board of Trustees.
It was announced today that University of Notre Dame Women's Basketball Coach -- Muffet McGraw will be enshrined in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame next year. Muffet, who led the Irish to their only National Championship in 2001, has won more than 600 games as a head coach. Congratulations Muffet!
Riley Sheahan, first round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings -- and former Irish Hockey player -- performed his stick handling magic for the YOUTUBE cameras as a 15 year-old. Here's a link to the story and video on the Detroit Red Wings' official website:
It's been rumored for weeks that Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly accepted an invitation to play in the 21st American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe. Yet, his name isn't on the 'official' list of participants -- even though they promote the fact that he's playing in the event for the first time this year. This is the "made for TV" golf tournament that is made up of former athletes, coaches and actors -- who play in what's called a modified Stableford Scoring Format. Each double eagle, eagle, birdie, par, bogey or double bogey has an assigned point total. The player who scores the most points -- wins the tournament. The event runs from July 13th to the 18th on the shores of Lake Tahoe at Edgewood Tahoe. NBC televises the action -- former Notre Dame greats; Jerome Bettis, Lou Holtz, Digger Phelps and Joe Theismann have committed to play. You'll also have the opportunity to see Charles Barkley swing a golf club (pictured). Once we learn if Coach Kelly is officially playing -- we'll post it on the blog. Here's a link to the tournament's website:
Luke Harangody wasted little time in putting on a show for the Boston Celtics and their fans. The second round pick out of Notre Dame scored 23 points on 9 for 13 shooting in their Summer League opener today in Las Vegas. Congrats Luke!
The Notre Dame Club of Grand Rapids is hosting its 27th Annual Golf & Scholarship Invitational at Centennial Country Club. As of Friday, a few spots in the morning scramble (7:30 AM Shot Gun Start) were available -- and some tickets to see Coach Brian Kelly speak at the dinner that evening. If interested, please contact Bob Belmonte at bbelmonte@appliedimaging.com -- it should be fun!
Notre Dame Head Football Coach was a guest on The Huge Show -- a sports radio program on WBBL 107.3 FM in west Michigan. You'll love his answer to the question: "Will you win a National Championship at Notre Dame?" -- Here's a link to the interview:
Rumors persist that former Notre Dame All American Bobby Taylor, is working out in Houston, TX -- preparing to make a comeback. Taylor, now 36 years-old, last played in the NFL for the Seattle Seahwaks in the 2004 season. Prior to his one season with the Seahawks, Taylor played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the team that drafted him in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft. A corner, the 6'-3" Taylor was named NFL All Pro after the 2002 season -- and is reportedly seeking to make a NFL roster this time as a safety. Well liked by teammates, Taylor received the Ed Block Courage Award in 1998. The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to selected players in the National Football League (NFL), who are voted by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Out of Longview, Texas -- Taylor received the Jack Tatum Trophy in 2004 as the top defensive back in college football. He's the only Notre Dame football player to be so honored. Bobby's Dad, Robert Taylor, won a Gold & Silver Medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics. While it's not entirely crazy to think a 36-year old could play in the NFL (Brett Favre??) -- playing a "back" position in an NFL defense, at this age, would be unique. We wish you well Bobby Taylor!
Matthew Hegarty out of Aztec, New Mexico -- sat down with WSBT 960 AM's SportsBeat Weekly Show to talk about his commitment to Notre Dame. Hegarty is a Five-star recruit -- meaning he's one of the absolute best at his position (Left Tackle) in America. Matt was the MVP at last summer's University of Oklahoma's Top Prospect Camp (Video Below). Here's a link to his interview with Weekly SportsBeat:
I found this story this morning -- "How many more days of independence will Notre Dame celebrate?" It's a good read and I thought you would enjoy:
Notre Dame Professor John D'Arcy, an internet security expert -- boy, do I distrust the word EXPERT -- believes that GOOGLE and China may have kissed and made up. Some may recall that GOOGLE and China have been in a fight over China's censorship of the internet. Well, China is expected to announce this next week whether they will renew GOOGLE's license to operate in their country. China is the world's largest internet market -- as they are for many goods and services these days. The Chinese government's decision will have far reaching ramifications for companies around the world -- stay tuned! Here's a link to the story:
The NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG is only five months old -- but, in that short time more than 8,000 unique Notre Dame fans have paid a visit! You come from all 50 States and more than 30 countries around the world. Pretty amazing how a little school "in the middle of nowhere" can drive such passion. Today alone, Notre Dame fans from 44 States stopped in to check in on their Irish. Thanks for making this great fun and GO IRISH!
No, it's not April Fool's Day - it's the first of July, not April. ESPN College Football Live's Mark May has apparently visited a Priest and confessed his sins - because he's done a "180 on the Irish" and predicts 10 win this season. Here's a link to the video:
PayScale just released their annual "College Salary Report" and it ranks a degree from the University of Notre Dame as the "ninth most valuable" in America. PayScale, which collects pay information from individuals using its online pay comparison tools, analyzed its trove of 1.4 million reports on U.S. college graduates for Bloomberg Businessweek and put a price tag on the college diplomas handed out during recent commencement ceremonies. The rankings list the net 30-year return on investment (ROI) of undergraduate degrees from various colleges and universities. With a typical college degree from the schools in this report, a graduate will earn a gross income of about $1.95 million over a 30-year career, netting about $670,000 more than a high school graduate. Notre Dame graduates out-earned high school graduates by $1.4 million, making it the ninth most valuable undergraduate degree in the nation. Here's a link to the South Bend Tribune article:
Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly was a guest yesterday on the Paul Finebaum Radio Show. Finebaum's show airs in the heart of SEC Country -- so Coach Kelly was behind enemy lines with this one. Here's a link to the interview.
Here's a photo of the "Authentic Game Jersey" being sold in the Notre Dame Hammes Bookstore -- "designed to match" the uniform worn by the Irish on Game Day. So, it's truly not the same jersey the Irish will wear on Saturday's in Notre Dame Stadium. As you can see the home jersey has a new neck line, the ND Monogram logo on the sleeves and the Adidas logo front and center. I believe the Official Jersey will have a much larger ND Monogram on the sleeves and the player's names on the back -- and maybe even the ND Monogram at the top of the neckline on the back of the jersey. You'll recall the photos from Blue & Gold Weekend of a jersey that Coach Kelly signed for a fund raiser, I believe that's the official jersey the team will wear -- see link below.
Former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate made the national news a couple of weeks ago with his early morning visit to a Top Pot doughnut shop before it was officially opened for the day, to treat himself to a maple bar. Tate's apology to the store owner -- turned into a clever ad campaign for the Seattle based and Seattle Seahawk's official marketing partner. This photo of an actual store sign suggesting "...please wait until we are open" -- is a nod to Golden Tate's actions. Here's hoping they sell many, many maple bars and ol' Golden learns a valuable lesson. He's very lucky the store owner is a Seahawks fan.
Former Notre Dame basketball great, Orlando Woolridge, was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame this weekend. Woolridge, who grew up in the small town of Mansfield, LA -- about 40 miles south of Shreveport -- was a member of the most talented team in the history of Notre Dame basketball; the 1977 - 1978 Final Four Irish. Owning one of the most unique names in the history of Notre Dame Athletics -- Orlando earned second team All American honors his senior year. Woolridge's exploits at Notre Dame were awarded with being drafted 6th overall, in the 1981 NBA Draft, by the Chicago Bulls. During his thirteen-year career in the NBA, Orlando played for the Bulls, Nets, Lakers, Nuggets, Pistons, Bucks and Sixers. Woolridge led the NBA in scoring during the 1990 - 1991 season -- averaging 25.1 points per game -- before an eye injury sidelined him for almost half of the season. Unfortunately, Orlando's two talented sons didn't follow Dad to Notre Dame. Renaldo, is a 6'-8" forward for the University of Tennessee Volunteers and 6'-2" Royce will play his collegiate basketball at the University of Kansas this upcoming season. Congratulations Orlando!
Mike McCoy, former Notre Dame All-American defensive tackle will receive the Bronco Nagurski "Legends" Award from the Charlotte Touchdown Club -- December 6, 2010 at their annual dinner. The Bronco Nagurski "Legends" Award recognizes the "best of the best" defensive football players in the last 40 years. McCoy was a consensus All-American at Notre Dame and was the second overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft of the Green Bay Packers. McCoy's efforts on and off the field have earned him the following acclaim; Packers Rookie of the Year, All Pro Player, Dodge NFL Man of the Year, and was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. McCoy was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Council on Sports for a Drug Free America and by former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh to the Pennsylvania Council for Physical Fitness. McCoy served as the chaplain of the Atlanta Braves and currently serves on several community outreach boards. Congratulations to a true son of Notre Dame!
The University of Notre Dame's annual OLD2GOLD sale was this past Saturday, and "shoppers" were lined up outside Notre Dame Stadium beginning at 3 AM (photo) for the 5 AM "early bird" shopping opportunity. Organizers report that more than 400 bicycles were sold in the first 45 minutes. OLD2GOLD is a sale of all of the "left over" items that Notre Dame students donate from their dorm rooms and apartments from the previous school year. More than 40 local charities benefit from this event. Here's the WNDU-TV report from the Stadium:
A private workout was held yesterday at Notre Dame Stadium for the defensive end position in Brian Kelly's new 3 - 4 Defense. Ian O'Connor (photo) is seen here rushing the QB in a drill being run by the Irish Defensive Staff. Photo courtesy of Kaity Fuja, OMG Photography. Kaity (ND Class of 2009) was inside Notre Dame Stadium yesterday to shoot photos of Coach Kelly for his new website. Now, we can't show you the photos of Coach Kelly (just yet), but here's a link to the photos OMG did take of the private workout - and a link to Kaity's website:
Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly and his wife Paqui served as co-hosts for Football 101 at Notre Dame Stadium last night for more than 300 female fans (photo) of the Irish. This was a Kelly Cares Foundation event for breast cancer awareness and education. The 300 ND football fans were also given instruction on the fundamentals of Notre Dame Football. Sounds like they had great fun! Both Brian and Paqui also found time to talk with WSBT 960 AM's Weekday SportsBeat show. You'll find links below to both interviews as well as the WNDU-TV new story on the event:
Congratulations to Notre Dame senior, Luke Harangody, who was drafted last night by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft -- 52nd pick overall! 'Gody' is the first Irish player drafted by the Celtics in the past 29 years -- Tracy Jackson was the last Notre Dame player to go to Boston, in the 1981 NBA Draft, when he was also drafted in the second round. Luke is the first Notre Dame basketball player to be named All Big East three consecutive seasons and was the leading scorer and rebounder in the Big East Conference in consecutive years. A graduate of Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana -- Harangody leaves Notre Dame as one of it's all time greats. Couldn't be happier for Luke and his family!
Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly will be a guest tonight on WSBT 960 AM's Weekday SportsBeat Show. They're broadcasting live from outside Notre Dame Stadium. Coach Kelly is expected on the show at 6:30 PM EST. Here's a link to their website.
Many of the the top female amateur golfers in the world are at the University of Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course this week for the 2010 USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. It's the first time Notre Dame has hosted a national United States Golf Association event an indicative of the quality of this golf facility. Monday and Tuesday was the 36-hole qualifier for the field of 156 players. Only the top 64 players qualified for Match Play -- which began yesterday. It took a score of +10 or better to qualify for individual match play. Aria Jutanugarn, a 14 year-old from Thailand (pictured) was the low qualifier with a 36-hole score of -7 under par -- can you believe it!!!. University of Notre Dame Women's Golf Team members; Becca Huffer (Denver, CO) and Nicole Zang (Canada) qualified for match play - both won their first round matches, but were beaten this morning as the field was narrowed down to 16. The Championship Match will be held this Saturday. Admission is free - so, if you're in the area, it's a great opportunity to see many of the top female amateur golfers in the world. Here's a link to the live scoring from the Championship:
The University of Notre Dame's Annual "Yard Sale" will be held this Saturday at historic Notre Dame Stadium. The "early bird" sale goes from 7AM to 9AM -- to get tickets for early entry, the line opens up at 5 AM and the tickets are $5. Tickets are not required for children 12 and under. If you don't want to get up that early, general admission (which is free) begins at 9 AM. The Old-2-Gold Sale ends at 11 AM. There are 33 semi-truck trailers full of merchandise to be sold -- click on the link below to see list of items -- so get there early!
If you've ever wanted to make the "pilgrimage" to Notre Dame to see a football game -- today might be your lucky day! You need to pick up the phone RIGHT NOW and call this number: 574.631.7356 -- when they answer, hit the number 6 on your phone IMMEDIATELY so you won't have to spend a minute listening to Notre Dame Ticket Office info you won't care about. GO IRISH!
Are you tired of your husband or boyfriend claiming to be the "know it all as it relates to Notre Dame Football?" Well, here's your chance to change that! This Thursday -- June 24th from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM -- the Notre Dame Football discussion will be for WOMEN ONLY! It's called Football 101 and it's an event being hosted by Coach Brian Kelly and his wife Paqui at Notre Dame Stadium benefiting Breast Cancer research. If you'd like to go, here are the rules -- you must be female, you must be at least 21 years old and you must register online. Here's a link to the registration site:
Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist, recently sat down with a reporter from The Sporting News to talk about Fighting Irish Football. Here's a link to the story:
Notre Dame's Director of Football Strength & Conditioning, Paul Longo -- has already constructed his trademark "Longo Beach" on one of the practice fields at Notre Dame. It's an 80 yard long, ten feet wide stretch of beach sand that his players have the joy of running in. It's the precursor to a 30 yard sand hill, that will also be constructed on the ND campus for his boys to have more fun on! Every Notre Dame scholarship football player is now on campus (they all arrived on Sunday) and they're in the trusted care of Coach Longo for the next six weeks. Longo is given a great deal of credit for Coach Kelly's teams having a 42 - 1 record when leading a game going into the 4th quarter. Here's a revealing interview given to ESPN - that speaks to Coach Longo and his ways -- ENJOY!
Former ND All-American Golden "PINK" Tate, was back in South Bend this weekend for Charlie Weis's Hannah & Friends Charity Golf Tournament. Thought you'd enjoy this photo!
Here's a link to Weekday SportsBeat's interview of former Notre Dame Football Player and Team Captain; Mike Goolsby. Goolsby, a 2004 grad, is President of All Day Inc., a youth training program focused on helping Chicagoland youths (grades 6-12) realize their athletic goals. Whether that may be simply cracking the starting lineup or pursuing a collegiate scholarship. Click on this:
Ever wanted to see the Irish play in person at historic Notre Dame Stadium? Here's your chance! Tickets go on at 8:30 a.m. EDT, on Wednesday, June 23, 2010. The sale will consist of single, noncontiguous seats that remain after the annual alumni lottery, as well as contiguous seats resulting from early visiting team returns and University allotment releases. At least some availability is anticipated for all 2010 home games but will vary by game and date. Ticket purchase limits and service charges will apply. The complete Notre Dame schedule for 2010 is available at UND.com. Alumni and friends who applied for tickets through the annual football ticket lottery will have their requests accommodated prior to tickets being made available for public sale. The lottery is in the process of being finalized and results will be available July 7th. Tickets for 2010 home games in Notre Dame Stadium are $70 each and may be purchased in person beginning at 8:30 a.m. June 23 at the Murnane Ticket Office located between Gates 8 and 10 of Purcell Pavilion on the south side of the Joyce Center – by calling 574-631-7356 weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. – or by visiting UND.com/tickets. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
Ever wonder who's the "Morris guy" whose name is on the Morris Inn at Notre Dame (photo of lobby) or, the Morris Performing Arts Center, Morris Park Country Club, etc., in South Bend? Well here is his unique "Notre Dame" story. As the story goes, E. M. Morris orphaned at 12 years old, rode his horse with all of his belongings in his saddle bag to Notre Dame. He met with Father John William Cavanaugh, the President of Notre Dame from 1905 to 1919. Given his financial situation, he asked Father Cavanaugh if he could attend the college for free. He promised to pay the University back ten-fold if they allowed him to enroll. Father Cavanaugh believed in his spirit and allowed him to do so -- and what a great decision that was! E. M. Morris and the Morris Family did pay the University back ten-fold over the years. Morris founded The Associates Investment Company in 1918, originally to help needy people, and it later became the single largest financing company in the world. The Associates was sold to Ford Motor Company, in 1998, for $3.5 Billion and sold again in 2000, to Citigroup for $31 Billion. He also founded the First Bank & Trust in South Bend which today operates as 1st Source Bank. In 1932 Morris Farms was founded in Niles, MI. E. M. Morris began purchasing parcels of land with the main principal of reforestation. He planted over 120,000 trees of many varieties. Today, Morris Farms consists of approximately 960 acres. The Morris Farms is in the news today because the Morris Family heirs just announced they're going to sell the property. Here's a link to the South Bend Tribune story: