Here's a story in today's Chicago Tribune concerning Notre Dame football player; Manti Teo. Teo, the highly sought after recruit out of Hawaii, started a number of games for the Irish last season as a freshman. Much has been speculated about when Manti will take his Mormon mission. Here are his thoughts, and his family's -- on this very subject:
Here's a photo of a "mock up" of seating choices for the University of Notre Dame's consideration for its new Hockey Stadium - the architects have called it a "Hockey Cathedral." The $53 million facility will be unmatched on any college campus in America. If you haven't been to campus in a few months you'll be surprised to see what's going up in the Southeast corner of the parking lot south of The Joyce Center!
Former Notre Dame All-American and Biletnikoff Award Winner -- Golden Tate, is putting on a show in Training Camp for his Seattle Seahawks teammates. Tate is "just making plays" as his new QB will attest. I won't be surprised if he's in the discussion, all season, for Rookie Of The Year honors in the NFL. Go Golden! Here's a link to an article from yesterday's practice - and a link to Golden's personal blog:
Dillon Powers (Plano, TX) a rising sophomore at the University of Notre Dame was named MVP of the "Milk Cup" -- an international soccer tournament held in Northern Ireland. Dillon led the United States U-20 national team to the championship with a 3-0 win over the host country, Northern Ireland. The US earlier beat China and Denmark to qualify for the Championship Match. Powers earned Big East All Rookie Team honors this past season for the Irish. Congratulations Dillon!
Bloomberg BusinessWeek just completed a ranking of where the CEO's of the top 100 US financial firms attended college, for their undergraduate education, and the school at the top of the list: The University of Notre Dame! Five "Domers" sit in the top chair at these largest companies; James Rohr of PNC Financial Services Group and Debra Cafaro (photo) of Ventas Inc. (one of only two women in the rankings), James Flaherty, HCP; Paul Reilly, Raymond James Financial; and Terrence Cavanaugh, Erie Indemnity. Tied for second; Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell and Colgate. Further evidence as to why the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business is ranked as the #1 undergraduate Business School in the country!
University of Florida grad, former Cincinnati Bengal, NBC Sports Analyst -- and father of a "freshman" football player at Notre Dame, Chris Collinsworth -- was a guest on Jim Rome's show today. And, Chris wore the cap of his new favorite team! Take a look for yourself:
CBS Sports College Football Recruiting Analyst, Tom Lemming, sat down with the boys at WSBT 960 AM for their Weekly SportsBeat Show. Lemming is considered one of the "deans" of college football recruiting -- having spent many years covering this topic. You'll enjoy his thoughts about Brian Kelly and his staff's recruiting prowess -- and where he would rank this recruiting class nationally. Just click on the link below:
University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly, agreed to sit down with an ESPN reporter yesterday to talk about the state of Notre Dame Football. You'll enjoy the interview. Click on the link below:
I posted a story about Notre Dame Alum (Class of 1979), Bryan Gruley, back on June 8th. At the time I was writing about his first book; Starvation Lake: A Mystery. Well Bryan, who "moonlights" as the Chicago Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, sent me a note this morning announcing the release of his latest book: The Hanging Tree -- which is available today at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon. To see some reviews of The Hanging Tree - click on the link below. I've also attached a link to Bryan's book tour schedule -- which begins today in Petoskey, MI. If you get a chance, please stop in and see Bryan -- and tell him the NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG sent you!
The 2010 Notre Dame Football season "officially" begins this Friday with its annual Media Day. Coaches and players will be made available to the media and you can watch it LIVE on www.und.com. Their live coverage begins at 11:30 AM EST!
Former Notre Dame football player, father of two current ND football players and co-host of ESPN's "Mike & MIKE" -- Mike Golic, took on a unique challenge yesterday. Golic decided to take on the NFL Conditioning Test that the Washington Redskins' Albert Haynesworth continues to fail. Now, it goes without saying that Mike Greenberg (Golic's on air partner) was the impetus of this challenge. He told Golic there was no way a "fat former NFL player" could finish this test. Now mind you, if Haynesworth (29 years-old) doesn't pass this test -- his $115 - $120 million contract can be voided. So, 47 year-old Golic decided to take on the test of running two 300 yard "shuttle runs" in less than 143 seconds -- LIVE on the ESPN show "NFL LIVE." I won't spoil the fun -- when you get to the linked site below, first click on the video of the two of them arguing on the show. Then click on the second video which is Golic taking on the conditioning test:
You're going to love the University of Notre Dame's new "Game Day" website! IT'S A MUST VISIT IF YOU'RE ATTENDING A NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAME THIS SEASON! Be sure to "click on" the "WHAT'S NEW FOR 2010" button -- which will take you to the new initiatives planned for Football Weekend's at Notre Dame. I'm very pleased to learn that the University is going to add "complimentary" shuttle service around campus-- a great idea! The first "Pep Rally" is set for South Quad on Friday, September 3rd -- it's the annual Dillon Hall Pep Rally, which was the best PEP RALLY last season! Here's a link to the Game Day site:
His athletic leaping ability is becoming YOUTUBE LEGEND -- we're talking about University of Notre Dame linebacker, Steve Filer. You'll recall he jumped out of a pool on to the pool deck (see below). The latest escapade of the 6'-3" 235 lb. OLB -- has him jumping over the "roped off" Notre Dame Monogram logo in their practice facility lockerroom. Take a look for yourself:
Well, so much for my prediction of Joe Theismann! For what it's worth -- the hiring executive at NBC Sports really must have a desire for selecting graduates from schools who despise Notre Dame! Haden is a USC grad -- and get this, Mayock is a Boston College grad. Mayock is one of the NFL Draft gurus employed by the NFL Network. I'm assuming he'll keep that gig as well. I guess Mayock's replacement will come from the University of Michigan. Oh well...
University of Notre Dame's Dean of the College of Science, Greg Crawford and his wife Renate (pictured) have rolled into Texas -- and they're still smiling! Here's a quick update as to what they've experienced in the Lone Star State so far:
You've undoubtedly seen photos or videos of large fish literally "jumping into boats" in some rivers in the United States. These fish are called Asian Carp and they seek to potentially destroy the ecosystem of the Great Lakes. The invasive Asian Carp species is worrying officials as it is currently flying and leaping its way up the Mississippi River towards the Great Lakes, specifically Lake Michigan. This fish invasion, if it occurs, would devastate the ecosystem of the Great Lakes, the largest body of fresh water in the world, and would destroy the $7 billion sport fishing industry. The Asian Carp is so feared because an invasion of them in other bodies of water have caused the native fish to die as the Asian Carp eats up to 40% of their body weight in a day, and they number in the hundreds of thousands. The fish can grow to about four feet long and weigh up to 100 pounds, and has been moving up the Mississippi River, destroying it for decades. An electrical barrier was set up to stop the Asian Carp entering the Great Lakes ecosystem, but they appear to have breached that fence and are now only kept out due to a lock for ships outside of Lake Michigan. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association recently awarded the University of Notre Dame $2.5 million to go toward finding a new way to keep the Asian Carp out without closing waterways connecting Chicago's canals to Lake Michigan. "This program is positioned to detect what species will next affect the Great Lakes," said Christopher Jerde, a research assistant professor at Notre Dame. "We will study food chains and webs, locations and economic issues." Jerde said despite the fact that Asian carp, which includes the bighead and silver varieties, have been found below the electric barriers designed to keep the fish inside the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and out of Lake Michigan, it's still not too late to prevent them from taking over the Great Lakes. Good Luck!!! Here's a link to a story about a massive Asian Carp just caught in the Chicago River:
Chris Badger (Provo, UT), a member of Coach Kelly's first recruiting class at Notre Dame, has decided to leave school to serve his Mormon mission beginning September 1st. Chris will be serving his two-year mission in Ecuador and will be returning to Notre Dame to enroll in classes in September 2012 - with four years of NCAA eligibility remaining. Badger was admitted to Notre Dame in January -- allowing him to participate in Spring Practice with his Irish teammates. We wish Chris safe travels and a great life experience. Your Notre Dame Family looks forward to your return!
Lou Holtz was quick to sell high school athletes on the idea that choosing Notre Dame was a "forty year decision" -- not a four year decision. Twenty-five years later, Brian Kelly is making the same pitch. Here's why. FACT: The average career for a NFL player is 3 1/2 seasons. By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of all NFL Football players have either gone bankrupt or are under financial distress because of joblessness or divorce. That means the majority of these "kids" are 28 years old and broke. FACT: The average career of a NBA player is five seasons. Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke. I found this Sports Illustrated story on this very subject -- and ironically they interviewed former Notre Dame All American Rocket Ismail for the article. Rocket, while not broke, lost several million dollars due to self admitted "ignorance." In the story the writer infers that Ismail is more fortunate than most since "he has his Notre Dame degree..." I believe you'll find this story quite interesting.
No, he didn't win the Indiana Lottery -- but, this Notre Dame professor potentially could save the lives of millions with this money. Marvin Miller, the George and Winifred Clark professor of Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame, has received a $1.9 million research grant from the National Institute of Health to advance tuberculosis research. 14.4 million people are infected by TB every year and 4,500 die each day from this disease. Here's a release from Notre Dame on Miller's planned research - along with a second link to Dr. Miller's biography:
Former Notre Dame star, Brady Quinn, is in his first training camp with the Denver Broncos -- after being traded in the offseason to Denver from Cleveland. One of Brady's fans has put together a nice website that tracks Quinn's progress in the Mile High City. Good Luck Brady! Here's the link:
Jimmy Clausen is getting over the jitters of being in his first NFL Training Camp. The second round draft pick, out of Notre Dame, is currently running as the third string QB for the Carolina Panthers. Here's a link to an ESPN story on Clausen's first day -- as well as a link to a NFL site that's selling Clausen's new jersey:
The incoming freshman class at the University of Notre Dame (the Class of 2014) may well be its most accomplished in the classroom yet. Those who were admitted early were in the top 3.3% of their high school class, scored an average 1460 on the SAT (composite of the Math and Science scores) and had an average ACT score of 33.1. In addition, more than 400 Valedictorians who applied to Notre Dame were not accepted. Better keep studying and getting involved in extracurricular activities at your school and in your community!!! The photo (above) is of Katie Washington, the Valedictorian for Notre Dame's Class of 2010. Here's a link to an Observer article about Notre Dame's Class of 2014 along with a link to a site that claims to track admittance results for all Notre Dame students - including those on athletic scholarships:
It's been a couple of days since the University of Notre Dame's Dean of the College of Science, Greg Crawford and his wife Renate Crawford have posted an update on their blog -- they're probably quite tired! This photo shows the pair climbing a "hill" (in Michigan we call it a mountain), during their ride through New Mexico. A 25 mile climb from 4,600 ft. in elevation to nearly 9,000 ft. above sea level -- on their ride from Tucson, AZ to the Notre Dame campus. The Crawford's are "bringing home" the relationship between the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and the University of Notre Dame. I believe they're in western Texas by now - here's a link to their blog:
Former University of Notre Dame All-American, Golden Tate, stayed after practice the other day signing autographs for Seahawk fans. One "avid" fan asked Golden to sign his head (see photo).
This photo was taken this morning at the Grotto on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Five days earlier, a fire broke out inside the Grotto. As you can see, the small fire left its mark on the inside of the Grotto and burned away much of the ivy that draped the shrine. The University is still restricting access to the interior of the Grotto until it completes its inspection.
Well, you might want to reconsider after reading this. Notre Dame professor of Mathematics, Sergei Starchenko (pictured) has been asked to speak at the International Congress of Mathematicians. Just like the Olympic Games - this conference is held every four years and next month they will meet in Hyderabad, India -- under the auspices of the International Mathematical Union. Didn't know there was such a group! Starchecnko, along with his colleague Ya′acov Peterzil of the University of Haifa in Israel, will present their research on o-minimality, a model theoretic framework for tame geometry that they use to investigate properties of complex analytic sets. Now, do you think you want to take his math class at Notre Dame? Here's a link to the Conference's website -- just in case you were interested!
James Parsons and Dr. Carrie Quinn, a married couple and Notre Dame graduates -- made a very generous $5 million gift to their alma mater this week. Parsons earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Notre Dame and a master in business administration degree from Harvard University. He has been a portfolio manager for Viking Global Investors in New York since 2003. Quinn is a graduate of both Notre Dame and Tufts University Medical School. She completed her residency at Boston Children’s Hospital and now is a pediatrician in Forest Hills, N.Y. Parsons & Quinn's gift to the University of Notre Dame will endow a directorship in the University's Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases. Notre Dame is committed to finding a cure for rare diseases that typically carry a "death sentence" for those afflicted. A big THANK YOU to this Notre Dame family!!! Here's a link to a video that promotes Notre Dame's efforts in this area:
In six months, I've yet to make a prediction at THE NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG -- but, I'm going to this time. Joe Theismann will replace Pat Haden in the NBC booth this fall for Notre Dame Football. There you go! It makes all of the sense in the world. He's worked the biggest "weekly" professional stage in football television; 'Monday Night Football, he's an accomplished athlete; Super Bowl Champion, NFL MVP and he just happens to be a "DOMER" who had great success at his alma mater; College Football Hall of Famer, All American QB and Heisman Runner-up. I think that just might make him ready for the "biggest weekly stage in college football television; "NOTRE DAME SATURDAY." Notre Dame needs someone in the booth to tell "our story" -- we need an individual who's passionate about the Irish -- yet, is confident enough to call it like it is when things aren't going so well for the blue and gold. Joe Theismann is that guy. NBC are you listening? Here's a link to story this week from USA Today's "media expert" on what he believes NBC should do -- along with a link to Theismann's Wikipedia entry:
Jimmy Clausen, second round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers, is seen here walking from his car into a dorm at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC -- home of the Panthers pre-season training camp. Earlier in the day the former Irish star signed his first NFL contract.
Former Notre Dame All-American and Biletnikoff Award Winner, Golden Tate, agreed to terms this morning with the Seattle Seahawks on a four-year contract. Tate's deal, with incentives, can reach $3.26 million over the four year period. The contract includes a $1 million signing bonus -- and an additional $470,000 in guaranteed money for the former Irish star. Rookies report to training camp tomorrow for the Seahawks. Here's a link to the Seattle Seahawks blog below. Congratulations Golden!
Former Notre Dame quarterback, Jimmy Clausen agreed to terms, early this morning, with the Carolina Panthers. It's a four-year deal with incentives that could total $6.3 million. The contract includes a signing bonus of $2.5 million -- a good negotiation for Clausen who surprisingly dropped to the 48th pick of this year's NFL Draft. The great news for both parties is Clausen won't miss any days of the Panthers training camp -- which starts today. Here's a link to the ESPN video:
University of Notre Dame's Dean of the College of Science, Greg Crawford and his wife Renate are four days into their journey from Tucson, AZ to South Bend, IN -- bringing "home" the relationship between the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and Notre Dame. Their latest update-- came from Las Cruces, New Mexico -- as they wrote about their encounter with a german shepherd (must have been a USC fan!) and dinner with the Notre Dame Club of El Paso. Here's a picture of them taking a quick break from the bikes -- standing next to the chase van and the entrance to a "ghost town" in New Mexico. You'll enjoy keeping track of the Crawford's 2,200 mile journey on their blog -- here's the link:
Former Notre Dame All American Lacrosse player, D.J. Driscoll, scored a goal in the USA's 12-10 victory over Canada in the title game of the 2010 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship in Manchester, England. Driscoll, a defenseman for Team USA is a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame and currently a member of the Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse. The victory was the seventh world title for the USA. Congratulations D.J.!
Danny Spond (pictured), out of Littleton, Colorado -- is a member of Brian Kelly's first recruiting class. Spond is on campus right now taking a few classes and working out with his teammates and Coach Longo. Irish Sports Daily's Christian McCollum penned this wonderful story about Danny and his journey to Notre Dame. After reading his story -- I believe he'll become one of your favorite players on the Notre Dame roster. It's a "free" story on this subscription site -- enjoy:
VegasInsider.com just released its annual "over/under" win totals for the upcoming football season. What this means is you can place a bet with them that a team will either win more (over) or less (under) than the number of wins they've set for the season. The Fighting Irish's number has been placed at 8 wins for the 2010 season. Here's a look at the over/under win totals for a few of Notre Dame's opponents this season -- and a link to the report:
One of the most visited landmarks on the University of Notre Dame campus -- the Grotto -- caught on fire last night. The last time this happened was in 1985. The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, was completed in 1896 as a replica of the original in Lourdes, France. Construction began in 1895 -- and it was during this period that this little known "miracle" happened: A Notre Dame Priest named Father Maguire nears the end of his letter of correction concerning the 1896 Grotto with this brief description of a little known event that occurred as the Grotto was nearing its completion. "The "spring" actually did appear and old Father Letourneau felt it was a miracle since it appeared almost at the same spot as the one at Lourdes. But wiser people closed it up so as to prevent wild rumors regarding it." This incident at the Notre Dame Grotto paralleled a similar occurrence that happened at the Grotto of Lourdes in France in 1858. When Bernadette scratched a hole in the dirt of the floor of the cave at Lourdes, a spring appeared. It became the origin of the Lourdes water that is still sent all over the world. See the link below titled "Dedication of the Grotto." The cause of the fire is under investigation -- and for now, the entrance into the Grotto is closed until University officials determine the extent of the damage. UPDATE TO ORIGINAL STORY: University of Notre Dame officials report that there were visitors praying at the Grotto when the fire broke out. The latest information is available at the link below to the Chicago Tribune story. The original WNDU-TV news story is also linked below:
The University of Notre Dame has again earned Honor Roll distinctions in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Great Colleges to Work For program. The Great Colleges program evaluates universities on the basis of a dozen criteria such as teaching environment, facilities, compensation and benefits, and the faculty and staffs’ sense of respect and appreciation. The program is three years old; Notre Dame has participated in the past two years, earning Honor Roll distinctions both years. The primary factor for awarding the Great Colleges designation is employee feedback on a survey about the workplace environment administered by the Great Colleges program partner, ModernThink L.L.C. The University of Notre Dame was just one of 39 schools to receive this honor. Click on the link below to see the list of schools. Congratulations Notre Dame!
I've seen comments all morning long from those in attendance at the Cub's game that Coach Kelly won't be leaving Notre Dame for America's Got Talent! anytime soon. Here's the link to a video of Coach Kelly's night at Wrigley Field -- you be the judge...enjoy!
Former USC Football Coach, John Robinson, was in town last week for his enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame. During his stay in South Bend he granted an interview with WNDU-TV. One of his stories was a classic. He recalls pulling up in their team bus to Notre Dame Stadium for the 1993 game. Robinson is the first guy off the bus, and he sees a nun standing there waiting to greet his team (so he thinks). Having gone to Catholic grammar and high school, Robinson immediately smiled and said "Hi sister, how are you?" The reaction wasn't what the coach expected. "We're going to beat the hell out of you people today," the nun replied. Well, she was right! The Irish beat the Trojans that day 31 - 13. Sounds like Brian Kelly should track this nun down and have her stand at the Visitor's lockerroom door for every home game! Here's a link to the video interview:
