A Nice Story -- An Annual Pilgrimage to ND!

Gerald LaVaute and his son Matthew made their annual pilgrimage to Notre Dame to watch the Blue Gold Game.  Gerald, a staff writer with Heritage Media in Southeast Michigan (in Wolverine country) wrote about their trip and produced a video as well.  Thought you'd enjoy the story and video of their day at "America's Holy Land:"

LINK:  A PILGRIMAGE TO NOTRE DAME

Game Of The Year -- College Men's Lacrosse!

The #1 ranked and undefeated Fighting Irish of Notre Dame travel to Syracuse, NY this Saturday to take on the #4 ranked and once-beaten Orangemen.  The game will be played in the Carrier Dome -- and Syracuse's athletic department is expecting a huge crowd.  Here's a link to an alert that went out this afternoon to fans planning on attending the game:

LINK:  BETTER COME EARLY TO SATURDAY'S GAME!

Robert Hughes -- A Wonderful Story Today...

University of Notre Dame senior running back -- Robert HUUUUUUGHES was featured today in a Chicago Sun Times story.  Robert is one of nine former Irish football players waiting to learn later this week if they'll be given the chance to play in the NFL.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  ROBERT HUGHES -- CHICAGO SUN TIMES

OT -- Cam Newton Offered $1 million...

To answer "no" to four questions "truthfully" about his recruitment to Auburn and Mississippi State.  I'm guessing this is a "Bama Fan" who made the $1 million offer to Cam if he can pass a lie detector test.  A very clever approach, that the "Newton camp" may have to deal with -- leading up to the NFL Draft on Thursday.  Here's the link:

LINK:  JUST SAY NO -- EARN $ 1 MILLION!

Zibby Wins Again -- Now 4-0 as a Pro Boxer!

Tommy Zbikowski scored a first round knockout last night over Blake Warner at WinStar Casino in Thackerville, OK!  If you're counting, he's now 4-0 as a professional boxer.  Here's a link to the coverage of his fight last night -- as well as a YouTube video of the fight:

LINK:  NFL.COM

LINK:  BALTIMORE SUN

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  YOUTUBE VIDEO OF ZIBBY'S KNOCKOUT!

HAPPY EASTER to the Notre Dame Family!

Thought I'd share a link to one of my favorite Notre Dame websites this morning -- PRAY ND.  If you've never been to this site, find the time sometime today.  Here's the link:

LINK:  HAPPY EASTER TO THE NOTRE DAME FAMILY!

Tulsa's Bowl Rings -- Refer to Victory Over ND

The University of Tulsa handed out their "bling" to this year's football team -- and the big topic of discussion was the ring given to the players and coaches.   As you'll see in the pictures --  the ring commemorated more than the Golden Hurricane's win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.  I'll leave the photo to do the explaining...

Here's a link to the Tulsa World story:  A WIN THEY'LL NEVER FORGET

The "Mike and MIKE Bowl" -- I Missed This!

The renewal of the Notre Dame vs. Northwestern football series took a unique path in how it was introduced to the sports world.  ESPN Radio's Mike and MIKE Show had the honors of announcing that ND and NW would play each other in 2014 and again in 2018 live -- on their show.  I missed all the fun that took place -- so I thought I'd provide a link to Greeny and Golic's segment with Coach Kelly and Coach Fitzgerald.  Here you go:

LINK:  THE MIKE AND MIKE BOWL

Brian Kelly Ranked 13th Best College Coach

The folks at College Football News recently ranked the top college football coaches in America and our man Brian Kelly made their Top 15.  Here's a link to the story and what they had to say about Notre Dame's head football coach.  Here's hoping his ranking is LUCKY for the IRISH this year!

LINK:  COACH KELLY PICKED #13

What's Jimmy Clausen Thinking?

A year ago, Jimmy Clausen was thought to be a sure-fire first round NFL draft pick.  He left Notre Dame early to cash in on the big bucks that goes with being an early pick in the annual NFL talent auction.  Most draft experts felt Jimmy was a lock to be the first QB taken in the draft -- probably among the top ten picks.  It was the right decision to leave Notre Dame early...

Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell this to the guys running the draft for each of the NFL teams in the first round -- as Jimmy fell to the 48th pick (second round) to the Carolina Panthers.  This cost Clausen more than $40 million in his first NFL contract negotiation.

The best decision Clausen and his handlers made was not to have him sitting in the NFL Draft's "green room" -- like Brady Quinn three-years prior.

Notre Dame fans will recall these same NFL draft experts "spinning" that Clausen ended up in the perfect situation for a rookie QB.  The Carolina Panthers offered Jimmy a good offensive line, strong running game a talented wide receiver and the opportunity to play early.

Once again, all of the experts were wrong -- as Carolina's season went BAD FAST.  Clausen was forced to play early and he didn't play well.  For the season, Clausen threw for 1,558 yards, three TD's and nine interceptions.  He completed 52.5% of his passes for a QB rating of 58.4.  He started 10 games winning just one -- as the Panthers went 2-14 for the season, securing the #1 pick in next Thursday's NFL Draft.

Now, a year later -- all of the people who made the decision to draft  Clausen are gone in Carolina.  And, those same NFL Draft experts believe the Panthers may take Auburn's Cam Newton -- the Heisman Trophy winning QB -- with their first overall pick.  Can't be easy for Clausen.

Here's a link to some of the more recent stories about what Carolina might do with the #1 pick Thursday -- and it's impact on Clausen:

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

LINK:  NBC

Notre Dame's Top Student -- From Michigan!

Edward Larkin was selected as the University of Notre Dame's Class of 2011's Valedictorian.  The East Lansing, MI native carries a 4.0 GPA in Biological Sciences and a supplementary major in Classical Civilization.  Here's a link to a ND Newswire story on Larkin's honor.

LINK:  ND'S CLASS OF 2011 -- VALEDICTORIAN

Ever Wonder How Many Days To ND Football?

The folks at AgencyND -- the talented "in-house" ad agency at the University of Notre Dame, created a "widget" that counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to every kick-off for the 2011 football season.  Thought you'd enjoy seeing this.  Click on the link below:

LINK:  COUNTDOWNS TO NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

The One Game He Won't Root For the IRISH!

Every Saturday morning in the fall since 2005 -- Notre Dame football fans can always count on Louis Leo Holtz picking the Irish to beat their opponent on ESPN's College Gameday.  Well, that might change 134 days from today.

On Saturday, September 3, 2011 -- Skip Holtz will bring the Bulls of the University of South Florida back to his alma mater to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  And earlier that day -- I fully expect Lou Holtz will pick the Bulls to upset his beloved Irish for the first time ever on College Gameday.  Irish fans, brace yourself -- because I also expect Mark May to pick ND to win that day!

Lacrosse History This Week -- ND #1

The University of Notre Dame's men's lacrosse team made history this week -- as they were voted #1 in college lacrosse for the first time in school history!  The undefeated IRISH -- the only undefeated team in college lacrosse -- were ranked #1 in both major lacrosse polls; Nike/Inside Lacrosse Poll and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Coaches Poll.

The "cool" thing about the number #1 ranking of the Irish is this -- this sport has been dominated by schools on the east coast.  In fact, Notre Dame is the "furthest school west" to ever be ranked #1 in lacrosse.  Here are links to the polls along with a link to a South Bend Tribune story:

LINK:  INSIDE LACROSSE POLL

LINK:  UNITED STATES INTERCOLLEGIATE LACROSSE COACHES POLL

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

NFL Draft -- One Week Away For IRISH Nine

Nine members of this year's Fighting Irish football team will know next week if there's going to be an opportunity to play in the NFL.  For players like Kyle Rudolph and Ian Williams -- the question's not "IF" it's where.  For the balance of the Irish -- it's not so clear cut if the NFL is going to come calling.  Here's a link to a story in the Bleacher Report that lists where each of the nine ND student-athletes stand in the NFL Draft process.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME PLAYERS -- IS THERE AN NFL IN THEIR FUTURE?

Jewell Loyd's Press Conference Yesterday

The folks at the CSLInsider were present yesterday at Jewell Loyd's press conference where she selected the University of Notre Dame over UCONN and Tennessee.  The 5'-9" guard is one of the top players in the country in the Class of 2012 -- she's a huge "get" for Muffet's Irish!  Here's a link to the story and video of her press conference.

LINK:  JEWELL LOYD GOES IRISH!!!

Coach Kelly With WNDU's Jeff Jeffers

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, sat down with WNDU-TV's Jeff Jeffer's yesterday to talk about the Blue Gold game.  Here's a link to the interview:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY INTERVIEW

Muffet's Irish -- Get their Jewell!

One of the top players in the country, Jewell Loyd committed to the University of Notre Dame women's basketball program today!  Loyd, who plays for Niles West High School is the 6th ranked player in the country in the Class of 2012 -- and she chose the Irish over UCONN and Tennessee in a press conference at her high school.  Here's a link to the story and a recruiting profile:

LINK:  JEWELL LOYD PICKS NOTRE DAME!

LINK:  JEWELL LOYD RECRUITING PROFILE

Forbes: ND Does Quite Well On Their Own...

The folks at Forbes finally put a "positive" twist on Notre Dame Athletics -- pointing out that they could make "millions more" if they joined a conference.  Yet, they're still one of only 14 NCAA Athletic programs that turn a profit annually.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  HOW DOES ND DO FINANCIALLY?

The Best Boxer In NFL History...

That's the headline in an article this morning about former Notre Dame football star Tommy Zbikowski and his return to the boxing ring during the NFL lockout.  Zibby has another fight this Saturday at a casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.  Thought you'd enjoy this Wall Street Journal article.  Here's the link:

LINK:  TOMMY Z

Here's What ND Learned From Investigation...

The University of Notre Dame outlined its findings this morning from a nearly six-month investigation of the Declan Sullivan tragedy.  Here are the key points stressed in this conference:

1. The weather was last checked by the ND staff at 2:46 PM ET on October 27th -- the eighth time they had checked the wind that day -- prior to practice
2. The scissors lift blew over at 4:54 PM ET
3. The wind gust that blew the scissors lift over was estimated as a 53 mph wind gust

The major finding was this -- the data that Notre Dame was looking at online regarding weather -- was updated every hour at approximately 54 minutes after the hour.  Thus, when the football staff was last looking at a weather update at 2:46 PM ET -- they were looking at a weather report from actually 1:54 PM ET.  If, the ND staff had checked the weather reports at approximately 2:55 PM ET instead of 2:46 PM ET -- they would have seen wind gusts exceeding 35 mph -- and probably would have lowered the scissors lifts at practice.

A sad day for the Sullivan family and the Notre Dame family.

Here's a link to the University of Notre Dame's report:  DECLAN SULLIVAN TRAGEDY FINDINGS

Former Domer Sam Young -- Back at ND

Former Irish offensive lineman Sam Young, now with the Dallas Cowboys -- was in town for the Blue Gold game this weekend.  The gang at 960 WSBT-AM caught up with him on the sideline.  Sharp young man -- here's a link to the interview:

LINK:  SAM YOUNG INTERVIEW

The NBC VERSUS -- BLUE GOLD Highlights

Here's the game highlights from yesterday's BLUE GOLD game at Notre Dame Stadium.  Click on the link below:

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

NBC's Keith Arnold VERSUS Sideline Interview

Notre Dame fans will enjoy this interview that took place during the BLUE GOLD game yesterday afternoon.  Keith Arnold is the ND beat writer at NBC.  Here's the link:

LINK:  KEITH ARNOLD INTERVIEW

Fastest Player in America -- COMMITS IRISH!

He's been timed as fast as 4.31 in the 40 yard dash -- he was being recruited by every major football program in America -- and yesterday morning he decided the University of Notre Dame was the place to take his talents.

His name is Ronald Darby and he hails from Potomac High School in Oxford Hills, Maryland.  Recruiting expert Tom Lemming calls him "the fastest player in the country."

Here's a few links to stories about Darby and his commitment to Notre Dame:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- DARBY COMMITS TO ND!

LINK:  ESPN -- "POTOMAC'S SPEED DEMON"

LINK:  RIVALS -- "BORN TO RUN"

LINK:  WASHINGTON POST

LINK:  MAX PREPS

LINK:  HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

LINK:  ESPN RISE -- FASTEST 60 METER TIME IN THE COUNTRY

LINK:  NATIONAL RANKINGS -- 200 METERS

LINK:  NATIONAL RANKINGS -- 60 METERS

A Star Is Born -- Notre Dame's Aaron Lynch

Back in February I made this proclamation when referring to freshman football player Aaron Lynch.

THE NEXT FACE OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

After sitting through the cold, wet and wind yesterday in Notre Dame Stadium and seeing 17 year-old Aaron Lynch "battle" with ND's best offensive linemen -- and win -- I feel much better about this prediction.

Looks like the media picked up on young Mr. Lynch as well -- here are a few links:

LINK:  WNDU-TV

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  FORT WAYNE NEWS SENTINEL

The Media the Mornin' After - BLUE GOLD

Took a "lap" around the country this morning to see what the various media "experts" were sayin' about Notre Dame's BLUE GOLD game yesterday at Notre Dame Stadium.  Please note -- I wasn't as smart as these three in the stands yesterday at the "House That Rock Built."

Here are the links:

LINK:  MSNBC'S -- KEITH ARNOLD

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE'S -- CHRIS HINE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE'S -- BOE WIENEKE

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE'S -- TONY KRAUSZ

Coach Kelly With Media -- Blue Gold Game

Notre Dame Football Coach, Brian Kelly -- met with the media after yesterday's Blue Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium.  Here's the UND.COM link to the coverage:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

THEE Glamour Position in College Football!

Quarterback at the University of Notre Dame.

I challenge any sports information department in the country -- to find three better young men than Crist, Rees and Hendrix in the press room.  What wonderful representatives of the GOLD HELMET! 

Here's a link to their interviews after yesterday's BLUE GOLD game -- along with a South Bend Tribune story about the QB position battle at Notre Dame:

LINK:  DAYNE CRIST

LINK:  TOMMY REES

LINK:  ANDREW HENDRIX

LINK:  QB QUANDRY AT NOTRE DAME

It's Not 70 and Sunny -- Could Be Worse!

Sitting here in my hotel room in Mishawaka, IN -- looking out at a "blue-gray sky" -- well, maybe more like a dark-gray sky...  While it might be a lot more comfortable sitting in front of a TV set today watching the Irish play on VERSUS -- I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

The record Blue Gold Game crowd of 51,852 in 2007 is probably quite safe -- but, Notre Dame will set an all-time TV ratings number this afternoon!!!  There won't be a "kick-off" -- but the game will start at 2:06 PM EDT.

Here's a link to a story about the ND Football program in the South Bend Tribune:

LINK:  ND BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

ND: The Shirt -- Call It "Faust Blue?"

Stood in the rain, wind and cold this afternoon to watch the "unveiling" of THE SHIRT.  I have to say it's a BLUE that you will see on TV -- and from the "moon."  Can't say if I'll buy it or not, though I don't think it's as bad as the shirt back in 2009...  What do you think?  Notre Dame fans will recognize #83 on the back -- the real ND fans will remember who number 11 is as well...

Here's a link to where you can buy The Shirt online:

LINK:  BUY "THE SHIRT" HERE

Big Recruiting Weekend for ND Football!

A number of the top high school "junior" football stars in the country will be on the University of Notre Dame campus this weekend for the BLUE GOLD GAME.  As you'll see in the South Bend Tribune article linked below -- one of the most highly coveted recruits visiting this weekend is Ronald Darby out of Potomac High in Oxon Hill, MD.  Darby runs the 40 in 4.36.  We need to get Darby out of that ugly helmet and into a GOLD one!  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  BIG RECRUITING WEEKEND!

Blue Gold Weekend @ Notre Dame!

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year...  To those of you not heading to Notre Dame, IN today or tomorrow -- you can watch the BLUE GOLD GAME on TV -- LIVE -- this Saturday on VERSUS.  For those who might be interested -- VERSUS is owned by NBC Universal -- which is now all owned by COMCAST.

Unfortunately, Tom Hammond is doing the "play by play" -- but, it just might be the best seat in the house if the weather report is true!  Here's a link to the Versus website:

LINK:  WATCH THE BLUE GOLD GAME -- LIVE ON VERSUS!

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Lil' Wayne @ IU

Rap star Lil' Wayne -- who's a fan of Notre Dame All-American Skylar Diggins -- donned her #4 jersey last night in a concert at Indiana University -- Bloomington.  I honestly don't know if this is a good thing or not -- but, I bet the the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore sells out!

If you'd like to buy the jersey Lil' Wayne is wearin' -- click the link below:

LINK:  BUY SKYLAR DIGGIN'S JERSEY

Today's Forecast for Blue Gold Weekend

Well, it's nice to see a partial "SUN" in the weather forecast illustration from the folks at WNDU-TV for Blue Gold Weekend!  Here's a link to their forecast:

LINK:  BLUE GOLD WEEKEND -- WEATHER

LINK:  FRIDAY AFTERNOON -- HOURLY WEATHER FORECAST

Patrick Coughlin -- A Wonderful Story!

He wears #29 and a gold helmet -- and he pays his own way at the University of Notre Dame -- even though he's a starter on special teams for the IRISH.  His name is Patrick Coughlin -- and the folks at UND.COM produced this wonderful story today on him -- I'm now a COUGHLIN FAN!  Here's the link:

LINK:  PATRICK COUGHLIN -- THE FIGHTING IRISH SPIRIT!

Coach Kelly -- Post Practice Media Session

As has become tradition -- Coach Kelly met with the media after today's Spring Practice.  Here's a link to the UND.COM video:

LINK:  COACH KELLY MEDIA SESSION

Hendrix & Golson to Take Most of the Snaps!

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly let ND fans know tonight that Hendrix and Golson would take "75%" of the snaps during this Saturday's BLUE GOLD GAME.  Kelly also said we wouldn't see much of Cierre Wood -- the only truly healthy scholarship running back on the roster.

Brian Kelly Radio Show @ 7:00 PM Tonight!

The Blue Gold edition of the Brian Kelly Radio Show will take place tonight at 7:00 PM EDT -- LIVE -- from Legends of Notre Dame on UND.COM.  Here's a link to where you can watch the live broadcast of the event:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY RADIO SHOW

LATEST Blue Gold Weekend Weather Forecast

Here's the "graphic" you'll find on the WNDU-TV.COM website -- showing the weather forecast for the next few days.  Here's the link to their site:

LINK:  WNDU-TV WEATHER SITE

ESPN's Mark Schlabach Interviews Coach Kelly

ESPN's Mark Schlabach was in South Bend yesterday to interview Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly.  Mark's posted a couple of stories today on the IRISH -- here are the links:

LINK:  ND QB SITUATION -- ESPN 

LINK:  BCS CONTENDERS

"Jeff Runs America" -- Visits Notre Dame!

Notre Dame alum, Jeff Grabosky has been running across America for the past 82 days.  Saturday, his run took him back home -- to the University of Notre Dame!  Jeff was greeted by an old roommate and friends -- along with the WNDU-TV crew for an interview.  Jeff's now run 2,502.8 miles -- pushing his 80 lb# cart -- on his way to New York's Times Square where he expects to be next month!  Here's a link to the WNDU-TV interview along with a link to Jeff's blog entry from his time at Notre Dame:

LINK:  JEFF RUNS AMERICA -- HIS RETURN TO NOTRE DAME!

LINK:  WNDU-TV INTERVIEW OF JEFF

Football Update -- Monday's Practice

Today's video segment from UND.COM covers the QB competition as we wind down the final week of practice leading up to Saturday's BLUE GOLD GAME at Notre Dame Stadium.  Here's a link:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME QB COMPETITION

Notre Dame Athletics -- Facebook Contest

Notre Dame Athletics is running a contest at their newly "remodeled" Facebook page -- giving away four seats in the PRESS BOX of NOTRE DAME STADIUM for this Saturday's BLUE GOLD GAME.  Here's a link:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS

Bald & The Beautiful -- St. Baldrick's and ND!

The University of Notre Dame will be "shaving heads" this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for a great cause!  It's the "Bald & The Beautiful:  ND Fights Cancer" event on campus -- and its goal this year is to raise $60,000! 

Last year, more than 50 members of the Notre Dame Football Team shaved their heads to raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Here's a link to the website:

LINK:  ST. BALDRICK'S BALD & THE BEAUTIFUL

Coach Kelly Talks Michael Floyd -- With Media

After Saturday's practice -- Coach Kelly met with the media for fifteen minutes with the obvious topic being the Michael Floyd situation.  Here's a link to the media session:

LINK:  COACH KELLY TALKS MICHAEL FLOYD

The Shirt -- a Notre Dame Tradition!

It's typically the #1 selling item in any college bookstore in America every year -- and the 21st edition of THE SHIRT will be unveiled this Friday afternoon in a ceremony in front of the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore.

THE SHIRT that is my personal all-time favorite is the 2007 shirt -- and it's purely a biased opinion.  My son Jimmy Small '08 -- then a junior and an Irish Guard -- was included in the montage on the back of THE SHIRT that year.  I believe that year they sold around 135,000 of the shirts and then coach Charlie Weis gave away another 5,000 of THE SHIRT to our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq -- during his tour.

For some reason -- there has been very little "chatter" online about the COLOR of this year's shirt.  I'm guessing it just might be a WHITE shirt this year -- just a guess. 

If you'd like to read about the history of THE SHIRT -- check in on some of the previous designs -- or, just place your order -- check out the links below:

LINK:  THE SHIRT PROJECT -- 2011

LINK:  THE HISTORY OF THE SHIRT

LINK:  PREVIOUS SHIRTS

Latest Blue Gold Weekend Weather Forecast

Five days ago the forecast was 71 degrees and sunny for next Saturday's BLUE GOLD Game...

Folks -- today the forecast is for RAIN and 57 degrees at kick-off -- WHAT!!!

LINK:  LATEST FORECAST 

LINK:  BUY THIS UMBRELLA!