OT: Cereal Wars -- Corn Flakes Gets Gabby!

Well, Wheaties won't have Gabby on its cereal box...

Word broke late Friday that Corn Flakes had won the CEREAL BOX WAR by agreeing to terms with Gabby Douglas.  Here's the story:

LINK:  SHE'S ON THE BOX

Michael Floyd Makes NFL Debut Tonight!

Notre Dame All-American wide receiver Michael Floyd will play against the "pros" for the first time tonight in the NFL HALL OF FAME GAME from Canton, OH.  Floyd and his Arizona Cardinal teammates will be taking on the most talked about franchise in all of sport these past six months -- the New Orleans Saints.

The game kicks off at 8 PM ET on the NFL NETWORK -- unless you live in the Phoenix or New Orleans markets where you can catch the game on local TV.

Notre Dame's Coverage of Football Practice #1

 The Irish walked onto the Labar Practice Complex this morning at 10 AM ET -- and the gang at Fighting Irish Digital Media were back at it -- capturing all of the action, including Coach Kelly's press conference after practice.  Here are the links to today's coverage:

LINK:  PRACTICE REPORT

LINK:  COACH KELLY POST PRACTICE

South Bend Tribune Picks Their "Favorite"

Well, the local paper picked their "favorite" to be the starting QB for the Fightin' Irish against Navy -- and it's not the same player ESPN just picked...

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE'S FAVORITE

Didn't Take ESPN Long to Pick the "Favorite"

The Fightin' Irish are just a few hours into fall camp and ESPN already has picked the front-runner at QB -- I won't spoil who they're talking about...

LINK:  FIRST TEAM REPS AT QB

Two New Opponents on 2013 Irish Schedule

The University of Notre Dame released their 2013 football schedule today and Irish fans will see two new schools on the schedule; Temple and Arizona State.

And surprisingly, BYU travels to Notre Dame Stadium for the second straight season.  Don't know the last time I've seen that.  Here's the schedule:

8/31/13:  Temple @ Notre Dame Stadium
9/07/13:  Michigan @ Away
9/14/13:  Purdue @ Away
9/21/13:  Michigan State @ Notre Dame Stadium
9/28/13:  Oklahoma @ Notre Dame Stadium
10/5/13:  Arizona State @ Dallas Cowboys Stadium
10/19/13:  USC @ Notre Dame Stadium
10/26/13:  Air Force Academy @ Away
11/2/13:  Naval Academy @ Notre Dame Stadium
11/9/13:  Pittsburgh @ Away
11/23/13:  BYU @ Notre Dame Stadium
11/30/13:  Stanford @ Away

LINK:  2013 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Notre Dame's DUBLIN Game Balls

ND Football Equipment Manager Ryan Grooms "tweeted" this photo of the GAME BALLS the Irish will be using in Dublin on September 1st! 

Special thanks to ND GO IRISH BLOG regular Tom Badguy for alerting me to this!

Notre Dame Football's First Practice -- 2012

The Fightin' Irish of Notre Dame held practice #1 this morning at the Labar Practice Complex -- here's a link to a few of the SUBSCRIBER sites and their coverage. 

I currently subscribe to IRISH SPORTS DAILY and IRISH ILLUSTRATED -- I recommend both.

LINK:  IRISH SPORTS DAILY

LINK:  IRISH ILLUSTRATED

Replay of Coach Kelly's Press Conference

The 125th season of Notre Dame Football began yesterday with Coach Kelly's press conference.  Our friends at Fighting Irish Digital Media were on hand to video the event. 

LINK:  COACH KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

Tim Brown Talks ND Football with NBC

Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner, All-American and NFL all-time great Tim Brown -- spoke with NBC's Alex Flanagan at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship -- and he talks ND football.  Enjoy!

LINK:  TIM BROWN TALKIN' NOTRE DAME

Media's Early Reaction to Today's Presser

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly met with the media today to talk about the start of official football practice tomorrow morning.  I took a lap around the worldwide web to catch the early reaction from the media -- you won't be surprised with what they're talking about:

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- TYLER JAMES 

LINK:  ESPN NOTRE DAME BLOG -- POST #1

LINK:  ESPN NOTRE DAME BLOG -- POST #2

LINK:  ESPN NOTRE DAME BLOG -- POST #3

LINK:  WNDU-TV

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE

Coach Kelly's Press Conference LIVE at Noon!

The 125th edition of Notre Dame Football kick's off today with Coach Kelly's press conference -- which you can watch live at NOON EST.  Click on the link below:

LINK:  PRESS CONFERENCE LIVE -- AT NOON ET

ND's Road Oppenents: Home Field Advantage

The University of Notre Dame has, by most accounts, the most difficult football schedule among the 120 schools in the FBS this season. 

Recently a website called PredictionMachine.com came out with their ranking of the best "home field advantages" in college football.  Here's where Notre Dame's "road opponents" rank with their home field advantage:

• September 15th:  Michigan State: #12
• October 27th:  Oklahoma:  #1
• November 10th:  Boston College  #94
• November 24th:  USC:  #71

LINK:  HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

Notre Dame Football's New Game Ball

Notre Dame Football's Equipment Manager Ryan Grooms -- "tweeted" this photo of the new footballs you'll see the IRISH use this year from WILSON.  Got to love the green!

ND Law School Alum Running for U.S. Senate

Clark Durant, a 1976 graduate of the Notre Dame Law School, is a candidate in next Tuesday's primary for one of Michigan's two seats in the U.S. Senate.  Here's a link to his website and a promotional video that speaks to Clark's involvement with the Cornerstone Schools in Detroit -- an institution he co-founded in 1991.

LINK:  CLARK DURANT FOR U.S. SENATE

LINK:  PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

Coach Kelly Talks About the 2012 Fightin' Irish!

Head football coach Brian Kelly met with the gang at UND.COM to talk about the 125th edition of NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL.  Enjoy!

LINK:  DEFENSIVE IDENTITY

LINK:  SCHEDULE

LINK:  TIGHT ENDS & WIDE RECEIVERS

LINK:  RUNNING BACKS & LINEBACKERS

LINK:  QUARTERBACKS

LINK:  OFFENSIVE LINE

LINK:  CORNERBACKS

Why Regis Loves Notre Dame -- Good Story

Our team, here at the University of Notre Dame, just released a video starring Regis Philbin '53 -- for an initiative called LOVE THEE NOTRE DAME.  Thought you'd enjoy seeing this!

LINK:  LOVE THEE NOTRE DAME

Forbes Ranks the University of Notre Dame #12

Forbes Magazine just came out with their ranking of the top universities in the country and the University of Notre Dame was ranked #12.  Forbes teamed up with the Washington D.C. based Center for College Affordability to establish this list. 

Here was the criteria:

1. Quality of teaching
2. Great career prospects
3. High graduation rates
4. Low levels of debt

LINK:  FORBES RANKING OF TOP COLLEGES

Brian Kelly on Weekday SportsBeat Today

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly was a guest this evening on WSBT 960 AM's Weekday SportsBeat.  Here's a link to the interview:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY -- RADIO INTERVIEW

Katenda's Story -- One Irish Fans Must Follow

A freak injury that severed his optic nerve, put in jeopardy the basketball career of Notre Dame freshman Eric Katenda...

The word on campus is he's adapting quite well to this challenge and just might be a contributor on this year's Irish team.  The folks at the South Bend Tribune caught up with Eric and Coach Brey to talk about the progress he's making.  I'll be rooting for this young man!!!

LINK:  KATENDA'S COME BACK

Notre Dame Fantasy Campers' Experience

If you've ever dreamed of running out of that TUNNEL wearing a GOLD HELMET -- you're not alone...

A few Irish fans got to do just that a "little late" in life this past month, you'll enjoy this video!  Special thanks to ND GO IRISH BLOG regular Tom Badguy for letting me know about this!
 

LINK:  RUNNING OUT THAT TUNNEL

Irish Duo Lead Women's Golf Tournament!

Notre Dame's Ashley Armstrong (Flossmoor, IL) and Kristina Nhim (Cypress, CA) fired a three-under 69 today in the opening round of the Pure Silk Collegiate Team Championship to lead the tournament!

Today's format was "alternate shot" and the IRISH were the only team under par.  Tomorrow's format is best ball followed by stroke play on Thursday.  There are 54 teams competing. 

GO IRISH!

LINK:  LIVE SCORING

LINK:  NEWS STORY

ND's Jack Swarbrick Meets With Bloggers

University of Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick met with a number of bloggers this past week -- thought you'd enjoy the conversation.

LINK:  SWARBRICK WITH BLOGGERS

Domer Scores Two Goals for Canada Today!

Former Notre Dame soccer star Melissa Tancredi '04, scored both goals today in Canada's 2-2 tie with Sweden today to clinch a spot in the Olympic Quarterfinals!  Way to go Melissa!

LINK:  TANCREDI LEADS CANADA

Hendrix, Golson or Kiel -- Who Starts Sept. 1st?

The University of Notre Dame will have a first time collegiate starter at QB when they kick-off their 2012 season in Ireland. 

Irish head coach Brian Kelly announced today that Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese would not be traveling with the team to Dublin.

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

Golden Tate Turning Heads in Seattle

Former Biletnikoff Award winner and Notre Dame All-American, Golden Tate -- appears to be coming into his own at his third NFL training camp. 

The Seahawks are counting on Golden being a starter this season -- we'll keep an eye on his progress!

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE -- GOLDEN AGAIN

Vikings' QB Enjoys Throwing to Kyle Rudolph

Former Notre Dame star tight end, Kyle Rudolph -- is earning the trust of Minnesota Vikings second year QB Christian Ponder.  Notre Dame fans will not be surprised with this story:

LINK:  RUDOLPH GETTING OPEN

Harrison Smith Wants to Hit Somebody!

Former Notre Dame football captain and NFL First Rounder -- Harrison Smith, was featured in a story today in the Pioneer Press where he stated he was hoping the inability to hit someone in practice would not hurt his progress as a player...

Thought you'd enjoy seeing this story:

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH -- HITMAN

Kyle McCarthy Injures Knee, Out for Season

Not the way you want to start a new season with a new team...

Former Notre Dame safety, Kyle McCarthy hurt his knee -- standing on the sidelines during practice this weekend with the Kansas City Chiefs.  The injury is so severe, Kyle will require season ending surgery. 

The Chiefs "waived" McCarthy this morning -- clearing the way for him to be placed on the injured reserve list for the season.

GET WELL QUICK KYLE!

Just goes to show you how important that Notre Dame degree is as a "back-up" plan.

LINK:  McCARTHY OUT FOR SEASON

Federal Judge Rules Against HHS Mandate

A Federal Judge in Denver ruled on Friday that the Department of Health & Human Services can not fine business owners who object to the mandate on religious grounds. 

It's the first time that a federal court has ruled on the constitutionality, of the mandate, since it was announced last August. 

The University of Notre Dame filed its own lawsuit against the HHS mandate back on May 21st in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

LINK:  FEDERAL JUDGE RULES AGAINST MANDATE

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S LAWSUIT

Notre Dame Pep Rally Locations Announced...

The University of Notre Dame announced the locations for the 2012 Pep Rallies this fall -- and a new location has joined the mix!


The Pep Rally scheduled for Friday, September 21 will be held between Touchdown Jesus (Hesburgh Library) and Notre Dame Stadium -- should be quite the backdrop!!!

The first on-campus Pep Rally will be Friday, September 7th in the South Quad in front of the Rockne Memorial Building -- all other Pep Rally's will be held indoors at the Purcell Pavillion.

LINK:  PEP RALLY LOCATIONS

Follow Notre Dame Athletes @ the Olympics

The gang at UND.COM has created a website that is tracking all of the current and former Notre Dame student-athletes competing in London at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The big news this morning is incoming Irish freshman fencer Lee Keifer (athlete on left in photo) had advanced to the QUARTERFINALS of the Women's Foil after winning her first two matches -- before losing this morning to the eventual silver medalist from Italy.  Lee is currently ranked #4 in the world!!!

LINK:  WASHINGTON POST STORY

LINK:  NOTRE DAME OLYMPIC CENTRAL

OT: Lochte Can't Wear "Grill" on Medal Stand

Team USA's Ryan Lochte dominated the 400 IM today winning the GOLD MEDAL.  Lochte, who likes to wear one of his "GRILLS" on the medal stand was told by IOC officials he couldn't wear the "bling" if he wanted to receive the medal.  Here's the story:

LINK:  NO BLING ALLOWED IN LONDON

LINK:  RYAN LOCHTE'S GRILL

Charlie Weis Back in South Bend Today

Former Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis '79, was back in South Bend today with his wife Maura and daughter Hannah to visit the community they built for individuals with development issues.

Charlie and Maura have decided that Hannah should live here -- so next June, Hannah will be moving into a third house they will be building at the Hannah & Friends Farm.  Here's the story along with an interview of Charlie by the gang at WNDU-TV.

LINK:  HANNAH'S NEXT HOME

OT: Call Me Maybe Video -- US Swim Team

The 2012 Summer Olympic begin this morning and the GOLD RUSH for the best swim team in the world is soon to commence.  To get ready, TEAM AMERICA had some fun creating this music video.  GO USA!

LINK:  CALL ME MAYBE

Former ND Student-Athlete on Today Show

Mariel Zagunis, a former Notre Dame National Champion, All-American and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist -- spent some time with NBC's Today Show this week in London. 

Catch her "fencing" with Al Roker -- good stuff here!

LINK:  ZAGUNIS TAKES ON ROKER

Ethan Johnson: A Notre Dame Man

He wore #90 for the IRISH these last four years -- starting 37 games for Notre Dame...

Yet, he put the game of football on hold -- to be with his ailing father -- that's Ethan Johnson's story.

The folks at WSBT-TV caught up with Ethan to talk about his Dad's struggles with a neurological disorder and his decision to be by his side, versus pursuing his NFL dream.

LINK:  ETHAN JOHNSON

Sklyar Diggins Interviews ICE CUBE

Skylar Diggins is doing a six-week internship this summer with ESPNW -- and her "JOB" led her to interviewing rapper, movie star, screen writer, producer -- ICE CUBE. 

You'll enjoy seeing the Notre Dame basketball star asking the questions.

LINK:  SKYLAR INTERVIEWS ICE CUBE

Scodro '12 Wins Third Pro Tournament!

This Notre Dame grad is on a roll...

Since Max Scodro's graduation from the University of Notre Dame in mid-May he's won three golf tournaments in his first four starts as a professional!!!

Max won the Arizona Open and Illinois Open in the past few weeks.

This week Max shot rounds of 64, 65 and 67 to win the Shwan Food/MGC Great Plains Open by four shots.  Here's the story:

LINK:  SCODRO WINS THIRD TOURNAMENT!

LINK:  MAX'S BLOG

NexGen Story: Transferring Into Notre Dame

Katie Ferrello is the subject of an article at a site called NEXGEN JOURNAL -- that speaks to the process of transferring from one college to another.

Ms. Ferrello just happens to be transferring into the University of Notre Dame.  Here is Katie's story:

LINK:  FOLLOWING HER HEART

The Top 25 Touchdowns in ND History!

The folks at Yahoo Sports just published this story that looks back at the top 25 touchdowns in the 125 year history of Notre Dame football.  This should start a conversation!

Any guess as to which one is #1?

LINK:  TOP 25 TD'S IN NOTRE DAME HISTORY

Former ND Student-Athlete to Carry U.S. Flag!

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and former Notre Dame student-athlete Mariel Zagunis -- will carry the flag for the U.S. in Friday's Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games. 

Zagunis became the first American in 100 years to win an Olympic Gold Medal in Fencing when she stood on top of the podium at the 2004 Olympics.  She's favored to win a third Gold this year...

LINK:  ZAGUNIS TO CARRY THE FLAG

ND Compliance: Leave the Recruiting to Us!

The University of Notre Dame just produced this video to warn fans of the IRISH to leave the recruiting to the coaching staff.  A must watch!

LINK:  LEAVE THE RECRUITING TO US!

New Gloves for Notre Dame Football Team

Ryan Grooms -- Equipment Manager for the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish football program tweeted this photo of "one of the new pairs of gloves" the team will be wearing this season...

Incoming Irish Frosh Named World MVP!

Matt Kavanagh led the United States' U-19 Team to the Lacrosse World Championship this Saturday in Turku, Finland -- while capturing the MVP honors!  (Photo above of Matt cutting down the net!)

Here's a great story in Lacrosse Magazine about Matt's exploits in Finland -- along with a video interview.  Sounds like he'll fit right in with the IRISH this fall.  Going to be fun to watch him play.

LINK:  WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MVP

Jeff Samardzija Allows One Hit in Eight Innings!

Folks, Jeff Samardzija made a great decision to pick professional baseball.

Last night he threw a ONE-HITTER (an infield hit), blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates over his eight innings stint.  By far his best pitching performance in the major leagues.  The 2 - 0 Cubs win breaks a three game losing streak.

Jeff's ERA his last four starts -- 1.67

Here's a link to the game story and a video interview of Samardzija after the game:

LINK:  SAMARDZIJA'S ONE HITTER

ESPN Story: Justin Tuck Regains Focus

Former Notre Dame All-American and now two-time Super Bowl Champion, Justin Tuck -- apparently feels the need to re-focus his efforts...

Here's the story:

LINK:  JUSTIN TUCK FOCUSES

The NCAA Has Spoken...

The NCAA's Mark Emmert announced this morning that they will be imposing the following sanctions on Penn State University:

• A $60 million fine -- which will be used to establish an Endowment for victims of sexual abuse
• A four-year ban from any post season play for Penn State football
• A reduction of scholarships -- only 15 scholarships per year for the next four years
• All wins have been "vacated" from 1988 through 2011 -- dropping Joe Paterno's all-time wins from 409 to 298, dropping him from the #1 spot on the career all-time wins list to #12
• Six bowl game wins and two Big Ten Conference championships will also be erased from the Penn State record books
• Penn State's Athletic program will be put on NCAA Probation for a period of five years and must work with an "athletic-integrity" monitor of the NCAA's choosing during that period
• All Penn State football players will be able to TRANSFER to a school of their choosing and be eligible to play IMMEDIATELY
• And, the NCAA has reserved the right to conduct their own formal investigation after the legal process has taken its course -- to pursue actions against individuals involved...

The Big Ten Conference will be announcing their sanctions against Penn State University in a press conference slated for 11 AM ET today.


LINK:  VIDEO OF MARK EMMERT'S NEWS CONFERENCE 

LINK:  ESPN STORY

LINK:  LOU HOLTZ'S REACTION

LINK:  MIKE GOLIC AND MIKE GREENBERG REACTION

Joe Montana's Radio Interview With RIVALS

Former Notre Dame All-American and Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana spent eight minutes on the radio recently talking about his game against Houston in the Cotton Bowl and his days in San Francisco and the "WEST COAST OFFENSE."  Here's the link:

LINK:  MONTANA RADIO INTERVIEW

Clausen Changes Uniform Number in Carolina

Will it change his luck?

Former Notre Dame QB, Jimmy Clausen wore uniform #2 his first couple of years in the NFL -- with little to show for it.  So, when uniform #7 became available with the Carolina Panthers -- he jumped at the chance to switch to the number he wore with the IRISH.

Here's hoping SEVEN is a lucky number for Mr. Clausen!

LINK:  CLAUSEN SWITCHES UNIFORM NUMBERS