Navy "Beats" Notre Dame Scout Team Saturday

Well, this has to be a first.

The Washington Examiner published a story yesterday about Navy's 45 - 0, closed scrimmage, victory Saturday over their Notre Dame "scout team."  Really?

LINK:  NAVY SHUTS OUT NOTRE DAME

Gunner Kiel Talks Shamrock Series Uniform

Notre Dame Football Equipment Manager Ryan Grooms has become a "twitter" star -- here's a video he posted of Irish freshman QB Gunner Kiel and his reaction to what ND will be wearing against Miami at Chicago's Soldier Field.

LINK:  GUNNER'S REACTION

NFL Training Camp Update: ND Players

Took a lap around the worldwide web this morning to see what's being said about our former Notre Dame football stars now playing in the NFL.  Just click on the players' name below and you'll find out!

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH -- VIKINGS

LINK:  DAVID BRUTON -- BRONCOS

LINK:  JOHN SULLIVAN -- VIKINGS

LINK:  MICHAEL FLOYD -- CARDINALS

LINK:  BRADY QUINN -- CHIEFS

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH -- VIKINGS

LINK:  JUSTIN TUCK -- GIANTS

LINK:  ANTHONY FASANO -- DOLPHINS

LINK:  RJ BLANTON -- VIKINGS

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE -- SEAHAWKS

LINK:  TREVOR ROBINSON -- BENGALS

LINK:  TOMMY ZBIKOWSKI -- COLTS

LINK:  JEFF FAINE -- BUCCANEERS

LINK:  SAM YOUNG -- BUFFALO BILLS

LINK:  RYAN GRANT -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  MAURICE STOVALL -- LIONS

LINK:  JORDAN BLACK -- REDSKINS

LINK:  IAN WILLIAMS -- 49ERS

LINK:  DARRIN WALLS -- FALCONS

Final Two-A-Day Practice Yesterday!

The Fightin' Irish held their last practices of "training camp" yesterday and the gang at UND.COM was present to capture the action.  See the link below.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S FINAL TRAINING CAMP PRACTICE

Question Notre Dame's Relevance -- Really?

A columnist employed by ESPN created some attention for himself this week by writing a story questioning Notre Dame's power position in college football.  Well, a colleague of his wrote a reply yesterday that I thought I'd share with the ND GO IRISH BLOG community.

LINK:  IRISH RELEVANT

Shamrock Series Helmet & Gloves

Here's a few photos of Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert and Mantie Teo dressed in the Shamrock Series helmet, uniform, and gloves the Irish will be wearing in their game October 6 against Miami at Chicago's Soldier Field.  Along with a photo of Coach Kelly with his two returning All-Americans.

Notre Dame Football Media Day Recap

The 125th edition of the Fighting Irish football program held their annual Media Day yesterday afternoon in rainy South Bend.  And, the gang at UND.COM did their usual best of giving us "wall to wall" coverage.

Click on the link below to watch all of the videos from Media Day.

LINK:  MEDIA DAY COVERAGE

Surpassed the 400,000 Unique Visitor Mark!

Thank you Notre Dame fans!

At 9:54 AM ET this morning, a Notre Dame fan from Lincoln, Nebraska became unique visitor #400,000 to the ND GO IRISH BLOG!

It's quite humbling to see the number of IRISH fans visiting this site every day.  Incredible.

If the ND GO IRISH BLOG were a city -- its population would rank #44 in the United States!  Just ahead of Miami, FL and just behind Raleigh, NC.

A Notre Dame Pep Rally -- Ireland Style!

Folks, the Irish people are going to throw a PEP RALLY unlike anyone has ever seen -- Friday night at Dublin's O2 Arena -- hours before the kick-off of the 125th anniversary season of Notre Dame Football.  It's truly going to be an event to remember!

Here's a link to the video (below) that has been produced to promote the event.  Word on the street is the Pep Rally will be carried on Ireland TV -- with a rumored worldwide TV distribution deal -- with an estimated audience of 40 million.  As more information becomes available for this -- I'll pass on the details.

Think about that...

LINK:  NOTRE DAME:  A WELCOME HOME

Notre Dame's 2012 Shamrock Series Uniform

Here's what Notre Dame's Shamrock Series helmet / uniform combination looks like for their game October 6 against the Miami Hurricanes at Chicago's Soldier Field.

That's Notre Dame All-Americans; Tyler Eifert (80) and Manti Teo (5), modeling the new gear.

ESPN'S Mike Golic Reacts to Rick Reilly...

Former Notre Dame football player, current ND Parent, and co-host of ESPN'S Mike & Mike Show -- took it upon himself to defend his alma mater -- as he responded to Rick Reilly's column from yesterday.

Here's a link to Mike Golic's rant:

LINK:  MIKE GOLIC RANT -- VIDEO

Coach Ara Parseghian's Reunion Speech

This is an impressive man...

Folks, Coach Parseghian is 89 years young -- wait 'til you see this talk!

Legendary Notre Dame head football coach Ara Parseghian was in front of his former players recently and it was caught on tape.  INCREDIBLE!

LINK:  MUST WATCH VIDEO

George Goeddeke Introduces Ara Parseghian

Former Notre Dame football star and AFL All-Pro George Goeddeke -- was given the honor of introducing his "coach" at a Reunion on campus recently -- and his remarks were caught on tape. 

George is quite a man -- we belonged to the same Parish in the Detroit suburbs before my move to South Bend to work for Notre Dame.  He is one of the leaders of St. Patrick Parish and as you'll see in this video -- one of the leaders of the 1966 National Championship team.  Enjoy!

LINK:  GOEDDEKE INTRODUCES PARSEGHIAN

Media Day Begins at 1:20 PM ET -- Thursday!

Media Day, for the 125th edition of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, will begin tomorrow (Thursday, August 16) at 1:20 PM ET -- and it will be covered LIVE by the gang at UND.COM. 

One of the highlights will be Coach Kelly's press conference -- where Notre Dame will reveal the uniform they will be wearing at the Shamrock Series game against Miami, on October 6th, at Chicago's Soldier Field.  To watch it LIVE -- click on the link below.

LINK:  MEDIA DAY 2012

Last Clue: ND's Shamrock Series Uniform

This might be the least revealing "swatch" in the bunch.  It appears to be a garment tag...

Notre Dame and Adidas will be unveiling the Shamrock Series uniform tomorrow at their Media Day.  Should be interesting!

Adidas Updates Notre Dame Football Jersey

Notre Dame Football Equipment Manager Ryan Grooms "tweeted" this photo today of the improvements Adidas has made to the ND MONOGRAM on the sleeves of the football jerseys. 

Clue #4: ND's Shamrock Series Uniform

I think I've got this one -- looks like this "swatch" is the front "yoke" of the jersey -- with the word IRISH centered above a number, in a GOLD shiny material, outlined in white on a blue colored jersey...  (top photo).  The jersey, developed by Adidas for Notre Dame's Shamrock Series game against Miami, will be revealed on Thursday this week!

Two Special Days for Notre Dame Football

On Saturday, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame headed to Diamond Lake for a day of fun, sun, golf, water, food and laughs.  You'll enjoy the video.  And, yesterday -- the IRISH held their annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation practice.  It's a nice event for the on-campus community.

LINK:  DIAMOND LAKE

LINK:  FACULTY / STAFF PRACTICE

Clue #3: ND's Shamrock Series Uniform!

I have to admit, I'm totally confused now...  This is "swatch" #3 (on top) of Adidas' reveal of Notre Dame's Shamrock Series uniform.

ND Football Practice Update: Monday 8/13

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame held two practices today in "wet" South Bend.  I'm sure Coach Kelly looked at the weather and said "we'll probably see this in Ireland in less than three weeks, let's go outside..."

LINK:  NOTRE DAME PRACTICE

Tim Brown Interview with GamePlan For Life

The team at former Super Bowl Champion Coach Joe Gibbs' Game Plan For Life recently sat down with former Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, to talk about standing strong in your faith.  I thought a few of you might enjoy reading this interview:

LINK:  TIM BROWN

Notre Dame Senior Named Sun Bowl Queen!

Rebekah Wierson, a senior at the University of Notre Dame was crowned SUN QUEEN by the Sun Bowl Association. 

Congratulations Rebekah!

LINK:  DOMER NAMED SUN BOWL QUEEN

Two A Days in Two Minutes -- ND STYLE!

The gang at Fighting Irish Digital Media put together a two minute video of what two-a-day practices are like at Notre Dame.  Enjoy!

LINK:  TWO A DAYS AT NOTRE DAME

First Week of NFL Pre-Season: ND UPDATE

Here's a look at what's being said about some of our former Notre Dame football stars who are a few weeks into NFL training camps.  Just click on the player's name for the story:

LINK:  BRADY QUINN -- KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

LINK:  JIMMY CLAUSEN -- CAROLINA PANTHERS

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  MICHAEL FLOYD -- ARIZONA CARDINALS

LINK:  JUSTIN TUCK -- NEW YORK GIANTS

LINK:  ROBERT HUGHES -- CHICAGO BEARS

LINK:  TOM ZBIKOWSKI -- INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

LINK:  ANTHONY FASANO -- MIAMI DOLPHINS

Coach Kelly With Media After Practice...

Notre Dame head football coach met with the media after Saturday's practice to talk about the first week of camp -- as the IRISH get ready to travel to IRELAND to play the Naval Academy on September 1st.  Here's a link to the video:

LINK:  COACH KELLY WITH MEDIA

Special Uniforms For These Two Games?

You've got to wonder why NIKE would feel the need to break out SPECIAL UNIFORMS for Virginia Tech's games against Austin Peay and Bowling Green -- yet, they'll do just that this season in two games you probably won't see on television.  Photos above of helmets and a jersey. 

LINK:  BIG GAMES FOR THE HOKIES?

Clue #2: ND's Shamrock Series Uniform

Here's the second "swatch" of material (top photo) from the folks at ADIDAS -- for the uniform they've designed for the FIGHTIN' IRISH in their game on October 6 at Soldier Field against the Miami Hurricanes.  My guess is the the top photo is from the jersey, which will be BLUE with GOLD shoulders on it.  The bottom photo is the first swatch -- which I believe is from the pants or from a muscle shirt that will be worn under the jersey, which would be a huge departure for Notre Dame.  Any guesses?

The entire uniform will be unveiled on August 16.

Golden Tate Subject of Terrell Owens PUNK!

Pete Carroll and Terrell Owens teamed up this past week to PUNK former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate and his Seattle Seahawks teammates.  As some of you may know, Golden declined to give up his #81 to Terrell Owens -- unless he forked over $81,000.  Don't leave the video early.

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE PUNKED

Puzzle Piece #1 -- ND's New Football Uniform

The folks at Adidas are going to have some "fun" this week at the expense of the Notre Dame Nation!  Over the next five days, Adidas USA will be releasing "swatches" of Notre Dame's uniform for the Shamrock Series game at Chicago's Soldier Field set for Saturday, October 6 against the Miami Hurricanes.  It's expected they will display the entire uniform on August 16th.

The photo above is SWATCH #1.

I'm going to guess this is from their pants???

I was told months ago -- this uniform design will "blow your mind..."

We'll see...

Want to be Like Skylar Diggins -- Watch This!

The most famous student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame does not wear a GOLD HELMET.

SHE wears a headband.

Skylar Diggins is the biggest name at ND and she's the biggest name in women's college sport.  I just learned of a video that was produced a year ago by the gang at ESPN that looks at Skylar's workout regimen, her quirks and her singing voice -- she's good!  You'll enjoy this!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S DIGGINS

Boxx Gold, Tancredi & Chapman Bronze!

Notre Dame women's soccer's great past was well represented this evening in London as Shannon Boxx '99 (photo on top), Melissa Tancredi '04 (middle photo) and Candace Chapman '05 (photo on bottom) each won medals today for their respective countries.  Shannon won her THIRD GOLD MEDAL for the United States of America, Melissa and Candace won Canada's first ever Olympic medal in women's soccer -- earning BRONZE MEDALS.

Congratulations to all of these IRISH stars!

LINK:  USA WINS GOLD

LINK:  CANADA WINS BRONZE

Football Practice Report -- Thursday Aug. 9

The Fightin' Irish of Notre Dame were back on the practice fields today -- and here's the video to prove it!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL PRACTICE

Domer's Gold Medal Battle With Lupus!

Former University of Notre Dame soccer star Shannon Boxx '99, was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder LUPUS -- back in 2007.  Yet, tomorrow afternoon at 2:45 PM ET on NBC the 35 year-old Boxx will be going for her THIRD STRAIGHT OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL.  Good Luck Shannon!

Beyond the GOLD medal -- Team USA will also be playing for significant bonus money.  It was just announced that if the USA beats Japan tomorrow, the team will split $1.5 million in bonus money above and beyond the $25,000 each team member would receive from the U.S. Olympic Committee for a gold medal victory.  BIG PAY DAY!


LINK:  USA TODAY STORY

LINK:  OLYMPIC BONUS MONEY!

LINK:  WATCH THE GOLD MEDAL MATCH LIVE ON THE WEB

The Pads Are On At Notre Dame!

Today was the first practice in "full pads" this training camp for the Fighting Irish -- and the gang at Fighting Irish Digital Media were back at work.  You'll enjoy their coverage -- along with a second link to Coach Kelly's post practice meeting with the media!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL IN PADS

LINK:  COACH KELLY'S MEDIA SESSION

Most Valuable "Non-QB" in College Football

CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman picked his top ten most valuable players in college football -- not playing the QB position -- and the #1 ranked player on that list wears a GOLD HELMET!  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  THE MVP

Avoiding Lies Can Improve Your Health...

University of Notre Dame psychology professor Anita Kelly presented her findings -- that avoiding lies can improve your health -- at the American Psychological Association's annual meeting.  You'll find this story quite interesting:

LINK:  AVOIDING LIES -- A GOOD THING

Coach Kelly and His Team -- A New Approach

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly began meeting with his team on Monday's back in January -- and these sessions have been well received by the team and its coach.  The folks at ESPN reported on Notre Dame's "A TEAM."  Enjoy!

LINK:  COACH KELLY AND HIS TEAM

Practice Report #3 Fightin' Irish Football

The gang at Fighting Irish Digital Media were back on the practice field today reporting on ND Football.  Today's focus was on senior defensive end Kapron Lewis Moore.  You'll enjoy this!

LINK:  KAPRON LEWIS MOORE

Here's What Notre Dame Will Wear in Ireland

You've got to love this look for the Fightin' Irish in Dublin...

Notre Dame's Football Equipment Manager Ryan Grooms just "tweeted" these two photos -- on the left, what the team will wear (warm-ups) and on the right, what Coach Kelly will be wearing for their trip to Ireland to take on the Naval Academy.

You didn't think Coach Kelly did his own packing did you?  Here they are nearly four weeks before the game and Coach Kelly's gear for Dublin is already packed...

Notre Dame Football Practice Report #2

Notre Dame fans will enjoy seeing the coaching staff -- COACHING at practice this morning -- good stuff!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL PRACTICE #2

Two Domers Make U.S. Olympic History!

The Hurley girls; Courtney '13 and Kelley '10 led the United States to their first Olympic medal in history in the Women's Team Epee event!  Notre Dame senior Courtney -- the 2011 NCAA Champion -- scored the "winning touch" in overtime to win the BRONZE for America!  (Photo: Courtney on the left and Kelley third from left)

LINK:  VIDEO OF MEDAL CEREMONY

LINK:  HURLEY GIRLS LEAD USA TO BRONZE

LINK:  NBC STORY