Off to Europe With a New Team & Identity!

Muffet McGraw's Fightin' Irish are in Europe for the next ten days -- learning to play basketball without Skylar Diggins.  Notre Dame will play three (3) exhibition games in London, Madrid and Barcelona.  Tough duty!

This extra time together should prove invaluable as Muffet weaves in one of the top recruiting classes in the country.  I'm anxious to see how the freshmen play.  Unfortunately, sophomore sensation Jewell Loyd sprained her ankle and won't see any action...

LINK:  OFF TO EUROPE

Jonas Gray Leads the Dolphins in Rushing!

Former Notre Dame running back Jonas Gray played his first football game in almost two years tonight leading the Miami Dolphins with 41 yards rushing on 7 carries.  He also picked up another 35 yards on 4 catches -- totaling 76 yards in total offense in their exhibition game against the Cowboys.

Jonas' longest run went for 29 yards and his longest pass reception went for 18 yards.  It was great to see him having some success in his first NFL action.  Congratulations Jonas!

If you'd like to see Jonas' 29 yard run -- click on the second link below:

LINK:  GAME STATS

LINK:  JONAS'S 29 YARD RUN -- HIGHLIGHTS!

LINK:  DOLPHIN'S BEST RUNNING BACK?

OT: Manziel Being Investigated by NCAA

Ever since Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy he's been all over the news for his antics away from the field -- that continued this evening... 

News just broke that the NCAA is investigating a report that Manziel was paid "five figures" to sign some autographs back in January.  The photo above was posted by Manziel on Instagram back in January -- I'm guessin' this got someone's attention at the NCAA.

LINK:  MANZIEL UNDER INVESTIGATION

Theo Riddick Hurt @ Lions Practice Today

Former Notre Dame running back Theo Riddick injured his toe today during practice today at the Detroit Lions' practice facility.  Here's the story:

LINK:  RIDDICK INJURED TODAY

A Story You'll Love: A Notre Dame Walk-On

Today, a young man from Texas begins a new journey.  His name is Omar Hunter and at 3:30 PM ET he'll report for fall football camp at the University of Notre Dame.

Omar hails from Harlingen High School (Harlingen, TX) where he was their class president ALL FOUR YEARS and graduated FOURTH IN HIS CLASS.

Here's a couple of news stories about Omar's path to South Bend, along with a video of him singing our National Anthem and a video of his first touchdown run.  Pretty special young man.

LINK:   OMAR HUNTER

LINK:  OMAR HUNTER'S GOING TO NOTRE DAME

LINK:  OMAR SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

LINK:  50 YARD TD RUN AS A SOPHOMORE

Catch Jonas Gray Tonight on NBC @ 8 PM ET

Former Notre Dame running back Jonas Gray will be playing in his first NFL game tonight since a knee injury back in 2011 with the Fightin' Irish.  Gray and his Dolphin teammates will take on America's "other team" the Dallas Cowboys TONIGHT at 8 PM ET on NBC.

Should be fun to see #32 carrying the ball again!  Here's some stories about Jonas:

LINK:  "I'VE GOT TO GIVE IT MY ALL"

LINK:  HE'S ON THE BUBBLE

Ricky Watters Introduced by Ricky Watters, Jr.

This is a pretty cool scene -- just found it on the web. Former Notre Dame running back Ricky Watters (National Champion, Super Bowl Champion) was introduced by his son Ricky Jr. at the Central Florida Hall of Fame ceremony.  It's from a couple of years ago -- but, you have to see this!

LINK:  RICKY WATTERS, JR.

"Notre Dame Needs to Stay There..."

This commentary was written by the South Bend Tribune's Al Lesar -- in follow-up to Coach Brian Kelly's press conference yesterday.

LINK:  PERCHED NEAR THE TOP

Moving the Fightin' Irish to Marion, IN For Camp

Here's a photo "tweeted" yesterday by Ryan Grooms, Notre Dame football's equipment manager -- of the number of trucks it's going to take to move the Fightin' Irish to Marion, IN -- for the first four days of training camp.

"Breaking In" the New Notre Dame Footballs

The photo above was "tweeted" by Notre Dame Football equipment manager Ryan Grooms.  Ryan and his team have been getting the new Wilson Notre Dame footballs ready for the Fightin' Irish!

If you look closely at the picture you can see the brushes, pads, etc., they use to rough up the new footballs so they're not to slippery for the players.
  
You can follow Ryan on Twitter @NDFBEquipment

Coach Brian Kelly Meets Media Today at Noon!

The 2013 Notre Dame football season officially kicks off today with Coach Brian Kelly's annual kick-off press conference with the local and national media.  The event will be carried LIVE on the internet beginning at NOON ET TODAY!  Just click on the link below to watch the replay:

LINK:  REPLAY OF PRESS CONFERENCE

Brian Kelly Interview This Evening @ WSBT

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly was interviewed this evening at WSBT 960 AM here in South Bend.  Here's a link to the entire interview along with a video clip of the Q&A session:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY INTERVIEW

LINK:  COACH KELLY

Notre Dame Ranked #11 in First Coaches' Poll

Well, it's an improvement over last season when you couldn't find Notre Dame on anyone's pre-seaon Top-25 poll.  Here's the USA Today Coaches Poll:

LINK:  COACHES POLL

Irish Sports Daily is Offering 60-Day Free Trial

Folks, I subscribe to Mike Frank's Irish Sports Daily -- have for a few years now.  I just saw today that Mike was offering a 60-day FREE TRIAL -- it's a must do if you love Notre Dame football as much as I do.

Here's a link to the IRISH SPORTS DAILY offer:

LINK:  60-DAY FREE TRIAL

Domer Kory Minor -- Firing You Up This Day!

Notre Dame fans should remember Kory Minor '99 -- he was a four year starter for Lou Holtz at linebacker and I believe he's still the all-time Irish defensive player in "tackles for losses."  Minor captained the Irish football team his senior season.

Kory went on to play four season in the NFL before heading off to start his business career.  He is now the CEO of Kory Minor Industries -- where he is a TAKE ACTION COACH.

Here is a couple videos of Kory FIRING YOU UP! -- take a peek!

LINK:  KORY MINOR -- TAKE ACTION!

LINK:  KORY MINOR -- GET INTO THE GAME!

LINK:  KORY MINOR INDUSTRIES WEBSITE

Only 30 Days to Notre Dame Football 2013!

Can you sense the excitement!

We're only 30 days away from Notre Dame football's home opener with the Temple Owls.

Remember, there's college football and then there is NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL!

Here was head coach Brian Kelly at his finest this past season -- linked below -- if this doesn't get you fired-up you must not have a pulse!

LINK:  COACH KELLY FIRING UP THE IRISH!

Tyler Eifert Putting on a Show For HBO

Former Notre Dame All-American tight end Tyler Eifert is proving the Cincinnati Bengal's got it right when they selected him in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

And, the cameras at HBO's "Hard Knocks" are capturing it all on film...

The first episode airs August 6th at 10 PM ET on HBO.

LINK:  TYLER EIFERT -- THE REAL DEAL

LINK:  HARD KNOCKS "TEASER"

Coach Kelly's Press Conference Friday @ Noon!

Notre Dame's 2013 Football Season "officially" kicks off this Friday at NOON ET -- as head coach Brian Kelly meets with the media to talk about the upcoming training camp and season.  As always, you can watch it LIVE HERE at the link below!

LINK:  LIVE FRIDAY @ NOON ET -- CLICK HERE

OT: Oregon Goes "Over the Top" on Facility

$68 million will get you quite a building...

Take a look at these photos of Oregon's new football facility.  The photo above is of the lobby...


LINK:  OREGON'S FOOTBALL FACILITY

LINK:  SI PHOTOS OF FACILITY

Making of the Notre Dame Helmet -- Must See!

Hydro-Graphics, Inc. -- is the company behind the cool lookin' college football helmets you started seeing the past couple of years. 

Especially Notre Dame's gold helmet!

This ESPN story shows a little about the company -- and you'll hear them talk about the Notre Dame GOLD HELMET.

LINK:  THE GOLD HELMET

NFL Training Camp Updates: ND Players

Took a lap around the worldwide web this evening to see how former Notre Dame football stars are doing in NFL training camps.  Just click on the name of your favorite Irish player:

LINK:  JUSTIN TUCK -- GIANTS

LINK:  IAN WILLIAMS -- 49ERS

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH -- VIKINGS

LINK:  MICHAEL FLOYD -- CARDINALS

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE -- SEAHAWKS

LINK:  KYLE McCARTHY -- CHIEFS

LINK:  TYLER EIFERT -- BENGALS

LINK:  MANTI TE'O -- CHARGERS 

LINK:  ANTHONY FASANO -- CHIEFS

LINK:  DAVID BRUTON -- BRONCOS

LINK:  THEO RIDDICK -- LIONS

LINK:  KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE -- RAVENS

LINK:  JOHN CARLSON -- VIKINGS

LINK:  BRADY QUINN -- SEAHAWKS

LINK:  MIKE GOLIC, JR. -- STEELERS

LINK:  TREVOR ROBINSON -- BENGALS

LINK:  JOHN SULLIVAN -- VIKINGS

LINK:  RYAN HARRIS -- TEXANS

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH -- VIKINGS 

LINK:  TOMMY ZBIKOWSKI -- BEARS

Jonas Gray '12 -- Back on the Field After Injury

Former Notre Dame running back Jonas Gray '12 is seen here in this photo at the Miami Dolphins training camp.  Gray is coming off of a torn ACL which cost him the entire 2012 NFL season.  Jonas signed with the Dolphins as a free agent after the 2012 NFL Draft and is now seeing the practice field for the first time.  Here's hoping he makes their 53 man roster!

Coach Kelly Talks 2013 Training Camp Plans

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly met with WatchND's Jack Nolan this week to talk about the Irish's upcoming training camp.  You'll enjoy this:

LINK:  COACH KELLY TALKS ABOUT HIS TEAM

Jeff Samardzija on the Trade Block in Chicago?

I truly can't believe the Chicago Cubs would be willing to trade the former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver -- who's currently 3rd in the National League in strikeouts with 146 in 144.1 innings pitched.

Last night he pitched seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball -- yet, the Cubs get shutout and the bullpen gives up five in their 5-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Reportedly, the buzz at Wrigley is they're worried that Jeff is going to test the free agency waters -- three years from now...  They have him under contract for three more years -- and they're worried about 2017?

Here's the media coverage:

LINK:  PRICE ON SAMARDZIJA SKY HIGH

LINK:  ESPN INTERVIEW

LINK:  SAMARDZIJA THROWS SEVEN SHUTOUT INNINGS

Temple Returned Some Tickets Today to ND

If you're still looking for a ticket for Notre Dame's home opener against Temple -- some tickets became available today.  You're going to want to call the ND Ticket Office first thing Tuesday morning!

Phone number for the Notre Dame Ticket Office:  574.631.7356 

The office opens up at 8:30 AM ET

No Big Bags Inside Notre Dame Stadium in 2013

Word broke today that fans will no longer be allowed to bring BIG BAGS into Notre Dame Stadium -- similar in size to the bags in the photo above.

Here's the official press release from Notre Dame:

LINK: NEW SAFETY POLICY AT NOTRE DAME STADIUM

Tory Jackson Off to Europe After School Closes

Having lived most of my life in Michigan, before taking the job at Notre Dame, I always had great respect for the athletes that Buena Vista High School turned out year after year.

My first encounter with Buena Vista was when I was 12 years-old, playing against them in a baseball tournament in St. Louis, MI.  They had "aluminum bats" -- first time I had ever seen an aluminum bat -- we were playing with wooden ones.  I'll never forget that.

Well, it was announced last week that Buena Vista High School was closing its doors -- and their head basketball coach Tory Jackson '10, former three year starter for Mike Brey's Fightin' Irish was out of a job.

In the past few days -- Tory signed a contract to play professional basketball in Europe.  Here's a link to a story concerning Buena Vista closing and Tory's plans -- and a second link to Tory's impact at Buena Vista.


LINK:  BUENA VISTA CLOSING

LINK:  A STORY ABOUT TORY JACKSON THE COACH

Te'o Helps Chargers Teammate Learn to Swim

D.J. Fluker, the hulking offensive tackle from Alabama and the Chargers' #1 draft pick -- is afraid of the water...

Well, that didn't stop Manti Te'o from teaching his San Diego teammate how to swim.  See the story:

LINK:  A HELPING TEAMMATE

When You Win -- The Recognition Follows

Over the past couple weeks, many of the national college football awards announced their "watch list" -- the top players in the country at their position -- and the Fightin' Irish of Notre Dame have been well represented:

BILETNIKOFF AWARD

• T.J. Jones
• Davaris Daniels

WALTER CAMP PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

• Louis Nix, III
• Stephon Tuitt

BRONCO NAGURSKI AWARD

• Louis Nix, III
• Stephon Tuitt

BEDNARIK AWARD -- COLLEGE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Louis Nix, III
• Stephon Tuitt

MAXWELL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Louis Nix, III
• Stephon Tuitt

ROTARY LOMBARDI AWARD

• Louis Nix, III
• Stephon Tuitt

OUTLAND TROPHY

•  Louis Nix, III

 

Vikings' Harrison Smith "Wired For Sound!"

I missed this.  A few weeks ago the Minnesota Vikings put a helmet cam on former Notre Dame captain Harrison Smith.  You'll enjoy this!

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH -- WIRED!

A Detroit News Story on the Lions' Theo Riddick

I'll never forget Theo's interview in the locker room after the National Championship game.  Here's an update from the Detroit News on the challenges facing Theo in making the Lions'  53 man roster:

LINK:  THEO RIDDICK

Cierre Wood Turning Heads With Texans!

Found this story this morning on former Irish running back Cierre Wood's status with the Houston Texans.

This writer thinks he makes the 53 man roster:

LINK:  CIERRE WOOD

Tyler Eifert Impressing the Bengals -- See This!

Former Notre Dame All-American tight end Tyler Eifert continues to impress all associated with the Cincinnati Bengals.  Here's a report from yesterday's training camp:

LINK:  EIFERT IMPRESSIVE!

Coach Kelly & Coach Martin at Patriots Practice

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Chuck Martin were seen in a ESPN report yesterday at the New England Patriots training camp.  Here's a "screen grab" of the two.

Manti Caught Off Guard During Presser Today!

You can see that Manti Te'o is making a positive impression on his teammates in San Diego -- just watch this clip from today's press conference:

LINK:  MANTI TE'O -- ONE OF THE GUYS

SAP's Max Peer Visits Notre Dame Thursday

He's in the early stages of a 35,000 bike and canoe trip around the world...

Max Peer, in partnership with SAP University Alliances and Interaction Design Foundation -- arrived at the University of Notre Dame yesterday to meet with students and faculty along with Ann Rosenberg, Head of Global SAP University Alliances to talk about free access to top grade educational material.

As of this morning, Max has traveled 2,635 miles taking 6,112,741 pedal strokes!

You can find all of this on the link to his BIKE TOUR WEBSITE below:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S VIDEO OF MAX'S VISIT

LINK:  ABC-57 NEWS STORY ON MAX PEER

LINK:  BIKE TOUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Irish Wide Receiver: Swimmin' With the Sharks!

Notre Dame wide receiver T.J. Jones -- spent some time this summer swimming with sharks at the Florida Aquarium!  See the video feature below:

LINK:  T.J. JONES -- WITH THE SHARKS

Notre Dame to Start Fall Training Camp Away!

The Fightin' Irish of Notre Dame will be moving "off campus" to Marion, IN to Shiloh Park to begin their training for the 2013 college football season.  The "fun" begins August 5th.  Shilo Park is a conference / retreat center located a little over 100 miles from the Notre Dame campus.  

Coach Kelly made the announcement today -- see the story below:

LINK:  COACH KELLY TALKS SHILOH PARK

LINK:  NEW FIELDS AT SHILO PARK 

LINK:  OFFICIAL RELEASE 

LINK:  SHILO PARK WEBSITE

Pope Francis @ World Youth Day in Rio!

These are photos of Pope Francis' visit to World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro -- over 1 million Catholic youth have gathered for this year's event.

Notre Dame: "A Great College to Work For!"

The Chronicle of Higher Education just released its annual list of the top colleges to work for -- and for the FIFTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR the University of Notre Dame was named to the "honor roll."

Having the honor of being an employee of this university -- I'm not surprised!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME -- FIVE PEAT!

OT: Jack Nicklaus' Grandson Motorcycle Crash

You will not believe that Nick O'Leary -- a football player at Florida State University and the grandson of hall of famer Jack Nicklaus -- walked away from this motorcycle crash.  Incredible!

LINK:  STORY

Robby Toma Signs with Arizona Cardinals

In the past 24 hours -- Robby Toma '13, signed a contract with the Arizona Cardinals and will compete for a spot on their 53 man roster.  Toma, the high school pal of Manti Te'o will be lining up alongside former teammate and Notre Dame All-American Michael Floyd. 

Good luck Robby!

LINK:  TOMA TO CARDINALS

ACC Commissioner Defends Deal with ND

Over the past few months a few coaches have openly questioned the deal the Atlantic Coast Conference struck with Notre Dame.  This past Sunday, ACC Commissioner Jack Swofford spoke about why the deal was important to make for their conference -- here's a link to the story:

LINK:  ACC TALKS NOTRE DAME DEAL

Single Game Tickets to ND Football On Sale!

If you're looking to see the Fightin' Irish of Notre Dame football team play a game this fall -- CALL BEGINNING AT 8:30 AM ET tomorrow morning!  The Notre Dame ticket office will be selling tickets to these games:

• August 31:  Temple -- you can buy up to four tickets
• October 8:  Arizona State -- game at Cowboys Stadium (you can buy up to eight end zone tickets)
• November 2: Navy -- you can buy up to eight tickets
• November 23:  BYI -- you can buy up to eight tickets

Here's the number to call:  574.631.7356

LINK:  LOUIS NIX'S -- TICKET SALES PITCH

Stanley Cup Champs to Train at Notre Dame!

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they have picked the University of Notre Dame's Compton Family Ice Arena to train for four days in September (12th to the 15th).

The Stanley Cup Champions' General Manager is none other than Domer Stan Bowman '95, -- who's named after the Stanley Cup -- so I'm not surprised he's bringing his team "home" to Notre Dame.

Here's the story:

LINK:  STANLEY CUP CHAMPS AT NOTRE DAME

OT: You Can't Make This Stuff Up...

The University of Florida's Antonio Morrison (pictured) -- expected to be their starting middle linebacker this fall -- was arrested early this morning for BARKING AT A POLICE DOG and then resisting arrest.

Here's a link to the story below:

LINK:  GATOR BARKING AT DOG