Muffet's #2 Irish Take on #6 Maryland Tonight!

The undefeated and second ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (who have won 41 straight regular season games) play the #6 ranked Maryland Terrapins tonight at 7 PM ET on ESPN2. 

Another tough road test for Muffet's gang -- should be quite the game!

LINK:  GAME PREVIEW

LINK:  ESPN PREVIEW

Under Armour Designs These NBA Sneakers

Take a look at these shoes that Seth Curry is wearing tonight for the Golden State Warriors...

What will Under Armour do for Notre Dame?

Check Out These Under Armour Socks & Shoes

The women's basketball team at St. John's is wearing this sock and shoe combination in their game tonight against Georgetown.  Looks like the New York skyline was designed into the socks...

What will Under Armour do for Notre Dame?

High Paid Coaches In Middle of Losing Streaks

If you think of the highest paid coaches in college football -- the names Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, etc., come to mind...  Well, a few of them are riding multiple game LOSING STREAKS going into next season:

THREE-GAME LOSING STREAK:

• Brady Hoke, University of Michigan -- 8th highest paid coach in college football

TWO-GAME LOSING STREAK:

• Nick Saban, University of Alabama -- highest paid coach in college football
• Urban Meyer, Ohio State University -- 6th highest paid coach in college football

Here are the opening games of the 2014 seasons for each of these three schools:

• Michigan: Appalachian State (home game)
• Alabama:  West Virginia  (neutral site game -- Atlanta, GA)
• Ohio State:  Navy  (neutral site game -- Baltimore, MD)

LINK:  COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES' SALARIES

Domer Lake Dawson Turns Down Dolphins

Former Notre Dame student-athlete Lake Dawson '94, turned down the opportunity today to become the General Manager of the Miami Dolphins.  Dawson will remain with the Tennessee Titans as their VP of Player Personnel.

Irish fans will remember Lake's playing days at Notre Dame before he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the Third Round of the 1994 NFL Draft. 

LINK:  DAWSON TURNS DOWN DOLPHINS

ND's Men's Tennis Beats #8 Kentucky 4 - 3

#29 ranked Notre Dame beat #8 ranked Kentucky 4 - 3 yesterday afternoon in Lexington.  A huge road win for Randy Sachire's Fighting Irish!

LINK:  IRISH UPSET WILDCATS!

LINK:  MEN'S COLLEGE TENNIS RANKINGS

Super Bowl Week Starts Today for Domers!

Denver Broncos team captain David Bruton will be the first former Notre Dame football star to arrive in New Jersey today for next Sunday's Super Bowl.  The Broncos arrive at Newark Airport at 3:30 PM ET.

The Seattle Seahawks and former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate don't arrive at Newark Airport until 7:00 PM ET.

I'm sure the folks at the NFL NETWORK will be providing LIVE coverage of each of their arrivals.

LINK:  THE TEAMS ARRIVE

J.J. Jansen Representin' ND in NFL Pro Bowl

He's the best at his specialty in the NFL -- former Notre Dame student-athlete J.J. Jansen was selected to play in today's NFL PRO BOWL.  Jansen, is the long snapper for Team Sanders in the NFL's remake of their annual all-star game.  He'll be wearing #44 in the NEON GREEN.

J.J. just finishing his sixth season with the Carolina Panthers.

The game kicks off at 7:30 PM ET this evening on NBC.

LINK:  J.J. JANSEN

LINK:  J.J. JANSEN INTERVIEW

LINK:  PRO BOWL WEBSITE

Must See TV This Evening: The Outdoor Option

Big-time Notre Dame fan Pat Doyle (my cousin) took the TV show he produces, THE OUTDOOR OPTION, back home to Mecosta, MI this week to check in on the Blue Lake Tavern (our Grandpa Ray's old place) and steelhead fishing on the Pere Marquette.

The fun begins at 7:30 PM ET on the Sportsman Channel.

LINK:  THE OUTDOOR OPTION

Martin Wears Gold Helmet For Last Time Today

Notre Dame fans will want to tune-in to the NFL Network's coverage of the Reese's Senior Bowl today at 4 PM ET.  Former Fighting Irish team captain Zack Martin will be wearing the GOLD HELMET for the last time today when he puts on uniform #72 for the North Team.

If you follow this blog you know Zack has been gaining a lot of attention this week from the NFL scouts.  Some media types are now projecting him as a top-15 pick.  I'm sure the TV commentators will be doing the same this afternoon.  Should be fun!

Here's the latest media coverage on Zack:

LINK:  NFL NETWORK

LINK:  NEW JERSEY STAR LEDGER

LINK:  DOLPHINS INSIDER INTERVIEW OF ZACK

LINK:  ESPN NFL BLOG

Team USA Should Have Called Under Armour

Wow -- Team USA may win GOLD in the "ugly sweater" contest in Sochia...  And, to think it "only" costs $2,218 -- to dress like this!

Zack Martin Getting More Praise at Senior Bowl

Former Notre Dame football captain Zack Martin has the attention of every NFL scouting staff -- after dominating this week at the Reese's Senior Bowl.  It culminated last night with him being selected "Lineman of the Week" at the Senior Bowl banquet.

You're going to want to watch this!

LINK:  ZACK MARTIN

It's Official ND Hires Redskins QB Coach

The word broke twenty-four hour ago -- and Notre Dame just made if official this afternoon.  Matt LaFleur, the QB coach of the Washington Redskins has agreed to accept the same position for the Fighting Irish!

He will be officially introduced at a Press Conference set for Monday, Feburary 3rd at 11 AM.

LaFleur has ties to Coach Kelly -- working on his staff at Central Michigan in 2004 and 2005.  He comes to Notre Dame with six years of NFL coaching experience.  The past four seasons LaFleur was working under the Shanahan's in Washington -- coaching their QB's RG III, Kirk Cousins, Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman.

Here's what I could find on the web about Coach LaFleur:

LINK:  WASHINGTON POST STORY

LINK:  REDSKINS PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

LINK:  RADIO INTERVIEW

LINK:  LAFLEUR WITH RG III

Company Founded In Notre Dame Dorm Room

Wins the $250,000 first place prize from the Miller Lite "Tap the Future" new-business pitch contest!

Sean O'Brien '12 (photo on the left) and Evan Wray '12 (on the right) came up with their winning idea in their Notre Dame dorm room in 2012...

The company is called TextPride.

You're going to want to know their story!


LINK:  VIDEO INTRODUCTION OF SEAN AND EVAN

LINK:  BIG WIN! 

LINK:  COMPANY WEBSITE 

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE STORY

Domer Justin Tuck Sings National Anthem

The NFL and its partners are pulling out all of the stops this week -- as they prepare for their guests and fans who will be coming to WINTER in NYC for next week's Super Bowl. 

Here's a rendition of the National Anthem sung by few current and former NFL stars that included former Notre Dame All-American Justin Tuck.  Enjoy!

LINK:  TUCK SINGING

Photo of Notre Dame's Tribute Hockey Jersey

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will be wearing these special hockey jerseys this weekend to honor our troops!

"Mike" and "Maddie" -- Muffet's Bench Bunch

Michaela Mabrey (they call her 'Mike') and Madison Cable came off the bench this week in a road game this week against #11 Tennessee.  The duo poured in 27 points to key a BIG comeback win for the Fighting Irish.  Here's the ESPN on camera interview of the two -- enjoy!

LINK:  MIKE AND MADDIE

"The Top Prospect at the Senior Bowl..."

Former Notre Dame football captain Zack Martin is turning heads this week in Mobile, AL at the Reese's Senior Bowl.  Here is an interview he gave today.

LINK:  ZACK MARTIN

Notre Dame Student Ranked #1 in the World!

He's not just ranked #1 in the country -- he's the best at his sport on the entire planet!

Notre Dame grad student and captain of the Fighting Irish Fencing team -- Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, CA) is now ranked #1 in FOIL in the world!

And, get this -- he's the FIRST AMERICAN EVER to be named the world's top foilest -- and we've been competing at it since the late 1800's!


LINK:  WORLD'S BEST!

America's 100 Most Important Sports Venues

There is only one sports venue on a college campus -- ranked in the top 20 -- in America's 100 most important sports venues, a ranking put together by an ESPN writer named Jim Caple.

Care to guess which venue that might be?

LINK:  AMERICA'S 100 MOST IMPORTANT

Notre Dame Student Honored in Parma, OH

Leo Mironovich, a senior student at Notre Dame, was honored with his "own day" in his hometown of Parma, Ohio.

Mironovich, the Head Drum Major for The Band of the Fighting Irish was surprised by his town's Mayor when he proclaimed January 8th as "Leo Mironovich Day" in Parma, OH.  A pretty cool honor!   I want to thank ND GO IRISH BLOG regular Brian Dean for alerting me to this story!

Here's the story:

LINK:  HIS OWN DAY

Media's Take: Notre Dame / Under Armour Deal

Took a lap around the worldwide web this evening to see what's being said about Notre Dame's announcement today that it has signed the largest deal ever between a brand and a university.  Here's what the media is reporting:

LINK:  ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINK:  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  NBC SPORTS

LINK:  CBS SPORTS

Zach Martin "Top 20 Pick" -- Mike Mayock

Notre Dame football team captain Zach Martin is getting rave reviews as he practices for Saturday's Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL. 

Take a look at this!

LINK:  ZACH MARTIN

Under Armour's Work for Other College Teams

Notre Dame's switch to Under Armour became official this morning -- so while we wait to see what they create for the Fighting Irish, here's a few of the products they've created for the 12 colleges they're currently working with.

The Shamrock Series look for Notre Dame should be quite interesting!

Under Armour Stock UP 3.87% as of 2 PM ET

Under Armour's stock was up nearly 4% less than three hours after their announcement today that they had signed a ten-year agreement with the University of Notre Dame.

Folks, a 3.87% lift in their stock price is approximately a $330,000,000 increase in their company's value!

Think their shareholders are smiling right now?

LINK:  UNDER ARMOUR STOCK CHART

Replay: Notre Dame & Under Armour Deal !!!

At this very moment -- the folks in Beaverton, OR and athletic departments all over the country are talking about Notre Dame and Under Armour.

The University of Notre Dame and Under Armour just announced the largest financial deal ever between a brand and a university.  Deal highlights:

• Notre Dame has the option to take an ownership position in Under Armour (shareholder)
• Under Armour will outfit each of Notre Dame's 26 athletic teams
• Under Armour will incorporate Notre Dame into their global marketing efforts

At 11:33 AM ET -- the Under Armour stock price was up more than 2% since the announcement -- the impact of Notre Dame has already been felt!

This is a big deal. 

LINK:  REPLAY OF ANNOUNCEMENT

LINK:  ESPN COVERAGE

Replay of Digger Phelp's Day at Notre Dame

Here's a replay of Notre Dame's induction of Richard "Digger" Phelps into the RING OF HONOR last night.  Enjoy!

LINK:  RING OF HONOR

Watch Muffet's #2 Ranked IRISH on ESPN2!

The undefeated #2 ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame play the #11 ranked Tennessee Volunteers tonight on ESPN2 -- the game tips off at 7 PM ET.  Should be a great game!

LINK:  ESPN BRACKETOLOGY

Watch Tuesday's Announcement Live: 11 AM ET

The University of Notre Dame's Athletics Department has called an 11 AM ET press conference for Tuesday, January 21st.  If you'd like to watch the event LIVE -- click on the link below:

LINK:  WATCH THE ANNOUNCEMENT LIVE

Domer Golden Tate Going to the Super Bowl!

Former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate is seen here in this photo (#81) acknowledging Seattle's "12th Man" after their win over the 49ers earning the honor of National Conference Champions and a ticket to the Super Bowl!  Congratulations Golden!

Domer David Bruton Going to the Super Bowl!

Got to love this photo of former Notre Dame student-athlete and now Captain of the American Conference Champion Denver Broncos!  Good luck at the Super Bowl!

Zach Martin Will Be Wearing These on Saturday

The folks at Under Armour just unveiled the cleats (photo above) the players in this week's Senior Bowl will be wearing.  Representing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in this game will be Zach Martin.

Digger Phelp's Special Spot at Notre Dame...

Folks, this is a must read...

LINK:  DIGGER'S SPOT

Notre Dame Celebrates Digger Phelps Today

Richard "Digger" Phelps will be inducted into Notre Dame's Ring of Honor in a ceremony at half-time of the Irish's ACC game tonight against Virginia Tech. 

Many of his former basketball players are in town for what I expect will be an emotional evening for Digger and his family.  I can't wait to see what Notre Dame will place on Digger's banner that will forever hang from the rafters -- will it be;

• The number 393 -- signifying his all-time wins record at Notre Dame?
• The number 78 -- signifying the year his Irish played in their only FINAL FOUR?
• Or, will it be the number 56 -- signifying the number of players who played four years for Digger and their 100% graduation rate!

Here's a story on the UND.COM about Digger called a "Dream Realized."  You'll like this!

LINK:  A DREAM REALIZED

The Final Four Minutes of ND Over UCLA

It was forty years ago this very day when the #2 ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame beat #1 UCLA to end their 88 game winning streak.  The longest winning streak in collegiate sports history.  The Irish also broke Bill Walton's personal winning streak that had reached more than 140 games -- Walton had not lost a game since his junior year in high school.

What we forget is this -- the IRISH were down 11 points with just a little more than three minutes left in the game -- and there isn't a three point line nor a shot clock and UCLA can hold the ball...

You have to watch the final four minutes to watch how the Irish pulled this off -- gives me goose bumps every time!  (the photo above is of Dwight Clay's game winner with 23 seconds left)


LINK:  THE WINNING STREAK IS OVER

Notre Dame's Basilica Will NOT BE OPEN...

Just received word from the University of Notre Dame that the Basilica of the Sacred Heart will not re-open this weekend for Mass.  The Basilica has been closed since December 26th to install a slate floor. 

The release said this; "The expectation is to open the Basilica on Monday, Jan. 20."

I can't wait to see it in person!

(Just click on the photo to enlarge)

ND Athlete Named to "Top Bachelor 2014" List

Notre Dame freshman student-athlete Corey Robinson was profiled in Town & Country magazine as one of the Top 40 Bachelors of 2014. 

I'm sure he won't hear the end of this from the coaching staff, his teammates and classmates at Notre Dame!

Here's the top-40 list:

LINK:  COREY ROBINSON

Rees, Shembo & Jackson Play Today at 4 PM ET

Former Notre Dame football players Tommy Rees, Prince Shembo and Bennett Jackson will be playing in the East West Shrine Game today at 4 PM ET on the NFL Network.  They will be playing for the WEST Team.

T.J. Jones was also invited to play in the game  -- unfortunately, the shoulder injury he sustained in the Rutgers game kept him at home this week.

Here's a couple of reports on how the three players have been doing in practice this week in front of the NFL scouts -- along with a link to the West Team roster:

LINK:  RATING THE PASSERS 

LINK:  SHEMBO AND JACKSON PRACTICE UPDATES

LINK:  WEST TEAM ROSTER

They're Not At Notre Dame Anymore...

Former Notre Dame football coaches Bob Diaco and Ernest Jones -- were "rebuked" by the University of Connecticut's president for comments made by Jones to the UCONN football team.

LINK:  TOUCHDOWN JESUS

OT: Lighting Strikes Christ Statue's Right Hand

A lighting strike this week in Rio de Janiero broke a finger of the right hand off their Christ the Redeemer statue.  Thought you'd enjoy what Father Omar, the Rector of the Shrine, had to say about this...

LINK:  LIGHTING DOES STRIKE TWICE

Golden Tate Talks Sunday's Game With 49ers

The former Notre Dame All-American is playing in his next "biggest game of his life" tomorrow evening (6:30 PM ET) when the Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers in a game where the winner moves on to play in the Super Bowl XLVIII. 

Here's what he had to say to the media before practice.

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE