Thanks to local historian Aaron Helman, I’m learning about the significance of one of the most famous sons of South Bend you’ve most likely never heard of: Schuyler Colfax
Continue reading “Schuyler Colfax”Schuyler Colfax
A Response For Riley Leonard
This message from Riley Leonard to his Notre Dame family is worth keeping. On December 18 he posted:
“We’re done being afraid of anything — I know that much about this team. I know that, win or lose, we’re going to do it our way: We’re going to dare greatly.” Go to the source to read the entire post but you might need to get a box of Kleenex first: A Message For My Notre Dame Family | By Riley Leonard
A scant 133 days ago, after the loss to Northern Illinois some of his ‘Notre Dame family’ would have gladly put his head on a spike right next to Marcus Freeman’s in the middle of the God quad and yet he kept his head while everyone else was losing theirs. Rudyard Kipling could have been thinking of Riley when he authored his immortal poem “If”…
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise…
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!”
Source: Quote by Rudyard Kipling: “If you can keep your head when all about you A…”
No matter what happens Monday — even if an errant throw costs us the game — Riley Leonard will go down in my mind as one of the greatest quarterbacks in Notre Dame history not because of his arm or his legs, but because of his heart, his head, and his character. He is the spirit of Notre Dame!
Washington Hall Restored
A look inside Notre Dame’s historic theater. Source: Washington Hall Restored | Notre Dame Magazine | University of Notre Dame
4 Reasons Why 2023/4 was the academic ‘Year of Women Rising’ at Notre Dame
The last academic year was a great year for women at Notre Dame — here’s why:
The Notre Dame Fight Song was changed
In a historic move honoring the 50th year of co-ed admissions, the University of Notre Dame recently updated its iconic Fight Song to embrace and celebrate the achievements of women within its community by adding “and daughters” to the most beloved fight song of all time. This change reflects the growing recognition of female athletes and their contributions to the university’s rich sports culture. By incorporating lines that honor the accomplishments of female athletes, including those from the women’s basketball team and the newly appointed female football leprechaun, the updated Fight Song serves not only as a rallying cry for all Notre Dame supporters but also as a powerful symbol of inclusivity and progress. This evolution in tradition highlights the university’s commitment to gender equality and recognizes the pivotal role that women play in shaping Notre Dame’s legacy.
Lou Holtz and Traditions
I’m thoroughly enjoying the book Unbeatable by Jerry Barca. It’s the story of the 1988 football season. I’ve always admired Lou Holtz but I didn’t realize that he was responsible for a couple of Notre Dame’s greatest game day traditions:
The Sign
“George Stewart walked into the maintenance shop in the Athletic and Convocation Center and handed Laurie Wenger a piece of paper. Stewart was acting on the direction of Holtz, who wanted a sign up in the locker room tunnel. The players would tap it as they headed to the field. Wenger looked at the paper and the five words PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY. The South Bend native’s job was to paint signs for functions. Some routine assignments included painting game balls and signs for Junior Parents Weekend. This project took her about a week to complete. Her co-workers cut a three-foot by four-foot piece of wood. Wenger primed it and then painted it in a yellow-gold. She let the color dry and then used blue paint to brush on the phrase in all capital letters. Notre Dame lore has it that shortly after Holtz became the head coach he went through books on Fighting Irish football history and found a photo of the sign. However, nobody, including former coaches, remembered it being posted anywhere. Regardless of where the photo came from, the Notre Dame players who left the locker room to take on No. 3 Michigan in ’86 were the first to touch the sign.
Barca, Jerry. Unbeatable: Notre Dame’s 1988 Championship and the Last Great College Football Season (pp. 56-57). St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.”
Continue reading “Lou Holtz and Traditions”Notre Dame drops a Deuce
Well, we finally know what we suspected all along; Deuce Knight might be playing for Auburn next year. Might? Tyler Wojciak (who I think has the best Notre Dame podcast out there) did a great job of summarizing the career arc of college quarterbacks going back to 2019 and the results might be surprising to you. Listen in starting at about 5:00 and see a summary of his comments below:
Inauguration Drone Show
500 drones took to the skies to create a number of Notre Dame icons during the celebration of Rev. Robert A Dowd, C.S.C.’s inauguration.
See Notre Dame Head Coach’s Epic Entrance to Texas A&M Game
Marcus Freeman certainly bought the heat himself on a 90-degree night at Texas A&M.
‘This doesn’t work if you do it every week.
It works when a head coach saves it for the right time and when a coach, most importantly, is SINCERE about it.
Freeman says he can’t worry about being someone else but instead has to be himself in order to have success as Notre Dame’s head coach.
From the way things went and how Notre Dame reacted in a hostile environment, it’s clear this team would walk through the gates of hell for the real Marcus Freeman.”
Source: See Notre Dame Head Coach’s Epic Entrance to Texas A&M Game
Kate the Chemist
The University of Notre Dame’s College of Science has announced the creation of a new, strategic faculty position: professor for the public understanding of science. This role is designed to enhance the college’s visibility both nationally and internationally. Renowned chemist and science communicator Kate Biberdorf, popularly known as “Kate the Chemist,” will be the first to hold this prestigious position, starting Sept. 1, 2024.
Continue reading “Kate the Chemist”Notre Dame trivia face off
Manti Te’o, Kyle Brandt go head-to-head on Notre Dame trivia!
The Minim Department
What do you know about the ‘minim department’? I had never heard of the ‘minims’ until Amy Minnick shared a link!
“For nearly ninety years, Notre Dame consisted of three departments: Senior (collegiate, ages 17+), Junior (preparatory, ages 12-17), and Minim (grammar school, under the age of 12). It was possible to arrive at Notre Dame at the age of six and not leave until after graduating from the Senior Department at the age of twenty-two. Or, as in the case of Jimmy Edwards, some never left. For some years, the University Bulletins listed the ages of students enrolled at Notre Dame [see the Student Index]. The earliest age listed is Roscoe Clarke of Denver, Colorado, at 3 ½ years old in 1893.
Lay women were in charge of the education and care of the Minims until the Sisters of the Holy Cross took over in 1863. During the 1860s-1870s, the number of students in the Minim Department generally hovered around thirty to forty students. With growing numbers, St. Edward’s Hall became their home in 1882.
In 1883, the number of the Minim Department finally reached an enrollment of one hundred students and was the cause of much celebration at Notre Dame. With no coincidence, the celebration was planned for November 24, the forty-first anniversary of the arrival of Rev. Edward Sorin, CSC, at Notre Dame. Fr. Sorin looked fondly upon the boys and their accomplishments and enthusiasm. He often spoiled them with special treats such as oranges and candy and they heartily honored Fr. Sorin on Founder’s Day.” Go to the source to learn more: The Minim Department – University of Notre Dame Archives
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