Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Fighting Irish | |
---|---|
Warren Golf Course | |
Mascot | Leprechaun |
Nickname | Fighting Irish |
Fight song | Notre Dame Victory March |
Colors | Blue and gold[1] |
Website | www |
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division I in all sports, with many teams competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[2] Notre Dame is one of only 16 universities in the United States that play Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey. The school colors are gold and blue[3] and the mascot is the Leprechaun. It was founded on November 23, 1887, with football in Notre Dame, Indiana.
History of the Fighting Irish
Moniker
The exact origin of the moniker "Fighting Irish" is unknown and has been the subject of debates and research. It is first attested as early as 1909, and subsequently became more popular in the 1910s, until it became the official nickname in 1927.[4]
The athletes and teams at Notre Dame were known by many different unofficial names throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During the Knute Rockne football era, Notre Dame had several unofficial nicknames, among them the "Rovers", "Domers", and the "Ramblers".[5] These names reflected the teams' propensity to travel the nation to play its football contests, long before such national travel became the collegiate norm. Later, Notre Dame was known unofficially as the "Terriers," after the Irish breed of the dog, and for some years, an Irish Terrier would be found on the ND football sidelines. Other popular names were “the Gold and Blue”, “Nomads,” “the Blue Comets”, “the Horrible Hibernians”.[5] According to historian Murray Sperber, during the 1910s and 1920s, anti-Catholic and anti-Irish stereotypes and ethnic slurs were openly expressed against immigrants, and the press often referred to Notre Dame teams as "Catholics", "Papists", or "Dirty Irish". University leadership wished to distance itself from such names and school publications referred to the team "the Gold and Blue" or the "Notre Damers".[6][7]
There are several accounts on the origins of "Fighting Irish." One story suggests the moniker was born in 1899 during a game between Notre Dame and
One of the first documented uses of the nickname comes from the Notre Dame-Michigan game in 1909 (incidentally, that game was Notre Dame's first victory in the rivalry). Reporting on that game, Edward A. Batchelor wrote on the Detroit Free Press: "Eleven fighting Irishmen wrecked the Yost machine this afternoon. These sons of Erin, individually and collectively representing the University of Notre Dame, not only beat the Michigan team, but they dashed some of Michigan's fondest hopes."[12][4] Notre Dame football historian, John Kryk, later wrote: "With that flowery lead, E.A. Batchelor of the Detroit Free Press popularized a moniker Notre Dame teams would later come to embrace - and aptly summed up the greatest athletic achievement to that point in Notre Dame history."[13] Kryk noted that, according to Notre Dame folklore, Batchelor had overheard a Notre Dame player trying to motivate his teammates at halftime by pleading, "What's the matter with you guys? You're all Irish and you're not fighting worth a lick."[14]
The term Fighting Irish was used in an official capacity by the Notre Dame Football Review as early as 1917[15] and by Scholastic as early as 1912.[9] While commonly used throughout student and university media at the time, it was still not universally accepted, as evidenced by an alumni letter in Scholastic opposing its use in virtue of the fact that most students did not have an Irish background.[4]
One theory associates the popularity of the nickname to the visit from future president of the Republic of Ireland, Éamon de Valera, who had been part of the 1916 Easter Rising and was imprisoned and sentenced to death. He was given amnesty, elected to Parliament and arrested by the authorities again. He escaped and slipped off to America to avoid recapture. Barnstorming the country, the future president of Ireland was welcomed as a hero at Notre Dame on October 15, 1919. Accounts in Scholastic, a student publication, indicate that his visit tilted campus opinion in favor of the "Fighting Irish" moniker — though not completely. De Valera planted a "tree of liberty" as a memorial of his visit — only to have it uprooted a week later and thrown in one of the campus lakes by a student "of Unionist persuasion."[16]
It has been asserted by Notre Dame alumnus historian Todd Tucker (Class of 1990) that the moniker became official in large part as a way of honoring and appeasing the student body, after a confrontation with the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan had planned a three-day rally to begin on May 17, 1924. In response to racist and anti-immigration sentiments espoused by the Klan, a large number, between 50 and 500, of Notre Dame students arrived in downtown South Bend to interrupt the Klan's parade with violent harassment. A secondary brawl ensued following the weekend's incident. Rev. Matthew Walsh, C.S.C., then the university president, having addressed the immediate threats of continued violence between the Klan and members of the university, was able to calm the students’ ire and restore relative peace.[17]
In 1927, university president Rev. Matthew J. Walsh, authorized the moniker "The Fighting Irish" as the official nickname.[18] He stated that "The university authorities are in no way averse to the name ‘Fighting Irish’ as applied to our athletic teams. It seems to embody the spirit that we like to see carried into effect by the various organizations that represent us on the athletic field. I sincerely hope that we may always be worthy of the ideal embodied in the term ‘Fighting Irish."[19]
Conference affiliations
Notre Dame joined the Midwestern City Conference (now known as the Horizon League) for all sports except football, basketball and hockey in 1982. They remained in the conference, with the exception of the 1986–87 season, until 1995. They were then members of the "old" Big East Conference, basketball included, from 1995 until 2013. The Irish are currently a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in all sports except for the following:
- Football, in which the university maintains its status as an Football Bowl Subdivision, and for postseason purposes Notre Dame is the only independent with the privileges granted to teams in the Power Five conferences.
- Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 football team played a full ACC schedule with eligibility for the ACC Championship Game for which they qualified.
- Men's a major realignment of hockey conferences. The Irish then spent three seasons as a member of Hockey Eastbefore joining the Big Ten.
According to men's basketball coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame strongly considered joining the Big Ten in 2003, with the decision not to proceed occurring at the "11th hour".[20]
Sports sponsored
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Cross country |
Cross country | Golf |
Football | Lacrosse |
Golf | Rowing |
Ice hockey | Soccer |
Lacrosse | Softball |
Soccer | Swimming and diving |
Swimming and diving | Tennis |
Tennis | Track and field† |
Track and field† | Volleyball |
Co-ed sports | |
Fencing | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
Football
- Head Coach: Marcus Freeman
- Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium
- National Championships: 11 claimed (1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988). There are other years (1919, 1920, 1927, 1938, 1953, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1993, 2012) where various mathematical systems and polls selected Notre Dame as a national champion (some retrospectively), but those years are not claimed by the university.
The school has a comprehensive and nationally competitive Division I athletic program, but it is most famous for its
In addition to having the oldest university marching band in the country, the school has many rivalries in football, the most famous ones being with
Basketball
Men's
- Head Coach: Micah Shrewsberry
- Arena: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
- ACC Titles: 2015
- National Championships: 2 (1927*, 1936*)
- Final Fours: 1 (1978)
* Pre-tournament era Helms Trophy
The men's basketball team, coached by Mike Brey since 2000, has made 28
Women's
- Head Coach: Niele Ivey
- Arena: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
- ACC Titles: 5 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
- National Championships: 2 (2001, 2018)
- Final Fours: 9 (1997, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019)
Notre Dame's women's basketball team is a perennial championship level program which has been consistently ranked in the top 5 in the country for the past 8 years, notching 8 consecutive 30+ win seasons. Former coach Muffet McGraw led the Fighting Irish to 25 NCAA tournament appearances including a streak of 23 straight, winning two national championships and 8 Final Four appearances.
The Irish won their first
Fencing
The Notre Dame men's and women's
Ice hockey
- Head Coach: Jeff Jackson
- Arena: Compton Family Ice Arena[22] (Formerly at Joyce Center, 1968–2011)
- Conference Titles: (CCHA) 3 (2007, 2009, 2013) (Big Ten) 1 (2018)
- Frozen Four Appearances: 4 (2008, 2011, 2017, 2018)
Notre Dame's men's
Notre Dame was a #4 seed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and faced #1 seed
Notre Dame joined the Big Ten conference as sports affiliate member on July 1, 2017. They play along Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin in ice hockey.[23]
Lacrosse
Men's
- Head Coach: Kevin Corrigan
- Field: Arlotta Stadium, Loftus Sports Center
- Conference Titles (MLA): 8 (1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993)
- Conference Titles (GWLL): 12 (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009)
- Conference Titles (ACC): 2 (2014, 2018)
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 23 (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023
- Final Four Appearances: 5 (2001, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2023)
- National Championships: 1 (2023)
The Notre Dame men's
Women's
- Head Coach: Christine Halfpenny
- Field: Arlotta Stadium, Loftus Sports Center
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 13 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)
The Notre Dame women's lacrosse team reached the NCAA semifinal round (Final Four) in 2006. In 2010, they reached the NCAA tournament for the 3rd straight year, the longest streak in school history. The Fighting Irish advanced to the second round of the 2014 NCAA Lacrosse Championship before losing to Duke 10–8.
Soccer
Men's
- Head Coach: Chad Riley
- Field: Alumni Stadium
- National Championships: 1 (2013)
- College Cup Appearances: 3 (2013, 2021, 2023)
Women's
- Head Coach: Nate Norman
- Field: Alumni Stadium
- Conference Titles (MCC)*: 4 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994)
- Conference Titles (Big East*): 10 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008)
- National Championships: 3 (1995, 2004, 2010)
- College Cup Appearances: 17 (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
*Notre Dame was a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and Big East Conference in soccer prior to joining the ACC in most sports.
Notre Dame's women's soccer team won the
Men's golf
The men's golf team has won 11 conference championships:
- Horizon League (3): 1988–89, 1995
- Big East Conference (8): 1995–97, 2004–06, 2011–12
They won the
Women's volleyball
Club sports
Robotic Football
Founded in 2012, the Notre Dame Robotic Football Club (NDRFC) was the first ever Robotic Football Program as the sport was invented on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.[25] The Notre Dame Robotic Football Club has won 4 National Championships and 2 Combine Championships.
Rugby
Founded in 1961, the Notre Dame rugby club was one of the oldest college rugby clubs in the Midwest, before the club was disbanded in 1995.[26] Notre Dame reinstated rugby in 2007, however, due in part to the "explosive growth of rugby in the nation's Catholic high schools" and Notre Dame's desire to offer a program to attract rugby-playing students.[27] Notre Dame began the 2007–08 season in Division 2, but their 8–1–1 record merited a promotion to Division 1 in the spring of 2008.[28]
Notre Dame finished the 2010–11 season ranked 19th in the nation.
Other sports
John A. Kromkowski, (BA '60) (MA '61) (Phd '72), won the National Intercollegiate Men's Singles
Athletic facilities
- Alumni Stadium — Men's and women's soccer
- Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium — Men's and women's lacrosse
- Castellan Family Fencing Center— Men's and women's fencing
- Compton Family Ice Arena — Men's ice hockey
- Courtney Tennis Center — Men's and women's tennis
- Eck Tennis Pavilion — Men's and women's tennis
- Edmund P. Joyce Center— Men's and women's basketball, Women's volleyball
- Frank Eck Stadium — Baseball
- Loftus Sports Center — Men's and women's indoor track and field, Men's and women's lacrosse
- McConnell Family Boathouse — Men's rowing
- Melissa Cook Stadium — Softball
- Notre Dame Golf Course — Men's and women's cross country
- Notre Dame Stadium — Football
- Notre Dame Track and Field Stadium — Men's and women's outdoor track and field
- Rolfs Aquatic Center— Men's and women's swimming and diving
- Warren Golf Course — Men's and women's golf[31]
Pageantry
- Team colors: Gold and Blue
- Outfitter: Under Armour
- Fight Song: Notre Dame Victory March
- Alma mater: Notre Dame, Our Mother
- Nicknames: Fighting Irish
- Rivalries: USC Trojans, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Stanford Cardinal, & Navy Midshipmen
- Mascot: The Leprechaun
- Marching Band: The Band of the Fighting Irish
Athletic directors
Athletic director | Years |
---|---|
Jesse Harper | 1913–1917, 1931–1933 |
Knute Rockne | 1918–1931 |
Elmer Layden | 1934–1940 |
Hugh Devore | 1945 |
Frank Leahy | 1947–1949 |
Moose Krause | 1949–1981 |
Gene Corrigan | 1981–1987 |
Dick Rosenthal | 1987–1995 |
Mike Wadsworth | 1995–2000 |
Kevin White | 2000–2008 |
Jack Swarbrick | 2008–2024 |
Pete Bevacqua | 2024–present |
References
- ^ "Color | Athletics Branding | On Message | University of Notre Dame". Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- ^ McMurphy, Brett (March 12, 2013). "Big East, Notre Dame agree on exit". ESPN. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ^ "Gold and Blue". University of Notre Dame. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
- ^ a b c d ndjrs (December 31, 2021). "Our book club continues with "Shake Down the Thunder"". One Foot Down. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ a b "The Fighting Irish | Stories". Notre Dame Magazine. January 7, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ "What's in a Name". What's in a Name. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- OCLC 49525822.
- ^ "The Fighting Irish". University of Notre Dame. August 26, 2015. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ a b "Scholastic" (PDF). Vol. 46, no. 8. November 9, 1912. p. 123.
- ^ Schlabach, Michael (April 7, 2010). "Kelly changing Notre Dame's focus". ESPN. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
- ^ ""Inside The Walls Of Arlotta" To Re-Air At 4:30 p.m. (ET) On Friday". Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ E.A. Batchelor (November 7, 1909). "U. of M. Outplayed and Beaten by the Notre Dame Eleven". Detroit Free Press.
- ISBN 1-58979-090-1.
- ^ Kryk, Natural Enemies, p. 51.
- ^ "Notre Dame Record, 1917" (PDF). Notre Dame Football Review. 1917.
- ^ O'Shaughnessy, Brendan. "What's In A Name? How Notre Dame became the Fighting Irish". University of Notre Dame. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ^ "Notre Dame vs. The Klan".
- ^ "A Clash over Catholicism".
- ^ Parrott, Jeff. "Notre Dame students release hype song on 'Fighting Irish' origin". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ Greenstein, Teddy (January 8, 2010). "Mike Brey was preparing to join Big Ten in 2003". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "Mariel Zagunis - Fencing". UND Athletics. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ "UND.COM – University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site – Ice Hockey". und.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ "Big Ten Welcomes Notre Dame Men's Ice Hockey as Sport Affiliate Member". July 1, 2017. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "2008 Women's Soccer Media Guide". Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
- ^ "Notre Dame Robotic Football | History".
- ^ "Observer Newspaper - Sports". Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
- ^ a b "eRugbyNews.com". eRugbyNews.com. December 31, 1969. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ ENR // AgencyND // University of Notre Dame. "About // Notre Dame Rugby // University of Notre Dame". Rugby.nd.edu. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ "Final CPD Rankings for 2010-2011". June 20, 2012. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012.
- ^ Boggan, T. History of U.S. Table Tennis, Vol III, Chapter XXXII (2003)
- ^ "Facilities". und.com. August 7, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.