Breaking Down the 2009 Irish Schedule- Second Quarter

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish already have their schedule out, and of you are a regular Notre Dame Blog reader (or you scroll down to last week’s posting), you’ll see that we went over the first three games of the season. Today we move on to the next three. After San Diego State, Michigan and Michigan State, we thought that the Irish would be 2-1, so let’s see how they will far after three more games.

  • 9/27 Purdue – The Boilermakers are never an easy opponent, but they might have lost a step after last season, as most of their receiving corps are gone. We predict a close one- who ever can get the most from their running game will win. Last year Perdue won 33-19.
  • 10/04 Stanford – The team that Notre Dame beat in the last game of the year. Nice rivalry here, but we predict pretty much the same score as last year. Irish 27, Cardinal 13.
  • 10/11 @ North Carolina – The Irish didn’t play the Tar Heels last season, but they would have been a good match for Notre Dame, as they finished 4-8, lost to Georgia Tech and beat Duke. Notre Dame should win here.

As we have it, now, the Irish are, in the best case scenario, 5-1… worst care we can see, they’re 4-2. To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 16, 2008 - Post a comment

Looking at the First Part of the Irish Schedule

Already thinking about all of the great Notre Dame Fighting Irish home games that you would like to attend? Why not? Although the games are months away right now, who can wait to start daydreaming about seeing Notre Dame play at home at Notre Dame Stadium underneath Touchdown Jesus, with their home jerseys? Who can wait to see the Irish on the road in one of a number of great locations? Let’s give a quick hit overview of the first three games of the season.

  • Sep. 6 - San Diego St. – This is a good team for Notre Dame to open up on, to get that first win out of the way. In addition to having some academic troubles, the Aztecs haven’t had a good football team in a few years.
  • Sep. 13 - Michigan – Last year was last year. Michigan, a classic rival, will face Notre Dame in just their second game of the season. Not long to build suspense, but it ought to be a closer game than last season, at least.
  • Sep. 20 at Michigan State – Last year this one got away from the Irish in the second half, but if there’s stability in the backfield (QB and RB) then expect the Irish to get a win here on the road. We expect the Irish to start out 2-1.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 13, 2008 - Post a comment

Big East to Form Lacrosse League

The Big East has added men’s lacrosse to their extensive list of sponsored sports. Before the Fighting Irish and many other teams in the Big East and other conferences had not been an official part of the conference, as lacrosse was not officially recognized as being under the umbrella of the Big East. However, that has all changed, as the Men’s Lacrosse League has been formed. Right now, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova are all part of the league, as they all have lacrosse teams. Said Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan:

“It’s exciting for all of lacrosse to have a conference with the profile of the BIG EAST to be actively involved in the sport. For Notre Dame in particular, we are thrilled with the advantages it’ll give us with the quality of schedule and strength of schedule. It’ll also allow us to play in the areas where lacrosse is a hotbed.”

Sounds like a good deal for Notre Dame and LAX fans everywhere. As you know, Notre Dame has one of the best lacrosse teams in the nation, and they are always fighting to get into the annual NCAA Lacrosse Tournament. With the addition of a Big East automatic bid, the Irish will have a better shot at winning the national championship.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 12, 2008 - Post a comment

Big Tuna Roots for Charlie Weis

Apparently Bill Parcells is rooting for Charlie Weis to turn things around at Notre Dame. As you might know, Weis comes from the Super Bowl championship team New England Patriots (back in the day), where Parcells was a coach before he got a job in Miami. So the two go back. There are also a few guys on Weis’ coaching staff who were also players under Parcells at one point or another. So there are a few personal connections that the two share. According to the Chicago Tribune article about the two, Parcells said:

“I have always thought Notre Dame was one of the more difficult jobs in the United States. I really hope they do well. They know what to do, they just have to get enough players in place to do it.”

You might be aware that Parcells has a task in front of him that’s perhaps as daunting as the task before Weis. The Dolphins finished the last season with the NFL’s worst record (1-15). Notre Dame finished 3-9. Although both the Dolphins and the Irish had great offseasons respectively, and have added a stellar lineup of new players, the doubts remain, and getting back to the top means winning games, not just getting the right players, as Parcells said.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 11, 2008 - Post a comment

Dennis Dodd Comments on White Leaving for Duke

Dennis Dodd of CBSsports.com has a great read about the Notre Dame Athletic Director, Kevin White, leaving for a job at Duke as the AD in Durham. Dodd has a theory about why White would chose to leave the school for what he perceives to be a monumental step down as the Notre Dame AD. His premise: Notre Dame is a much bigger institution, not just in ports, but as a university. It makes more money, has more fans, more enemies and more exposure. Leaving Notre Dame for practically any institution, not just a one-sied institution like Duke, would pretty much be a step down. So why would he do it?

Dodd says that White grew to be unhappy as the South Bend AD, so he chose to leave more than he was fired or pushed out. He generally thinks that Dodd was well receive at Notre Dame because of the great things he did with the athletic department there, and he thinks that football coach Charlie Weis and White got along, but that there were some goings-on that got White mad, so he left. You should read the article to see what, exactly Dodd thinks White’s beef was. It’s pretty much speculation without much actual facts or quotes, but he makes a good case. Is he right or wrong? I’d say the truth, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle between the official line and Dodd’s theory.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 10, 2008 - Post a comment

Chris Zorich Tackles New Job in ND Athletic Department

Chris Zorich, a former Notre Dame Fighting Irish nose tackle in the late 1980s, has taken a new position within the Notre Dame athletic department, he is now the new manager of student welfare and development. Zorich was highly successful as an athlete. During his career at Notre Dame he was a winner of the prestigious Lombardi Trophy, the award that goes to the nation’s top lineman. He later went on to play for both the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. As noted in the ESPN/Associated Press article about the hiring, he will be inducted into the NFL’s Hall of Fame next month.

So what does the new manager of student welfare and development do, exactly? Well, if this old blogger can remember from his old days of playing college sports, he will probably be involved in overseeing how the many, many student athletes at Notre Dame get along with their studies and their sports- making sure that they are succeeding in the classroom, and that there is enough of a structure to get them the help they need. He’ll also help to get them jobs once they graduate. Heck- he was given a job outside of sports as well.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 9, 2008 - Post a comment

What It Takes to Be Notre Dame AD

What does it take to be the Athletic Director of the University of Notre Dame? Leadership. According to Gene Corrigan, who was the school’s AD for most of the 1980s, the one thing you really need is some good leadership skills. There is a system and staff in place to help get the small things done for the school, but the best leader of the bunch will most likely get to win the job. As you might already know, Kevin White, the former AD, has left for the same job at Duke. An interim AD has been put in place for the time being, and the search for a new AD has already begun. Said Corrigan about the need for a good leader, as reported by the Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne, Indiana:

“People can say you need to be a fund-raiser and everything. What you need to be is a leader. You’ve got a lot of energetic, high-maintenance people that work with you and for you, and your job is to make sure that you’re running that athletic program in a way that keeps the institution from having to apologize in any way for the athletic program. The number one thing is to be able to provide leadership.”

So if you are a good leader and you love Notre Dame sports, you might be in the running for one of the best AD jobs in the nation. We hope this process allows the University to select the best possible candidate. Stay tuned, and have a great weekend, Domer fans!

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 6, 2008 - Post a comment

Coach Charlie and Crew Cuts

It’s not even Friday yet, but the Notre Dame Blog is already going start your weekend off right with a funny little pictorial of Notre Dame’s head football coach Charlie Weis while he was with the troops during the Coach’s Tour. As you know, Charlie Weis and about five other coaches went to the Middle East, Germany, the White House and several other locations around the country and the world talking with American military personnel, spending some quality time with the troops, pressing the flesh and lifting spirits. If you want your spirits lifted and you missed one of Weis’ speaking engagements, then you can check out a few pictures of him in action while visiting the troops.

Apparently the marines got to play some football and Weis got to play soldier for a bit. He already has the haircut for it. Nothing wrong with poking a little fun at Weis during the long and hard offseason from college football. Weis gets his share of jokes, especially about his haircut and the altitude of where he wears his pants. There will probably be some other Weis-related humor shared here over the summer, but know that we mean it only in jest.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 5, 2008 - Post a comment

Notre Dame Might Hire Bulls’ Paxson?

The Truth and Rumors department of Sports Illustrated’s FanNation is promoting the rumor that Bill Paxson, the current GM of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, is one of the top choices to become the new Athletic Director of Notre Dame. But is this more rumor and speculation than actual substance? Apparently he’s one of a few people who has the credentials, the Notre Dame ties, and the possibility of a job hunt in the near future. As you might know, the Bulls have been in a bit of disarray recently- they will probably be hiring a new coach sometime soon, and there is some speculation that Paxson will either quit or be forced out of his job.

Notre Dame could sure use an experienced manager to run the show in South Bend, so from a Domer standpoint, this might be a good idea. The search for a new AD will be an interesting storyline to follow in the coming weeks or months, so stay tuned for more rumors and speculation. The coaching-GM circle is a weird one, where the same few guys will shift around to the different positions every now and again. The new AD will probably be someone pretty well known. Should be an interesting summer.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 4, 2008 - Post a comment

Kevin White Leaves Notre Dame AD Job for Duke AD Job

Some news that’s probably a little troubling for Notre Dame sports fans came out this past Saturday, as the University announced that Athletic Director Kevin White will be switching schools. Notre Dame was under the directorship of White since 2000, but now he has moved south to Durham, North Carolina to be the new Athletic Director at Duke University. We want to wish White the best of luck in his new role at Duke. He did an outstanding job while he was at Notre Dame, and we hope that he has success wherever his career takes him.

This move has some implications for Notre Dame, as well as for Duke. For Notre Dame, Missy Conboy will step in as the interim athletic director until a more permanent director can be found. Duke will land a guy who knows how to handle the most popular football team in the nation. However, Duke’s football team is notoriously underachieving. White certainly did some great things to the Notre Dame basketball program, but to compare UND’s hoops to Duke’s is a bit of a stretch. Anyways- this move will certainly affect things coming up, and we hope it works out for the best for both programs.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 3, 2008 - Post a comment


 Page 2 of 3 « 1  2  3 »