Hawaii Coach Apologizes to Notre Dame for Comments
You all probably know that the University of Hawaii played the University of Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl at the end of last season. The Fighting Irish beat up on the Warriors pretty bad to give the Irish their first bowl victory in what seems like a thousand years. But you might not know some of the back story. So here goes…
Apparently the head football coach at Hawaii, Greg McMackin, went off on the Notre Dame football cheering section at a Western Athletic Conference dinner and media conference. He used some insensitive language to describe one of Notre Dame’s chants. Although this Sports Illustrated article doesn’t say what it is, it was offensive to the gay and lesbian community. McMackin apologized quickly after making the comments. The University and McMackin then released formal apologies. The coach called UND athletic director Jack Swarbrick to apologize as well.
The story made the front page of a lot of sports media outlets, so we feel inclined to blog about it. However, we tend to think this is getting overblown. Whatever McMackin said, it’s clear he realized his mistake quickly, and he’s done plenty to show his guilt and shame for making the comments. Hopefully this issue will go to rest soon- it seems like it’s possible McMackin made an honest mistake while trying to be funny.
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Notre Dame-Michigan in Top Ten Non-Conference Games
Most of the best college football programs like to sleepwalk through the first part of the season- the non-conference part of the season. As Stewart Mandel points out in his column, Florida is playing Charleston Southern in an early season over-match, and Texas will face Louisiana-Monroe. Bor-ring! Thank goodness there are some college football teams who like to take the world head on. It might be risky, but playing tough teams can do wonders for your rankings.
Take Notre Dame, for example. Since they’re an Independent most all of their games are non-conference, and they still make sure to load their schedule up with BCS conference schools, teams from the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Big East. Notre Dame-Michigan, one of the best rivalry games in the nation, made the top ten in Mandel’s list of the best early season non-conference college football games this year.
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Pat Forde Talks Weis; Notre Dame at Wrigley?
If you go to the main college football page at ESPN.com one of the headline videos on display will be a conversation with Pat Forde, regular college sports writer and commentator. What’s he talking about? Charlie Weis, of course. Weis, the head football coach of Notre Dame, is his first topic of discussion. Forde mostly talked about the coaches that most people think are on the hot seat this season. Weis, he said, was barely brought back to coach his fifth season here at Notre Dame. However, Forde thinks that his chances of turning the team around this year are good. So there’s nothing too new to what Forde said. Everyone else pretty much repeats those same lines.
In other news that’s only slightly Notre Dame-related, Northwestern and Illinois are mulling over the idea of a game played at Wrigley. This makes sense because they’re both Chicago-area schools, and Wrigley is one of the most popular stadiums in sports. It’s like Notre Dame and Army playing at Yankee Stadium, don’t you think. Hey- perhaps that’s where they got the idea. Well, there are plenty of Chicago-area Notre Dame fans who might be interested in seeing this game. Stay tuned if tickets ever get announced. Would you like to see the Domers play at Wrigley? Sounds like a great idea to me!
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Notre Dame Notes: Women’s Basketball, Football Tickets
Some women’s basketball news befalls our desk this morning. The United States Women’s Under-19 National Team defeated Team Canada yesterday 64-50 in the World Championships. What does this have to do with Notre Dame? Incoming UND freshman basketball player Skylar Diggins is on the roster. Unfortunately she was nursing and injury and couldn’t play against the Canucks.
In other news, football tickets went on sale this morning. If you’re reading this now, then they’re probably already sold out. (Good thing there are awesome secondary ticket marketplaces like StubHub.com where you can get tickets to hot games even if they are sold out!) After the alumni lottery takes place there are a few available tickets, but not many. Also- Washington and Nevada both returned from of their ticket allotments because they hadn’t sold to people intending to travel to the games.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Fighting Irish Legends Dominate Japan National Team
Last week we told you about an interesting game that would take place in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Irish were set to put together a Legends team made up of former players and coaches. The Japanese were sending their national team. Well, this past weekend the game actually went down and the Fighting Irish Senior Citizens beat the Japan national team 19-3.
Lou Holtz coached the elder Fighting Irish, and they were apparently able to get whatever they wanted on the ground. Getting together a passing game was going to be difficult for the old guys, so they kept it simple. Ambrose Wooden and Jay Vickers both had good games for the Irish, and they only tried to throw the ball about a dozen times. The defense did its job and capitalized on every opportunity. Overall it was a good game for Irish fans and a good time for international camaraderie. We realize that Japan is not the epicenter of American football. Hopefully there will be more games like this at some point in the future.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Great Deals on Notre Dame Gear for the Football Season
Even though it’s the middle of summer right now, there are great deals on gear to wear to football games that you ought to check out at UND.com, the official Notre Dame athletics website. If you need to stock up on sweatshirts, beanies, scarfs, or even a warm thermos for the games this fall and winter, don’t wait until the crowds get back to school and start buying these things up. Get what you need now. Besides, there are some nice deals going on currently.
One thing you ought to be aware of, before you start making purchases, is that the official Notre Dame T-shirt, “The Shirt,” is gold in color. If you plan on sitting in the student cheering section, this is a must. Or, if you would like to contribute to the overall color scheme of the crowd this year, you ought to know that there will be a marked change in overall color of the crowd from navy blue and green to gold. You can always get the relatively inexpensive t-shirt and put it on over a sweatshirt or undershirt, or you can look at hoodies and jackets that are gold. Just something to think about. Have a great weekend, Notre Dame fans!
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Notes from the Notre Dame Japan Bowl
A special Notre Dame senior team has been put together under the direction of Hall of Fame Coach Lou Holtz to play the senior Japanese national team in the Notre Dame Japan Bowl coming up in the beginning of August. The players and coaches have arrived in Japan and will be playing practice games in the Land of the Rising Sun prior to the main event.
The Notre Dame Athletics Blog, the official one at UND.com, has been updating fans about the goings-on of the team in Japan. Most of the blog have centered around the daily activities of the team- they eat out, stay at fancy hotels, see the sights. Sounds like fun. But the game might be a brutal dose of reality when it finally comes. According to Lou Holtz:
“I worry most about our skill positions - wide receiver, quarterback, running back. Our guys have not played in a competitive game for a while. The mind may be willing but the body ain’t. But these guys have won a lot of big games in their time. It’s like riding a bike. When they kick it off, you hope they’ll remember how to play.”
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
More From Knute
Knute Rockne was a man full of wisdom and inspiration, and today we’re going to share a little of both with you. Here are a few more quotes to live by from the one, the only Knute Rockne. As you know, Knute was one of the most accomplished college football coaches of all time, and he’s a legend here at Notre Dame. We got these quotes from the list at BrainyQuote.com. Enjoy!
“When you were riding on the crest of a wave, you were most likely to be missing out on something.”
“Win or lose, do it fairly.”
“Winning to often is as disastrous as losing too often. Both get the same results, the falling off of the public’s enthusiasm.”
“Yes, I now that you feel you are not strong enough. That’s what the enemy thinks too. But we’re gonna fool them.”
“You know, I’ve been attending so many banquets that I know what they’re going to serve before I get there.”
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Notre Dame-Army Game Now Set for Yankee Stadium in 2010
The University of Notre Dame will play West Point in the new Yankee Stadium on November 20th, 2010. The game had been in the works for some time now, and we’ve had some blogs about the possibility of this matchup happening at the new Yankee Stadium. Now it’s official. Clear out your calendars and start looking for flights and hotel rooms to New York City.
What does this mean to the Irish football fans out there. Well, it’s a great excuse to take a vacation to the Big Apple in November. Get some sight seeing in while you prepare for the game. You’ll also get to see the new and improved Yankee Stadium, largely considered the most decadent stadium in all of Major League Baseball. As far as the team goes, the Irish will play essentially an away game, as Army is located much closer to the stadium than Notre Dame. However, the publicity around the game should be big. The hype should be impressive. And the Irish ought to get a big-time win on national television. Sounds like a great game to attend. Start looking for tickets.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Lou Holtz, Hall of Famer
Over the weekend Lou Holtz was inducted into the College Football Halll of Fame, one of the greatest achievements for any college football player or coach. Holtz coached at Notre Dame in the 1980s and 1990s, but also coached at William and Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, South Carolina, and for the New York Jets. With Notre Dame between 1988 and 1993 Holtz recorded a 64-9-1 record. He originally began coaching at Notre Dame in 1986, but the program was struggling and his first full season in South Bend ended with a record of 5-6. He turned things around quickly, and the Irish enjoyed a decade near the top of the college football pile. He took the Irish to nine straight bowl games and finished with an overall record at the school of 100-30-2. Holtz won a national championship at Notre Dame in 1988 after leading the team through the entire season without a loss. He had four one-loss seasons with the Fighting Irish.
In honor of Coach Holtz, here are a few of the best quotes he ever said:
“Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired.”
“How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.”
“If you’re bored with life - you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don’t have enough goals.”
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
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