So what is it about those Irish? No, no, not the four million people living across the Atlantic. I'm talking about the football team. Seriously, I shouldn't even have to say it. You know the one: that squad from South Bend, Ind. that can make grown men weep for joy and mothers put black and tiny gold helmets on their toddlers.
The pull of Notre Dame football is a mystery as old as time (or at least dating back to 1887). Today, the attraction is so strong that every fall, thousands of alumni will happily wake up at the crack of dawn, spend hours driving through endless cornfields, climb out of their heated, $50,000 BMWs and pay through the nose for the right to occupy one square foot of wooden bleacher for three hours in the middle of the frozen tundra.
Crazy? I thought so. That's why The Cavalier Daily agreed to send me, all expenses paid, to Notre Dame over Thanksgiving break in order to answer three burning questions: What is it about Fighting Irish football? Where exactly is Indiana? And does the leprechaun really exist?
Alright, so maybe the paper didn't cover my trip (note to Cav Daily CFO Kathleen Meyers: you can make up for this little oversight by sending me to the BCS title game). Still, I did get the chance to go behind the battle lines at Notre Dame's last home game of the season against Army courtesy of my brother Aron, a "first-year" at ND.
After four frostbite-inducing quarters watching Brady Quinn pick apart the Black Knight secondary, I can report that a day of Fighting Irish football is a sight to see. Unfortunately, I can't report much else because the Notre Dame fight song (which the band plays exactly 283,491 times a game) is still ringing in my ears. So, without further ado, here is an afternoon of Irish football to the tune of their ever-present anthem. Maybe this will get it out of my head.
"Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame..."
The Fighting Irish faithful are nothing without tradition. One example: In 1997, when the powers that be at Notre Dame decided to expand the stadium, they didn't just knock down the old one and start from scratch. They built the new venue around and on top of the existing one. Genius. Now, fans entering the game can kneel before the brick walls of the original House That Rockne Built -- preserved museum-like inside the gates. Please don't touch.
Before Irish players even see the stadium, however, they make sure to get one last (unfair?) advantage in their corner: God. About three hours before kickoff, the entire team goes to Mass together on campus. You might be asking yourself why Miami doesn't do the same thing. The answer, of course, is that the Hurricanes would burst into flames if they stepped foot in a church. Apparently that's a risk Larry Coker wasn't willing to take this season.
"...wake up the echoes cheering her name..."
As long as I was 700 miles from home, I figured I might as well do as the Irish do before game time. According to the students I met, that could be summed up in one word: brats. These little triple-bypass starter kits were grilled all over campus and went down smooth with some mustard. Unfortunately, they also "woke up the echoes" in my 16-year old brother, who turned our rental Dodge Nitro into a chemical war zone on the way home.
"...send the volley cheer on high, shake down the thunder from the sky..."
After pulling off an elaborate scheme to sneak into the student section (if anybody asks, my name is Pat Hogan and I live in Fisher Hall), I realized that in South Bend, every student participates in every cheer every time, hand motions included. I'm not sure whether we did the "volley cheer," but I do remember doing one that involved random fist pumping and another that had us making a "W" with our fingers while cheering for Coach Weiss. Honestly, it was a steep learning curve.
As the new kids in the student section, my brother and I were also "thrown up" after the third Irish touchdown of the game. This involved a dozen hands grabbing us and tossing us in the air for every point on the scoreboard. Even though my life flashed before my eyes more than once, this is a quality tradition.
"...what though the odds be great or small, Old Notre Dame will win over all, while her loyal sons are marching onward to victory".
Against the 3-7 Black Knights, it was clear that Notre Dame's odds were great. After the 41-9 victory was complete, Quinn jumped into the stands to chant "Beat SC" with the students. Even though things didn't exactly go their way in Los Angeles this past weekend, there wasn't a soul in Notre Dame Stadium, myself included, who doubted the Irish on that freezing Indiana night.
Oh, and in case you were wondering? The leprechaun does exist. And he's insane.
Read More
Volleyball holds off Boston College in tight five-set win
By Lauren Halak | 14 hours agoSenior outside hitter Elayna Duprey led the team throughout the match with 22 points and 18 kills.
Virginia annihilated 41-14 in a must-win contest versus North Carolina
By Peter Kriebel | YesterdayJust about everything that could have gone wrong for Virginia football went wrong.
No. 24 women’s soccer not to be denied in late win over Clemson
By Sam Chun | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers topped Clemson 1-0 in front of a packed out Klöckner Stadium.
