IRISH CREED EXCLUSIVE: THE LEPRECHAUN - PART I

The Notre Dame Leprechaun:  

King of all Mascots, 
Face of the Fightin’ Irish, 
Protector of the Spirit of Notre Dame, 

and The Real Reason Sparty is Green with Envy.

Two years ago, I enjoyed the honor of suiting up in Kelly Green every Saturday to lead the charge as our boys in Blue and Gold rushed out of the tunnel and into battle.  At the end of my senior year, I passed the lucky shillelagh (originally brought from Ireland to Notre Dame by a past leprechaun who is now a Holy Cross priest - can't make that stuff up!) to my brother-in-arms Leprechaun Dizz. We interviewed Dizzy prior to Year One of the Kelly Campaign (catch Part I and Part II here), and now in Year Two we present to you, in two segments, an IRISH CREED EXCLUSIVE WITH THE LEPRECHAUN:

Leprechaun Mike

Leprechaun Mike is a senior Mechanical Engineer from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  He claims to be an International Leprechaun / Man of Mystery, since his parents live in Zϋrich, Switzerland for the time being, and his sister is studying abroad in Perth, Australia.  He ensures me, however, that his whole family will be watching (either in person or on TV) on game day.

TheNDleprechaun: Mike has been the namesake of Notre Dame mascots since well before our kind began showing up at games.  Do you take any special pride in sharing your first name with the winningest college mascot of all-time?  How would you feel about a possible return of the Irish Terrier in combination with the Leprechaun?

MIKE:  Absolutely!  Having the same name as Clashmore Mike is a great honor.  And I would gladly welcome a furry companion.  Besides both being extremely slobbery (although cute) at the end of big games hopefully we would share luck in common too!

TheNDleprechaun:  You saw your fair share of championship caliber teams as the Blue Leprechaun last year.  What was the best memory you took away from that?  Do you plan on continuing your winning ways when you take over as the Gold Leprechaun for football and men's basketball?  Are you THE key to bringing back the Luck of the Irish?

MIKE:  Last year was an incredible experience.  Not only was I able to experience some amazing runs by our sports teams but I was able to meet different Irish fans from all over, and win over a few new ones too.  I especially loved seeing our Women’s Soccer team defy all the skeptics and take down Stanford for the national championship.  In the same way, seeing our Women’s Basketball team take down Tennessee for the first time ever, and then follow that up by beating UCONN in Indy, in March, was something else.  Those are some games that have already gone down as greats in Irish sports history.  As much as I would like to take credit for the victories, the key to the Luck of the Irish lies in the support of all the Irish fans and in having that Fighting Irish Spirit.  As far as winning goes this year, don’t worry about that.  At Notre Dame we’re all about tradition.  When you look at a few of the more recent championship seasons (’66, ’77, ’88) I think it only makes sense to continue that trend and add one in ’11!

TheNDleprechaun:  How many times a week do you eat Lucky Charms?

MIKE:  That’s a great question! I’m still working out my eating habits for this year.  How’s this for a plan, 12 times a week.  One for each national championship (including this year, of course).  Then again, I’ll have to be careful to make sure I can still fit into my Leprechaun suit come Saturday!

TheNDleprechaun:  What are you looking forward to most on September 3?

MIKE:  I think every Leprechaun dreams about step-off from the Main Building.  Leading all of the Irish fans to Notre Dame Stadium and following that up by taking the team out on our historic field for the best season of Fighting Irish Football yet is a 1-2 punch that has my heart pumping now!

TheNDleprechaun:  Have you ever been to New Orleans?  Do you plan on visiting in January?

MIKE:  I’ve never been to New Orleans, but come to think of it South Bend can be a little chilly around then…and I think I overheard Coach Kelly talking about heading down south around then too!

TheNDleprechaun:  The stash of gold I hid two years ago is running thin... can I get a loan?

MIKE:  Haha!  Once a leprechaun, always a leprechaun! I’ll see what I can do…

TheNDleprechaun:  We interviewed Leprechaun Diz last year, and he represented the Fighting Irish proudly during Coach Kelly's first season.  What did you learn from him last year, and how will it help you be the best Leprechaun you can be this year?

MIKE:  I learned so much from Leprechaun Diz last year, and he definitely left me some big little Leprechaun shoes to fill.  He really knew how to interact with the fans and get everyone riled up.  His passion and unwavering belief in the Irish is something I will carry with me this year to help me be the best Leprechaun I can be!

Leprechaun Mike poses with the National Champions of Women's Soccer

Thanks to Clashmore Mike for taking time out of his gameday preparations to share his thoughts with the fans.  We look forward to seeing him do his thing out there for the first time on what we Leprechauns like to call “The Big Stage.”  May the Luck of the Irish be with you, Mike!

Be sure to check back with IRISH CREED for PART II of this Exclusive!  While your at it, show your current Leprechaun some Twitter-Love by following him @FightinIrishLep