Kelly visits Center of Universe

Coach Kelly ventured into the Center of the Universe last week to honor the Dawgs of Alumni Hall, who he thanked for setting the standard in terms of support and enthusiasm on football game weekends.  He commended the men of Alumni for playing such an integral role in the tradition, sense of family, and spirit that can only be found at Notre Dame, adding that he quickly learned to expect a lengthy delay while all the Dawgs in the house go berserk every time the word "Alumni" is uttered at a pep rally.  

Located on Main Circle at Notre Dame,
Alumni Hall is the "Center of the Universe"

Coach challenged the Dawgs to make a valid attempt to “at least make it to the game” on Saturday night despite the late 7:30 start.  Echoing the sentiments of Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick, who challenged the student body to tailgate responsibly and get loud once inside the stadium, Kelly asked the Dawgs to hydrate themselves thoroughly prior to bringing the ruckus come game time.

When asked about the typical game day atmosphere at Notre Dame, Coach again agreed with Swarbrick in admitting that Notre Dame Stadium is one of the quietest venues his team plays in from week to week.    While he commended the students for their commitment, he spoke out in full support of a jumbotron and piped-in music to make up for the small size of our student section, as well as the lack of noise coming from the rest of the stadium.  

Coach maintained that he understands the "tradition" argument against a jumbotron and/or "canned" music, but that he believes in our ability to make such improvements in a way that enhances the unique tradition and spirit of Notre Dame, rather than detract from it.  He pointed to the way music and classic footage were used at the first night game ever in the Big House in a way that added tremendously to the "strength of the collegiate atmosphere" of the game without the clutter of advertisements or any other unnecessary distractions.  He also made it clear that our fanbase should not expect to be held back by stubborn adherence to the status quo any more, citing the need for several changes which have already been made and will continue to take place in order to revive the most central of all our traditions... the tradition of winning football games.

While it seems as though a minority of Notre Dame alumni (small "a" alumni, not big "A" Alumni as in Dawgs) consistently makes the most noise in opposition of such changes, the unanimous consensus amongst the Dawgs stood in strong support of making such moves.  With our student body, Head Coach, and Athletic Ditrector on board, I wouldn't be surprised to see and hear an extra boost to our home field advantage in the near future (If you disagree, please prove that we do not need these additions by getting loud enough to make a difference in our stadium).

When asked which rivalry he considers to be most important to the Fighting Irish, Coach chose the "Greatest Intersectional Rivalry in College Football" over our series with the skunkbears, stating that Notre Dame vs. Southern Cal epitomizes everything that a rivalry should stand for.

The Dawgs told Coach that the students were planning to fill the student section with green on Saturday night before asking him whether the team would sport matching threads.  In response, he did not deny the possibility of green jerseys.  With a wink and a nudge, he said that he looks forward to continuing the tradition of green jerseys, but would not specify which game (read: we are wearing green on Saturday, and so should you!). 


Coach also explained that his newly implemented Hendrix package was here to stay, and that he plans to fully utilize this whole new side of the offense in order to prevent defenses from keying in on just a few playmakers the way Pitt was able to (we only scored 15 points in the win over Pitt).  By offering a variety of looks, our offense will remain efficient even when certain aspects aren't working against a specific defense.  Just when an opponent seems to have solved the puzzle, we now have the ability to play a wild card with potential to be game-breaking.


When one Dawg asked if his roommate, walk-on TE Arturo Martinez, will see the field this year, Coach said that by asking we pretty much guaranteed him some playing time. He also gave a shoutout to all of WOPU Nation, saying that walk-on players like Pat Coughlin and Chris Salvi have impacted the team tremendously this season.

Finally, the Dawgs gave Coach an ultimatum: whether he would rather be Johnny Depp or Will Smith.  He mulled the choices over for a minute, then decided that neither would be preferable to his current position as the head coach of the Fighting Irish.  Well played, Sir.  Well played, indeed.

Coach Kelly strikes a power stance on the sideline

Alumni Hall proudly granted "Honorary Dawg"status to Coach Kelly (who now joins Coach Brey as the only two active "Honorary Dawgs" at Notre Dame), by presenting him with a Wake Week shirt and two of our signature frosted pint glasses.  In response to the later, he happily declared, "I bet these look great filled with beer!” That they do, Coach. That they do.

Alumni Dawgs leading the charge at a football pep rally

The Blessed Men and Brothers of Alumni Hall would like to thank Coach Kelly for taking the time to pay us tribute, answer our questions, and for recognizing us as a leader and an icon amongst all halls.