Windy City Weekend Recap: from a former Leprechaun

Irish Creed sought out former Fightin' Irish Leprechaun, and now current guest writer, David Zimmer ("Leprechaun Diz") to share his weekend experience with the Fightin' Irish Faithful after making the trip to Chicago for the Catholics v. Convicts matchup in Soldier Field.  Not only is David a great friend, and a true Notre Dame Man, but he has a knack for capturing the essence of what will go down as a weekend to remember for thousands of current and former Notre Dame students.    

Catch his Windy City Weekend Recap below, and check out the Irish Creed Exclusive Interview with Leprechaun Diz for some great perspective from someone who truly understands what the Fightin' Irish Spirit is all about: 
Part I Part II

As I woke up last Friday morning I knew that only a couple classes and an exam stood between me and a trip to see my beloved Fighting Irish take on the Miami Hurricanes at Soldier Field in Chicago. Unfortunately on my current campus of Purdue University, where I now attend veterinary school, there was no buzz about the upcoming Catholics vs. Convicts matchup and I was hard pressed to even get a college football conversation out of any of my fellow students. So, during lecture I made do by reading Irish Creed articles and following any recent tweets from @TheNDleprechaun. Luckily, I soon I found myself packing my monogram jacket, lucky suspenders, and faded old ND T-shirt as I prepared for the Windy City.

As I drove down Lake Shore Drive I witnessed the sun setting and the city come alive as if to express its joy that it could once again welcome home a dominant Notre Dame football team. The city lights replaced the setting sun and the monstrous shadow of that spaceship they call Soldier Field loomed overhead as I passed into the city. Arriving at a friend’s apartment in Lincoln Park (home to a solid population of Irish alums) my phone exploded with texts from old friends who were spreading the word of what bars everyone would be at to celebrate our reunion in Chi Town. It wasn’t long before we reached the bars and I got my first glimpse of exactly how many Domers had made the trip to Chicago for the game. Two bars on opposite corners were overflowing with Irish students past and present as lines snaked around the edges of the buildings. When I arrived at the door the bouncer asked me in an exasperated tone, “What’s the occasion? We haven’t been this busy in years.” I simply informed him, “Notre Dame is in town for a football game. And wherever we have a game, this is what a city should expect.”

The following morning I awoke to the sounds of Cathy Richardson belting out the lyrics to “Here Come the Irish” as I joined my friends in jigging around the apartment like six year olds on Christmas morning. As we got ready to hit the Soldier Field parking lot we turned on College Gameday in time to catch Manti Te’o explaining to the nation what it truly means to be a part of a university and college football team that treats its own like family.

Out in the parking lots it was a blur of old friends, Irish faithful, and excited fans as we prepared to descend en masse on the stadium. As I had scavenged tickets at the last minute from a family friend, I made my way to the upper decks of the stadium not sure what to expect. As I looked down on the field I realized that there is not a bad seat in that stadium, especially when it’s hosting our smashmouth football team.  

As the game played on I found that I couldn’t be more pleased with the other fans I got to share my gametime experience with. Even in Section 440, Row 36 (second row from the top), we did pushups for every score, screamed our hearts out on every key play, and never sat down for the entire game. When fans all the way in top of the stadium participate like that, it says something about your university and your football team.

The game ended in dominating fashion and the following day I packed up to head back home for another week of tedious schoolwork, now seemingly a method of passing time between Irish football games. And as I once more drove down Lake Shore Drive, this time heading in the opposite direction, I found myself marveling at the sun as it shown down on this beautiful city. 

I realized that with a 5-0 start, College Gameday coming to The House That Rockne Built, and a chance to beat up on the Stanford Cardinal, the sun was definitely shining down on the Fighting Irish as well.

David Zimmer

Notre Dame Leprechaun 2010-2012

Game Day Pics: CHI-RISH

After each home game, check with Irish Creed as TheNDleprechaun brings you a series of pics from the weekend.  You can also view the pics as they are taken by following on Instagram: "theleprecon" or on Twitter "@TheNDleprechaun"

Fightin' Words: Catholics v Convicts

The Fightin' Irish will take to Soldier Field this Saturday, their historical home away from home for Knute Rockne's 1929 National Championship campaign, during which they went 3-0 in Chicago.  Not only will this weekend's matchup feature a meaningful venue, but it also signals the continuation of a longstanding rivalry between Notre Dame and Miami that will now go on into the foreseeable future due to new scheduling commitments with the ACC.  
The rivalry peaked during the 80s when both football programs consistently fielded elite squads, and the bad blood that ensued branded the matchup between bitter foes as 

"CATHOLICS v CONVICTS" 

when they met in Notre Dame Stadium with the National Championship on the line in 1988.  

To the Notre Dame players who emerged from that battle victorious en route to the 1988 National Title, it was known as "BRAWL MIAMI"... None can explain its significance with more conviction than the legendary Rocket Ismail, who supplies our "Fightin' Words" for the 2012 version of the rivalry in the below 
MUST WATCH VIDEO:

FIGHTIN' WORDS:

"It was about... hey, this my brother, this my brother, 

and some body tryin' to come to our house and disrespect us... 

I'm standin' up for my people..." 

-Rocket Ismail

Here come the CHI-RISH!

The 4-0 Fightin' Irish will invade Chicagoland this weekend as they take to Soldier Field, a historically significant venue that played a large part in the early history of our program, for a night game against Da U, a historically significant rival that played a large part in the resurgence of our program under Lou Holtz.  As droves of faithful fans prepare to embark for the Windy City via the South Shore Line, let us pause to consider the significance of this game in relation to our 2012 campaign...

The Fightin' Irish have not given up a single rushing touchdown this season.

The Fightin' Irish have not trailed at any point this season.

The Fightin' Irish boast the toughest strength of schedule out of any undefeated team this season.

The Fightin' Irish hold a better rank (#9) than any opponent they will face for the rest of the season.


Sounds pretty good, don't it??
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though...

Da U (4-1) comes into this game after a record-breaking day on offense that propelled them to a 44-37 win over NC State last week, and their now-ACC-record-holding QB Stephen Morris (yes, the same Stephen Morris that loved throwing interceptions to Harry Smith in 2010 - see video below) has all the confidence in the world.  Luckily, the Convicts' potent offense is offset by a defense that now ranks a dismal 114th out of 120 FBS schools after surrendering 664 yards in that win.

While we should expect out staunch defense to handle Mr. Morris and his Convict cronies relatively well, don't be shocked if they do manage to put up a few points.  That leaves it to our offense, returning after a bye week during which they hopefully had the chance to sort things out, to take advantage of the Convicts' Swiss Cheese secondary (NC State racked up 440 yards through the air) and their inability to tackle ball carriers (NC State gained an additional 224 on the ground).

All in all, if we can establish the run early on, we should have no problem running away with this one... SHOULD...

Hopefully all the distractions of the Shamrock Series events (not to mention the early Halloween costumes we will be wearing) don't turn this one into a trap game.  If we allow ourselves to come back from our week off lethargic and somehow overlook Da U in anticipation of smoking the Trees next weekend, we might be in trouble.

That's where we, the fans, come in.  Despite its listing as a home game, our defense won't have the additional support provided by a student section in Soldier Field (the student allotment totaled a whopping 288 tickets... thanks for showing appreciation where it's due!).  It's up to every fan attending the game to make up for that misstep by setting the tone from the get-go.  Soldier Field, though appearing somewhat similar to an alien space craft that landed atop its former classically constructed self, fills up quite nicely with sound... much more so than Notre Dame Stadium (no disrespect to the Cathedral of College Football).

Let's take advantage of that by BRINGING THE RUCKUS when our boys in Blue & Gold take the field on Saturday.

Score Prediction:

Catholics: 44

Convicts: 24