Throwback Thursday: ND v. Stanford

Irish Creed throws it back to the days of yore

by giving you a sample from the behind-the-scenes book

Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun

This week's throwback comes from Chapter 5: Week 12, which recalls the Battle for the Legends Trophy between Notre Dame and Stanford in Palo Alto, CA:

Exclusive Excerpt from "Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun"

...The cheerleaders and I boarded our chartered flight to San Francisco on Thanksgiving morning, arriving to the most gratifyingly extravagant feast I had ever laid eyes on.  Notre Dame really outdid itself with the unlimited helpings of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy of all kinds, Alaskan king crab legs, jumbo shrimp, lobster tails, and oceans of cranberry sauce they laid out on our tables.  We stacked plate upon plate until we could stack no more.  Then we spent the next two days digesting our meals while enjoying everything the beautiful City by the Bay had to offer.  The girls made me take photos of them stunting in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, on the notorious prison island of Alcatraz, and even while holding bowls of clam chowder at Fisherman's Wharf.  Finally relieved of my duties as they cameraman, I enjoyed returning to my usual emcee role at the pep rally put on by the Notre Dame Club of San Francisco.  The always-warm Northern California members of our Notre Dame Family welcomed us with open arms and mellow vibes that almost made me want to put a flower in my hair.

...Game day began when we snuck out of the hotel after our midnight curfew to cause mayhem on Stanford's campus.  We didn't mean any real harm, and we would certainly never do anything to deface such a beautiful place, but we did leave our mark by quoting The Little Rascals on every chalkboard we could find: 

Dear Stanford Nerds,

We hate your stinking guts.  You make us vomit.  You're the scum between our toes.

Love, Notre Dame

I had never seen a football field surrounded by palm trees before, but it made sense when I finally came across the most ridiculously absurd mascot of all time.  Stanford's Tree looked like a homemade prop from a high school musical, and he acted accordingly.  Too many alcohol-related offenses committed by inebriated Trees over the years forced Stanford to adopt a new rule requiring all mascots to pass a Breathalyzer test prior to entering their stadium.  Good thing I left my Jameson at home.  Double zeros gave me the green light to leave it all on the field one last time...

Throwback Thursday: BEAT PITT Edition

Irish Creed throws it back to the days of yore 

by giving you a sample from the behind-the-scenes book 

Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun

This week's throwback comes from Chapter 5: Week 10, which recalls the happenings surrounding Notre Dame's road trip to play #8 ranked Pitt in 2009:

UPDATE for fans attending ND v. Pitt in 2013:

  

Join us as we take over the streets of Steel City on Friday night (6 p.m. - 1 a.m.) at Mullaney's Harp & Fiddle (24th street).  We're hosting a Fightin' Irish Block Party, complete with drink specials, prizes, and fun for the whole family.  The ND Cheerleaders and Leprechaun will be in attendance, and I will be signing copies of "Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun" beginning at 6 p.m.  Hope to see you there!

Exclusive Excerpt from "Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun"

...the Notre Dame Club of Pittsburgh impressed us with their professionally run pep rally at Station Square.  All we had to do was show up and look pretty.  They took care of the rest.  I met several families who appreciated my Rust Belt roots, and they generously shared some of Pittsburgh's finest delicacies with us. Their zesty Kielbasa pork sausage and salad topped with thick stacks of cheesy french-fries gave me the extra kick I needed to teach everyone the authentic Leprechaun jig.  As much as they loved their city, they obviously took just as much pride in representing Notre Dame.  After the rally, we kept their recommendations in mind as we hit the vibrant local restaurant scene...

...We enjoyed our sightseeing tour along the rivers and up the Duquesne Incline throughout the following afternoon.  Then we suited up and assembled in the hotel lobby with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers who would escort us to the game.  They surrounded our bus with squad cars and motorcycles, literally stopping city traffic with their blaring sirens and flashing lights as we sped through a maze of bridges towards Heinz Field.  More excellent food and friendly faces awaited us at the Notre Dame Club of Pittsburgh pre-game pep rally outside Clark Bar & Grill, where we chanted and jigged in anticipation of our soon-to-come victory.

...

The Pitt student section lined both sides of the tunnel inside Heinz Field, which made for an interesting entrance as I led the charge through a heavy downpour of bottles, cans, food wrappers, and saliva.  The stadium itself looked imposing with black and yellow everywhere and two gargantuan Heinz Ketchup bottles that lit up bright red every time Pitt scored.  A giant video board added to their home-field advantage as well, but they could have gone without the irritating piped-in panther growl sound effects after every first down.

A small group of Pitt fans made a weak attempt at storming the field when the Panthers finally ran out the clock.  One of them swiped the Leprechaun hat right off my head as he ran by.  My football instincts kicked in and I caught up to him, taking him down right before he reached the tunnel.  With his face in the turf and my foot planted squarely on the middle of his back, I reached down to retrieve my now-misshapen Kelly green bowler.  When I looked up, I saw a family of Pitt fans staring at me with their mouths wide open in amazement.  I apologized for subjecting their kids to such violence, lifting my foot to let the perpetrator scamper away.  To my surprise, the father thanked me for subjecting his sons to such a fine example of a properly executed form tackle.  We all took a group photo together, and I congratulated them on their win.  

The only other bright spot of the game, besides finally getting to savor more than our fair share of Primanti Bros. sandwiches at halftime, came when we met a man who introduced himself as Johnny Lattner's cousin.  He told us that he wished he could accomplish as much as Johnny had for Notre Dame, but he tried to do all he could by volunteering in his community nonetheless.  I told him that I believed we were all called to contribute in our own way, and I thanked him for adding to our mission.  My words didn't sound especially profound when they lift my lips, but he reacted as if I had just bestowed some great seed of wisdom upon him.  He thanked the cheerleaders and me for making him feel included, and his response reminded me why I loved calling myself part of the Notre Dame Family.

Read the rest at www.LeprechaunBook.com

Throwback Thursday: Shamrock Series Edition

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Arizona State Sun Devils will face off in the home of the Dallas Cowboys this Saturday for only the third meeting between these two programs (ND currently holds a 2-0 series advantage). This year’s ASU squad has certainly caught the attention of Fighting Irish fans everywhere after an impressive 62-41 win over Notre Dame’s rival USC, which led to the prompt firing of Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin. This weekend will take on an even higher level of significance off the football field, though, during the fifth annual installation of Notre Dame’s home away from home Shamrock Series. Fans traveling to North Texas for the game can check my complete weekend guide here.

Throwback Thursday excerpt from 

"Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun" 

...As the only proud Texan on our cheerleading squad, the responsibility fell on Molly to teach us the lyrics of "Deep in the Heart of Texas." She instructed her drowsy students with impressive patience, and most of us had the words memorized by the time we reached Fort Sam Houston. While at the US Army base there, we had the honor of spending the afternoon with several severely injured soldiers and their families through the Wounded Warriors Project. A group of kids greeted us with green pompoms and a homemade poster that read, "GO IRISH! Welcome ND!" They watched with admiration as the cheerleaders performed their stunts, and they promised they would tune in to the rest of our games on T so they could point us out to their friends. I looked around at all the smiling faces, and that same feeling I got every time I swayed to the Alma Mater came back. We left feeling enormously humbled by the sacrifices those brave families had made for our freedom. Our bus fell silent as we all sat staring out the window, reflecting on the spirit we had just shared with some of America's finest heros.

...None of us could believe the number of people already packed into downtown San Antonio for our pep rally when we pulled up to the Alamo.  Fans dressed in Notre Dame gear stretched as far as the eye could see, leaving no street, sidewalk, park bench, or patch of grass uncovered.  We all paused to marvel at the beautiful backdrop provided by the famous Alamo facade directly behind us, contrasted against the charming city streets straight ahead.  Then we remembered we had a show to run.  We took the stage and right away I could sense something different about these fans.  They showcased their southwestern flair by clapping their hands, stomping their boots, hooting, and hollering along with us the whole time.  The rally started to feel lke a scene from an old Western film, and I half-expected several pistols to discharge celebratory shots into the air when we danced to our band's rendition of "Deep in the Heart of Texas."

Read the rest at www.LeprechaunBook.com

(all books come signed and personalized)

Throwback Thursday #5: Day in the Life of a Leprechaun

Irish Creed throws it back to the days of yore every Thursday 

by giving you a sample from my behind-the-scenes book 

Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun

Throwback #5 comes from Chapter 5: Week 5, in which I recall some of the superstitious "pregame" routine I had developed by our third home game:

UPDATE:  I'm signing copies of "Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun" at Martin's Supermarket (2081 South Bend Ave.) 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 27 and 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sep. 28.

By my third home game as the Gold Leprechaun, I picked up a pretty regular routine, fraught with superstition of course.  If the Fighting Irish won, I had to do everything in the exact same sequence leading up to the next game.  When my classes finished for the week on Thursday afternoon, I prepared for my weekly morale-boosting visit to Club Fever.  "College Night" meant skipping long lines and dancing on stage with the cheerleaders.  After shutting down "The Feve" around 3 a.m. I crashed back in Alumni Hall until noon on Friday when I walked to South Dining Hall for something deliciously greasy to soak up my hangover.  Once I got back to my room, I came up with my pep-rally introduction speeches while carefully crafting my chinstrap beard.  At some point, every Leprechaun developed his own specific style of facial hair.  I liked to keep mine thick enough to seem caricature-like, yet groomed well enough to look sharp.

...

Without fail, my Dawgs in the room next door would commence their "40s at 4" celebration right around the same time I finished getting dressed.  I loved stopping by their parties just as they got into full swing so I could surprise the weekly mix of students, parents, and alums as they enjoyed the finest malt liquor money could buy.  The looks on their faces were priceless, and they often thanked me for getting their weekend off to a lucky start...

Signed & Personalized Books Available Now:

www.LeprechaunBook.com

Throwback Thursday: Purdon't Edition

Irish Creed throws it back to the days of yore every Thursday 

by giving you a sample from Daniel Collins' behind-the-scenes book 

"Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun" 

This week's throwback comes from Chapter 5, in which Collins recalls his encounters with several less-than-hospitable hosts in West Lafayette, IN:

... “Purdon’t” became the word of the day, and I repeated it frequently to pretty much every Purdue fan within earshot.  I didn’t expect it to instigate such an angry backlash, nor did I expect their fans to turn into such discourteous hosts.  To be honest, I wasn’t even convinced that Purdue football fans actually existed until I saw 59,000 of them wearing black t-shirts as part of their unsuccessful attempt to intimidate us with a stadium-wide “black out.”

... I could have heard a pin drop when I led our team out onto the field.  Ross-Ade Stadium was no Big House.  Their fans must have felt the need to compensate, because what they lacked in noise they sure made up for with downright disrespectful behavior.  Our poor sweet cheerleaders stood in total disbelief as disgruntled fans spit all over their backpacks, which they apparently placed much too close to the front row.  These were grown men sitting with their children right beside them.  The language spewing forth from their uncouth mouths was impolite at best.  I combated their coarseness in true Notre Dame fashion.  I killed them with kindness.  Smiles, waves, and kisses blown in their general direction worked wonders.  Whenever they said anything particularly nasty I ran up to give their kids high-fives.  Handing each of their sons and daughters little blue ribbons with “Go Irish! Beat Purdue!” printed in gold, I did my best to convert them before it was too late.  By the time both teams lined up for the opening kick most of their kids had already begun chanting, “Let’s go Irish!” along with our cheerleaders.

...

... The Purdue fans surrounding us didn’t look too happy, but we all wore gigantic grins as we swayed to our Alma Mater.  I was so happy to escape with a win that I almost didn’t hear a voice call out, “Hey, Leprechaun!  I’m an Irish girl!  Can I get a picture?”  I gave Erin Andrews my phone number so she could send me the photo we took together, but for some reason she never got back to me.    

Signed & Personalized Books Available Now:

www.LeprechaunBook.com

Throwback Thursday: Skunkbear Edition

Irish Creed throws it back to the days of yore every Thursday 

by giving you a sample from Daniel Collins' behind-the-scenes book 

"Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun" 

This week's throwback comes from Chapter 5, in which Collins recalls his first visit to that filthy rotten skunkbear nest they call Ann Arbor:

... I paced back and forth behind Stepan Center as dusk set in Thursday night, hoping at least a couple hundred students would choose our rally over pregaming Club Fever.  They didn’t exactly pack the house, but the thousand or so diehards who did come made up for their classmates’ lack of spirit with war paint, Irish flags, and enough toilet paper to blanket the whole state of Indiana...

... After jumping on stage I held up an old #21 Desmond Howard Michigan jersey.  With the whole crowd booing and throwing toilet paper at me I slowly tore it in half, tossing the tattered pieces to the angry mob below...

... Brian Smith didn’t want to give up the mic.  That was okay.  The crowd loved the story he told about how his dad, a fullback for the Fighting Irish back in the early 1980s, refused to buy him any Skunkbear swag as a kid.  For some reason Brian happened to like their colors when he was young, but his dad sat him down to tell him that no son of his would ever wear a Michigan jersey.  His ten-minute epic tale probably would’ve gone on much longer if it weren’t for the frenzied chant he incited.  With no adults around to scold them, the students felt free enough to belt out “Muck ‘em up! Muck ‘em up! Michigan Sucks!” Except they didn’t say “muck.”

... After a swift three-hour drive we pulled up to a sprawling campus dotted with horrid pee-yellow t-shirts. ... A multitude of middle fingers pointed our way as our police escort brought us up to the Big House.  They only pumped us up even more.  The spirit leftover from our sendoff rally juxtaposed against so much hatred concentrated in one place would surely help our boys in blue and gold flatten the Skunkbears like road kill.

... Every time someone yelled “Go Blue!” in my face I quickly added “…and Gold!”  The usual response I got consisted of nothing more than a blank stare.  To every “Where’s your pot of gold?” or “Where’d you hide your lucky charms?” I responded with “They’re safe back home in South Bend.  Where’d you leave your dignity?”  The puzzled looks continued.  Whenever anyone did anything especially obscene I just blew kisses back at them.  That did the trick by making them all the more irate.  I continued blowing kisses until kickoff.

Signed and Personalized Books available now www.LeprechaunBook.com