Throwback Thursday: Golden Swan-Dive Special Edition

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

This week's throwback comes from Chapter 5, in which I recall my encounter with a certain foam phony named Sparty:

SPECIAL EDITION UPDATE:  I'm signing copies of "Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun" in the ND Bookstore from 3-5 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 20 and 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sep. 21 (ND v. MSU Game Day).  

You can also catch me at Mulligan's Bar & Grill (across from the Backer on South Bend Ave.) both nights with more signed books on tap, along with a raffle for my authentic game-worn Leprechaun hat!  I'll be wearing my limited edition "Air Golden" t-shirt, pictured above.

..."Nothing will ease my pain until we ruthlessly beat Sparty into submission next Saturday."  I couldn't remember who I said that to, or what publication it appeared in, but a long talk with my supervisors about political correctness followed shortly after my heartfelt public statement.
...
Every Leprechaun knew that Sparty had always been our only natural enemy.  The extra significance of our mascot rivalry made showing him up on local television that much sweeter.  When WNDU-TV invited us to co-anchor their pre-game sports segment early Saturday morning they must have forgotten that Sparty couldn't speak.  I ended up running the show all by myself, while Sparty literally disappeared in front of the green screen as he attempted in vain to act out the weather like some deranged version of charades.  The best part of my newscasting debut came backstage when I discovered that four separate Michigan State students actually shared their role as Sparty.  Apparently, none of them could handle the rigors of a full game day on their own.
...
... I reserved some of my energy during the Step-Off Parade just in case I happened to find myself in an altercation with my nemesis at some point during the game.  He surprisingly kept his distance throughout the entire pre-game warm-up, so I decided to be a good little Leprechaun and let him go.  Public shaming on the local news was good enough for me.
...
... Golden must have thought our band would catch him when he celebrated the go-ahead score with a swan dive.  Instead, he ended up crushing the scrawny kid holding a french horn in the middle of the Michigan State band while Sparty stood by motionless.  I prayed that play would end up as the winning touchdown so ESPN could eature it on their Top-10 as well as their Not-Top-10.

Signed & Personalized Books Available Now:

www.LeprechaunBook.com

Daniel Colt Collins appears on "Sports Lounge with Lisa Varga"

IRISH CREED writer, former Fightin' Irish Leprechaun, and newly published author Daniel Colt Collins recently sat down with Lisa Varga to discuss his new book "Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun"



The up-and-coming internet talk show "Sports Lounge with Lisa Varga" is set to air new webisodes starting in September.  Follow Lisa Varga and Sports Lounge on Twitter to stay updated.

Welcome to IRISH CREED

Welcome to IRISH CREED, a blog created by three Domers who seek to celebrate the University of Notre Dame and share our unique perspectives with all members of the Notre Dame Family.

The words "Fighting Irish" are a testament to the indomitable spirit that has persisted at Notre Dame throughout history. To revive that spirit in full, new head football coach Brian Kelly recently created "The Irish Creed" to guide Notre Dame football into the future. As described in an article by ESPN's Mark Schlabach, The Creed boldly states: "The pride and tradition of Notre Dame football will not be left to the weak, timid, or non-committed."

The "Irish Creed" now holds a prominent place on a wall inside the football locker room, and we hope it will soon come to hold a prominent place in the hearts of all those who are proud to call themselves members of the Notre Dame Family.  We see "Irish Creed" as a fitting title for our blog because we intend to create a collective statement of faith through our discussion of all things Notre Dame.  Most importantly, we chose the name to represent the fact that we simply believe in the greatness of our university.

At Irish Creed, our mission is to provide in-depth information along with insightful commentary, personal stories, long-forgotten histories, as well as inspiring photos, poetry & artwork.  We will offer the Fighting Irish faithful a window into Notre Dame through our own perspectives as recent students and graduates.

tendomer:  "I am a 2010 Notre Dame grad, and as a student I was co-president of the Leprechaun Legion, the student section for Notre Dame basketball.  The 2008 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl was the only home, away, or neutral site football game during my time at ND that I did not attend. Woe the timing."


FightinIrish1313:  "I will be a 2011 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and will be taking over as President of the Leprechaun Legion during my senior year.  I’ve only missed 2 away football games since I’ve been a student (both wins) and have never witnessed a National Championship for the Irish. My Grandfather was a 1949 Graduate of Notre Dame and my Father graduated in 1980. Both were secretaries for their head football coaches (Leahy and Devine) during their time as students. I’ve got one more year to cheer on a National Championship while I’m a student, or my family will disown me for breaking our streak."

TheNDleprechaun:  "I am a proud native of Buffalo, NY who graduated from Notre Dame in 2010 and I will be attending Notre Dame Law School as part of the entering Class of 2013.  In 2009-2010, I had the honor of serving as the official Fighting Irish Leprechaun.  My time as one of the foremost leading symbols of the Fighting Irish was an unforgettable experience that I hope will bring excitement to IRISH CREED."

We hope you enjoy our upcoming posts and we invite you to come back often.  GO IRISH!