Notre Dame travels to Pittsburgh today for Saturday’s game against the Pitt Panthers. In recent years, the games have been decided by slim margins, regardless of the teams’ relative strengths. That’s consistent with a long history of close, dramatic contests, beginning more than a century ago. On Oct. 30, 1909, Coach Frank “Shorty” Longman brought Read Full Post
Sacred Sod—Or A Move Forward?
May 27, 2014 by
Notre Dame traditionalists were struck by the images last week of backhoes removing the sod from Notre Dame Stadium in preparation for the installation of artificial turf. Yes, it is an emotional change in the House That Rockne Built. After all, back in 1930, the sod from legendary Cartier Field—where Rockne, Gus Dorais, George Gipp, Read Full Post
Irish Bring Out Best in Opponents
November 5, 2012 by
Watching the first half of the ND-Pitt game brought back ugly memories of quite a number of flat performances by the Irish against underdog opponents at Notre Dame Stadium in recent years. The Panthers ripped off chunks of yardage, while Notre Dame missed tackles and assignments. On offense, the Irish seemed lost, and settled for Read Full Post
Walking on Hallowed Ground
September 2, 2011 by
Count me among those who were not enthused to hear about the discontinuation of the traditional “team walk” from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart to Notre Dame Stadium on game days. Even though a little research determined the walk had only been around since the early 1990s, it seemed firmly entrenched as one of Read Full Post
