A Classy 'Thanks' From a
True Notre Dame Man
There are moments when just the right person chooses just the right words to express just the right thoughts.
One of thoe moments happened this week, when readers of The Observer, Notre Dame's student newspaper, read this letter to the editor, under the headline, "Best Band in the Land":
"I just wanted to take a brief moment to thank the Best D**n Band in the Land. We as players get most of the attention on Saturdays, but I can tell you, what you guys do for both us and the fans deserves to be commended. My favorite aspect of every home Saturday was walking up the tunnel before the game with all of you playing our fight song. Chills would shoot through my body each and every time. It brings a tear to my eye thinking I will never have the opportunity to do that with you guys again.
"Win or lose, you guys have always been there for us. Whether it was showing up to our practices on occasion to play for us, or the group of about 20 who would show up at our buses on away weekends to remind us why this place is so special, to remind us that we play for THE University of Notre Dame. While I was crushed at the end of the UConn game, I knelt in the end zone afterwards and just thanked God for the incredible, life-changing experiences I’ve had at Notre Dame. The band continued playing while I was praying, and I was just overcome with how truly special this place is. Thank you to each and every one of you who puts in countless hours each week to help us win. I’m going to miss you all. We are ND."
Mike Anello
Senior
Off-campus
Dec. 6
Incredible, life-changing experiences at Notre Dame. So true, so true.
And for Notre Dame fans who have watched Mike Anello exemplify what Fighting Irish spirit is all about -- throwing himself into his special-teams role as an undersized walk-on who earned a scholarship -- the image of No. 37 putting it all out there on the field will be with us for years to come.
| Sept. 3 | S. FLORIDA | L, 20-23 |
| Sept. 10 | @Michigan | L, 31-35 |
| Sept. 17 | MICH. ST. | W, 31-13 |
| Sept. 24 | @Pittsburgh | W, 15-12 |
| Oct. 1 | @Purdue | W, 38-10 |
| Oct. 8 | AIR FORCE | W, 59-33 |
| Oct. 15 | -- | -- |
| Oct. 22 | USC | L, 17-31 |
| Oct. 29 | NAVY | W, 56-14 |
| Nov. 5 | @Wake Forest | W, 24-17 |
| Nov. 12 | Maryland (FedEx) | W, 45-21 |
| Nov. 19 | BOSTON C. | W, 16-14 |
| Nov. 26 | @Stanford | L, 14-28 |
| Dec. 29 | Florida St. (Champs Sports Bowl) | L, 14-18 |
(All times Eastern)
| Sept. 4 | Purdue | W, 23-12 |
| Sept. 11 | Michigan | L, 24-28 |
| Sept. 18 | @MSU | L, 31-34 |
| Sept. 25 | Stanford | L, 14-37 |
| Oct. 2 | @BC | W, 31-13 |
| Oct. 9 | Pittsburgh | W, 23-17 |
| Oct. 16 | W.Mich. | W, 44-20 |
| Oct. 23 | Navy (M'lands) |
L, 17-35 |
| Oct. 30 | Tulsa | L, 27-28 |
| Nov. 13 | Utah | W, 28-3 |
| Nov. 20 | Army (NYC) | W, 27-3 |
| Nov. 27 | at USC | W, 20-16 |
| Dec. 31 | Miami (Sun Bowl) | W, 33-17 |