Monday night sees the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on Ohio State Buckeyes to become College Football champions. It's their first final since 2013 as they look to win their first national title since 1988.
The Fighting Irish play a significant role in college football and while many here in Ireland are aware of the team, perhaps we don't appreciate just how big they are.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish are ingrained in the American psyche. For many years they were the only football team to have a dedicated national TV contract so each home game was broadcast coast to coast.
They've played in four games dubbed Game of the Century and claim 11 national college championships. Their rivalries are some of the most famous in the sport. Their home games, with 80,000 in attendance, revel in the pageantry of college football with their marching band and rousing songs.
Football was slow to get going at Notre Dame but Irish surnames can be seen on the early team sheets. On the first ever team in 1887 were James Maloney, Tom O'Regan, and Joe Cusack who was quarterback.
Ed Coady was the quarterback for the team's first victory while younger brother Pat played an important role in 1892, revitalising the program which had gone on hiatus in 1890. Frank Keough was captain in 1893 and 1894 with Dan Casey captain the following year.
In 1900 an Australian of Irish heritage Pat O'Dea coached the team. O'Dea had played Aussie Rules before moving to the States where he excelled as a kicker for the University of Wisconsin - Madison. O'Dea had replaced James McWeeney and was replaced as coach by James Farragher, whose second season in charge in 1903 was very successful. Farragher's position as coach is disputed by some historians.
In 1905 the coach was Henry McGlew. McGlew had been a successful quarterback of the team previously. McGlew was born in Navan and raised in Massachusetts. There was a sprinkling of Irish born players and coaches at this time in college football.
Kerry-born Mike Donahue played for Yale before becoming a legendary figure in the Auburn Tigers program. Kinsale born Robert Acton played for Harvard and went on to coach Vanderbilt University in Nashville, he sadly died young due to a morphine overdose related to his football injuries. Arthur Mosse moved from Cobh to play for the University of Kansas. He later coached at the university now known as the University of Pittsburgh helping to kickstart the program there.
The college football scene really began to take notice of Notre Dame after their first win over Michigan, a noted rival, in 1909. That Michigan team was coached by Fielding Yost and trained by Keene Fitzpatrick who is recorded by some historians as being born in Buttevant, Cork.
It was this game where the Fighting Irish nickname originated. A Detroit journalist claimed to overhear a Notre Dame player motivating the team by saying, "You're all Irish and you're not fighting worth a lick" which he turned into Fighting Irishmen for his report.
Being a Catholic university, the Irish were immediately drawn to the university and many of the team's early players had Irish heritage. The team certainly became a symbol of success to the Irish community but also to the wider Catholic immigrant population, they were proof of the American dream.
The Fighting Irish nickname was officially adopted by the university in 1927 when Reverand Matthew Walsh was university President.
Notre Dame established themselves as a force in the game with a famous 1913 victory over Army bringing national newspaper attention to the team. That game brought extra attention as it was the game in which Notre Dame helped revolutionise the forward pass.
Knute Rockne was part of the revolution and he would become a famous coach for the Irish. Under Rockne the Irish have three claimed national titles and three unclaimed national titles. He is perhaps the key figure in Notre Dame football, the coach that really brought the university into national prominence.
The Western Conference (now Big Ten) in which Michigan played had rejected Notre Dame previously and despite attempts by coaches such as Thomas Barry, the team was forced to make alternative playing arrangements.
The Irish would go barnstorming across the country, going coast to coast playing all comers and this has helped spread their legacy across the USA. That independence is still important today although it is often criticised by others who question the strength of the team's schedule.
Touchdown Jesus mural that overlooks the stadium on campus
Rockne was a forward thinker who saw the importance of the media, and the team earned its reputation during his time. Notre Dame became a key team during the 1920's when their games were broadcast on radio.
This allowed people all across the country to listen and share the gameday experience simultaneously. Fans could hear all about the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, the famous 1924 backfield of the Fighting Irish. The phrase coined by noted sportswriter Grantland Rice was applied to quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller, and fullback Elmer Layden, who rampaged through opponents as part of Rockne's offensive strategies since 1922.
During the three years of the Horsemen, the team lost twice, both times to Nebraska. When Rice wrote his article about the Four Horsemen, the PR team at Notre Dame ran with it, putting the four players on horses for a publicity photo. The photo went viral in 1920s terms, securing the legendary status of the Four and adding to the growing Notre Dame mythology.
Many players from Notre Dame have gone on to make their mark for other teams. Jim Crowley would coach at Fordham Rams in the 1930s, another school with Irish heritage. They developed a coast-to-coast rivalry with St Mary's Gaels led by Notre Dame alumni Edward "Slip" Madigan. Captain of the 1924 team, Adam Walsh later coached at college level and then for the Cleveland Rams.
Given the popularity of the team, being coach at Notre Dame is regarded as one of the toughest in college football, yet often it is the coaches who are the most famous personalities from Notre Dame. Rockne is certainly a key figure in the history of the Fighting Irish and his 13 seasons at Notre Dame, at a time when college football was really coming to the fore, helped cement the legacy of the Fighting Irish.
Rockne was tragically killed in an aeroplane crash in 1931 while going to help the production of the film, the Spirit of Notre Dame, which again shows the forward thinking towards the media. His death came at the time when Notre Dame were at their pinnacle, they had been national champions in 1929 and 1930, while they also took part in a famous charity match against the professional New York Giants in 1930 to help people devastated by the Great Depression, their participation in the game gave a big boost to their profile.
One of Rockne's lasting legacies is Notre Dame Stadium, completed in 1930. It is now one of the most iconic stadiums in college football. In the background is "Touchdown Jesus", a large mural on the University library of Jesus Christ that can be seen behind one of the goals. The program moved on after Rockne's death with the next coach to bring success being a former player.
That 'viral' picture of the Four Horsemen
While Rockne created the legend of Notre Dame, it was under Frank Leahy that they became a true powerhouse of the game. Leahy, who had enjoyed success as a line coach at Fordham, became head coach at Boston before being headhunted by Notre Dame. Despite his contract with Boston, he couldn't refuse the lure of his old school.
Under Leahy, the Fighting Irish were the team America embraced following World War II with the team claiming four national titles in the 1940s and unbeatable between 1946 and 1949. Among the star players was George Connor who went to play for his hometown Chicago Bears.
Around this time television began to overtake radio with the Irish on centre stage. Popular shows included The Ed Sullivan show, I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball as Lucy McGillicuddy Ricardo, and The Jackie Gleason show. Growing up in the 1950s and 60s the Fighting Irish were being watched on Saturdays in homes across the country thanks to their television contract.
Football on television was rare and the Irish were in a unique position to capture the hearts of fans. The Irish were football. Football meant watching the Irish. The legacy of the Irish is something that's passed down through generations. Families can trace support for Notre Dame going back to their great grandparents. Through radio and TV, the team garnered fans across the country that became known as subway alumni.
In 1966 coach Ara Parshegian would lead the team to their first national title since the Leahy era, going undefeated, something the team would repeat in 1973 for his second national title. He was replaced by Dan Devine who changed the famous dark blue jerseys to green and gold jerseys for his tenure. Even though he led the team to the national championship in 1977 and oversaw the rise of the now legendary quarterback Joe Montana, he was never fully embraced by the Irish fans and left after the 1980 season. It is more in retrospect that his achievements with the teams are acknowledged.
Lou Holtz was the last Notre Dame coach to win a national title
Lou Holtz, a strict disciplinarian, was in charge for Notre Dame's last national championship in 1988, when the Irish went 12-0 including a victory over Miami Hurricanes who were defending champions in a game nicknamed Catholics vs Convicts. It was Holtz who brought back the "Play Like a Champion" sign that players now touch on the stairwell as they enter the field with their golden dome helmets, usually to the rousing cheer of "Here Come the Irish".
Coach Brian Kelly took the reins in 2010 and brought the program back into contention with a highlight being the 2012/13 season when the team went 12-0 before losing the National championship game to Alabama's Crimson Tide. While he came close, he ultimately fell short before he left in 2021.
This year with coach Marcus Freeman at the helm Notre Dame have gone from strength to strength. They suffered a shock defeat to Northern Illinois early in the season but that was the only setback as they won the rest of their games to progress to the first college play-off with 12 teams. As expected they defeated Indiana Hoosiers in the first round and then as underdogs defeated Georgia Bulldogs.
In the semi-final they beat Penn State with almost the last play of the game. Penn State themselves have some interesting Irish connected coaches. Tom Fennell who coached five seasons from 1904 to 1908 was the son of Clare born Fenian Thomas McCarthy Fennell. Bob Higgins played for Penn State and coached his alma mater for 19 seasons from 1930 to 1948. His sister was Margaret Higgins Sanger, a famous social reformer and sex educator. In the final they face Freeman's alma mater the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are favourites to clinch the title.
Fighting Irish football has even made a cultural impact, films like "The Spirit of Notre Dame" (1931) and "Knute Rockne All American" (1940) in which there's a famous scene with a player George Gipp, played by Ronald Reagan the future president with Tipperary roots, dying of strep throat telling Rockne to inspire his team someday to, "Win just one for the Gipper".
Rockne would do just that in a big 1928 half-time team talk against Army which helped rally the team to victory. More recently the film Rudy (1993) is the inspirational true story of Rudy Ruettiger who aspired to play for Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team but had a number of obstacles to overcome before achieving his dream, while in TV land President Jed Bartlett from the West Wing attended Notre Dame, perhaps connected by both appearing on NBC while the Fighting Irish have been the focus of numerous documentaries.
The Fighting Irish moniker has become a popular sports team name, particularly for Catholic high schools with strong Irish connections. The name has generated debate in recent times with some commentators seeing the name as an offensive reminder of an Irish stereotype.
Notre Dame argue that the name harks back to the Fighting Irish of the 69th Regiment who fought bravely during the US Civil War. Others say it shows the tenacity of the Irish in Notre Dame fighting off the Ku Klux Klan in 1924. The Notre Dame mascot, the well-known raised fist leprechaun, is another sore point. The leprechaun certainly portrays an Irish stereotype and is perhaps a reflection of the American version of Ireland.
It can be said that Notre Dame is America's team because it is America: they are polarising; you either love them or hate them. Notre Dame represents something far greater than football. No other team in America arouses the feelings of family, history, and spirituality like the Irish can. Hopefully that gives a sense of what Notre Dame Fighting Irish means to people, they are far more than just a football team, they are an American cultural institution.
Samuel Kingston is a sport historian from Clonakilty, west Cork. His ebook The Irish World of Sport will be released in March 2025. The ebook will tell the stories of how the Irish impacted sports around the world, from American football to wrestling. For more information, please see the ebook's Instagram or Facebook.
