Help the Mirer Family Foundation | Shamrock Series Ticket Raffle

Notre Dame will be playing Arizona State in Arlington Texas on October 5, 2013.  In connection with the game, the Mirer Family Foundation hosting an on-line raffle.  There will be multiple winners. There will also be interim drawings as donations come in.  Any one who donates $25 to the Mirer Family Foundation through our PayPal account between now and September 28th will get one chance in the raffle.

Prizes for Final Drawing:

The grand prize will be 2 tickets to the game, 2 VIP tickets to the Notre Dame October 4, 2013 lunch in Ft. Worth, a full size Notre Dame football autographed by Rick Mirer and a Lisa Kelly autographed copy of newly released The Men We Became.

Prizes 2-5 (4 winners)-  2 VIP tickets to the Notre Dame October 4, 2013 lunch in Ft. Worth, a mini Notre Dame football helmet autographed by Rick Mirer and a Lisa Kelly autographed copy of newly released The Men We Became.

Interim Drawings:

As donations are received, we will be drawing for a Lisa Kelly autographed copy of The Men We Became.  The first 50 donors will be in the first drawing.  When we reach 100 donors there will be a second drawing with all 100 donors eligible.  The following drawings will be held  at each 100 level (i.e. 200, 300, etc.).  Initial donors will be in all drawings, thus for best odds move quickly.

Shamrock Series on-line raffle.  Donate $25 per chance to win our prizes including the grand prize of 2 ND vs. ASU game tickets in Dallas, 2 VIP luncheon tickets and an autographed ball.  All donations between now and September 28, 2013 qualify!

Donate HERE

Cheers!

The Game of Football

Guest post | Oscar McBride

In light of the recent allegations and controversies swirling around our favorite collegiate and professional football teams, I thought I would take a moment to point out some of the great things the game presents.

Now that said, it would have been much easier for me to jump on the bandwagon and add my minimal kerosene to the proverbial fire; but I thought to myself, “Why?” Seems that’s a recurring question regarding the sport so many of us know and love today ... “why?”

Let’s dig a little deeper shall we?

Whether it’s the “Thug Life” mentality of former New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez, the seemingly juvenile behavior of “Johnny Football,” NCAA violations running rampant in the SEC (duh), or the most recent scandal which could ultimately destroy a thriving Oklahoma State program we all tune in to see when the next hammer will fall and who’s head it might crush on impact. Forgetting about the real reason any of this stuff is happening …

Hello people! It’s all because some young man has a talent to play one of the greatest games ever invented … football.

Wait … wait … before your guys go all ACLU on me I’m not taking anything away from basketball, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, track & field, tennis, swimming, rugby, golf, cricket, boxing, equestrian, MMA or ahh-hem … cheerleading … all I’m saying is that football makes sense to me.

Lemme ‘splain.

Football is truly "America's Game."

The struggle of the game makes sense. All of the hard work for months for only a few minutes of glory to be realized or dreams to be smashed. Honestly, did you ever do the math about how much time players spend in the off-season preparing for a total of only 480 minutes (8 hours) in high school and usually only 720 minutes (12 hours) in college? Can you say 8-9 months of struggle, work, pain and preparation for one live day?

Think about it … when’s the last time you worked on a job for nine months and didn’t get paid?

Uh huh ... That’s what I thought.

All of the disciplines, feelings, emotions and experiences that football teaches (in my mind) out-weigh all of the perversions that come with the success it brings. Hard work, tenacity, family, team work, selflessness, timeliness, focus, relentlessness, confidence, sacrifice, intelligence, fearlessness, bravery, joy, happiness, sadness, hope, fear, anger, brotherhood, camaraderie, intensity, vulnerability, swagger, power, anxiety, discipline, stress, ferocity, passion, and love are just a few of the things that come to mind when I think of football.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what NCAA rules or laws are being broken by the athletes who play – we love the game and what it represents. The players of today will one day be replaced by others who are just as good if not better than they … and when that time comes we will continue to, much like we do today, celebrate the game of football!

Sport is Life -

Oscar McBride

Cheers!

Easy With the Doomsday Predictions

The Wolverines defeated the Fighting Irish Saturday night, 41-30. Here, the Irish’s Chris Brown is tackled by Michigan’s Delonte Hollowell after making a catch.
(Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

[HerLoyalSons.com]

No one likes to lose to Michigan. Ever. But I don't think the end of the world is any closer either. While the defense still has much work to do, the offense actually looks pretty good ... and will only get better from here in my humble opinion.

Lets take a look at how the offense produced on Saturday.

Tommy Rees - Rees completed twenty-nine of fifty-one passes for 314 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. This was also the first time in his career that he had back-to-back games where he passed for more than 300 yards (346 yards against Temple on August 31). The two touchdowns that he threw against Michigan bring his career totals to 39 and his season totals to five. Rees also moved passed Jarious Jackson ('99, 4,820 yards) into sixth place all-time in career passing yardage at Notre Dame with a new total of 5,073 yards.

Yes, I know, two interceptions, but Tommy's offense scored 30 points. How many points does this offense need to score to win games? (Edit: Okay ... so the offense scored 23 points and the defense scored 7 points ... how many points does our offense need to score on a weekly basis to win games?)

TJ Jones - Jones caught his first touchdown of the season, the 11th of his career, and snagged nine catches for 94 yards in the match-up against Michigan. Jones' punt return for 18 yards in the first quarter was the longest of his career, and the longest punt return by a Notre Dame player since Michael Floyd returned a punt for 41 yards in 2011 against Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl. (We can all hope that Jones follows in Floyd's footsteps and goes on to make one-handed grabs like Floyd was making Sunday against the Rams.) And tell me again why we stopped running back punts? Anyways, I digress.

Troy  Niklas - Niklas caught six passes for 76 yards, one being for a score and the longest being 21 yards. We seem to be holding strong in our reputation as Tight End U. I am very much looking forward to watching this kid play.

DaVaris Daniels - Daniels caught six passes for 63 yards, the longest being 22 yards. (I'm not saying that Eifert will not be missed this year, but with Jones, Niklas and Daniels catching passes Notre Dame's passing game is bright to say the least.)

Chris Brown - Sophomore receiver, Brown, had three catches for 28 yards, his longest grab being for 11 yards.

Our receiving core looks tremendous and will only get better from here. We cannot, however, rely on our offense putting up huge numbers every game to make up for our defense not being able to hold or tackle anything.

Our running game, however, gave me fits of worry seeing as it was practically non-existent. This absence was not because we are lacking talent ... we've all seen what Carlisle, Atkinson and McDaniels can do. Carlisle had 12 carries for 65 yards, Atkinson had five carries for 39 yards and a 50 yard kickoff return in the third quarter (this was his longest since a 96-yard touchdown run back at Notre Dame Stadium against USC on Oct. 22, 2011), and McDaniel had a mere one carry for four yards. Why Kelly is not utilizing this running core more effectively I have no idea. Our offense has got to be much more diversified in its attack for us to be successful moving forward.

Hopefully after they review game film and begin preparing for Purdue they realize that all passing and no rushing is not going to win games. I truly am not overly worried about this offense. Rees has a stellar surrounding cast and the more experience he gets under his belt the less mistakes he is going to make. Purdue should be a good chance for us to tune things up before we return home to face Michigan State.

Cheers!

NoCoastBias.com senior staff writer Lisa Kelly, recently published Notre Dame football author, is hosting a book signing event and Q&A with three Notre Dame football (88 national championship) greats!

Join Lisa and the guys in Chicago at Racine Plumbing on Saturday, September 14th for an “Echoes From the End Zone: The Men We Became” book signing event with a Q&A featuring:

Tony Rice, Pat Terrell, John Foley and author Lisa Kelly.

Books will be available for purchase and will be signed at the event.

Following the event we will watch the Notre Dame - Purdue Game!

Racine Plumbing

2642 North Lincoln Avenue 

Chicago, IL 60614

Saturday, September 14, 2013 from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM (CDT)

RSVP here.

Want to know more about "Echoes From the End Zone: The Men We Became?"

The Notre Dame Student-Athlete: Sports fans may have an idea of what it takes to play football at a Division I college: the training, the discipline, the pain, the motivation. But most of us have no idea what it takes to be a successful student-athlete at a top academic institution such as Notre Dame.

Being a successful student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame requires more effort than working two full-time jobs: one needs dedication, determination, and a drive to succeed - to be the best both physically and mentally - and to learn and achieve despite the pain, despite the disappointments, and without letting the successes – both on and off the field – inflate your ego.

Echoes From The End Zone: The Men We Became tells the story of 25 former Notre Dame football players:

•             the lessons they learned in college, and how those lessons changed their lives: The Notre Dame Value Stream

•             their years at Notre Dame

•             the end of their football careers

•             the new careers and dreams they followed

What happens to these exceptional Notre Dame student-athletes after they graduate? Some go on to play professional football, for a time. Some have injuries, and never have the opportunity to play sports professionally. Others experiment with different career choices, searching for the right fit. Many pursue career goals carried since childhood, while others build families, return to their hometowns, and travel the world. But all of these former student-athletes must create a new life after their playing days end: a life where they are no longer in the spotlight, no longer admired for their physical attributes, and no longer glorified in the media.

Their stories and career choices may surprise you, but by each of these former Notre Dame student-athletes you will be impressed and inspired by the choices they made so early in life that enabled them to succeed beyond The End Zone.

See you in Chicago!

Cheers!