Notre Dame Leprechaun
| The Leprechaun | |
|---|---|
The ND leprechaun
|
|
| Team | Fighting Irish |
| University | University of Notre Dame |
| Conference | Independent |
| Description | Irish leprechaun with his fists up |
| Origin of name | Irish heritage |
| First seen | 1960 |
| Related mascot(s) | e |
| Website | [1] |
The Notre Dame leprechaun is the mascot of the Fighting Irish sports club at the University of Notre Dame, USA. He appears at athletic events, most notably at football games. It was designed by sports artist Theodore W. Drake in 1964 for US$50.
The Leprechaun was featured in the cover of TIME magazine in November 1964.
The Fighting Irish logo features a side view of The Leprechaun with his fists up, ready to battle anyone that comes his way. The live version is a student, chosen annually at tryouts, dressed in a cutaway green suit and Irish country hat. The Leprechaun brandishes a shillelagh and aggressively leads cheers and interacts with the crowd, supposedly bringing magical powers and good luck to the Notre Dame team.
The Leprechaun was not always the official mascot of Notre Dame. For years, the team was represented by a series of Irish terrier dogs. The first, named Brick Top Shuan-Rhu, was donated by Charles Otis of Cleveland and presented to football head coach Knute Rockne the weekend of the Notre Dame-Pennsylvania game November 8, 1930. A number of terriers later took the role of the school mascot, which usually took the name Clashmore Mike. The Clashmore Mike mascot last made an appearance on the cover of the 1963 Notre Dame Football Dope Book with coach Hugh Devore and captain Bob Lehmann. In 1960, the Irish cheerleaders added the leprechaun to their cheering lineup. Terry Crawford, dressed in green, would walk back and forth in front of the cheerleading group with the Irish terrier, Mike.
The Leprechaun was named the official mascot in 1965, when the Leprechaun was registered as an official university mark. However, earlier, in 1961, John Brandt from Elyria, Ohio became the first man to don the uniform and appear with Clashmore Mike at a home game against Oklahoma. Brandt served as the Leprechaun until 1963. The Leprechaun for the 2011-2012 academic year was Mike George. Senior Bryce Burton was the leprechaun for the 2012 football season. Senior Johnny Romano was the leprechaun for the 2013 football season. Junior John Doran was the leprechaun for the 2014-2015 football and basketball seasons and repeated his role as a Senior for the 2015-2016 seasons. Junior Joe Fennessy will be the leprechaun for the 2016-2017 football and basketball seasons.
...
Wikipedia