Shenanigans

Shenanigans will feature humor about Notre Dame and the "Sons of Erin."

The world at large might smile in open doubt when the Notre Dame elevens were referred to as the this-and-that Irish. But on the campus the cult of the Celts was pretty thoroughly admitted. It was admitted even in the solemn councils of the faculty. How completely is made clear by the encounter several seasons ago between Rockne and the then active Tex Rickard, manager of Madison Square Garden, where all New York City's major indoor sports events take place.
"Why don't you teach hockey at Notre Dame?" Rickard asked Rockne.
"Father O'Donnell says we can't," explained Rockne.
"Why not ?" Rickard wanted to know.

"Well," Rockne went on, "I explained it to him, and he seemed downright interested until
we came to the use of the sticks. Then he held up his hands. 'That game, Knute,' he said, 'is never for this university.'
" 'Notre Dame,' he said, 'will never make tbe mistake of indorsing any game that puts a cudgel in the hands of an Irishman.' "

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But the most popular nickname or them all, was that of the "Fighting Irish."  Perhaps, the origin of this name goes back to the tradition of the college itself. But, translated by the public, it meant that the Notre Dame team had a fighting, competitive spirit that made them pull strongly when the odds were against them, that they brought to the game a spirit that was as apt to flame into victory in the last minute of the game as the first. Rockne used to laugh when the newspaper men said, "With your Carideos and Kassis and Kizer and Miller and Bach and Anderson and Larson, where's your Irish? " Rockne said to them, "They're all Irish to me. They have the Irish spirit and that's all that counts."

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