A history of Notre Dame football’s famous mascot, the Leprechaun
It’s almost impossible to go to a Notre Dame football game without noticing a little green man–or woman–roaming the Irish sidelines.
Notre Dame is a place and name full of traditions. When it comes to a Notre Dame football game day in South Bend, one of the first things people think of is Notre Dame’s mascot, the leprechaun. Someone who hasn’t been to a game might be a bit confused by this. Even if you are familiar with the leprechaun, do you know how it came to be?
The Fighting Irish were not always represented by a leprechaun; in fact, they were originally represented by Irish terrier dogs. As stated by und.com, this tradition began in November of 1930. Dogs who were under the role of mascot were usually dubbed with the name Clashmore Mike. This lasted until the mid 1960’s when the leprechaun was named the official mascot.
Why does any of this matter, you may ask? Well that is because this year Notre Dame announced its most diverse leprechaun lineup ever. The lineup includes a total of three leprechauns. According to und.com, this year’s leprechauns are Samuel Jackson, Conal Fagan, and Lynette Wukie. Both Samuel Jackson and Lynette Wukie are African American — the second and third African Americans to take on the role.
Wukie looks to make another statement, as she is the first ever female leprechaun. Last, but not least is Conal Fagan, who rounds out this diverse trio as the first native Irishmen to serve as a leprechaun. This will be Fagan’s second year under the role, while it will be Jackson’s and Wukie’s first.
In my opinion, this is a fantastic move by Notre Dame and great for its students and school spirit as the student body is extremely diverse, and contains students from around the entire world.
Here we go again with the Urban Meyer talk. dark. Next
After a very successful year of Notre Dame athletics, let’s hope the leprechauns can keep the fans pumped and make this next year of Notre dame sports even better!