Notre Dame Football: Blue & Gold Weekend Succeeds Despite Bad Weather

With a full schedule of events set to kick off with the unveiling of the Shirt at 4p.m. on Friday afternoon, Mother Nature's attempt to dampen Irish spirits failed miserably. When the sky opened up at 3:57p.m., Irish fans held their ground.

With a freezing sideways rain pelting the stage, the Notre Dame Irish Step Dancers put on a flawless performance, never missing a step in less that perfect conditions.

About an hour later the bag pipe band took the stage in a driving rain that might have sent other fans to seek shelter. In typical Notre Dame fashion, the crowd grew larger as the glorious sound of bag pipes and snare drums filled the air, almost driving back the rain.

With the voice of Notre Dame Stadium Mike Collins and Sergeant Tim McCarthy driving the crowd of several hundred into a frenzy, Coach Brian Kelly took the stage to unveil the 2011 version of "The Shirt," a Madonna Blue masterpiece featuring the Four Horsemen, with Jeff Samardzija and David Grimes on the back. Coach Kelly spoke with pride of the graphics of the shirt and with good cause. 

The events of the evening carried over to Kildare's where The New Notre Dame Nation hosted a dinner and silent auction to benefit Saint Baldrick's foundation. Head coach of the Woman's National Championship soccer team, Randy Waldrum, wowed the crowd that gathered for a great cause. Ian Williams, Darius Fleming, Kapron Lewis Moore and track star Tyler Atkins were in attendance and spent time talking to the children.

Saturday morning brought round two of storms, but the Irish faithful were setting up tailgate parties without missing a beat. "Forever Irish", a Facebook based Notre Dame fan club, set up shop right next to Legend's and had members from all over the country, young and old under their tents. People that had previously only exchanged comments over the Internet had a chance to share some food and drink as well as engage in some face-to-face Notre Dame football discussion.

The entire football team gathered at the Joyce Center for the VIP Brunch, good food, interaction with the players and prizes. This type of contact with the younger fans is what makes children Notre Dame fans for life. The look on an eight year old boy's face while he is eating breakfast with Louis Nix is what Notre Dame football is all about. Men's basketball coach Mike Brey stopped for pictures and conversation in the hallway, making the day even more special for lucky students and fans.

While the tailgate parties continued in the rain, I had a chance to sit down with members of the 1966 National Championship team. Listening to these men talk about their quest for a title, and eventually achieving that goal was a memorable event.

As for the game itself, that is an article of it's own. As bad as the weather looked on television, it was much worse. With a crowd estimated at 28,000 on hand, there was some speculation that the Irish faithful should have made a stronger showing. Personally, I don't hold it against anyone who watched the game on television, at times on Saturday afternoon I questioned my own sanity for sitting out in a freezing rain.

The weather can ruin many things, but one thing is certain, the bond that Notre Dame family shares cannot be destroyed by some rain.