Author: Mike Coffey

Turns Out Frank Was Right

OK, fessing up, I had this quotation wrong in the first version of the story. I’m not sure why I thought it was Terry Hanratty talking about Ara Parseghian, but I think my brain’s warranty ran out at 40. I’m sure Ara feels the same way, but I’ve corrected the citations. One of my earliest…

Full Notre Dame Column

Tradition Needs Preservation

A recent news story on the CBS website talked about Steve Boda and his Notre Dame statistical collection. The long-time statistics maven had died this past November, and his extensive collection of Notre Dame data, which he’d hoped to donate to the school, was in limbo due to him contracting for its sale with a…

Full Notre Dame Column

An Early Easter

Users of our site are well familiar with the story of Easter Heathman, the long-time tender of the memorial at the site where Knute Rockne’s plane crashed. His daughter, Sue Ann Heathman Brown, now heads fundraising for the Chase County Historical Society & Museum, which helps to keep the history of that area alive. Recently,…

Full Notre Dame Column

Dorkage

I make neither secret of or apology for my years spent marching with the Band of the Fighting Irish. It was one of my favorite experiences during four of the best years of my life. I made life-long friends (including my wife) and got paid to attend New Years Day bowl games (including a National…

Full Notre Dame Column

For the Kid In You

When you look at The Spirit of Christmas at Notre Dame, the new book by Susan Guibert and Brendan O’Shaughnessy, your first inclination might be to get it for your six-year-old nephew. But as you look deeper, you realize it’s just as (if not more) appropriate for your soon-to-be ND grad. The beautifully-rhymed book tells…

Full Notre Dame Column