The Evolution of Notre Dame's Mascot: From Irish Terriers to the Leprechaun
The University of Notre Dame, renowned for its rich athletic history and traditions, boasts a mascot lineage as unique and spirited as the institution itself. While the leprechaun is the instantly recognizable symbol today, the story of Notre Dame's mascot is one of evolving identities, good luck charms, and a deep connection to the "Fighting Irish" spirit.
Early Days: Fluid Identities and Rotating Mascots
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the concept of mascots and team names at Notre Dame was far from fixed. Team names shifted frequently, sometimes varying even within the same sports article. Sportswriters used monikers like "Catholics," "Hoosiers," "Rockmen," and "Ramblers." It wasn't until the 1920s that "Fighting Irish" began to solidify as the dominant name.
Mascots, similarly, were viewed more as good luck charms than consistent symbols. Notre Dame saw a revolving door of these figures until the 1930s. Examples include Minim student Willie Robb, who served as the mascot for the 1895 baseball team, and Irish Catholic actress Sally O'Neil, who once filled the role.
The Era of the Irish Terrier: A Symbol of Tenacity
The first Irish Terrier mascot was Tipperary Terrence, who was presented to Knute Rockne in January 1924. Unfortunately “Terry” died as a result of an automobile accident in spring of 1924. He was replaced in October 1924 by Tipperary Terrence II who arrived just in time to go to the Army game in New York City on October 18, 1924. After the Army game the Notre Dame football team went on to an undefeated season (10 wins and 0 losses), and the 1924 Collegiate Football National Championship. The 1924 football team is considered by most sports writers the most acclaimed team ever assembled. After the completion of the regular football season Notre Dame agreed to play Stanford on January 1, 1925 in the ninth annual Rose Bowl contest in Pasadena, California. Before the game, the Notre Dame team posed for a team picture. There, front row center, is one of the Four Horsemen, Elmer Layden holding Tipperary Terrence II. Notre Dame beat Stanford 27 to 10 in that Rose Bowl. Why of course, the holder of the Irish Terrier mascot-Elmer Layden. He scored three touchdowns on runs of 3 yards, 78 yards (interception return) and 70 yards (interception return). During Rockne’s last six years the ND football teams earned three more National Championships and the legend of the Irish Terrier mascot grew.
Between 1924, when the first Irish Terrier came on campus, until the mascot's almost unnoticed removal after the 1966 season, Notre Dame's football teams secured 12 National Championships. This remarkable achievement highlights the Irish Terrier's unique place in Notre Dame's athletic legacy.
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Brick Top Shaun Rhue: A Short-Lived but Beloved Mascot
In October 1932, dog breeder Charles Otis and his partner Thomas Bolton announced their intention to donate an Irish Terrier to Notre Dame as a mascot for the football team. Otis presented Brick Top Shaun Rhue to Football Coach Heartley "Hunk" Anderson during the Navy game, played in Otis's hometown of Cleveland on November 19, 1932.
Shaun Rhue's presence on campus was brief. It is believed that he ran away in the spring of 1933. Despite his short tenure, the idea of Irish Terriers as Notre Dame's mascot persisted.
Clashmore Mike: The Golden Age of the Irish Terrier
Starting with the 1934 season, Elmer Layden, one of the Four Horsemen, became the football coach at ND. Layden was a student was a friend of the terrier mascot. So it should be of no surprise to anyone that the Irish Terrier mascot rose to a level of prominence during his coaching tenure. His son Elmer Jr. remembers as a boy seeing the mascot running and playing in their backyard on Lincolnway East in South Bend. This was probably the Golden Age of the Irish Terrier mascot.
Clashmore Mike I was seldom away from his side. These two legends of Notre Dame were truly close friends. “Two familiar figures were absent from the Notre Dame football scene this year. One was scrappy little Clashmore Mike, the spunky Irish Terrier, who, as team mascot for the past decade, had captured the attention of football fans throughout the nation. The other notable missing from the Irish camp this year was Mr. Layden and the Notre Dame Athletic Department in the 30’s and 40’s obviously saw the positive public relations aspect of an Irish Terrier as a mascot. Clashmore Mike posed for pictures in newspapers, football programs, Domes and Scholastics. Clashmore Mike even had his own sports column in football programs. This was the era when photographers from the big city daily newspapers in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Cleveland and Philadelphia showed up to get pictures of Clashmore Mike taking off after the Army mule or the Navy goat and chasing them off the playing field. In addition in 1939, ’40 and ’41 Kamm’s Brewery ran advertisements in every football program with a drawing of an Irish Terrier. The ad read: “Thoroughbreds. A real thoroughbred dog is the Irish Terrier, the mascot of Notre Dame’s great football teams. In the November 7, 1936 program for the Navy vs.
When Clashmore Mike I died he was afforded the singular honor of being buried under the turf of Notre Dame stadium. Legend has it that if you listen and watch very closely at home football games when the leprechaun mascot dances over Mike’s gave you can hear a low throaty growl, and the grass over the grave stands straight up. Next time look and listen for it and you decide whether the legend is authentic. All lovers of the Irish Terrier mascot at Notre Dame owe a deep and continuing debt to Elmer Layden. This was the Golden Age of the Irish Terrier mascot at Notre Dame. Thanks Elmer!
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Frank Leahy, also known as “The Coach” or “The Man,” compiled a winning percentage of .864 in college football. That ranks “The Coach” as number two behind Rockne for winning percentage. Over his career from 1939 through 1953 he won 107 games while losing only 13 and tying 9 games. Leahy coached at Boston College in 1939 and 1940 before returning to his alma mater in 1941. One of Leahy’s best players was John Lattner who was selected as an All American player in 1952 and 1953 and the winner of both the Heisman and Maxwell Trophies in 1953 as the outstanding college football player in America. Johnny is also one of the finest human beings God ever put upon this earth. “That Irish Terrier mascot was the toughest and most active dog I ever saw. I remember one day at practice Clashmore Mike and I were both on the sidelines. I decided to go up to Mike, say “Hello,” and give him a pat on the head. I called his name before I reached for him. He set his jaw firmly, fixed his deep brown eyes in a menacing glare and the hair on the back of his neck stood tall. I don’t know what he would have done, if I had moved my hand to touch him, which I didn’t do. Coach Leahy had a great respect for the traditions of Notre Dame, and the Irish Terrier mascot was one of those traditions. “The Coach” however, wanted the Irish Terrier to take a more active part in the game. Leahy had the dog trained on a given command to run onto the field to delay the game and obtain another time out. Now you can imagine what the reaction of the officials was when they saw this ‘red bolt of lightning’ headed right at them only to veer off at the last minute and run to the football. What was mascot Mike’s life like at Notre Dame? Well, through 1945 he lived in and around the old gym. Although he had an outdoor dog house (painted green) he was often in the fieldhouse with Dan Hanley. Apparently over the years Dan had problems with Clashmore Mike’s diet because students often fed him table scraps from the dining hall. In addition Mike had a sweet tooth and the students got into the custom of feeding him candy. Mike was not caged and more or less had the run of the campus. He at times failed to come back to the gym for his daily ration of dog food because the students fed him. It appears Mike was a traveler and got to go to many of the road games. We know for sure he got to visit the cities of New York, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh. From 1924 through 1953 there were 10 National Championships and the Irish Terrier mascot was a proud part of all of it. Knute, Elmer and Frank considered the Irish Terrier mascots as much a part of the traditions and legends of Notre Dame as George Gipp, the Golden Dome and the Victory March, and the Irish Terrier mascot rewarded that confidence by being around while ND was winning an astonishing 85% of its games.
The Leprechaun Emerges: A Symbol of Fighting Spirit
The Notre Dame Leprechaun became recognized as the official mascot of the University of Notre Dame in 1966, six years after it was introduced to complement its equally mischievous predecessor, the Irish Terrier. The leprechaun is meant to represent "the tenacious spirit of the Fighting Irish and their determination."
Each season, the school holds tryouts for students to become the mascot, dressing in a green suit with an Irish country hat and carrying a shillelagh. The design first came about in the 1960s and has become synonymous with Notre Dame athletics as one of the most recognized logos and mascots in college sports.
The Modern Leprechaun: Inclusivity and Representation
Until nearly a decade ago, those who portrayed the clever green character were required to grow a chinstrap beard and be under a certain height, which limited the role to male students for most of the Leprechaun’s history. Now, the position is open to any student who exhibits the ideals they are called to represent: zeal and passion for the University of Notre Dame and all that it stands for.
Considered an arm of the Notre Dame Cheerleading Team, theLeprechaun is unique compared to other live human mascots in that those who portray it also define the character. Typically, there are four students in any given year chosen to don the infamous green suit, and each Leprechaun is distinct from the next. Those who portray the Leprechaun role are called to embody a unique Irish spirit with an authentic history and a meaning rooted deeper than race alone.
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