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Volume 56, Issue 52 | MONDAY, February 28, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Marcus Freeman discusses leadership Notre Dame head football coach visits Mendoza College of Business for conversation on Friday By MAGGIE EASTLAND Associate News Editor
SHANNON LIPSCOMB | The Observer
The lecture was Marcus Freeman’s first visit to the Mendoza College of Business, but he said it would not be his last. In his talk with College Dean Martijn Cremers, Freeman explained his approach to leadership.
He gets his work et hic f rom his fat her a nd his self lessness f rom his mot her, but his emphasis on player relat ionships as Not re Da me head coach is his ow n. “I love coaching,” Ma rcus Freema n sa id. “I love to see our players have success, a nd so t hat’s my mot ivat ion. That’s my inspirat ion — to work my ta i l of f to t r y to develop relat ionships w it h young people.” Freema n discussed his upbring ing, leadership st yle a nd approach to coaching Not re Da me footba l l
w it h Dea n of t he Mendoza Col lege of Business Ma r t ijn Cremers for t he Dea n’s Spea ker Series Friday. Cremers opened by asking Freema n to discuss t he inf luence of his pa rents. Freema n sa id his fat her taught him t he impor ta nce of discipline a nd ha rd work, recol lect ing how his dad wou ld wa ke him a nd his brot her ever y day at 5 a.m. to workout. “Now as a fat her, I’m li ke, ‘Was t hat chi ld abuse ? ’” Freema n sa id. “But aga in, t hat’s why I va lue ha rd work a nd I va lue discipline — because t hat’s see FREEMAN PAGE 4
Notre Dame hosts ILI fellows DIANE PARK | The Observer
Examining the history of the Fighting Irish From the Archives Researchers
the Irish Catholics who overcame adversity and put Notre Dame on the map.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story was published on Feb. 15.
Notre Dame, from French founders to Irish icons
One of the first questions I had when I first toured Notre Dame was: “Why does a university with a French name possess an Irish mascot and a prideful Irish identity overall?” Many have also wondered the same thing, as there is not one clear origin story for Notre Dame’s iconic team name: The Fighting Irish. In this week’s edition of From the Archives, we explore how Notre Dame came to embrace an Irish identity, from reclaiming sports opponents’ slurs to fending off the anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan. Though we do not know where Notre Dame’s Irish story began, we know where it ends: in honoring
Oct. 22, 1904 | Dec. 10, 1948 | Researched by Spencer Kelly In 1842, a small group of Holy Cross priests from Le Mans, France established the University of Notre Dame. Today, this University founded by peaceful French priests is represented by the “Fighting Irish.” As Murray Sperber wrote in “Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football,” “the origins of the Notre Dame nickname are both obvious and obscure.” Sperber suggested that the popularity of nineteenth-century Irish boxers combined with the prevalence of Irish Catholics at Notre Dame created conditions
By UYEN LEE, SPENCER KELLY and ERIN DRUMM
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for the “Fighting Irish” name to emerge. However, most popular stories of the name’s origin are nothing more than myths. One story dates back to a 1889 football game, when Northwestern fans allegedly shouted “kill those fighting Irish,” referencing the Notre Dame players. Another tale concerned a 1909 game against Michigan. Down at halftime, one Notre Dame player asked his mostly Irish-American teammates “What’s the matter with you guys? You’re all Irish and you’re not fighting!” One of the first publications of the Irish nickname was in a 1904 edition of Notre Dame Scholastic. In their recap of a game against Wisconsin, the article describes how “the plucky fight of our boys won the applause of the see ARCHIVES PAGE 3
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Courtesy of Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame
The third Notre Dame ILI cohort has been on campus since August, considering future career opportunities and their next step in life. By RYAN PETERS Notre Dame News Editor
After a career in Catholic higher education, Margaret Higgins found herself in the peculiar position of being a former college administrator and high school president lost on the way to class during her first day of school. As a member of the third cohort of Notre Dame’s Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI), Higgins is one of 23 adults who have returned to college for one academic
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year at Notre Dame. Open to any individual who has completed a career of at least 20 years, on average, the program offers fellows an opportunity to step aside from their career to equip themselves for their next stage of life, founding director Tom Schreier said. Fellows in the ILI are guided to discover opportunities that exist for them at their respective career point, discern one of those opportunities they wish to pursue see LEADERSHIP PAGE 3
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