Why Fighting Irish?

[GeauxSioux]

I read something recently that made me wonder how the Fighting Irish got their name and came across the following from March of 1953...

When the religious origin of other colleges lost its significance, the emphasis shifted to conventional names, and to their school colors. But history is recorded remembrance in our blessed heritage here at Notre Dame. Fighting Irish! It's more than a name; more than a people. It is the Faith!

In narrow, little New England, it began as a slur -- a term of opprobrium. But we took it up and made of it a badge of honor -- a symbol of fidelity and courage to everyone who suffers from discrimination; to everyone who has an uphill fight for the elemental decencies, and the basic Christian principles woven into the texture of our nation. Preserving this tradition, and this meaning of Irish at Notre Dame does honor to everyone of us.

Why the "Fighting Irish"?

I thought some might find it interesting, that the name began as a slur and they took at as a badge of honor. Hmmm.

[Ray77]

I read something recently that made me wonder how the Fighting Irish got their name and came across the following from March of 1953...

Why the "Fighting Irish"?

I thought some might find it interesting, that the name began as a slur and they took at as a badge of honor. Hmmm.

HA...I was just going to say...sounds eerily familiar!

[82SiouxGuy]

I read something recently that made me wonder how the Fighting Irish got their name and came across the following from March of 1953...

Why the "Fighting Irish"?

I thought some might find it interesting, that the name began as a slur and they took at as a badge of honor. Hmmm.

From earlier in the same piece (I bolded a part of it for emphasis):

Notre Dame began athletic relations chiefly with local colleges founded by various denominations. Press reports would refer to the schools as the "Baptists" or the "Methodists," and the like. For Notre Dame it was the "Catholics," or the "Irish." But the players were never all of Irish ancestry; nor were they all Catholics.

[The Sicatoka]

And Fighting Irish I believe is the "G"-rated, prime-time, version of the slur first first yelled at Notre Dame teams.

I believe Notre Dame initially heard from opponents something far less kind: F______ Irish.

[Big A HG]

And Fighting Irish I believe is the "G"-rated, prime-time, version of the slur first first yelled at Notre Dame teams.

I believe Notre Dame initially heard from opponents something far less kind: F______ Irish.

Funny?

Fat?

Fruity?

I can't think of anything else that would go there...

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

...that the name began as a slur and they took at as a badge of honor.

-AFAIK, supposedly the Purdue team was accused of recruiting local railroad workers (who were definitely NOT enrolled in college) for a Saturday game, passing them off as Purdue students. Some of their defeated (& bruised) opponents started calling them a team of Boilermakers. And that's their name today.

-Anyone know why the Oakland Athletics use an elephant as their symbol?? :-)

-For my money, the entire state of Oklahoma is celebrating cheating when they embrace "Sooners".

-Texas A&M (among other schools) uses Aggies. Not all of their opponents use it with the same respect.

Press reports would refer to the schools as the "Baptists" or the "Methodists," and the like.

AFAIK, Northwestern University was one of those: Methodists, IIRC.

And Fighting Irish I believe is the "G"-rated, prime-time, version of the slur first first yelled at Notre Dame teams.

Maybe. AFAIK, the term "

Fighting

Irish" wasn't necessarily coined for Notre Dame: rather the Irish as an ethnicity were sterotyped as uncouth, uneducated brawlers (often drunk, of course). The term just naturally flowed to a sports team, especially a football team.

[Big A HG]

-Anyone know why the Oakland Athletics use an elephant as their symbol?? :-)

"After New York Giants' manager John McGraw told reporters that Philadelphia manufacturer Benjamin Shibe, who owned the controlling interest in the new team, had a "white elephant on his hands," Mack defiantly adopted the white elephant as the team mascot, and presented McGraw with a stuffed toy elephant at the start of the 1905 World Series. McGraw and Mack had known each other for years, and McGraw accepted it graciously. By 1909, the A's were wearing an elephant logo on their sweaters, and in 1918 it turned up on the regular uniform jersey for the first time. Over the years the elephant has appeared in several different colors. It is currently forest green. The A

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

"After New York Giants' manager John McGraw told reporters that Philadelphia manufacturer Benjamin Shibe, who owned the controlling interest in the new team, had a "white elephant on his hands," Mack defiantly adopted the white elephant as the team mascot,

emphasis mine.

The other version I have heard is that the American League signed a lot of older players when they started up: some people said they were "white elephants". Either way, it was supposed to be an insult: yet here we are over 100 years later and they're still using it.

[ScottM]

Being Irish-American, I can honestly say that those of Irish descent are really too damn tough to care what some weak-kneed university run by a bunch of dress-wearing pansies in Indiana calls themselves.