Brock Sheahan returns to Notre Dame as associate head coach

A familiar face is back in South Bend.

They often say you can’t go home again, but [autotag]Brock Sheahan[/autotag] mostly hasn’t ventured far from Notre Dame since his playing days ended. After he hung up his skates in 2013, the former Irish defenseman served as a volunteer assistant coach with the program for one season. Now, he’s returning to South Bend to serve as [autotag]Jeff Jackson[/autotag]’s associate head coach.

After his initial coaching stint with the Irish, Sheahan headed to Worcester for four seasons on the Holy Cross bench. He then was an assistant with the USHL’s Chicago Steel for one year before being promoted to head coach, a capacity he served in for the next three seasons. That included capturing the 2021 Clark Cup. This past season, he coached the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

With Jackson not getting any younger, is it possible he’s bringing Sheahan to eventually take over for him? Only time will tell, but the stars seem to be aligning for that possibility.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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Buffalo vs Holy Cross Prediction, Game Preview

Buffalo vs Holy Cross game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 2 game on Saturday, September 10

Buffalo vs Holy Cross prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 2, Saturday, September 10


Buffalo vs Holy Cross How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 10
Game Time: 6:00 ET
Venue: UB Stadium, Buffalo, NY
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Buffalo (0-1), Holy Cross (1-0)
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Buffalo vs Holy Cross Game Preview

Why Holy Cross Will Win

The Crusaders had to battle, but they came up with a nice 31-17 win over Merrimack to start the season.

The offense was almost perfectly balanced, controlling the clock wasn’t a problem, and the No. 1 defense in the FCS last year held the Warriors to just 280 yards with two takeaways.

Buffalo has to prove it can consistently move the ball. It struggled to get anything down the field in the 31-10 loss to Maryland, and running on Holy Cross isn’t going to be easy.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 2

Why Buffalo Will Win

The Bulls have enough good offensive parts to pound away a bit.

Cole Snyder is a decent enough passer to keep the chains moving, the defensive front should get into the backfield better than it did against the Terps, and Holy Cross will be more efficient than explosive.

Buffalo has to beat the Crusaders at their game by grinding out drives. The running game is about to be fair stronger after being held in check for 108 yards.

Week 2 Schedule, Predictions, Game Preview

What’s Going To Happen

Look out.

Holy Cross has the exact right makeup and style to pull off the upset. Buffalo will grind its way to a win, but it’s going to need to catch a few breaks, the offense has to find something down the field, and getting behind will be a death blow.

It will take a few fourth quarter field goals to pull away, and then a late touchdown will make things easier.

CFN Week 2 Predictions

Buffalo vs Holy Cross Prediction, Line

Buffalo 34, Holy Cross 24
Line: Buffalo -12, o/u: 51
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Buffalo vs Holy Cross Must See Rating (out of 5): 2

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Two members of Holy Cross men’s golf team made albatross on the same hole

Golfers have a 1 in 6 million chance of recording an albatross.

Christian Emmerich and Owen Egan can lay claim to one of the most improbable feats in golf. And if there weren’t picture evidence, most folks probably wouldn’t believe their claim.

The duo, Emmerich a senior and Egan a sophomore, play on the Holy Cross men’s golf team, and they were playing a qualifying round Sunday ahead of the team’s season-opening event at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate in Kensington, Connecticut. They stepped to the tee of the par-5 eighth hole at Blackstone National Golf Club in Sutton, Massachusetts, not knowing what was about to come. It measured 494 yards from the tees they were playing, and they took an aggressive approach off the tee.

Emmerich’s tee shot settled about 160 yards from the hole, and Egan’s was a bit closer coming in at 125 yards out after going up and over the trees on the dogleg right hole.

Emmerich hit his approach shot first, an 8-iron. It went in the hole.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he told Golfweek.

He and Egan, along with their third playing partner, started celebrating. Then Egan stepped up to his shot.

“I was honestly still shaking from seeing his go in,” Egan said.

Then his 50 degree wedge one-hopped off the rough and rolled onto the green and into the hole.

Two albatrosses. Same hole. Same group.

The odds are better to be struck by lightning than make an albatross, according to the PGA of America.

Holy Cross coach Steve Napoli said he believes alums Willie Turnesa, 1938 graduate who won the 1938 U.S. Amateur, and Paul Harney, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, were both looking down on Emmerich’s and Egan’s shots.

“I have no doubt about it,” Napoli said.

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Notre Dame alumnus Brock Sheahan named Chicago Wolves coach

Great news for the former defenseman.

Former Notre Dame defenseman and assistant coach Brock Sheahan has just made a big next step in his hockey life. He has been named the coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, who are fresh off winning the Calder Cup. This comes after three years as coach of the USHL’s Chicago Steel, which included one Clark Cup. Before making the professional coaching jump, he spent four years as an assistant at Holy Cross, which came after one season as an Irish assistant.

Sheahan played four seasons with the Irish from 2004 to 2008. In 161 games, he scored 33 points and registered 220 penalty minutes. He was a member of the Irish’s 2007 CCHA regular-season and tournament championship team and the 2008 squad that came within one game of winning a national title. After leaving the Irish, he played five years of professional hockey, mostly in the ECHL.

Best of luck to Sheahan as he takes over a defending champion.

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Lou Somogyi Memorial Scholarship established in memory of writer

Lou Somogyi’s name will carry on in a meaningful way.

The Notre Dame writing community was shaken last weekend by the sudden loss of longtime Blue & Gold contributor Lou Somogyi. However, efforts to keep Somogyi’s legacy alive already are underway. Coman, the publisher of Blue and Gold, has announced the establishment of The Lou Somogyi Memorial Scholarship. Donations will be accepted beginning Thursday.

Somogyi, who was from South Bend, took the Rudy Ruettiger route of transferring to Notre Dame from Holy Cross. Appropriately, South Bend natives who transfer from the smaller school to the big school will be given first priority for this scholarship. Next priority will be given to any other student who transfers from Holy Cross to Notre Dame. Finally, any Notre Dame student in financial need will be considered.

Somogyi may be gone, but this scholarship ensures he will remain an integral part of the university community. It’s the least that could happen after all of the lives he touched during his longtime association with Notre Dame.

Brian Kelly ranked 85th on ESPN coaches-as-players list

What do you think of this ranking?

Notre Dame has had only six former college football players serve as head coach and none for a couple of generations. However, every college football coach was a player at some point, right? How else would someone understand the game so well? Brian Kelly indeed has playing experience as seen in a new piece for ESPN+ subscribers.

Adam Rittenberg has taken all 130 head coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision and ranked them as players. Brian Kelly comes in at 85th on the list. Before you throw up your hands and say that’s too low, remember that Kelly attended a school that only had a club football team at the time. Assumption in Worcester, Massachusetts has since fielded a team that competes in Division II.

Kelly was a memorable player for Assumption. His 314 tackles were a program record. He also earned a pair of all-league honors and was a captain. Clearly, his leadership skills were evident at a young age.

Rittenberg ranks former Notre Dame player and current Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz at 98th on the list. The son of Lou Holtz, he played 11 games for the Irish in 1986 after playing two years at Holy Cross. mostly playing on special teams and also servicing as a backup receiver. He carried the ball once that season and gained a single yard on that attempt.

Limited students will be admitted to Notre Dame’s last two home games

As we approach a year since COVID-19 completely upended our lives, there finally appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

As we approach a year since COVID-19 completely upended our lives, there finally appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. With the vaccine supply slowly increasing, cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily have been decreasing. That means we’re getting more of the life we once knew a little at a time. To that end, Notre Dame made this announcement Tuesday night:

Yep, they’re actually opening up Purcell Pavilion to a few lucky students for the Irish’s final two home games. Those will be played Wednesday evening against NC State and Saturday afternoon against Florida State. That will be a nice luxury for an Irish team that will finish below .500 for the second time in three years barring a deep ACC Tournament run. Maybe this will motivate Notre Dame to finish strong.

Details about tickets and policies for these games can be found here. Students at Notre Dame, St. Mary and Holy Cross will be eligible to attend. Here’s hoping they can give Purcell Pavilion something of the loud atmosphere it deserves.

Before Attending Notre Dame, Rudy Got His Start in the Navy

The story of Rudy Ruettiger, while inspiring, can become exhausting if you’re a Notre Dame fan.

The story of Rudy Ruettiger, while inspiring, can become exhausting if you’re a Notre Dame fan. After all, he’s seemingly the only Irish figure other than Knute Rockne whose fame extends beyond the college football world. And as any real Irish fan knows, the movie about him doesn’t tell the whole story. One notable omission is the time he spent in the military before even attending Holy Cross.

A new story from Military.com mentions how Ruettiger joined the Navy in 1968. For two years, he was a yeoman at sea. In fact, his GI Bill benefits allowed him to enroll at Holy Cross in 1972, two years before becoming one of Ara Parseghian’s scout players. So without his time serving our country, who knows if that famous play even happens?

The story goes on to talk about Ruettiger’s frequent visits and speeches with service members. He credits the Navy for changing both his thinking and his attitude. Perhaps that’s what allowed him to tell soldiers about what he calls the four C’s to success: Character, courage, commitment and contribution. Either way, Ruettiger is a proud veteran and deserves to be honored for his service even more than whatever he did on the football field.

Notre Dame Issues Response to Student Newspaper’s COVID-19 Editorial

On Friday, Notre Dame began hearing about its response to the COVID-19 outbreak on campus from its own student newspaper.

On Friday, Notre Dame began hearing about its response to the COVID-19 outbreak on campus from its own student newspaper. In an editorial by The Observer, which covers Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross, made its stance clear: “Don’t make us write obituaries.” For anyone who’s ever worked on a student paper, the idea of having to produce such a section is unfathomable.

Notre’s Dame response to the editorial came Sunday via a statement from university spokesman Dennis K. Brown that was provided to CNN:

“Students, faculty and staff are all in this together, and it’s only by working together that we can stay safe and continue to stay on campus for the remainder of the semester.”

Earlier Sunday, Notre Dame released its latest COVID-19 testing numbers. An additional 19 positive tests were reported, its lowest daily total in a week. That brings the total to 408 confirmed cases out of 2,339 tests conducted since Aug. 3.

The university’s dashboard containing its COVID-19 numbers is updated daily at noon, Eastern Standard Time. While the number of daily cases appears to be dropping, we’ll have to see how this all plays out as remote learning is enacted. Hopefully, students can get back to in-person learning soon.