ESPN College GameDay analyst Lee Corso finally selected the Irish during his famous picks segment on Saturday morning.

Monogram Club Musings: Stanford Edition

Oct. 15, 2012

Stanford Weekend Photo Gallery

This football season, the Monogram Club will continue to produce the “Monogram Club Musings,” a regular online column following each home football weekend. The publication will fill Monogram winners in on Club events throughout the season, provide information on alumni and prominent figures that return to campus for the game and highlight Monogram Club presentations and activities that occur during the fall.

If you can’t make it to campus, but would like to update the Monogram Club on what you’ve been up to, please send an email to mlafranc@nd.edu and “The Muse” will include it in an upcoming edition.

This past weekend, the Monogram Club brought its members together with its usual slate of popular football weekend activities and welcomed back football legend Dave Casper (’74) to campus for a special recognition celebration. With more than 1,300 Monogram winners and guests passing through our events, it proved to be yet another great football weekend for the Monogram Club and its members!

Keep reading to find out more!

Stanford Game Notes

– The Notre Dame campus was abuzz all weekend long as ESPN College GameDay made its eighth appearance in South Bend and broadcast from Library Quad in front of the Word of Life mural (“Touchdown Jesus”). The signature college football program aired live on ESPNU from 9-10 a.m. Saturday, with coverage on ESPN beginning at 10 a.m. and concluding at noon. With the win against Stanford, the Irish improved to 4-4 all-time in games when College GameDay anchors its coverage from Notre Dame. Look for who represented GameDay on campus in the sightings section later on in the Musings.

– Notre Dame’s football team recognized Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pick accessories during Saturday’s game, including wristbands, gloves and socks, to accent the traditional home uniforms. The Kelly Cares Foundation also sold “face-ka-bobs” that sported coach Brian Kelly‘s likeness. The proceeds will support organizations, initiatives and programs that align with the goals of the Kelly Cares Foundation, with an emphasis on breast cancer research. Brian Kelly’s wife Paqui is a two-time breast cancer survivor.

– Men’s lacrosse head coach Kevin Corrigan led members of his 2012 squad onto the field prior to kickoff to be recognized for last season’s memorable run to the NCAA Championship semifinals. It marked the second time in three years that the team has reached the Final Four.

– Also honored during the first half were all four members of the 2012 NCAA champion Notre Dame distance medley relay team. The squad is composed of Monogram winners Johnathan Shawel, Chris Giesting, Randall Babb and Jeremy Rae. Check out a video recap of the team’s championship run here.

– Saturday’s safety announcement from 2010 honorary Monogram recipient Sgt. Tim McCarthy: “Remember, never ever drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.”

Sightings Around Campus

– Members of the ESPN College GameDay crew made appearances at events throughout the weekend while enjoying their time in South Bend. Host Chris Fowler spoke at Friday’s pep rally and told the crowd that Notre Dame remains a special place for all members of his team, as the first ever GameDay road broadcast originated in South Bend in 1993 from the Joyce Center’s Heritage Hall.

– Former Ohio State quarterback and GameDay commentator Kirk Herbstreit spent time with the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team and addressed the squad after practice.

– GameDay analyst Lee Corso made his signature picks during Saturday morning’s telecast and chose the Irish for the first time ever when GameDay has taken place on campus. To showcase his Notre Dame-Stanford pick, Corso donned a full leprechaun costume and performed a festive Irish jig alongside the current Notre Dame leprechaun as the show went off the air.

– The Muse enjoyed some quality conversation with former Boston College quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie in the Notre Dame press box during the game. Flutie provided live insight for ESPN and NBC throughout the weekend and provided analysis in a segment during Friday’s live Mike & Mike in the Morning broadcast, along with former Irish football standout Mike Golic (’85) and his partner, Mike Greenberg.

– Former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Hines Ward also spent the weekend on campus to provide his thoughts for a variety of NBC programming.

– Women’s lacrosse head coach Christine Halfpenny welcomed back the program’s alumni to campus for the team’s annual alumni game and tailgate on Saturday.

– Notre Dame football legend and 12-year NFL veteran Joe Theismann (’71) made an appearance at Friday’s Schivarelli Players’ Lounge, while another member of the Irish quarterback brotherhood, Jimmy Clausen, was spotted on the Irish sideline during the game. Clausen and his Carolina Panthers had Sunday off from NFL competition.

– Each week, the ESPN College GameDay crew chooses a celebrity to make “guest picks” for that Saturday’s slate of college football games. The crew chose Vince Vaughn for this weekend’s broadcast, marking the second time in three games that Vaughn has made his pilgrimage to Notre Dame.

– NFL official Ed Hochuli watched the Notre Dame-Stanford game from the Notre Dame Stadium sideline. Hochuli attended the game to check in on his son, Shawn, who served as one of the officials for Saturday’s contest. No word if Shawn can bench as much weight as his Dad, however.

Honoring Dave Casper

With Halloween just around the corner, it proved fitting that the Monogram Club hosted “The Ghost,” Dave Casper (’74), on campus this weekend to celebrate his upcoming enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame. Casper will become just the fifth Monogram winner to be a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Casper will be enshrined Dec. 4, 2012, in a special ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

“To me it brings back a lot of memories of the days I was in college,” Casper said. “Being elected into the College Hall of Fame is another affirmation of being at Notre Dame and being on a great team. What I am being recognized for is not for being a great player, but being at Notre Dame at a great time to be at Notre Dame.”

Over the course of the weekend, Casper spoke at the Friday Football Luncheon and was honored at midfield during halftime of the game against Stanford.

Former Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian called the 1973 consensus All-American the best athlete he ever coached, and his versatility makes it hard to question. Casper played his first two seasons at offensive tackle (1971, 1972) and earned All-America honorable mention honors for his efforts as a sophomore.

In 1973, Casper moved to tight end and led the Irish to a perfect 11-0 record and a 24-23 win over top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The victory clinched the consensus national championship for Notre Dame.

A standout in the classroom, Casper earned first-team Academic All-America recognition and received a prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarship after his senior season.

Casper was drafted in the second round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders and played 11 seasons in the league. The four-time All-Pro helped the Raiders to a 32-14 victory over Minnesota in Super Bowl XI.

Pre-Game Reception Alumni News & Notes

A strong contingent of 772 Monogram winners and their guests packed the Club’s pregame reception on Saturday afternoon to grab some snacks before the football team’s exciting win over No. 17 Stanford. Monogram Club staff member Karen Demeter ordered another fantastic menu for the event, including mini pizzas, meatballs, quesadillas, chips and guacamole and brownies. Delicious!

The Club also owes a big thank you to the Varsity Clubs of America, which serves as a Club sponsor and helps us to put on the pre-game receptions each football weekend. The Varsity Clubs also serves as the official hotel of the Monogram Club.

Here are some of the Monogram winners we caught up with during this week’s pre-game reception:

Former manager Edward Kennedy (’60) resides in Atherton, Calif., where he is enjoying retirement. Ed assures us he is not related to the former senator from Massachusetts.

Bill Russo (’68, manager) made the trip to South Bend from Charlotte N.C., where he is enjoying retirement.

Bruce McCourt (’89, soccer) joined us from Niles, Mich., where he is a financial advisor for Ameriprise.

Durham, N.C., artist Revere La Noue (’99, lacrosse) took in the men’s lacrosse team’s fall exhibition win over Navy before joining in on the Monogram festivities.

Former Oakland Raider Grant Irons ’01 (football) joined the Monogram Club for another eventful weekend after spending last weekend at the Club’s Friday reception in Chicago.

Natalie Leopold Kapnick (’09, cheerleading) joined us from nearby Chicago, where she works in wealth management for Barclays.

Former Fighting Irish leprechaun Daniel Collins (’10, cheerleading) took a break from his law school studies at Notre Dame to spend Saturday afternoon in the Monogram Room.

Recent graduate Kelly Lynch (’12, track) resides in Dublin, Ohio where he is working for Honda.

— ND —