Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/123805
Under the Dome Irish Aide Leaves For Family Business Director of football personnel Tim McDonnell left Notre Dame this April to take a different personnel position with the NFL's New York Giants. McDonnell, who has worked in South Bend for eight years, is the grandson of former Giants owner Wellington Mara. McDonnell's uncle, John Mara, took over as the franchise's CEO and co-owner when the older Mara passed away in 2005. McDonnell is a candidate to be the team's future general manager. Tim McDonnell, right, left his position as Notre Former Irish head coach Charlie Weis Dame's director of personnel to take a similar hired McDonnell as a quality control co- job with the New York Giants, an organization ordinator in 2005 shortly after he gradu- co-owned by his uncle, John Mara. photo by bill panzica ated from Holy Cross. McDonnell took over as the team's personnel director in 2009 and remained in the same position when Brian Kelly took over the team the following season. In his most recent role, McDonnell played a significant part in the program's recruiting operations. He helped to bring a consensus top-five recruiting class to South Bend in February. He coordinated the walk-on program at Notre Dame and also served as a liaison between the university and the NFL among other duties. "Tim was obviously a very important part of our staff and our success," Kelly said. "It's like anything else at the University of Notre Dame, there's going to be some very good candidates we'll have an opportunity to bring on board." ✦ Gimme Five During Notre Dame's Sweet 16 matchup with Kansas March 31, senior unanimous All-American point guard Skylar Diggins drained a short jumper off a fast break to become the school's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball. She moved ahead of current associate head coach Beth (Morgan) Cunningham, who helped lead the program to its first Final Four back in 1997. Morgan still holds the school standard for points per game average over a career, but Diggins also was a distributor and floor general who is second on the all-time Fighting Irish chart in assists. Here are the top five scorers in the 36-year history of women's basketball at Notre Dame. Career Player (Years) Games Pts. Avg. 1. Skylar Diggins (2009-13) 150 2,357 15.7 2. Beth Morgan (1994-97) 125 2,322 18.6 3. Katryna Gaither (1994-97)128 2,126 16.6 4. Ruth Riley (1997-2001) 131 2,072 15.8 5. Jacq. Batteast (2001-05) 123 1,874 15.2