Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539020
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 13, 2025 51 this past spring, will receive the Rockne LEADERSHIP Award for his lengthy career as one of the seminal figures in amateur, collegiate and pro hockey in the United States. When he was named Notre Dame head coach in 2005, Jackson was already a two-time NCAA champion, having led Lake Superior State to the national title in 1992 and 1994. And he had played a key role in building the U.S. National Team Development Program, an ini- tiative that has launched the careers of countless U.S. hockey stars. At Notre Dame, Jackson took a team coming off a 5-26-7 disaster and built the Irish into a major player on the na- tional stage. He led the Irish to 12 of their 13 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, including four trips to the Frozen Four and national championship game appearances in 2008 and 2018. At the 2008 tourney in Denver, fresh- man Calle Ridderwall scored an elec- trifying goal in overtime to send top- seeded Michigan packing and propel the Irish into the title tilt versus Bos- ton College. A decade later in St. Paul, the semifinal opponent was again the mighty Wolverines. This time, Jake Evans scored with 5.2 seconds left in regulation to break a 3-3 tie. In the fi- nal against Minnesota-Duluth, the Irish battled fiercely before falling, 2-1. Under Jackson, Notre Dame won three conference regular-season titles and five conference tournament cham- pionships, including both in Notre Dame's inaugural Big Ten season in 2017-18. He won the Spencer T. Pen- rose Award as national coach of the year in 2007 and 2018. This spring, he was honored with the 2025 Distinguished Achievement Award from USA Hockey. In his final season this past March, Jackson led the Irish to a Big Ten quar- terfinal upset of Minnesota, two games to one, in which he surpassed 600 career victories. He finished with a career re- cord of 601-343-99 (.624), including a 419-291-74 (.582) mark at Notre Dame. Jackson's legacy also includes the centerpiece of Notre Dame hockey — the Compton Family Ice Arena, among the most spectacular venues in the sport. Moreover, Jackson was known for making his players well prepared for success, on and off the ice. ✦ Reserve your table/ticket TODAY by visiting: www.RockneSociety.org/shop You Are Invited To Attend The Ninth Annual Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Awards 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 19 The History Museum South Bend Honoring these sports and media figures… Bryant Young….ND All-American, Pro Hall of Famer Coach Digger Phelps… hoops coaching legend Hannah Storm…. groundbreaking sportscaster Coach Jeff Jackson….national hockey leader Tricia Sloma…. long-serving WNDU anchor Dr. Bill Hurd…. ND athlete, doctor, musician Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com Jackson led the Irish to 12 of their 13 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, including four trips to the Frozen Four and national champion- ship game appearances in 2008 and 2018. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS