Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/226401
Upon Further Review todd D. burlage A Big Apple Homecoming December bowl game, in cold weather, with a noon start, against Rutgers — this wasn't the postseason "reward" anybody expected just one year removed from a run to sunny Florida for the BCS National Championship Game. But with four losses during the regular season and a shortage of bowl tiein options, that's exactly what Notre Dame ended up with — a place in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium Dec. 28. Even though Brian Kelly mentioned San Diego and Hawaii as two preferred postseason destinations before the bid to the Pinstripe Bowl was accepted, the Irish head coach still celebrated the trip east and an opportunity to play an opponent that lost five of its final seven games. "New York is certainly a great place for Notre Dame," Kelly said. "It's a home away from home. We'll be wellreceived there … I'm excited about the opportunity for our team." Wind chill aside, if Kelly's Irish had to land in a cold weather destination, the coach makes a great point that New York is truly the perfect fit for Notre Dame. It has been a home away from home since the Irish began playing there exactly 100 years ago. Rewind back to 1913, when an Irish team captain named Knute Rockne helped Notre Dame pull a 35-13 upset over Army at West Point, and you'll Irish head coach Brian Kelly said of the team's bowl destination this season, "New York is certainly a great place for Notre Dame. It's a home away from home." photo by bill panzica find the moment when the Irish began to root their place in and around New York City. Beforehand, that first game in New York 100 years ago didn't seem like it would mean much for an Irish pro-