Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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murphy���s Law dan murphy T Not Just Fair Weather Fans he temperature in Miami isn���t expected to dip below 60 degrees during the next month. In the days leading up to Jan. 7, thousands upon thousands of football fans will descend on sunny South Florida to soak up the environment of the BCS National Championship. And why wouldn���t they? Football in the South is special. That corner of the country prides itself on breeding the most dedicated and crazy college football fans in the country. It���s easy to get caught up in the game down there. Sitting outside on a warm, sunny day waiting for kickoff while coeds in sundresses drop in for barbecue and a beer? That���s the kind of passionate obsession a guy could get used to. But Notre Dame fans bring their own brand of crazy. They���re Midwest people, the types that have convinced themselves life wouldn���t be as bright if they didn���t watch fair weather fade away into autumn each year and then suffer through the dead of January and February. They take their football in cycles, too. They wait faithfully through the desolate winter of mediocre seasons in South Bend while others hibernate. Every quarter century or so the Irish Punxsutawney Phil can���t find his shadow and new hope springs to life. This 2012 season is a well-earned surprise that came right on schedule Notre Dame���s 2012 season began in the pleasant environment of Ireland Sept. 1 (pictured) and will conclude in the warm sun of Miami Jan. 7, but Notre Dame faithful ���weathered��� a lot prior to this year. photo by mike bennett/lighthouse imaging for Notre Dame fans. Not the type you���ll see walking around South Beach without chalky sweat stains on their new, blue and gold hats or with tags hanging on the back of their leprechaun t-shirts, but the loyal folks who have suffered enough pain to understand joy. Like Jim Corgel, who has seen almost every play inside Notre Dame Stadium since his freshman year when he watched Joe Theismann throw an interception against Northwestern